Nine months ago, I wrote “Happy Birthday Victor Sandberg” for a Sweet Romance Anthology. Because of the word limit, I was only able to share Mayra’s side of the story. Well, I have regained the rights to the story and am adding three to four chapters to include […]
“Hey,” Iris dreaded that Shannon was right. Shannon was nicer since the night she insisted Iris and Jordan pull it together, but hints of the woman Iris rivaled all her life was still there.
To both of them, she said, “I’ll be back in ten minutes. You better have this all worked out.” Then she turned on her heel and marched away.
Jordan parked his work truck outside the garage and took the back door to his office. The equipment neatly organized by how frequently it was used suited him more at the moment. At least they made sense. People’s obsession with bows, trees, Christmas balls, and everything red and green aggravated the uneasy feeling Jordan knew would subside with time.
“Dear Cookie Angel,
Thank you. I appreciate the gift of cookies. They are delicious and remind me of my mother, who passed away shortly before my move to Paradise Hills. I don’t feel so lonely anymore.”
“The fun is seeing the surprise in everyone’s face. When someone does something kind for one person, the change is palatable.”
The euphoric feeling carried over to the Christmas program. Either the stage mom was disguised as a tree, or none of the kids needed prompting to remember their lines. The sugar plum fairies pirouetted across the stage without tripping. The Christmas angel boldly proclaimed tidings of joy to all she encountered. Serena, who was sitting beside Iris, snapped pictures like it was the first and last time her daughter was going to be in the holiday production.
Iris was trying to give Jordan a chance to change his mind. To think through what happened. The two of them together was so far out of her realm of possibilities.
December was a month of cookies, cheery songs, and chatter about tidings of comfort and joy. It was the second week after Thanksgiving, and the season was already wearing thin on Jordan. He could not understand how Iris endured the month. The cinnamon from the wax-coated, pine cones […]
Hoping to return to Iris quickly, Jordan snapped several pictures of Shannon. Maybe, he should just say how he felt. He could pretend the holiday atmosphere had softened his usual sarcastic approach to things. Not doing anything was proving to be harder than not knowing of Iris would respond to his change of heart. He handed the phone back to Shannon and took a couple of steps in Iris’s direction.
Middle School teacher, Lizbeth Perlow, learns a truth that sets her on the road to a sweet self-discovery.