Carolina Christmas

By Anaiah Press and Michelle S. Lowe

Meg Bryson isn't exactly proud of how she's spent the last year and a half of her life- or the two-inch scar across her chin. So when she's commissioned to paint a mural for a retirement home, she jumps at the chance to get away for a while. There's just one problem; she has to face her sister and the pain of her past.

 

When the reunion with her sister goes much differently than she imagined, she quickly settles into a new routine. Surrounded by a slew of new friends, including an exceptionally skittish dog who eventually chooses her as his new owner, she's forced to deal with an arrogant, unfriendly veterinarian. But if she's learned anything from her past, she knows that appearances can be deceiving. And the more time she spends with Heath Campbell, the more she realizes her initial impression of him was wrong.

 

On a very special Christmas night, she learns that the gift of God's mercy and grace was meant for her, scars and all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anaiah Press
• Release date: Nov 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781954189546

Book preview

Chapter One

Meg Bryson straightened her shoulders and squinted at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The lighting in the small room was dim, but the scar across her chin was well-covered by a completely opaque layer of makeup. Just in case, she always carried a tube of the concealer in her purse.

Thankful the popular coffee shop wasn’t busy, she imagined most people were out getting a head start on their Christmas shopping or even still celebrating with family after splurging on turkey and cranberry sauce. And here she was, alone, replaying in her mind the last eighteen months, feeling more than foolish. Some of the memories were good, some were not so pleasant. At least she had finally come to her senses.

She took a long, exasperated breath and left the restroom, nearly colliding with a dark-haired man wearing medical scrubs. He had obviously just left the men’s restroom, and he kindly motioned with his outstretched hand for her to go first down the narrow path between empty tables and chairs. She forced an awkward smile and headed to the counter.

But once there, the menu offered way too many choices for a coffee shop. She skimmed the overhead selection quickly and with purpose.

The three-cheese bagel is great toasted, said the man standing behind her.

She didn’t want to ignore the man, but she didn’t want to give his kindness too much attention, either. Appearing to be a gentleman didn’t mean a thing, she reminded herself. She had been down that road before. And much too recently. Instead, she quietly placed her order for something totally different than what he had suggested, and when the items were handed to her, she avoided his gaze on the way out of the store.

Meg sat in her car and cupped her hands around the warm, pumpkin spice latte, savoring a slow sip, and being careful not to burn her tongue. Then she opened the delicately wrapped garlic and chive pastry. Both were delicious, and the sweetness of the coffee complimented the tender, savory bread. But she suddenly thought about a toasted three-cheese bagel and made a mental note to try one of those next time. Eating food from a coffee shop with a drive-thru, however enjoyable the treat was, would be the closest thing to a Thanksgiving meal for her this year, and the thought caused her to grimace.

Many miles separated her from the discord that had too easily become a daily habit, and that fact was comforting, at least. During the past year she had been more successful with her painting jobs and had made more money than she ever anticipated, yet somehow, she felt more desolate and unhappy than ever.

The opening of a car door beside her parked vehicle moved her attention from anxious thoughts to the man who had been so gracious to her inside the coffee shop. He simply tipped his head at her in a friendly nod as he got into his SUV, juggling his coffee and bag of food. She returned a weak smile from her window as he started his truck and left. She hadn’t meant to be rude, but at this point, even a stranger’s kindness had her on edge.

Aware that she was overthinking and stalling before going to her sister’s house, she made the little onion tart last much longer than necessary. After eating the last bite, she wadded the wrapper and put her trash into the to-go bag to throw away later.

Hesitantly, she pulled down the overhead visor and checked her appearance in the lighted mirror one last time. Strands of long, dark hair lay on her shoulder, and with her fair skin and hazel eyes, she and Missy certainly had some things in common, although they were different as night and day in many other ways. The two-inch scar that normally exposed itself along the bottom of her chin remained perfectly disguised, untouched by the napkin she used while eating. Though the scar wasn’t visible, knowing the imperfection was there made her feel sick to her stomach—for many reasons.

She closed the visor and laid her head on the steering wheel. She wanted to cry, but the tears simply wouldn’t come. Maybe if they did, she would feel better. Perhaps her pride was much too wounded for tears, and she could only hope that, with time, and in redeeming herself to her sister, she would begin to feel some sort of repose.

She couldn’t continue to put off the inevitable any longer, so she pulled from the parking lot of the coffee shop and started the twenty-minute drive into Randolph County, heading toward her sister’s house. Her sister had been especially kind in insisting Meg stay with her and her new husband. Now, however, the realization that accepting the offer would only put her up front and center with all the unpleasant memories she had conveniently pushed aside was a little unnerving. In a way, however, finally dealing with her demons head on would be a relief, and the last few sips of her favorite latte helped to revive her, nudging her toward the mission at hand.

The last time she saw her sister, Missy and Alex had been renting a small apartment, planning to build their dream home, a log cabin in the rural hills of North Carolina. Now, the cabin was complete, and although she had seen pictures, she looked forward to seeing the log home in person. Seeing Missy would be a wonderful occasion… if Meg hadn’t been such a mess of a sister as of lately.

Some of the homes she passed along the way were already decorated for Christmas, colorful lights adorning wild growing pine trees and winking white icicles framing the entire length of porches. Meg slowed, listening to her GPS, spotting the sign for Ardmore Road. She drove two tenths of a mile, as instructed by the cordial voice, when her breath caught. The structure before her was simply breathtaking.

Sitting high on a hill, on a perfect black top drive, which was visible due to the small golden lights perfectly spaced along the edging, was a large A-frame log home nestled against a tree line of evergreens. Every window of the enormous house seemed to sparkle with amber warmth. Heavy, expansive wooden beams supported the gorgeous structure and tall, oversize windows peered out into the surrounding hillside.

The home was much larger than the one in pictures from the texts she received from her sister, and truly like something out of a magazine. The house, however, was not pretentious by any means, perhaps only because she knew who the cabin belonged to. The place was unexpectedly warm and inviting as she drove slowly up the sloped drive. For the first time in a while, she smiled an honest smile. The house was so beautiful, and Missy certainly deserved the best. Knowing her sister was doing so well, at least, warmed Meg’s heart.

Meg parked in front of the house and unplugged the charging cord for her phone. Placing the cord in her purse, a light tapping sounded at the window. She had wanted some time to steel herself, maybe check the scar on her chin one more time, but Missy and Alex had already come out to greet her. Missy smiled from ear to ear, and Alex smiled, too, as he reached for the door handle of her car.

You’re here! Missy nearly squealed. She reached for Meg’s hand and pulled her out of the car, hugging her fiercely and tightly. She was obviously excited to see her, nearly squeezing the wind out of her, and instant relief washed over Meg.

I’m so happy you’re here, Missy said, eventually letting her go.

Meg detected the kindness in her sister’s eyes, and that was the last thing she deserved. Sometimes, she wondered why her sister would even want to talk to her. But there was not even a hint of Missy or Alex dredging up the past. Meg had previously shuddered at the thought of coming face to face with her brother-in-law, too, but as her eyes met his, she saw the very same thing: kindness. They were happy to see her, and they really did