by Leah Atwood
“For asking me out, making me feel better about it, and maybe just a little for not laughing that it took my fifteen-year-old son locking me out of the house to get me to go on this date.”
Gavin reached out and took her hand in his as he drove. He brushed his lips along the back of her hand. “Anytime.”
Epilogue
Holland, Michigan
December 25th (a year later)
“You have got to be kidding me!” Gavin’s voice boomed through the hotel room.
Avery and Eli came running in through the door connecting the adjoining room.
“What’s wrong?” Avery looked around.
“No way!” Eli’s yell echoed in the small space.
“Shut it off!” Avery finally saw the problem.
“That’s so cool!” Eli wasn’t helping.
Gavin reached out and hit the clear button on the microwave. “All I wanted was to heat up some of my leftover Hunan Chicken.”
Avery stared at him. Hunan Chicken wouldn’t have caused… “Did you put a fork in there with it?”
Gavin held up the plastic fork still in his hand. “No fork, and even if I did, it’s not metal.”
“I’ve heard of this.” Eli examined the charred remains in the bowl. “That was some light show, man. I’ve never seen a microwave explode before.”
“It didn’t explode.” Gavin’s correction was lost on the teen.
“Try and tell the manager that when it’s time to check out.” Eli smirked as he poked at the food.
“What could make Hunan Chicken set a microwave on fire?” Avery looked over Eli’s shoulder.
“Iron.” The teen sounded certain.
“Huh?” Avery and Gavin both stared at him.
“Broccoli’s high in iron. There have been documented cases where a microwave has responded to broccoli the way it would to metal. Look here.” He pointed to pieces of broccoli that were black and smoking. “If you look, you can see the broccoli’s burned, but the chicken is still cold.”
The smoke from the microwave reached the slow-witted and outdated smoke-detection system. Sputtering to life, the sprinklers in the room drowned them all in a sea of foamy mist. Gavin and Eli both dove for the bed where the camera cases sat, thankfully closed.
Avery, thinking to escape the shower, stepped over the threshold back into the other room. She enjoyed a few seconds of peace before the sprinklers in that room came on as well.
Picking up her purse, she strode out into the hallway and stood there waiting for Gavin and Eli to join her. The hotel’s manager came running from the elevator. An alarm must have tripped downstairs to let the front desk know the sprinkler had been set off.
“The fire department’s on the way! Is everyone okay?” The manager huffed in between puffs.
Avery gave him a weak smile. “No need to call the fire department. Apparently microwaves aren’t always happy with broccoli.”
Standing to his full height, all five foot three inches, the manager thrust his chest out in importance. “If a fire was started because of guest negligence, then the guest is responsible for any damages.”
“Nobody did anything wrong. The microwave went wonky.” Eli defended their non-pyromaniacal actions.
“I can’t cancel the fire department.” The manager rested his hands on rounded hips. “The smoke alarm automatically alerts them when it’s triggered, and hotel policy requires they come. If they arrive and there’s no fire, they will issue a bill, and said bill will be passed on to the guest who led to a false alarm being sent in the first place.”
Avery lifted her eyes to look at Gavin who stood there, two camera cases by his feet, and a black plastic take-out bowl of charred Hunan Chicken still in his hand. She lifted an eyebrow in question, and he gave a slight shake of the head. Then he mouthed the word Mitchell to her.
She nodded and took out her phone.
Fire at hotel. Not really. Pretty much just smoke. Blame the broccoli. Manager says you have to pay for fire department being dispatched. Plus damages to room. Sprinkler probably destroyed televisions and beds. And at least one microwave has given up the ghost.
After she sent the text to Mitchell she faced the manager. “You’ll find the rooms were reserved by the Albuquerque Times. I’ve alerted our editor there to the dilemma. He can take care of everything for you.” She put on her best win-’em-over smile. “Now, we need new rooms.”
The manager shuffled his feet. “We’re all booked up. There aren’t any other rooms.”
“Of course not.” Gavin put down his chicken and picked up his camera cases. “I’ll go load these in the car.”
Eli had shown the wherewithal to run back into the rooms and rescue two suitcases. He extended the telescopic handles and began pulling them down the hallway. “Right behind you.”
Avery lightly patted the polycarbonate exterior of her suitcase as Eli ambled by with it. The set had been an upgrade after a run-in with a hurricane during one of Corporate’s edicts for a story in a small Texas town on the gulf of Mexico. Both hard-shelled and waterproof, the suitcases had proven their worth in the months since. As a bonus, buying hers in pink had guaranteed Eli would no longer snag it for his own packing.
“Well then.” Avery smiled at the manager. After all, the broccoli was no more his fault than it was theirs. “Can you think of any place in town that might have rooms available?”
Face now flushed, he avoided eye contact. “The ice show is in town this week. Everything is booked up. Without a reservation, you won’t find a room anywhere in town.”
Avery picked up the bowl of chicken from the floor and placed it into the manager’s hands. “This is what was in the microwave and caused all this fuss. I’m not sure who you want to take that up with, but the fire marshal might need to see it.”
Then she picked up her purse and started walking away, a bounce in her step.
“Mrs. Eastly.” The manager called after her. “There will be questions and paperwork. You can’t just leave!”
More than halfway down the hall, Avery spun back to him and waved. “I have a story to write and a deadline to meet. I can’t wait around here. You have the contact information for the paper. The bill goes to them, anyway, and they signed as the responsible party. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from my editor soon. Name’s Mitchell. He’s a bit of a bulldog, but he’s used to things going wrong.”
When Avery joined Eli and Gavin in the large yellow sports utility vehicle, she buckled in. “Every hotel in town is booked up. So where to?”
Gavin reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it. “Wherever you want, dear.” Then he released her hand and shifted into gear.
“Gross.” Eli made gagging sounds from the back seat. “You promised this was going to be a working trip with none of that smoochy stuff.”
Avery turned around to look at her son. “Can I help it if I’m enamored of my husband, Eli? We may have agreed to do a story while we’re here, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still our honeymoon. In fact, since it is our honeymoon…” She winked at Gavin. “I think we should stop to kiss every five minutes. It makes perfect sense, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.” Gavin went along with her. “I could go for every three minutes, but in deference to the moody teen in the next seat, I’m willing to settle for five.”
Eli rolled his eyes, covered his ears and started singing at the top of his lungs. “La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.”
Avery blew him a kiss, and Eli stuck his tongue out at her.
“You know, Eli.” Gavin spoke to the rearview mirror. “I’d have married your mom back in the spring if she’d have let me. I was ready to pop the question by the time February rolled around. She needed time, though, to come around to my way of thinking. So, really, you should thank her. If it had been up to me, you’d have been forced to endure all kinds of kissing for months now.”
“Ugh.” Eli grabbed his middle like he was going to be sic
k. “I hope I don’t ever fall in love.” Then he winked at his mom.
Eli had been her biggest cheerleader as she’d struggled with allowing herself to become emotionally involved with Gavin. Her son was the one who’d told her she’d never find anyone if she wasn’t willing to risk her heart. So she’d risked it. What had followed was months of dating, laughing, travelling together to assignments – where something always went wrong – and feeling more fulfilled and alive than she’d imagined possible.
He loved Gavin, too, which made all the difference. Marriage to anyone would have been off the table unless Eli had been completely behind it. Mitchell had told her she was giving her son too much power over her and that she needed to put her foot down as the adult. She, however, had trusted her son, and it had paid off. Besides, it had been a fun year, and there wasn’t much about it she would change. Except maybe being forced out of their hotel on Christmas Day in the middle of small town Michigan.
With a laugh, Avery reached out and took Gavin’s hand. “Well, guys, since this is a business honeymoon, we might as well head toward Grand Rapids. I’ll get on the phone and find us a room. We’re going to need to stop in Wyoming on the way, though.”
“Wyoming?” Gavin and Eli both asked, their voices as skeptical as their faces.
“Yep, Wyoming. It’s a small town on the outskirts of Grand Rapids. At least according to the map. Exactly the sort of piece they enjoy at Corporate.” She nodded enthusiastically. “Maybe we can even find a room there.” She held the map up and gazed at it, twisting it this way and that.
“You’ve got to invest in GPS, Mom.”
“Ah, come on. What’s the fun in that? Name once in the past year when having GPS helped us. Did it protect us from broken-down cars, spoiled food, bad hotels rooms, or blizzards? Did it keep us safe from power outages, tornadoes, hurricanes, or chocolate shortages?”
Her phone chirped to life, and Avery glanced down at it. “Ah, how sweet.”
“What is it?” Gavin peered sideways at her.
She showed him the screen. Norma Sue had sent her a picture of Laura Jean, her son Joe, and her daughter-in-law all huddled around a tiny little sleeping baby.
“Well, look at that.” Gavin grinned. “Looks as if Laura and Joe’s wife got over their differences.”
“Norma Sue said as soon as Laura Jean’s chemo finished and she started feeling closer to her old self again, she and Joe’s wife started getting along better. Having the promise of a grandbaby to dote on helped, too.”
“When’s the last time you talked to Norma Sue? How are she and Herm doing?”
Avery laughed. “Last time I talked to her, she was mad because Herm had suggested she try a different hairstyle. It seems her beehive is too tall for the cockpit of his plane, and her hair keeps getting smashed.”
“Are they ever going to tie the knot?”
Avery nodded with a smile. “Don’t dare tell Norma Sue this, but they’ve got a Valentine’s Day wedding coming up. We’re invited.”
“She’s getting married in less than two months and doesn’t even know it?” Even Eli sounded like he knew enough to think that was a bad idea. For any other woman it would be, too. But for Norma Sue… Herm had the right idea.
Avery shrugged. “Herm wants to surprise her. The whole town is getting in on it. There’s not a person there that Norma Sue hasn’t helped at one time or another. I can’t wait to go.”
“Oh no.” Eli groaned. “We’re going to have to drive, aren’t we?”
Gavin laughed. “No rental this time. We’ll take my truck.”
Eli let loose with a hoop and a holler. When Gavin stole a look at him through the rearview mirror with a lifted eyebrow, the boy grinned. “Rental agency insurance says I can’t drive. Your insurance says I can.”
With a pronounced wince, Gavin pulled the big, ugly, rental vehicle onto the highway. “Tell me which direction to go. Wyoming, Michigan, or bust!”
Eli popped his earbuds back into place. “You know, I almost miss Nowhere. Almost.”
Avery laughed as she eyed her son. “Nothing says adventure quite like the stink a skunk makes, you mean.”
“Hey.” Gavin interrupted. “Don’t knock the place. I met my new family on the road to Nowhere.”
When Eli and Avery stared at him, he shrugged. “Too corny, huh?”
“Uh, yeah.” The reply came from the teen.
“A smidge.” Avery said. “It’s okay, though. We love you anyway.” Then, for emphasis, she leaned over and gave her new husband a kiss on the cheek. “Right, Eli?”
“Sure, whatever. But I’m not kissing him.”
The End
Acknowledgements
We all have those special friends who are beyond precious to us. I want to acknowledge some of those people who, despite knowing my faults, foibles, and idiosyncrasies, have still managed to love me.
An amazing person, a loyal friend, and an outspoken advocate – I lift my coffee mug in toast to Shari Schroeder, a woman whose belief in me has seen me through times when I haven’t known how to believe in myself. She has allowed me to borrow her strength and common sense more times than I can count. It takes a brave friend to say, “Stop making her spit out the water. It’s getting old.”
An endless source of wise council, uplifting words, and lots of shared laughter – I salute Travis and Betty Best. It is an honor to know you both and a privilege to have you in my life. Thank you for loving my family in such a special way and for sharing your life stories with me, including the one about a young Washington police officer and a skunk…
Merry Christmas!
About the Author
Heather loves coffee, God, her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that order! She writes approachable characters who, through the highs and lows of life, find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her. And, yeah, her books almost always have someone who’s a coffee addict. Some things just can’t be helped.
She takes joy in creating characters that, much like her, are flawed...but loved anyway.
You can sign up for Heather’s newsletter by going to http://eepurl.com/XVlqT or catch up with her online at http://www.heathergraywriting.com. She can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/heathergraywriting, http://www.twitter.com/laughdreamwrite, and http://www.instagram.com/laughdreamwrite.
Other Books by Heather Gray
Informal Romance
An Informal Christmas http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017L07I0G
An Informal Arrangement http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AUF0FS6
An Informal Introduction https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EB4U5X2
An Informal Date (coming November 2016)
An Informal Affair (coming Spring 2017)
Ladies of Larkspur (Inspirational Western Romance)
Mail Order Man http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C6TPCWO
Just Dessert http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F2Z9X9M
Redemption http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K031XRQ
Regency Refuge (Inspirational Regency Romance)
His Saving Grace http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E891FV2
Jackal http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L2DW7D2
Queen http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P8ACR1C
Contemporary Stand-Alone Inspirational Romance
Ten Million Reasons http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E5TLMV8
Christmas Lost and Found
A Novella
Angel Moore
Copyright © 2016 by Angelissa J. Moore
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the publisher and author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any similarity to people, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is purely co
incidental.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission in
Christmas Blessings: Seven Inspirational Romances of Love, Hope & Faith
Dedication
To my friends and family who embrace the true meaning
of Christmas. Serving Jesus is much easier
and more rewarding when you
do it with the people you love.
And to God for the gift of His Son, Jesus.
Acknowledgements
My fellow Christmas Blessings authors:
Leah Atwood, Belle Calhoune, JoAnn Durgin,
Heather Gray, Melissa Tagg, and Alexa Verde.
Joining together with all of you and
sharing stories of faith, hope, and love
with all our readers has been a wonderful experience.
Thank you for inviting me to be a
part of this great project with you.
I slept, but my heart was awake.
Song of Songs 5:2 NIV
Christmas Lost and Found
Angel Moore
Chapter One
Serena Evers stepped through the entrance to the hospital and her mind reeled back five years. The sterile smell, the white floors with colored lines leading to different departments. The echo of her heels beat out the same rhythm as her throbbing headache when she walked by the circular information desk where two of her mother’s friends sat in pink coats.
