Secret Admirer
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About this ebook
God may have brought the best gift of all.
When a mysterious package marked "secret admirer" arrives, Esther Parrish is less interested in what's in the box and more in Weston Cutter, the delivery boy. He's handsome and charming.
A second encounter the following day seems to seal their mutual interest. They have a date.
But as her feelings for him grow, a series of unusual circumstances and the suspicions of her older brother begin to cast doubt on the man who's captured her heart, and it all returns to the unknown gift. Whatever is in that box under the Christmas tree holds the key to a happy holiday. Or does it?
A sweet romance with the promise of the Christmas season by best-selling author, SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS.
Suzanne D. Williams
Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books. She writes a monthly column for Steves-Digicams.com on the subject of digital photography, as well as devotionals and instructional articles for various blogs. She also does graphic design for self-publishing authors. She is co-founder of THE EDGE. To learn more about what she’s doing and check out her extensive catalogue of stories, visit http://suzanne-williams-photography.blogspot.com/ or link with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/suzannedwilliamsauthor.
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Secret Admirer - Suzanne D. Williams
SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS
Feel-Good Romance
© 2014 SECRET ADMIRER by Suzanne D. Williams
www.feelgoodromance.com
www.suzannedwilliams.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14).
CHAPTER 1
The doorbell chimed, drawing her nineteen-year-old gaze up from the computer screen into the eyes of a very handsome man close to her age. Long, blond lashes framed a pair of blue eyes that sparkled with life. The upward curve of his lips added to his joyful appearance.
Can I help you?
she asked.
He was dressed for the weather: gray beanie, long brown scarf, a gray jacket and black gloves. He raised one hand and set a brown paper-wrapped box on the sales counter. I’m looking for ...
He paused and consulted a note in his hand. Esther Parrish.
She gave him a friendly smile. That’s me.
He paused then, and with his free hand smoothed the scrubby beard decorating his cheeks. Then you’re who I’m looking for.
She half-laughed, unsure how else to react.
Weston Cutter, parcel delivery at your service.
He tapped the box forward.
For me?
Esther looked at the package again, rotating it three-hundred-and-sixty degrees. Her name was written in permanent marker on the top, and beneath it, Mama’s Antiques & Auction with their address on Fiddler Street. I wonder what it could be,
she continued.
Maybe it’s a surprise,
he said.
Her hands around the sides of the box, she raised her gaze again. "It is a surprise because I wasn’t expecting it."
This made him laugh.
He had a nice laugh, the kind that made a girl look twice, and she looked again, this time gazing longer at his face. He was more attractive than she’d thought at first glance. The tips of his hair fanned out around his face, the light from the entrance creating a sort-of halo.
Weston, you said?
She released the package. That’s an interesting name.
Was my grandfather’s. Weston Courtney Cutter. I’m only grateful my parents didn’t name me Courtney.
She suppressed a giggle. Weston was entertaining as well as good looking.
Do your friends call you West?
she asked. Because mine have called me Est. Just think, West and Est.
They shared their amusement at her rhyme, their laughter echoing around the walls, and quieted afterward, their eyes on each other’s faces.
You can call me Weston,
he said. "Most everyone else says Wes. But I like knowing the pretty girl at the auction house uses my real name."
Her cheeks warmed, and she ducked her gaze. Thank you for the package, Weston. I hope I’ll see you around.
You will,
he replied, especially now that I know where to go when I need to smile.
He stood in place until she looked up then revolved on his heel. He waved at her on his way out of the doorway.
She watched him climb into a battered blue pickup and drive away, flakes of snow swirling around his windshield. A girlish sigh escaped from between her lips. Hearing it, she released her giggles at last and shifted her gaze to the box.
Esther hooked her fingers beneath the edge of the paper and tugged the plain wrapping away, revealing a cardboard box sealed tight with packing tape. She reached inside a drawer for a pair of scissors. Slitting the tape, she peeled open the box flaps and gazed inside at a beautiful wrapped Christmas gift.
Silver paper glittered with snowflakes. A wavy silver ribbon had been tied around the sides. On top, a small card in a matching print poked out from beneath the bow. On it in red were written two words. Secret Admirer.
Secret Admirer?
She read the phrase out loud. Who could that be? She set the gift in front of her and flipped the card over. Silver gilt lettering read, Do not open until December 25th.
The office doors squealed, announcing the entrance of her boss, fifth generation owner of Mama’s Antiques, Harold Kind. She met his grandfatherly gaze.
Who was that?
he asked, nodding toward the door.
She grasped the gift with one hand and held it upward. Delivery. A package for me. But I can’t think who it’s from.
His aged shuffle crossed the distance between them until overhead, he looked down in her lap. Secret Admirer,
he read slowly. My, my. Someone has their eyes on Esther.
Their eyes?
Harold shook his head and chuckled. Some boy sees what I see, an attractive young girl with a beautiful smile and a good heart.
A boy? Esther’s thoughts shifted. Had this come from a boy? Surely not. If they admired her so much, they could just come in and talk. Why the mystery? And why the wait? Christmas was ten days away. That was ten days to speculate on who could have sent it. Ten achingly long days without knowing what was in it or how it would change her life.
Maybe that was the purpose, to try her patience.
She sighed. Whoever it is will have to wait for now because I have this flyer to do.
She returned the gift to the cardboard box and faced the computer screen. Did you ever hear from the Singletons? Is the grand piano in or out?
I did, and it’s in. Be sure you put it front and center,
he said, and highlight the change of date ... December 22nd for our last auction before Christmas.
Esther clicked on the screen. Already done.
Harold returned to his office, and she concentrated on her task. But at the back of her mind two things kept intruding—a silvery Christmas gift resting nearby and a very handsome delivery driver named Weston, who she already wanted to