From the blond cook.com
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VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
I sat at my desk and gazed out the window at the city below. The last rays of sunset danced across the early evening sky. The jewel of the city, the impressive McKinley Memorial, our beautiful post office with its sandstone pillars, the park, the river; all views that usually make me feel happy to be alive today left me cold.
The phone ringing on my desk jarred me out of my icy emptiness.
“Red Cat Investigation. Cat Collier speaking. How can I help you?” I monotoned.
“Um, my name is Bailey. I heard about you from a friend. I’m in a big mess. I need help,” said the shaky voice on the other end. “My landlord evicted me from the big boarding house on Park Avenue because I’m pregnant.”
“Who evicts a pregnant woman at Christmas time?” I asked.
“He did. He locked me out while I was at my baby doctor’s appointment today. I’m due in three weeks. He said he can’t have a crying baby keeping everybody else in the house awake at night. So, the scumbag evicted me. I need my stuff and all the baby stuff I’ve been collecting. I don’t know where else to turn.”
“Big messes are my specialty, Bailey. Calm down. Don’t worry. We got this. Where are you?”
“I’m sitting in my car outside your hotel on State Street.”
“I’m on my way out to meet you. I’ll come out the front door.”
I grabbed my coat off the hook and took the elevator to the lobby. I stopped to tell my kids what I was doing. They were knee-deep in boxes and ornaments and having a ball. Our family bodyguard watched my movements intently as I headed for the front door.
As I stepped out the front door, the December air was cold and crisp, signaling Ohio Winter had arrived and was just itching to freeze us to the core. It was not even six o’clock in the evening and it was already dark outside. The street was empty except for one car. The car flashed its lights. I walked over to the driver’s side of the car.
“Bailey?” I asked the disheveled young women firmly grasping the steering wheel.
“Yes, it’s me,” Bailey cried.
“Come on, let’s drive around back to the parking garage.”
I got in the passenger side. We drove around back. I used my key card to get her through the security gate. I directed Bailey to park her grey Chevy Aveo next to my car. She reached in the back seat for her bag.
“This is all I have. Everything else I own, and all the baby stuff, is in my room at the boarding house. But he won’t let me in to get it.”
“Let’s get you inside where its warm first. We’ll get something to eat and have some hot tea. And then we’ll make a plan.”
“Cat, I can’t afford to pay you right now,” she sobbed. “But I promise, I will.
“That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get you settled and comfortable for now. Stress is not good for the baby.”
Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/December-Wish-Collier-Mastery-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CPW5C7ZH
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
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You can substitute dried cranberries for a more festive look.
We have used red and green M&M's for a pretty,
but not-so-healthy, version.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER
Note:
Vision and Verse does not store any personal information, such as email addresses or home addresses. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.
Christmas is Madison’s favorite holiday, but this year is different. She has to face it alone, without her father and her best friend/boyfriend Bob, amid the problems of running her own high-stakes business and dealing with family issues.
Can the spirit of Christmas lift a heavy heart?
Available in both kindle format and paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Madisons-Christmas-Madison-Rand-Book-ebook/dp/B00PSNA7FM/
Reviews:
"Madison's Christmas was a fast passed, easy, fun and such a sweet Christmas story. It's about how one person is all it takes to change how your Christmas can turn out for the better. Very cute!"
"I really love Carol Ann's work! This love story was fun, true to life, a magical romance. I love short stories because they are not drawn out and over done. Carol Ann has a wonderful way to her writing. She makes you feel all the emotions and leaves you feel good inside. This short story will leave a smile on your face and a big "ah" with it as you put two and two together.
All Madison wants for Christmas is to be left alone. She usually has a magical wish for Christmas and enjoying the holiday fun, but not this year. Her Sister talks her into coming over for Christmas. But first she has to deal with a new employee, court and meetings galore. This new guys seems very familiar to her, but she can't put her figure on it. She makes it through the week and heads to her Sisters. Madison and the kids go on an errand and when they return, Madison has the surprise of her life. Christmas Magic!
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
“Madison… you ARE coming to Christmas dinner, aren’t you?” Susan anxiously asked her sister as soon as she answered the phone. “You didn’t return my phone calls…any of them.”
“Suze, please, ask me to do anything else, but not Christmas dinner,” Madison said slowly with a sigh. “I can’t do Christmas this year, not without Dad, not without Bob.”
“Oh, honey, I know. We all miss him. And I know how much you miss Bob. But as cruel as it may sound, life goes on, Sis. Tommy and I have to make Christmas a happy day for our kids, and Trina and Scott want their auntie here. Plus nobody believes in the magic of Christmas like you, little sister.”
“Not this year, Susan.”
“Maddie, please come,” she begged.
“I don’t know, Suze,” she said finally, giving Susan hope.
“Come on Saturday. We’ll bake cookies with Trina and dance around to Christmas music, like we did when we were kids. She’d just love it. We need to make those memories for my daughter. On Sunday, you and I can catch up, get some sisters’ time, and then you’ll be here early on Christmas morning to see the kids open their presents. It’ll be simple Christmas fun. Nothing about this is going to be easy for any of us, but it’ll be easier if we’re together.”
“Not really,” Madison said with a laugh. “If I’m not there, I can just pretend that it’s not Christmas.”
“Really? No radio, no TV, no Christmas carols in the stores? You can’t escape Christmas, Madison.”
“I have a plan. I’ll stay inside, drapes drawn. Piles of DVDs, pajamas, a gallon of Rocky Road, and a spoon.”
“That sounds strangely comforting in a ‘hermit in a cave’ kind of way, but Maddie… I need you here.” Madison knew Susan had a rough year as well, and Christmas with two young children needs to be a magical time. She shook her head.
“All right, all right, I’ll do it. For the kids,” she said begrudgingly, all while banging her head on her refrigerator, wondering how she could be a such a formidable force at the office and in the community, and putty in her big sister’s hands.
“I have the best sister in the world,” said Susan.
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