Free Merry's Christmas: A Love Story by Susan Rohrer Page B

work.
“What did you do?”
    Tara sat up proudly. “Turned up the flame
a notch.” She blew on the drying ink as Ollie read.
    “You wrote ‘ Much Love’ this time.
Oooh...”
    Tara pointed out the salutation. “I also
put that ‘ Dearest ’ before Merry’s name. And I’m particularly proud of
this part I added at the end, here. Look. Dad had it ending with just ‘ everything that you are .’ But I made it ‘ everything that you are becoming
to me .’ See? Can’t even tell I added that last part.”
    Tara giggled conspiratorially. She stuck
out a pinkie, reminding Ollie of their top-secret pact. Ollie linked his little
finger with hers, grinning as he whispered. “This is gonna be good.”

 
     
     
     
     
    seven

     
    M orning
came, and with it, anticipation over all the day could bring. As she readied
herself to set off, Merry marveled. For so long, there had seemed no end to the
bumpy road of her life, but now, she felt herself turning a corner. With each
step, there was a growing sense that she was walking into an entirely new
season.
    As she locked her apartment to head out,
Merry counted her blessings. Her phone, gas, electric, and credit card bills
were current. There were groceries in her cupboard. Her mechanic had happily
paid off her car, and then bought it as a restoration project.
    Merry chuckled to herself that she didn’t
have to dodge Mr. Grabinski on the way to the El. Instead, she wished him a
nice day, confident that her December rent check would clear. Everything in
Merry’s heart sang out. She was headed to work at a job she loved, working for
a man who had captured her imagination.
    Arriving at the Bell homestead, Merry
went straight to the study. Even if she hadn’t been instructed to check the
Christmas drawer each morning, she still would have done so first thing. She
wondered if there would be another note from Daniel and exactly what it might
say.
    Merry slid the desk drawer open. She was
not disappointed. Again, there was no to-do list hurriedly jotted on an
impersonal lined pad. Instead, there was another card in an envelope
hand-labeled with her first name.
    Merry perched on the desk chair, savoring
the moment. She pulled out Daniel’s note, then sat back, drinking in every
Tara-amended word:

    Dearest
Merry,
     
You left so quietly tonight. I didn’t get a chance to say thank you. I’m so
grateful for everything that you’re doing—and even more for everything that you
are becoming to me.
     
    Much love,
    Daniel

    Fondly, Merry pressed the note to her
heart. She held it out again, reading it over and over. Any doubt that the
first note had left in her mind evaporated in the light of this second one.
    Merry reminded herself that it was just
the beginning. She knew not to leap headlong too fast. But her eyes shone at
the thought of what seemed to be developing. She doubled her resolve to do
everything she could to give the Bell family the best Christmas of their lives.
    By the time the twins’ bus dropped them
off at the corner that afternoon, Merry had already added a festive wreath to
the front door. She’d sealed bright red apples and affixed them to a ring of
fragrant long-needle pine. Shiny jingle bells—one for each member of the
family—hung at the center, sure to ring with each entrance and exit. A sheer
golden bow tied it all together, sending a message that this house would indeed
be celebrating the season.
    Hayden trudged up as Merry began to wrap
the iron rail up the steps with pine garland. Tara wasn’t far behind her sister,
concluding a cell phone call.
    Merry greeted the girls with a smile.
“Want to help deck the halls?”
    Hayden shot a dull look back. “Gee. I
would, but I’m, oh, so anxious to write a love sonnet for English.”
    “I’ll help,” Tara volunteered. “Already
wrote my sonnet in Study Hall. I’m telling you, one look at Leo and it just
fell right out of me. Borderline brilliant, and it’s not even due for