Love Inspired Historical November 2015

by Linda Ford

  He knew. Last night Millicent, independent as she was and as determined as she was to open her own business, had surprised him. She’d said her husband and children would come first in her life—said that she would work around her family.

  Ever since he’d met her, he’d thought she was one of those “modern” women, wanting to make decisions on her own, to have her own business so that she didn’t have to depend on a man to support her. Suddenly he’d realized that what she meant all along was that if she ever did marry, it would have to be for love and not because she needed a man to take care of her.

  Even more food for thought. He wanted to be loved, not looked at as just a breadwinner for his wife. With Millicent, that would never be the case.

  But if what she’d said last night were true, then it appeared Baxter had taken care of her wanting to ever fall in love again. But could those plans ever be changed?

  *

  Everyone seemed to be in high spirits as they took off for Kathleen and Luke’s place. Millicent and Georgia had taken the album supplies over there that afternoon, so Mrs. Heaton wouldn’t suspect anything. They’d leave them there that night for the same reason.

  “I’m getting even more excited about this,” Millicent said as Matt fell into step beside her. Stephen and Emily were up ahead of them and Joe was enjoying the company of both Julia and Georgia several steps behind.

  “I think we all are. It promises to be a great Christmas, being able to give Mrs. Heaton something we all believe will mean a lot to her.”

  “It won’t be long now. Thanksgiving is next week and the days always seems to fly after that!”

  Millicent was glad Matt had decided to stay in the city for Christmas. He’d been so willing to help and she wanted him to see Mrs. Heaton’s reaction as much as she wanted to see it. She wondered if she’d get up enough nerve to ask the question she’d asked him the night before—or if he’d just answer it on his own one day. He had looked a bit taken back by it, but he’d also surprised her when he said she couldn’t read his mind. Was it possible she’d been wrong?

  “Do you think another album party will be needed before Christmas?” Matt asked.

  “I’m not sure. Depends on how much we get done this evening, I suppose. Part of me wants it finished, but it’s so much fun to get together with everyone, I almost hate to see it come to an end.”

  “We’ll come up with something to get us all together. There’s always skating in the winter,” Julia said from behind them.

  “That’s true. We’ll think of something.” They turned the corner to Luke and Kathleen’s street and were soon welcomed into the couple’s cozy home.

  Because it was so cool out, Kathleen had chosen to serve clam chowder with a green salad and crackers or crusty rolls for their meal. She’d made a beautiful four-layer chocolate cake for dessert.

  It was over their meal that Violet brought up an idea for a future get-together. “I’ve been hearing about something called a progressive dinner party and I thought it would be fun to try that sometime in mid-December, if you all like the idea.”

  “What is a progressive dinner party?” Millicent asked.

  “Well, it’s where each course is served at a different home. We’d need anywhere from four to six—depending on what we want to serve and how many times we want to move from one place to another.”

  “Oh, that’s something Mama could enjoy, too,” Rebecca said. “We could end up at her home for dessert and I’m sure Maida and Gretchen would be willing to watch the children for us.”

  “It does sound like fun,” Julia said. “But that would put all the work on the married couples and Mrs. Heaton.”

  “Mama will love it and I don’t think any of the married couples will mind, will we?” Rebecca looked around the table.

  “No! I think it sounds lovely!” Elizabeth said.

  “So do I,” Violet echoed.

  “And I do, too,” Kathleen said. “If we don’t enjoy it, we won’t do it again. On the other hand, it could become a Christmas tradition for us all.”

  “That’s true,” Elizabeth said. “John and I will be spending Christmas Eve at Heaton House so we can be with you all when you give Mrs. Heaton her gift, but we’ll be spending Christmas day at Papa and Aunt Bea’s.”

  “And Luke and I will be doing the same, but we’ll be having Christmas with Colleen and the boys,” Kathleen said.

  “What do you men think?” Rebecca asked.

  “I like the idea, but you already know that,” Ben said, grinning at his wife.

  “Sounds great to me,” Michael said.

  “I certainly like the idea,” Matt said, while the other men at the table chimed in that they did, too.

  By the time the meal was over, and the table cleared so they could get to work on the albums, everyone seemed quite happy about the possibility of a progressive dinner.

  Because Millicent and the ladies at Heaton House had been working when they could on the albums, everyone was quite pleased with their progress and they enthusiastically began work on sorting and writing their comments on the rest of the photos.

  Millicent took more photos of everyone while they laughed and reminisced as they looked at the photographs and wrote their comments. She got one of Matt when he was unaware she was watching him as he seemed to be studying one particular photograph. His expression made her wonder who was in the photo and she hurried around the table, under the pretense of taking photographs of people on the other side.

  When she glanced down to see which photo he was holding, her heart seemed to melt inside. Matt was looking at a photo Julia or one of the others must have taken of her and him laughing at something one of them had said in the parlor of Heaton House. They seemed to be wrapped up into each other and whatever it was they were talking about. Millicent knew she enjoyed Matt’s company…too much to her way of thinking. But he looked as if he were enjoying hers, too. The longing that suddenly enveloped her took her breath away and she brought her camera up to hide her reaction to the photograph.

  She snapped away, not knowing or caring what she was aiming at, and then slid into the chair next to Matt’s.

  He looked at her then as if he only now realized she were there. “Do you know when this photo was taken?”

  She took if from him and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “We seem quite…amused at whatever it was we were laughing about.”

  “Yes, we do.” She held up the photograph. “Julia, did you take this photo?”

  “I did. It was just a few months ago, but I can’t remember why I took it. I thought you two might know so you could comment on it. Interesting, isn’t it?” She grinned at the two of them and then went back to writing a note for the photograph she’d been looking at.

  “Well, she certainly wasn’t any help, was she?”

  Millicent chuckled and shook her head. “No, she wasn’t. Maybe it will come to us one day.”

  “Possibly. It’s a nice photograph, though. Do you want to add it to the album?” Matt asked.

  “We don’t have anything to comment about it.”

  “How about just ‘Matt and Millicent having a good time’? We do that from time to time, you know.”

  “We do.”

  Matt wrote on the back of the photo and handed it to her. “It’ll work.”

  His smile was contagious, but when his glance landed on her lips, she found her own gaze straying to his. Would she ever forget that kiss? Could she?

  Chapter Eighteen

  By Thanksgiving Day the album was almost finished. Millicent wanted to add a few more pages and fill them with the photos she’d take today.

  She hurried down to breakfast to find Matt joining the others around the table. She took a plate and began to fill hers with bacon and French toast, a special treat for the day.

  He smiled at her and pulled out her chair as she made her way to the table.

  “Thank you.” Millicent endeavored to keep her attention on
setting her plate down on the table and greeting the rest of the boarders without glancing at Matt.

  Mrs. Heaton came in from the kitchen just then and made her way to the sideboard. “Good morning, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!”

  “Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Mrs. Heaton. It’s a beautiful day.”

  “It is. I think this is my very favorite holiday,” she said. “And I am ever so thankful to have you all as boarders.”

  “And I know I can speak for all of us when I say we’re very thankful to have you as our landlady,” Matt said.

  “Matt is right, Mrs. Heaton. I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” Millicent said.

  Everyone else chimed in with agreement.

  “Oh dear, you’re all going to make me tear up if you don’t stop. I’m so glad you’ll all be here for dinner later, along with my children and grandchildren. I feel very blessed!”

  “The first of December our Holiday Opening begins the Christmas season for Macy’s. I can’t wait for you all to see our windows,” Emily said. “And the Santa Claus is wonderful! The children are going to love him.”

  “I’m sure they will,” Mrs. Heaton said. “I know that my children are planning a trip to take Jenny and baby Marcus to see him. Of course, I’m going to tag along. I can’t wait to see their faces.”

  “That will be such fun for you all,” Millicent said. “And, Emily, we’re all going to make a trip to see those windows.”

  “Don’t forget to also visit Siegel-Cooper,” Stephen said. “We’ve decorated our store quite magnificently, too. And we have more room to move around in.” He grinned at Emily and she chuckled.

  “You do have us there,” she said. “It’s a beautiful store and very big.”

  “Do you need any help with the meal or anything, Mrs. Heaton?” Millicent asked.

  “We have everything covered, I believe. You all enjoy your day off. We’ll be eating our dinner around five today, but if you get hungry before then, just come to the kitchen and we’ll make sure you have something to tide you over.”

  “Oh, we should be fine,” Millicent said.

  “That’s right. It won’t hurt us to wait a bit—not for the spread you’re planning,” Matt said.

  Mrs. Heaton chuckled and stood. “You all have a good day. I’d best go see how things are going in the kitchen.”

  As everyone began to leave the dining room, Millicent turned to Matt. “What are you going to do until dinnertime?”

  “I thought I’d take a walk. Want to go with me? We haven’t looked for places for your shop in a long while. Have you been looking at the classifieds?”

  “I have. But there’s not much in my price range.”

  “Well, maybe we’ll find something with a sign out that hasn’t been put in the paper yet. Come on. It’s nice out. Chilly but not windy, and if you get cold, I’ll treat you to coffee or hot chocolate somewhere.”

  Millicent hesitated for only a moment. She should say no, but Emily, Georgia, Joe and Stephen had already disappeared.

  “Sure. But that cool air is only going to feed our appetite, you know.” She took her coat off the hook in the foyer and Matt helped her into it.

  He chuckled. “True, but that’s the only way we’ll be able do to justice to Mrs. Heaton’s meal later.”

  He donned his own coat and held the door open for Millicent. The sun was shining and the sky bright blue as they went down the steps to the walk. “It is nice out. Where are we heading?”

  “Well, I still think somewhere near the Ladies’ Mile would be nice for your business. Women are the ones who usually plan for family photo sessions and if your shop was near where they shop and have lunch, I think you’d be bound to draw clients.”

  The man continued to surprise her with how considerate he was regarding her business. Perhaps he was right. She didn’t know what he was thinking now. It seemed Matt was changing his mind on several things. Her heart skittered. If that were so—how in the world was she going to keep her feelings for this man from growing?

  *

  Matt was glad Millicent had agreed to go for a walk with him. He’d done much thinking over the past week and the truth was, Millicent had been right. He hadn’t liked her independent ways when they’d first met, but he now realized it was because he’d been drawn to her from the very beginning. And her independence and determination to make her own way in the world had gone against everything he’d thought he’d wanted in a woman.

  And yet, she was so sweet and caring, he couldn’t help but like her. So he’d bantered and argued with her over this and that, trying to ignore the attraction. And it’d worked for a while—before they got to know each other better, before she began taking photographs from the Park Row, before he’d begun to feel protective of her and before…she’d claimed part of his heart by always being there for him. Before that unforgettable kiss.

  But now…he didn’t feel the same way as he had then. The Lord was working on him, of that Matt had no doubt. He knew he’d been judgmental and stubborn in his thinking—without really knowing Millicent and what kind of woman she was.

  “It’s a nice day for a walk,” Millicent said interrupting his thoughts. “It’s so quiet and peaceful out.”

  “Yes, it is. Seems the only traffic is coming from those who must work and people traveling to Thanksgiving dinner somewhere. Do you miss your family, today?”

  “Not too badly. I do wish I could see them more often, but I’m glad I’m staying here for the holidays this year. It’s Emily’s and Georgia’s first Christmas in the city and I’m looking forward to seeing their reactions to it all, too. And it’s my first actual Christmas Eve and day at Heaton House, since I went home for those last year.”

  They turned a corner and headed for the Ladies’ Mile. Usually there were masses of people shopping in the area and although there were others out and about, it almost felt as if they had the city to themselves.

  They passed several residential neighborhoods before they reached the beginning of the shopping area he thought would be perfect for Millicent’s shop. They strolled up and down Fourth Avenue looking for signs in the windows of buildings that looked as if they might have living areas on the upper floors. Many of the smaller shops would be the most likely to fit Millicent’s needs.

  At Union Square, they crossed the avenue to peek at the displays of Tiffany’s jewelry store, only to find the window empty.

  “Of course they locked everything up. Can’t say I blame them,” Matt said.

  Millicent laughed. “I don’t think I could afford even the least expensive jewelry there anyway.”

  “Want to go to Macy’s?”

  Millicent shook her head. “Most of the windows are covered and there won’t be much to see now.”

  “All right, we’ll head down Fifteenth Street to Fifth Avenue and then on to Sixth Avenue and see if there are any signs.”

  They passed by Siegel-Cooper. The building was on Sixth Avenue and Eighteenth and was six stories high and a block long.

  “My it is huge, isn’t it?”

  “It is. And it’s very beautiful inside,” Millicent said.

  “I’ve never been inside, but I suppose I’ll need to go in before Christmas so Stephen will know I have. The outside is beautiful, though. I do love the elaborate beaux arts architecture.” He pulled out his pocket watch. “It’s near lunchtime. I suppose we should get that hot chocolate or a sandwich or something to hold us until dinnertime, if we can find something open.”

  They strolled down to Twenty-first Street and found a small café open. Matt opened the door and they took a seat at a table overlooking the street. He pulled out a chair for Millicent and then took one across from her.

  “Good day,” a waiter said. “What can I get you? Our clam chowder is very good.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Millicent said.

  “I’ll take the same,” Matt said.

  “What to drink?”

  “Tea?” Matt asked Millicent.
>
  At her nod, he turned to the waiter. “Two teas, then.”

  There were several other customers in the café and it was warm and clean inside. Millicent looked around. “I wonder why I’ve never noticed this place before.”

  “Probably because you’re usually on one of the main avenues where most of the shops are. And that’s why you need to look for a place very near the busiest thoroughfares. But this area has a lot of smaller shops, too, so it might work well.”

  “I’m not sure I can afford something in either area.”

  “I understand. But you never know. Perhaps you will. You haven’t actually been looking very long.”

  “That’s true.”

  The waiter brought their meal—the chowder with crackers and their tea in a teapot.

  “How nice, a whole pot to share,” Millicent said as she poured the tea for them. “I like this place. I’ll have to tell the others about it.”

  Matt took a sip of the chowder. “This is very good. I’ll let my crew know about it, too.”

  Their light meal was very good and it warmed them up for more walking. When the waiter came to check on them, Matt surprised himself by asking, “Say, do you know of any building similar to this one that also has a living area above it near here?”

  “As a matter of fact I do. The building two doors down is for sale. It used to be a haberdashery but closed a few months ago. It’s a nice building. The owner moved away but there’s a sign in the window with all the particulars. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thank you so much!” Millicent grinned at Matt. “And you for asking.”

  He smiled back and paid for their lunch. Her excitement was contagious. “Let’s go take a look.”

  *

  The small three-story building tucked in between an alterations shop and a bakery on the other side was just the style Millicent had wished for. It had a big window to the left of the door, just perfect for showcasing her work. But with no lights on inside, they couldn’t see much else. Still, hope filled her heart when she read the sign. It said, “Building for sale. First floor is ideal for retail shop, top two stories comprised of living space.” It gave the name of a broker and the telephone number to contact him, but no price was mentioned.