Christmas came and went unnoticed as it always did at The Oaks, but this year even the staff had lost some of their exuberance. While baubles decorated their own homes and shopping had been done, the joy of the holiday had been dampened. Robert’s death had taken its toll on everyone, but the damage it had done to Joanna’s spirit was the staff’s downfall. Her smile had been replaced by an anguished grimace, masking her face with pain and sorrow, and the vitality she had once possessed had died just like her father.

There was no longer need to exercise or tend to a garden that would never be appreciated by anyone but herself, and even the taste of food had lost its appeal. Books held no interest nor did conversation, so while Joanna continued to exist in the house, she had become a living ghost, an apparition filling the space in a bedroom…but just barely.

New Year’s Eve passed as well, but no mention had been made of it at the house. It was just another night that morphed into another day, another endless day where thoughts brought grief, and sleep brought even more.

At first, the drugs had helped, and Joanna had drifted into slumber, giving her body time to recover from the endless tears she had shed, but like exercise and food, Joanna’s interest in sleep had waned. For her, it was merely an escape, but she didn’t want to escape her father’s loss. She wanted him back. She wanted to talk about football, bad calls, and crooked referees, and play endless games of Gin just to hear him swear under his breath when she won. She wanted to kiss his cheek again and feel the stubble under her lips. She wanted to feel his arms around her giving her the warmth only a father could, and she wanted to smell his aftershave…just one more time.

***

“Does she have time to see me?” Fran asked.

Millie looked up and grinned. “Yes, her diary is clear until one.”

“Good. Thanks,” Fran said, and spinning around, she went over and lightly tapped on Addison’s door. When she didn’t get a response, Fran looked over her shoulder. “Is she on the phone?”

Millie turned to her computer and brought up the application showing all the company phones that were in use. “No, she’s not. She’s probably just reading something. You know how she is.”

Agreeing with a quick nod, Fran knocked again and then opened the door. Not at all surprised that Millie knew Addison so well, Fran took a seat opposite the executive desk and waited for Addison to stop reading the document in front of her.