Chapter 1 #2
John came to his feet and walked over to her.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her to look at him.
“It wasn’t you, sweetheart. It was me. When your mom left, grandma wanted us to move in with her—but there were conditions and rules, and I just knew it wasn’t the kind of environment I wanted you to grow up in. ”
“Dad, I know all this. I remember the fights, but…what made her hate Christmas?”
He shook his head. “She didn’t. As far as I know, she always loved it.”
“Then…then why? Why would she ruin ours?”
A sad expression covered his face. “It was punishment. I grew up loving Christmas and we always made such a big celebration out of it. It was her way of punishing me for not falling in line. She took away that joy.”
Tears filled Melanie’s eyes. “See? She was hateful. And whatever this cabin thing is, I don’t want it.”
“Mel…”
“No, I’m serious!” she interrupted. “I don’t want anything from her. She ruined so many things in our lives because she was being spiteful! Why on earth would I accept anything from her?”
“Because I think you need it,” he said, his tone firm, serious.
“Excuse me?”
Leading her back to the sofa, they sat down. “I think this may have come at the perfect time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”
“Okay, that didn’t quite come out the way I had planned,” he said with a chuckle. “What I meant is…I think you could really use the time away. With the pressure you’re feeling about the book, maybe a change of scenery will really help put things into perspective.”
“Dad,” Melanie began, “a change of scenery is not going to undo twenty-five years of hating Christmas. And besides, I really don’t want the…the cabin. I don’t want anything from her. It would have meant more to me to have her in my life while she was alive.”
He sighed. “I know, and I wish things could have been different. But…this is really something you need to do.”
She looked at him with disbelief. “Now I need to do it? Why?”
“Melanie, you are my daughter and I love you.”
“That’s an ominous start.”
“You’re too young to be this disillusioned and angry. We can’t go back and change anything, but I think you need to do this to make peace with the past and have some hope for the future.”
“Dad…”
“Three months, Mel, that’s all I’m asking.”
She jumped to her feet. “You expect me to go live in some arctic place for three months? Are you crazy?”
He smiled patiently at her. “I’m not crazy and you know I’m right.”
“No…I’m still going with crazy.”
“There’s a stipulation in the will,” he began cautiously.
“What kind of stipulation?”
“You need to live in the cabin for three months. After that, you’re free to sell it.”
“That’s a bunch of bull. What if I don’t want to live there at all? Why can’t I just sell it now? Or give it away?”
“If you don’t want it, it will be given away.”
“Well then…good riddance.”
“You’re being spiteful just for the sake of it, Mel.
What have you got to lose? You work from home so you don’t have that hanging over your head, and your condo is paid for.
Think of it as a writing retreat. Your editor will love the idea and it will show how you’re seriously trying to get the book done. It’s a win-win if you think about it.”
“Ugh,” she sighed. “I’m not a big fan of being cold.”
“The cabin has heat.”
“It will mean I’ll be gone for Christmas.”
He chuckled. “Nice try. We don’t celebrate it anymore, remember?”
She let out a small growl of frustration. “I’m still going to have writer’s block. That’s not going to change.”
“Trust me. It will.”
Tilting her head, she gave him a curious look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Okay, there really isn’t any way not to tell you this…”
“Tell me what?”
“The town is pretty much all about Christmas.”
“Forget it. I’m not going.” She sat back down and crossed her arms.
“You’re too old to pout so knock it off,” he said.
She glared at her father. “So I’m supposed to go to this…this…Christmas town and then, thanks to the wonder of it all, suddenly I’m going to be able to write this fabulous holiday story and have it become a bestseller?”
“There’s that imagination again! I knew it was still in there!”
“Ha-ha. Very funny.” Slouching down, she let out another growl. “I really don’t want to do this.”
“Mel, it’s not often that I put my foot down. You’re normally more level-headed, and you’re old enough that I don’t need to, but this time, I’m going to have to put my foot down.”
“Who gets the cabin if I turn it down?”
John sighed dejectedly. “I have no idea. The lawyer didn’t say.”
“Maybe she left it to someone who really needs it,” Melanie said, trying to sound hopeful.
“She did,” John replied. “You.”
A week later, Melanie was in her car and driving halfway across the country to see if she could get her writing mojo back. It was a fifteen-hour drive so she split it up over two days, and since she was alone in the car, she had nothing to do but think.
“She couldn’t have left me a condo in Hawaii or maybe someplace tropical like the Bahamas? No. I have to go to the tip of freaking New York for this.” It was a running dialogue in her head throughout the drive, and it seemed like the closer she got, the angrier she became.
On the second day of the trip, when her GPS told her she was less than an hour away from her destination, she called her father and put him on speakerphone.
“Hey, sweetheart! How’s the drive?”
“She hated me,” Melanie replied. “She seriously hated me.”
“I’m not even going to pretend I don’t know who you’re referring to,” he said. “Are you there already? Is the cabin in bad shape?”
“I’m not there yet, but I’m driving on this little two-lane road and there is nothing out here.
I mean nothing! The GPS says I should be there soon, but I haven’t seen a city or a town in quite a while.
Where am I supposed to shop and get food?
Or am I supposed to hunt for it? Because if I am, that’s a deal-breaker and you should have told me. ”
John laughed. “You seriously need to put all of this in your book. It’s hysterical!”
“I’m not trying to be funny here, Dad! I’m serious! There isn’t anything around!”
“You haven’t gotten there yet. If I remember correctly, there are plenty of places to shop and eat. You won’t starve and you certainly won’t have to go out and kill your dinner so don’t worry.”
“But you don’t know that for sure…”
“Mel, stop looking for trouble. We talked about this. It’s going to be good for you. Your editor is thrilled and promised to give you a little extra time so you’re off to a promising start.”
“Yeah…I’m lucky,” Melanie deadpanned.
“You need a positive attitude, young lady,” he admonished. “I’m serious. I want you to make the most of this time you have up there.”
She mentally sighed. “I’ll try, Dad. But I’m not making any promises.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Okay, well…let me go because the road seems to be getting pretty winding and hilly and I need to pay attention to it. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Be safe, sweetheart!”
Hanging up, Melanie frowned at the road. It was getting narrower and the sky was getting a little bit darker. A chill went down her spine and attributing it to the cooling temperatures, she cranked up the heat.
The GPS began calling out directions to her and Melanie feared she was leaving civilization further and further behind. “I better hit the New York Times for this,” she murmured. A few minutes later, she hit the brakes and stared at the giant sign on the side of the road.
“Silver Bell Falls Welcomes You!”
Melanie frowned and then looked around because she was certain she was hearing things. Turning down her car stereo, she groaned when she heard the song “Silver Bells” coming from the massive sign.
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style…in the air there’s a feeling of Christmas…
“You have got to be kidding me.” Cranking the radio up to block out the Christmas carol, Melanie slammed her foot on the gas and continued her drive. It was maybe only a mile down the road when she spotted a small grocery store, a gas station, and a diner.
And that was it.
“I guess I just drove through town,” she sighed.
It was tempting to stop and look around but she was anxious to get to the house and check it out first. Being practical, Melanie had already shopped for enough food and essentials to get her by for the first night.
And besides, she had no idea what kind of shape the house was going to be in.
“Turn left,” the GPS directed and Melanie did just that. “Your destination is at the end of the road.”
Squinting, Melanie looked straight ahead but saw…nothing. There were trees, lots and lots of trees. Slowing down, she approached the end of the pavement and saw a dirt road that led through the trees and a small mailbox hidden in the brush.
“Charming.” With no other choice, she carefully drove off the pavement and made her way over the bumpy road through the trees. It was like a dense forest and for a minute, she didn’t think she was going to get through it.
But then she did.
The field opened up and off to the right was a house—not a cabin.
In her mind, Melanie pictured some sort of log cabin, but the structure she was looking at was more stone than log.
It was a one-story home with a wraparound porch and a red roof.
The yard was completely manicured and the place even looked like it had a fresh coat of paint.
Since neither she nor her father had any contact with her grandmother, there was no way for them to know about the upkeep on the place. She had tried to question the lawyer, but other than giving her the deed to the house and the keys, he had very little information for her.
A little beyond the house was a shed. It looked like it was perched on a trailer and it certainly looked a lot newer than the house. Maybe it had been a new addition. Maybe her grandmother hadn’t known she was going to die and was doing some renovations on the property.