Her Christmas Legacy

Homesick

I was supposed to wake up on my clean sheets, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after a long night's sleep. Instead, I rolled off my pillow mattress with a groan before the sun had even thought about rising. I then scurried down to the kitchen to make myself coffee and grab a bowl of cereal before Jordan woke up. Once safely in my room again, with enough food and caffeine to get me through until lunch, I stumbled over to my desk and slouched down into the chair.

I had been mentally and physically spent by the time I got back to my room the night before. However, to make matters worse, I had left not only the journal at Jordan's but also my newly discovered link to the past—Gina's box. At that point, I knew it was time to give up, and I didn't bother finding the energy to put sheets on the bed. Instead, I curled up on the floor in the clothes I was wearing and cried myself to sleep.

It wasn't one of my finest moments.

It was also, I realized, one of the reasons my grandmother told me to be congenial but never too friendly. If I got too close to the flame, I was likely to get burned. I let my emotions, and my whimsy, get the better of me and I put logic to the side. This was my punishment.

After draining my cereal bowl, I practically fell into the shower. Leaning against the cool tile of the stall, I let the hot water rinse away the grime of the night before, wiping my face of the trails the tears left on my cheeks. I let the water practically burn my skin raw before I finally yanked myself out of there.

Once dry and dressed, I looked out the window and saw the first brushes of pale yellow on the treetops, their shadows long upon the frosty lawn. We only had one couple coming in that afternoon and there wasn't anything to do before their check-in at four. Without the journal and the box, I didn't know what to do with myself. Of course, one glance over at my laptop reminded me that this wasn't my life. My life existed in the city and in the office that I had worked hard to earn.

Settling into my chair, I dove into my reports. Soon I felt a calm ease my muscles and release the tension in my shoulders. Pushing numbers, analyzing data, immersing myself in a world of hard facts and emotion-free logic, cleared away the noise surrounding me. It was familiar, it was comfortable, and it made me miss my condo. For the first time since I had arrived in Hereford Hills, I felt homesick.

With a vigor I had forgotten I had, I plowed through all the work that had been collecting around me. I blazed through emails, drafted reports, and even held a video conference. Some of my coworkers asked how I was doing and if I was going to be back before Christmas. I told them I sensed this would soon be all be over and I would be back in the office before they knew it. Everyone responded with excitement and even unconcealed relief at this announcement. Everyone except Mary, that is.

She had left several perky emails wanting to know more about the town and how I liked the area after my initial report. However, despite responding to her inquests with the happy news that I'd soon be returning to work to answer her face to face, I was, in turn, answered with a downtrodden email. She asked me if something had happened and if I wouldn't consider staying out for the holidays. She said it might be good for me. That I deserved the break. I trashed the lengthy email I drafted that informed her just how wrong she was. Instead, I left her email unanswered and delved further into my work.

Time flew by and before I knew it, there was a ring of the doorbell. I didn't bother checking my clock to see if our guests had arrived. I knew who it was. Devon Myers was due to see the house.

I closed up my report and, after giving myself a quick glance in the mirror, I headed for my bedroom door. With determination fueling my steps, I swung the door open and marched on at a brisk pace, which is why I nearly crushed the treasures waiting outside my door.

At some point that morning, Jordan had made his way into the hall and, using those stealthy steps of his, he bypassed all the squeaky floorboards and dropped off Gina's box and journal. Fortunately, my heel only clipped the edge of the box, so neither it nor the journal took a beating. However, it did send me off balance and flying into the opposing wall. After a couple of curses and a quick glance down the empty hall, I straightened myself out and swallowed back the rising well of emotions still unspent from a night of crying. I took a few deep breaths while the second chime of the doorbell rang through the house. I then moved the box and journal back into my room. Once I closed the door behind me, I shut away the pain and proceeded on with clear eyes and even breathing.

"Good morning, Mr. Myers." I flashed him a slight smile. "Sorry for taking so long. I got caught up in my work."

"No problem," he replied with a charming grin. "You must be very busy attending to this house and your work back in the city."

"Well, why don't we see about alleviating some of that? Shall we start outside?" I made my way out the door before he could suggest otherwise, and I peered over the corner of the building to the side parking lot to see if Jordan's truck was there. To my great relief, it wasn't and so our tour began.

Unlike Marshall, Mr. Myers showed very little interest in the house's history. All for the best, really, as I didn't particularly feel like talking. Instead, I chaperoned him around the perimeter of the building before taking him inside, where he paid particular attention to the structure of the house. After a once over of all the rooms, he asked to go back outside to get a last look at the lawn.

"Do you know how big the property is? Where the boundary lines are drawn?"

"I have some documentation that my great aunt's lawyer provided, but I can't say specifically." Rubbing my chin, I looked out towards the tree line. "I know that the cleared lawn is not the extent of the property. My aunt bought it back when land was cheap and I know it stretches into the woods."

"Good," he said with a nod and a smile. "Then my researcher was likely correct in his assessments."

"Researcher?" I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He, however, kept his gaze out towards the mountains, a pleased smile upon his face.

"My employers took an interest in this place the moment I heard from Marshall about the property. So while we waited to hear from him about the appraisal, I had one of my researchers look into the public records and just gather what information we could so we could make an informed decision as soon as possible."

"Oh?" I turned to follow his gaze and met the vibrant evergreens peeking above the soft brown limbs of barren trees.

"Really, I just needed to see it for myself to make sure everything we heard about it was true." I felt his eyes upon me and I turned to find him with a hopeful smile.

"Does that mean you'll be interested in signing a contract?"

"Should you be interested in hearing an offer, I'd be happy to discuss it with you at a moment's notice."

"I see." My words were low and hesitant. I turned away again to look at the lawn. Back in the city, I could only find long, green fields and clusters of vibrant trees in the park. But, there, no matter how hard someone tried, the skyscrapers could never be transformed into hazy mountains melting into the cool grey sky. I'd miss that view. However, whatever hesitation I had on the matter was stifled by a single glance towards Jordan's house. As he said, I wasn't Gina. This wasn't my home.

"Would you like to go inside and chat over a cup of coffee or tea?"

"It would be my pleasure."