Maisey sighed as she looked at the artisan ruby red ring, handcrafted in resin with red pigment and metallic gold leaf throughout. It wasn’t a traditional wedding ring for sure, but it certainly made a statement for a Christmas bride. It was absolutely beautiful. She planned to feature the artist and her handcrafted resin jewelry on her blog, The Hand-Me-Down-Bride. What started one evening on a whim, ballooned into a successful business. On her blog, Maisey taught the bride on a strict budget, how to have a beautiful, elegant wedding, no matter what her budget. She purchased used wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses from thrift stores and online auctions for pennies on the dollar of the original cost, then completely restyled the dresses into one-of-a-kind creations, and then sold them on to brides-to-be.
When she couldn’t keep the dresses in stock, she expanded the business to include antique and artisan jewelry, silk flowers, and all the things a bride on a budget could dream of. In the last year, she also began a referral service to guide brides to providers who also offered low-cost services for items she couldn’t provide such as wedding cakes and catering. The best part though, was now that her blog was so popular, people actually sent their wares to her for free in hopes she?d feature it on her blog.
What started as a simple dream and an old wedding gown, had turned into a successful home business. The blog caught the attention of an even bigger, more successful blog called Elegant Bride Direct, who was sending out a photographer and interviewer in the next week. They wanted to photograph a perfect look for the last-minute Christmas bride on a budget. Maisey happily accepted Elegant Bride Direct’s invitation for an interview and photo spread. Pulling together the outfit with only a week’s notice was time consuming and took away from the spring and summer projects she worked on, but the exposure she and The Hand-Me-Down-Bride blog received, would be priceless.
When the sun set late that afternoon, Maisey felt content with the progress she?d made. The outfit for the photo shoot was ready, and her latest blog featuring the artisan resin jewelry was live.
After a long bath, she wrapped up in a robe and prepared to go downstairs and find something to put into the microwave for dinner, and watch some television. Since moving from South Florida, this became her routine. During the day, work kept her busy, but at night, her loneliness became acute. She would think of all she left behind in Florida:
Her friends.
The gorgeous weather.
A great apartment.
No significant other in her life.
She was a free woman.
When she was informed she’d inherited Aunt Rose’s incredible home, moving across the country and starting over was a challenge she’d embraced—the chance to start a brand new life. And since her business was portable, she didn’t hesitate. Especially since her mother, who over the years became a bitter and vindictive woman after a string of failed relationships and marriages, cut Maisey off cold when she inherited the house.
Yet the house she remembered as a child, was now a shell of its old self. Aunt Rose had not kept up very much except for the most basic repairs. The wallpaper was old and faded, the carpets needed to be replaced, and the kitchen appliances were thirty years old or more. Still, it was all hers, and she was extremely grateful for a home of her own. Over time, she would renovate and replace the furniture and appliances.
The ringing doorbell broke up her thoughts and she vaulted off the couch. It was probably a late delivery, she assumed. In her business, the deliveries were nonstop, even into the evening hours. But when she opened the front door, it was not the courier she expected. It was Sean Marshall, dressed casually in jeans and a heavy leather jacket. She could now see his hair which was a sandy blond that complimented his glorious blue eyes.
Why are you here? Almost crossed her lips, but she bit her tongue at the last second. She would never be rude, but she didn’t appreciate The Love List set-up joke—or whatever it was—that this very man who saved her from walking home in an ice storm, was the same man she was supposed to ask out on a date. After all, Sean had to be involved, too. How could he not? There were no coincidences in life, that much Maisey felt sure of.
“Hi Sean, it’s nice to see you again.”
When he smiled in return, some of her suspicion and the twinge of anger, evaporated into the cold atmosphere.
“I was walking around today, saw this in an antique store, and knew you had to have it.” In his outstretched palm was a tiny Frozen Charlotte doll.
Maisey felt instant love. “You bought that for me?” she asked.
“You sound surprised. Of course I bought it for you. Just the look on your face right now is worth it.” He placed the tiny doll in her hand.
Maisey looked up into his blue eyes. “Thank you so much. I’m so…touched. This is really amazing. Come on in.” She stepped to the side, and he entered her home.
“Have you eaten yet?” he asked unbuttoning his leather jacket and slinging it over the back of a wing chair.
“No, I was just getting ready to pop something into the microwave. Care for microwave spaghetti or maybe fish sticks?” She hoped he remembered the little joke from the evening before when she told him she thought she might freeze into a giant frozen fish stick if he hadn’t saved her from the ice storm.