My Neighbor's Christmas: A Neighbors Novellas Christmas Romance Collection by Jenny Redford

Author:Jenny Redford [Redford, Jenny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Two

Gavin took another look at his inbox with a bit of relief. Three huge wholesale orders had made it to their destinations, including one for their largest client. In only a matter of days, retail stores across the country would be pushing out their Halloween decorations for Christmas with The Ornament Outpost right next to some of the biggest names in the business.

He and Jerry had been working hard for the past several years to increase sales and the variety of ornaments they could produce. Last year, they even made two ornaments with the hashtag "#christmasballs" that had become a huge viral hit on social media. Jerry didn't really understand what it meant to be a viral hit, but it was a big deal to Gavin. He loved finding new ways to get The Ornament Outpost's name out there, and he appreciated that Jerry respected him enough to let him do it.

Although his fondness for Jerry had waned a bit lately. Did Gavin feel guilty about that? Sure. The two of them were business partners and friends. They worked well together. They were building this business together. Jerry would even talk about the vacations he was planning and the things he hoped to do in a few years when he retired and sold his half of the business to Gavin.

But then Jerry didn't show up for work one morning, which wasn't normal for him. The team got so concerned that Gavin asked Patty to swing by his house during her lunch break while he took care of some of Jerry's unanswered emails.

Jerry never answered the door, and it was only when the police were called to check on him that they found him. He had died in his sleep of a heart attack.

The whole week after that was a blur for Gavin. Jerry's family came in for the funeral, and Gavin distinctly remembered seeing a brown-haired woman around his age that was definitely easy on the eyes. But she was with her family -- Jerry's family -- and his funeral was definitely not the best place for Gavin to ask for a woman's phone number.

Two days after that, Gavin sat in a lawyer's office in Frankenmuth for a reading of Jerry's will. There were several things left specifically for family members like heirlooms and Jerry's secret recipe for Christmas sugar cookies. ("The secret is extra vanilla extract," Jerry told him after last year's office Christmas party.)

But then they got to the part about the factory. Gavin knew what was coming. Jerry had told him that he would change his will so Gavin would get the other half of the business in case something happened.

There was an audible gasp when the lawyer said Jerry's half of the factory was going to Noelle Dawson. A couple that Gavin assumed were Noelle's parents exchanged a bewildered glance.

"Let's talk to the lawyer after this," the woman said quietly. "I think it would be best if he called her and gave her all the details.

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