Chapter 1
Caroline
The
gravel crunched under the tires as Caroline’s car made its way up the long
drive. As she reached the crest of the tree-topped hill, the driveway made a
sharp turn to the right, then opened up to a small grassy field with an old but
clean wooden house sitting squarely in the center of it. She pulled her car up
to the side of the house and turned off the ignition. As she opened the door
and swept her scarf around her neck, the cold air reddened her cheeks. She
shivered.
The
small porch that led to the front door was bare but for a pile of firewood.
Caroline shook her head. Curb appeal was always important when trying to sell a
home, even if the curb was a mile from the front door. First impressions count,
and this curb was lacking appeal. She turned the key in the lock, and as she
pushed the door open, she was hit with a gush of warm air filled with the
scents of gingerbread and pine cones. She smiled. This was more like it. She
made her way through the house, smoothing the bedspreads and tidying pillows on
chairs.
As
she straightened the table setting, there was a quiet knock at the front door.
She ran her hands down her sides and put her friendliest smile on, then headed
for the door.
“Come
in, Dave and Sandra,” she said as she swung open the door. Her clients entered.
“Let me take your coats.” She hung them on the hooks just inside the foyer,
hoping it would help them envision living there.
“Caroline.”
Sandra’s hands flew to her mouth. “It’s adorable.”
“Wait
until you see the kitchen,” she added, then held her hand out to the side,
encouraging them to explore. Caroline followed them through the kitchen,
emphasizing the retro appliances, and out the back door to a large patio
overlooking an expansive yard with a peaceful brook running along the side.
When
they re-entered the house and passed through the living room, Sandra cuddled
her growing belly in her hands and stopped, staring at the quaint space. “The
piano would fit perfectly right there.” She pointed to the wall on the right.
“A
Christmas tree would be really lovely over there.” Caroline pointed to a corner
between the fireplace and a wall with a large, picturesque window.
Dave
stepped in closer to Sandra and put an arm around her. “I can see us singing
carols on Christmas Eve.”
She
leaned in and whispered something back to Dave.
“I’m
going to give you a few minutes to finish looking around and talk privately.”
Caroline headed to the kitchen. She took a gingerbread cookie from the table
and was about to take a bite when she realized it was in the shape of an elf.
She giggled, then bit off his head.
She
passed the time staring out the window, appreciating the lush evergreen trees
and watching the robins flit from one tree to another.
“Caroline.”
Dave stepped into the kitchen. “We’d like to put a bid on the house. It’s
exactly what we’re looking for.”
She
smiled. “Of course. I have the paperwork in my bag.”
As
Dave and Sandra signed the house bid, Caroline glanced at her watch. It would
only take her fifteen minutes to wind her way back down the drive, up the
highway, and into town where she would meet Lauren for dinner. She waved
goodbye as they drove off, then she locked up the house, heading on her way.
***
The
hostess that greeted Caroline was dressed as an elf, pointy shoes and ears and
all. She led Caroline to Lauren, who sat in a dim alcove illuminated by lights
muted with Santa hats. A mug in the shape of a Santa boot sat on the table in
front of her. Caroline tossed her coat on the booth and rolled her eyes at
Lauren. “You chose this place on purpose, didn’t you?” She gestured at the
decor around them.
“For
someone that loves to celebrate the spirit of Christmas, you sure don’t like
all the decorating that comes with it.” Lauren took a sip from her mug.
Caroline
giggled. “You know I love Christmas. But all this is too much. It’s not what
Christmas is about. It’s supposed to be about giving and kindness. This is
all commercial.”
“You
could at least get a tree. That’s not commercial.”
“You
know me. I don’t decorate. I will provide a tree for someone else to help them
feel the Christmas spirit, but—”
“No
decorating. I know.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “How did the house showing go?”
“Spectacular.
It was right on the outskirts of town like they wanted. They put an offer on
it, and I expect it to be accepted. Which is great because it will help fund my
Christmas spirit. How was work for you today?”
She
shrugged. “You know. It’s heartbreaking to see so many people without a place
to go day after day. But I’m doing my best to change that. The police
department has been very helpful this year. They’ve even assigned us a delegate
to make sure we are helping all the people we can. Plus, the shelter’s
Christmas Eve dinner is going to be extra special this year.”
“That’s
great. And that’s the Christmas spirit I’m talking about.”
“Speaking
of that, I have just the thing you’re thinking of. They are a great family that
has fallen on some hard times and need a little help.” Lauren pushed her curly
hair behind her ears and dug in her purse. She pulled out a piece of white
paper folded in half. “You know, it’s really great that you do this.”
Caroline
took the paper from Lauren and tucked it into her purse, then plucked a menu
from the end of the table. “I just want everyone to experience Christmas the
way I did as a child. No one should miss out on that.”
Lauren
nodded. “What should we order? Should we start with an appetizer?”
***
As
Caroline drove home, passing through the neighborhoods with their lights strung
and flickering in the night, she felt a tug at her heart. She slowed as she
approached a home with wooden reindeer on the lawn and lit snowflakes hanging
from the trees. Her dad used to love to hang snowflakes around their home. He
always said he felt like it encouraged the snow on Christmas Eve.
A
car behind her honked and she was brought back to the present. She waved an
apology in the mirror and moved on, heading home for the night.
***
Mary
was hovering by the door when Caroline arrived at the office. Her hair was
immaculately coifed, and she held a steaming mug of coffee that read I Sell Houses—What’s Your
Superpower?
“I
heard the offer on the house yesterday was accepted. Good job.”
Caroline’s
eyebrows raised. She should’ve checked her email before heading into the office
this morning. “Thanks. I’m about to straighten out all the details now.”
“Great.
I also have some exciting news at the meeting this morning. Don’t be late.”
Caroline
nodded and stopped at the coffee machine before going to her office. “Good
morning, Sarah,” she said to the office assistant, who was standing beside a
large box with a long strand of tinsel wrapped in her arms.
“Hi,
Caroline. Would you like me to decorate your office for you? You’re the only
one that hasn’t done it yet.”
“I
think I’m okay.”
Sarah’s
eyes fell. “Oh, okay.”
Caroline
paused. “Well, I guess you could maybe decorate the outside of my door. Would
that work?”
Her
eyes lit up. “Yes. I’d love to. I have just the thing.” She pulled the rest of
the tinsel out and found a large, bright-red bell.
Caroline
took a sip of her coffee then disappeared into her office to call Sandra and
Dave and tell them the good news. Sandra squealed when she heard, and Dave
sounded as though he was getting choked up. “Do you think we can be in by
Christmas?” he asked.
“Maybe.
It’s only about four weeks away, but I’ll see what I can work out with the
sellers.”
Sarah
knocked on the door just as Caroline was hanging up.
“The
meeting is about to start,” she said.
“Thanks.”
She grabbed her notebook and followed Sarah into the meeting room.
“Welcome
everyone. We have a lot to discuss, so let’s get started right away.” Mary
paced back and forth across the small room as she spoke. “This year, we have
decided to partner with a local furniture store to do a fundraiser for Sweet
River Children’s Hospital.”
Caroline
turned her attention to the room. This was exactly the Christmas spirit that
motivated her. Everyone looked to one another, nodding encouragement and
smiling with delight. Mary stood, pleased, her hands folded in front of her,
her shoulders back. Her short, straight bob swayed softly as she turned from
one side of the room to the other to take in all the excitement.
“We
are going to host a Christmas Tour of Homes featuring four of our properties
that are currently for sale. Anderson’s
Furniture Store will provide the decor and we will do the decorating. I have
put together a team of agents that have shown interest in decorating and have
selected one person to be in charge of the team and decorating the locations.”
Sarah
raised her hand. “Is this the kind of tour where people buy tickets to visit
the properties to see how we have decorated them for Christmas?”
“Yes,”
Mary said, nodding. “We get a weekend of heavy foot traffic into the homes we
are selling while raising money for the children’s hospital. It’s a win-win
deal.”
Caroline
gave a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to help. It may be for a good
cause, but she was clearly not the one for the job. She turned her focus to her
notebook and started making a list of things she had to do for her clients.
“Caroline.”
Mary’s voice was clear and direct.
Caroline
sat up straighter in her seat.
“Caroline
will be leading the decorating team. Sarah is handing each team member a packet
detailing the homes that will be on the tour and the proposed rooms to
decorate.”
Caroline’s
jaw dropped. She lifted her index finger to protest, but Mary continued.
“Of
course, if you find you’d like to decorate additional rooms, that is at your
discretion, Caroline. This is your project. You are in total control.”
Caroline
shook her head, still unable to find the words. She looked to Sarah, who had
sat back down. “I’m honored to be on your team,” Sarah whispered.
The
rest of the meeting was a blur. Caroline tried her best to stay focused, but
visions of tinsel and nutcrackers and tree ornaments the size of her head kept
popping up in her mind. She tried to shake them free, but it seemed to only
serve as encouragement. Her coworkers were encouraged, too. Before the meeting
was over, she had already received eight emails from fellow agents and their
ideas for the Home Tour.
As
everyone exited the room, Caroline hung back, hopeful that she would get a
moment alone with Mary. Surely, she would understand. She simply was not the
one for the job.
When
the last straggler had filled his plate with Santa-shaped sugar cookies from
the snack table and made his way out, Caroline threw her shoulders back and
approached her boss.
“Mary.
I have some concerns about the Christmas Tour of Homes.”
“Of
course. I knew you would. But timing is not an issue. Three weeks is plenty of
time to get the homes decorated.”
“That’s
not it. I just…” She had to pick her words carefully. She didn’t want her boss
to think that she was refusing an important job.
No,
she would do it happily, if she thought she was capable. “I’m not sure I’m the
right person for this role.”
“Nonsense.
I spoke with Sandra and Dave this morning, and as soon as they told me they
bought the house because you helped them picture what Christmas would look like
there, I knew you were the one to lead the team.” Mary gathered her paperwork
and slid it into her briefcase. “You’d better get started. As I said, three
weeks is plenty of time, but it will pass very quickly.”
She
gritted her teeth together, wishing she had never mentioned the Christmas tree
last night. They had been so concerned about where to put a tree in the
previous homes she had shown them, it seemed like the logical thing to do at
the time.
Now
she was in charge of decorating four
homes? Her back stiffened at the thought of it. She swallowed hard, then nodded
as she watched Mary leave the room.
Looked
like she’d be decorating this Christmas after all.
My Thoughts: A beautiful holiday romance! Kind of puts me in mind of those Lifetime movies! I enjoyed the fun characters and festiveness. Totally has me longing for the holiday season to get here! We dont have much longer to wait!
