The excitement on Titus’s face hit mega wattage.
“We’re gonna have the biggest, bestest tree ever! We’re going out to Pine
Country Tree Farm, where you can ride out to the groves and pick any tree you
want. They cut it down, unless you wanna do it yourself.” He tilted his head up
to Adam. “You gonna do it again this year, Dad?”
“Probably.”
Titus turned back to Joy. “Then we ride back and they
bundle it up and put it in our truck. I want a really, really huge one this
year.”
“Wow,” Joy replied. “Just how big is that?”
Adam chuckled. “Titus’s imagination is always a bit
over the top. Our living room ceiling is only eight feet.”
“I know,” Titus groaned. “Not like here. Right, Mrs.
Beabots? Last year we got her a really, really big tree. Timmy and I and Mr.
Luke and Dad went out to get the tree.”
“Yes, but I go in November and pick my tree out. Tagged.
Purchased and bailed by the time they get there,” Mrs. Beabots added.
“What’s your tree like, Joy?” Adam asked.
“I don’t have one.”
“What?” Titus shook his head. Adam nearly choked on
his wine. Mrs. Beabots clanked her fork against the plate.
“You, of all people, don’t have a tree?” Adam said.
Joy bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His tone softened as he said, “You and your family,
your parents, Frank—you were the heart of Christmas for this town. For someone
like me with no family, when I found yours and worked at the greenhouses during
Christmas, and saw how beautiful you made everything, it was...magic.”
“Magic?” Titus’s eyes widened.
Adam nodded. “What happened to you?”
Joy’s defenses rose. “Life. Work. You wouldn’t
understand how crunched for time we are at the firm. That’s why I loved having
Grandpa with me in New York for Thanksgiving. If you ever came to New York at
Christmas, you’d understand. The entire city is decorated. I never felt the
loss of not having decorations of my own. New York is amazing. And as far as a
big tree, Titus, the one in Rockefeller Center is truly ‘blowout.’ I’d love for
you to see it.”
“Cool! Can we go to New York sometime, Dad?”
“Maybe.”
Joy’s hand traced the scalloped edges of the spoon to
her right. “You’re right, Adam. The greenhouses were part of Christmas for a
lot of people in Indian Lake. But they’ve been closed for a long time.
Certainly, Titus didn’t get to experience them.” She took a deep breath. “It
seems they died long before my grandpa.”
Adam leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“Cate worked up the comps and did some digging for me
today. She says the greenhouses are worthless.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” Adam retorted.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, the land has
value and she says the house might sell before the end of the year. But it’s
far less than what I’d thought it was worth.”
Mrs. Beabots reached over and placed her hand on Joy’s
arm. “Do you need money, dear?”
“I’m not destitute, but I’m not wealthy by any means.
My job pays well. But it’s the craziest thing. I feel like I’m giving away my
legacy—as if I failed by not knowing that Grandpa was in trouble. And I don’t
like this feeling.”
“Then fight it,” Adam said. “The greenhouses were a
thriving business until the heating costs skyrocketed. I’m sure Frank kept all
the old revenue reports and tax returns that show how successful it had been.
The man kept everything, he told me. And now my geothermal system is nearly
finished. If you were to fill those greenhouses with poinsettias, stock the
shelves with garlands, ornaments, decorations, candles—all that stuff he used
to sell—and then, after a successful season, put the greenhouses on the
market...you’d have a viable business. That’s the plan Frank and I had.”
“Adam, I can’t possibly do anything that foolhardy.”
“My idea is foolish?” He frowned.
“It doesn’t make good business sense. The cost of
buying the poinsettias will be huge...”
“I’ll help,” he said quickly.
Joy was astonished and she knew it showed on her face.
“Adam, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I offered. There’s a difference,” he
ground out with finality.
Titus turned his wide eyes from his father to Joy. He
couldn’t be more intense if he’d been watching a scary movie.
“It’s impossible,” she countered.
“Nothing is impossible,” Adam shot back, leaning
toward her, his eyes stern and determined. “You’re just chicken.”
“Am not.”
“Are, too.”
“Dad!”
Joy and Adam looked at Titus, who was smiling at them
both.
They all burst into laughter.
“What are we doing?” Joy asked, covering her mouth
with her hand as she laughed harder. When she calmed down, she looked at Mrs.
Beabots.
“You need to think of the bigger possibilities, Joy,”
Mrs. Beabots said. “If the property was improved and potential buyers saw the
activity of the business...”
“I’d get a better price,” Joy surmised.
“And you wouldn’t feel like a failure,” Mrs. Beabots
said.
Joy looked from one excited friend’s face to the
other. “But it’s nearly Thanksgiving and we have to clean the floors, replace
the broken glass...”
“So?” Adam jumped in. “We have lots of friends here.
I’ll help clean up.”
“Me, too!” Titus chimed in.
“Joe Peterson over at Quality Glass could get that
work done in two days. You handle calling the suppliers in the morning. Get the
orders going. I’ll supervise the cleanup and construction. What do you say?”
“I say it’s crazy.” She shook her head at the red
flags she recognized from her years in accounting and business. “Absolutely
not. Besides, I have to be back in New York.”
She watched their faces fall. For a moment she’d
actually felt excited. The possibility of fulfilling her grandpa’s dream was
thrilling. She could almost feel Frank in the room, egging her on. Begging her
to try. But her penchant for reality, the stuff of bottom lines and profits,
was enough to squelch even an angel’s dreams.
Still—
Other Books in the Series
Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of over forty-five published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of
Romancing the Stone and
The Jewel of the Nile. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into over twenty-four languages. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid foundation to pen a collection of compelling and informative true stories of teen addicts. Ms. Lanigan’s SHORES OF INDIAN LAKE series for HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING includes LOVE SHADOWS, HEART’S DESIRE , A FINE YEAR FOR LOVE, KATIA’S PROMISE, FEAR OF FALLING, SOPHIE’S PATH, PROTECTING THE SINGLE MOM, FAMILY OF HIS OWN, HIS BABY DILEMMA, RESCUED BY THE FIREFIGHTER and HERS TO PROTECT (2019).
Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs. She writes a monthly blog for Heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com.
Tour Schedule
- One winner will receive a $100 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)
- Two winners will each receive a signed copy of Home for Christmas with a bookmark (US only)
- Ends November 27, 2019
Happy Friday!
Title: A Match for Emma
