Season of Joy by Virginia Carmichael

Author:Virginia Carmichael
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2012-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Calista slipped on another dress and gave her reflection a critical eye. The pale pink wool shift dress showed off her trim figure. Too girlie? The last one had been too dark. The one before it had been a sweater dress and was too clingy. The one before that was from last year’s Christmas party and was really too fancy.

She dropped onto the edge of the bed and stared morosely at the pile of clothing on the floor. It had never been a problem to grab an outfit for church before, especially since she didn’t know that many people. She had more trouble finding the hymns than anything else.

A glance at the clock reminded her that she had just a few minutes before Grant showed up. She felt her stomach knot unpleasantly. What would he think when he saw where she lived, how she lived?

Lord, You know my heart. I’m learning to be more like You every day but I know how far I have to go. Calista sighed and went to pick out a pair of shoes. As she swung open the separate closet for her shoes, Mimi darted in, tail held high.

“No, you don’t!” She swatted at the Siamese shoe terror and managed to reverse her trajectory.

Just as she picked out a pair of pale pink pumps, the doorbell rang. Calista jumped as if she’d been electrocuted. She slammed the shoe closet closed and ran to open the front door barefoot.

Her heart almost stuttered to a stop as Grant flashed her that perfect smile. Nice suit, check. Fresh shave, check. Delicious smell of soap and aftershave, check and check. She could have stood there and cataloged his attributes all day.

“Hi, come on in.” She stepped back and waved him inside.

“Nice place.” He took a few steps into the room and gazed around.

Calista couldn’t help seeing everything new through his eyes. The wall of glass emphasized the cool steel accent points at the ceiling and the avant-garde table with minimalist modern art above it. It all looked so cold and...expensive.

“I think we share a fondness for a certain artist.” Grant’s lips twitched as he nodded toward her latest acquisitions. A wall full of Savannah’s crayon drawings might be a bit much but she couldn’t bear to throw them away. And for every picture she accepted, there was another one a few hours later. They were all kitties with pink sunglasses, most of them by a Christmas tree.

“She told me they were limited edition, but apparently I’ve been conned.”

He reached out to the delicate side table and picked up a silver-framed photo of Elaine’s new family. “She looks like you.”

“My sister. That’s her husband and their new baby.” Calista loved that photo of the three of them, lost in love with their new baby, wrapped up in themselves.

“They live near here?”

“No. I wish they did. But they might be coming to visit in the spring, when the baby’s a little bigger.”

“You’ll certainly have enough room for them.” Again his gaze swept the apartment.

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