She walked over to the largest present in the room. Her face lit up when she saw it was hers. She ripped the paper open and tore into the box. It was filled to the brim with my designs. “Holy …” She screamed so loud we had to cover our ears. “This is seriously the best gift ever.” She ran over to me and hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. “Thank you so much.”
I laughed. “You’re welcome. I had them all flown in.”
While Brianna was busy sorting through all of her clothes, Theresa picked up the last two presents and handed them to Colin. My heart raced as he looked at the tags. Sighing, he looked over at me. “You didn’t have to do this.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just open them. Do the small one first.”
He opened the small one, which revealed the manual for a coffeemaker I’d bought him. It was an espresso machine as well. Shaking his head, he held it up. “Didn’t like my coffeemaker?”
Sheepishly, I shrugged. “I thought you could use a new one. It works a lot faster. I already have it in your kitchen, ready to use. You can try it out tonight if you want.”
His lips lifted slightly. “I might just do that.”
When he got to the next present, my pulse was in overdrive. He opened the box and moved away all the tissue paper, revealing what was underneath. He stared at it for the longest time, his eyes taking in every single inch.
Theresa and Brianna rushed over, and both gasped. “It’s beautiful,” Theresa cried, wiping a tear away.
Brianna agreed with a nod. “It is. It’s almost like they’re here.”
Colin held up the canvas, giving us all a good look at it. After I’d met Mrs. Denton, Glenda, from the art gallery, I had her paint a picture of the Snowflake Lane Inn. On the front porch swing were Theresa and Brianna, and standing in the front were Colin and his grandparents with his arms around them. Brianna had nailed the meaning behind it. I wanted it to be like they were still around.
Colin handed the painting to his mother and pulled me into his arms. It was the closest I’d been to him in days. “Thank you, Layla. That picture means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome,” I murmured. I didn’t want to leave his arms, but my phone rang. Reluctantly, I stepped away from him and focused on the number. It was from New York. “I’ll be right back,” I said to everyone. I stepped into the library across the hall and answered it. “Hello?”
“Ms. Aberdeen?”
“Yes,” I said, trying to recognize the voice. It sounded familiar.
“Hi, I’m Andrea, Mrs. Parrish’s assistant. I’ve spoken to you before, but I didn’t know if you’d remember me.”
Completely caught off guard, my knees gave out, and I fell into one of the brown leather chairs. “Andrea, yes. I remember you. How are you?”
“Great, as a matter of fact. Miriam’s been dying to talk to you. She’s on the other line. Do you mind if I connect you?”
The breath left my lungs. “Seriously?”
Andrea burst out laughing. “Yes, seriously. I’ll let her tell you the good news.”
Good news? I was clueless. The line beeped, and Miriam cleared her throat. “Layla?”
“Miriam,” I replied nervously, “to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Your new designs, of course. I’ve looked over them all, and I’m in love.”
“What? How?”
“Your assistant, Brianna, sent them over to me. Amazing job, my dear. I know you took it hard after your last line, but you’ve totally redeemed yourself. I’d love to meet with you after Christmas.”
I was in shock and didn’t know what to think. “Of course,” I blurted. “After Christmas is great.”
“Wonderful. Andrea will get it scheduled in. Right now, I have to finish drinking my eggnog. See you soon.” She hung up, and I stood there, mouth gaping.
Brianna walked by with a sugar cookie in her hand and stopped when she saw me. “You okay?”
I held up my phone. “You tell me. I just got a call from Miriam.”
She held up her hands and stepped back, a look of terror on her face. “Please don’t be mad at me. When you left your sketchpad in Colin’s truck, I was afraid you wouldn’t do anything with them so I made copies. I knew that Miriam Parrish was the woman to speak to, so I called, pretending to be your assistant.” On the verge of tears, she walked into the library. “What did she say?”