If he hadn’t known the route so well, he never would have made it these last few miles. The steady snow that had been falling when he’d left D.C. had gradually turned into blizzard conditions. He never should have driven out to Clarksburg this afternoon. He’d decided against it after looking at the forecast and seeing the snow already coming down earlier in the day. Although obligation ensured he made the trip to see his father every Christmas, it wasn’t a trip he relished, and he’d been relieved to have a legitimate excuse to cancel it. There was a new club opening downtown that he’d wanted to visit tonight, and last week he’d started seeing a stunning brunette. She was wild, exotic, and so sexy it took his breath away. Christmas Eve at a club with her sounded a lot more appealing than an uncomfortable dinner with his father and a precocious twelve-year-old girl. He’d called to tell them he couldn't make it out because of the snowstorm, and Helen had said it was fine. Her voice had been small and wobbly, however, so he’d known she’d been crushed.
