Free A Little New Year's Romance by Katie Ingersoll

been chosen—or not.
    Of course, she didn’t expect to get any of them instantaneously. She knew it was more probable a notification wouldn’t come for a day or two, but that didn’t stop her from being hopeful.
    Two hours later, with still no word, she finally stopped checking for messages every five minutes. Besides, her stomach was launching a campaign to get her to feed it. That’s when it dawned on her she hadn’t had any breakfast, and lunch time was upon her.
    Giving in to hunger, she went into the kitchen in search of nourishment. A can of vegetable beef soup would do just fine. She’d have to do some grocery shopping afterward if she wanted to eat for the next few days.
    With her lunch finished, she decided not to concern herself with the computer or any messages that may or may not come in. A mission was upon her. She had a need to walk the four blocks to the local store and procure items for her cupboard and refrigerator. Starvation was not going to claim her this week—at least, not if she could stop it.
     
     

 
    CHAPTER NINE
     
    The weeks seemed to go past as if on a wild dash to usher in the Spring that was to follow. Allison had gotten all three of the freelance jobs she’d applied for. Each of the clients loved her work enough to keep giving her more. She didn’t question it—or even wonder why it was happening—but simply accepted it.
    Although she wouldn’t have admitted it aloud to anyone, Daniel was never far from her thoughts. If nothing else, he’d taught her to be thankful for everything, and she was trying. Yes, she even confessed to herself that God knew how hard she was working to change her life. It was oddly interesting how good everything turned out when she let Him in and accepted His help.
    Only two things saddened her just a little.
    The first was that she had to give up the apartment she’d come to love. But she’d found another—though smaller—one in a nicer section of Greenwich Village. The kicker was that her rent went down a considerable amount. That was good, because even though she was making money with the freelance thing, it wasn’t as much as she’d made before. But she could pay her bills, and that’s what mattered.
    The other issue that brought her a touch of sadness was that the crystal angel she wanted so much was no longer in the window at Tiffany’s. She’d waited a few days after the incident with the media before daring to venture out again. A desire to reconnect had pulled her there, only to find the figurine was gone. A salesperson inside—was her name Taylor?—had told her it was sold not long after Allison had last seen it.
    When she thought about the bigger picture, however, she couldn’t complain. She felt happier than she could remember. Even calling her mother was becoming less of a chore and more heartwarming. Yes, it would be a while before she could handle a deep discussion with Mom on anything to do with faith, but she was making slow progress.
    Even Marcy seemed to notice the change when they talked on the phone or met for lunch. Oh, and Allison even talked her friend into joining the website, so now Marcy was bringing home a paycheck again.
    All things taken into account, life was wonderful. With only one exception.
    Most nights she’d lay in bed for hours thinking about Daniel. Sure, she had his cell phone number and she could call him. But he’d been so irate the last time she’d seen him. What if he was still upset with her? No. Best not to bother him further. Besides, he also had her number, but did he bother to call her? Nope. He’d likely forgotten all about her, anyway.
    She tossed and turned on those nights, restless dreams interrupting her sleep, waking her up too many times before morning. One of those mornings was particularly difficult for her. Although she wasn’t aware of the fact, it was February 14 th . Valentine’s Day.
    Dear Lord, why couldn’t she get him out of her mind? What was it about him that kept