by Kate Kasch
“Well, from what I understand no construction permit application was ever filed with the town. In turn, this means that no permit has been issued allowing for said construction to legally begin.
Gabe came out of the house, and when he saw the stunned expressions on Adrienne, Gretchen and Nick’s faces he immediately put on his lawyer hat. “Is there a problem here?”
“This man is from the town and he says we don’t have a construction permit to be able to do the work on the garage,” Adrienne’s voice was shaking.
“Can I see your identification, please?” Gabe asked. Mr. Brower’s face was still as stone; he didn’t smile or frown but was completely expressionless. He handed his ID over to Gabe who inspected it quickly.
“You’re with the Building Department, which means you report directly to Mayor Jessup,” Gabe was more stating a fact than asking a question. Brower answered him anyway.
“That is correct. I’m not sure how that is relevant.”
“Trust me, it’s relevant,” Adrienne said coldly, putting it all together.
“So far all we have been doing is yard work, small repairs and painting. What exactly are we required to have a permit for?” Gabe asked him.
“The construction work I see you’re doing on your garage over there,” he pointed to where Nick and Gretchen were just working. “That you need a permit for.”
“How long does it take to apply and get approved for a permit?” Adrienne asked.
“The application process is not long; however the approval process could take anywhere from two to four weeks.”
“Two to four weeks?!” Gretchen practically screamed.
Adrienne hung her head and put her face in her hands.
“There has got to be something we can do to speed the process along . . . someone we can talk to?” Gabe said.
“You could try going directly to the Mayor, but until then, there is a stop order on this project and no work can be done on that garage until a licensed contractor has filed the appropriate paperwork and an Inspector comes out here to approve the work.”
Handing Adrienne a stack of papers, Mr. Brower then turned on his heels and walked stiffly back to his truck - his last words hanging in the air.
The four friends looked around at each other, unable to find any words. Mr. Brower, or Mayor Jessup for that matter, just took a sharp pin and stabbed the giant, fragile balloon of hope that had been floating among the friends. Its sudden burst stung the faces of those holding it closely.
“We can’t give up,” Gretchen, the first to speak, said quietly. “We’ve come this far! We can’t give up.”
“I just don’t even know where to go from here. We can’t fix the garage; we can’t replace the tiles on the roof. All we can do is paint, but what is the point of that if the rest of the house is a disaster?! We can’t win a house decorating competition with a house that looks like it could fall down at any moment!” Adrienne could no longer hold in her emotion. The more she ranted, the angrier she became at one person in particular: Mayor Jessup.
Adrienne was so furious she didn’t notice another car had pulled in front of the Harkins home. A gleaming white luxury sedan stopped at 22 Oak Street. Gretchen, Nick and Gabe stared at the wonder in white as she sauntered up the stone path. Adrienne, with her back to the street and continuing to vent saw the looks on the other three faces and turned to see what they were staring at.
“Angela?”
Angela seemed to glide up the front walkway. Dressed in flowing white from head to toe, with her signature long white wool coat, furry white scarf and today, white fluffy earmuffs. Her presence had the already bewildered group, awe-struck.
With her bright smile and smooth voice, Angela said hello to the girls and gave them each a warm hug.
Gabe stared at Angela, a spark of recognition ignited in his brain, “Excuse me, do I know you from somewhere?” he asked her.
Before Angela could answer, Adrienne stepped in, “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you all. Gabe and Nick this is Angela. Gretchen and I randomly met her in the city, and now she is here helping out at the Town Hall.”
Nick and Gabe politely shook hands with Angela, and Adrienne could see they were instantly under her spell. Gabe stared at Angela, still trying to place her.
“Please tell me you’re not here to deliver more bad news?” Adrienne pleaded.
“Of course not, honey. I’m sure you heard about the fire at the Town Hall,” they all nodded their heads. “Such a tragedy. But if you could see how the community has responded, it would warm the heart of any Grinch this holiday season. Anyway, with the fire, all the paperwork from inside the office is gone – turned to ash. I am going around today to all the entrants in the Christmas Home Decorating Contest and asking that you re-fill out the paperwork. It will be a major help tomorrow – helping us to be sure we don’t miss any contestant or get the wrong address for anyone . . . you understand.”
“I understand, it’s just that . . .” Adrienne wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence.
“What is it sweetheart?” Angela looked concerned.
Adrienne looked around at Gretchen, Gabe and Nick hoping for some guidance. It seemed they too were all at a loss for words.
“It’s just that we’re not sure we’re going to be able to compete in the contest after all,” Adrienne choked out the words.
“Why, whatever do you mean? Isn’t it vital for you to win the contest in order to be able to keep the house in your family? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t enter?” Even with Angela being completely flabbergasted, her voice still sounded like a song.
Sensing Adrienne’s emotional state, Gabe stepped up and explained the situation as if he was giving his final arguments to a jury – reporting the facts of the problem in an orderly fashion. When he was done with stating his case, all four friends looked to Angela, curious for her response.
After some careful thought, Angela turned to Adrienne, “Adrienne, do you remember that book I was reading when we bumped into each other at the café in the city?”
Adrienne nodded, “Mark something that starts with a B?”
“Yes, Mark Batterson. Another thing he always says is ‘All of us love miracles. We just don’t like being in a situation that necessitates one.’ This thought comes to me now, as you are in need of a miracle. And to this need, I say: have faith. This is the season for miracles. I truly believe what you’re doing here is worthy of a miracle, don’t you?”
Gretchen’s face lit up. All she needed was someone else to believe this could work out, and she was right back on the positivity train. Adrienne, on the other hand, was a little more skeptical.
“Adrienne,” Gretchen faced her sister and put her hands on her shoulders, “I have no idea how this whole thing is going to come together, or if it will at all, but I do know that it feels right. It feels like this is what we’re supposed to be doing right now. I’m willing to take a leap of faith if you are. But whatever we decide, I want to make the decision together. So what do you say – want to create a Christmas miracle with me?”
Adrienne smiled at her sister whose eyes were full of hope and excitement – how could she say no?
“Let’s do it,” Adrienne hugged Gretchen tightly.
“Yay! I am so excited for the both of you!” Angela exclaimed. “And now that you have made the decision to enter the contest, why don’t you fill out that application and make it official.”
With the Christmas Home Decorating Contest back on, now they just needed to find a way to get a construction permit and find their lost-in-delivery roof shingles. That should be easy, right?
Adrienne, Gretchen, Nick and Gabe watched Angela gracefully walk down the path back to her car. Once she had driven away, it was right back to work.
“Okay everyone, what’s the plan?” Gretchen asked.
“It seems the only thing we can do right now is paint,” Adrienne said.
“Why don’t the three of you get started on the pa
inting – I have something I want to look into. I’ll be back as soon as I can to help out,” Gabe said before quickly walking to his truck and driving off.
“And then there were three,” Nick smiled. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I love to paint.”
“Geez, you two glass-is-half-full people are meant for each other,” Adrienne rolled her eyes and walked away leaving Nick and Gretchen behind her blushing.
In the shed, Nick was hunting around looking for the correct paint to use on the front of the house. When he emerged with no paint cans in his hands and a pensive look on his face, Adrienne and Gretchen stopped talking and braced themselves.
“What is it? What now?” Adrienne asked.
“It seems you don’t have the correct paint for the front of the house.”
“Really? I swear I saw it in there,” Adrienne said.
“I guess, yes, you do have paint that was used on the front of the house. The problem is, that paint was most likely used during warm weather – and well, last night the temperature dropped pretty significantly and although it has warmed up a bit today, you still need special paint to use in the winter.”
Adrienne rolled her eyes. Of course. Of course, this would happen right now – just pile it on.
“Is there somewhere we can buy the correct paint?” Gretchen asked.
“Yeah, we should be able to get it at the hardware store in town. Hopefully Bill has some. I’ll go drive down there and see,” Nick told them.
“No, I’ll go,” Adrienne said. “You two stay here. I need to go for a drive. Really,” she insisted as Nick tried to disagree with her. But seeing her face, Gretchen and Nick realized she needed to get out of the house – she needed a change of scenery, if only for twenty minutes.
Although yesterday the fire seemed to put a damper on the Christmas festivities, today the town was back in full swing – mistletoe, twinkly lights, garland and carolers filled the sidewalks in anticipation of the big day. Adrienne had been so caught up in working on the house she forgot that tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Not Christmas Eve: the deadline for the contest. But Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas, which was the time to cherish all those close to you and celebrate giving. Adrienne needed to not only buy paint, but also a few other little treasures to put under the tree.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Gabe hustled to his truck and with his heart racing, sped downtown. As he burst through the front door of his office, Louise jumped in her seat, completely startled by the intrusion.
“Oh, my goodness, Gabe Perkins, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“I’m so sorry, Louise. I just have a lot on my mind. Can you do me a favor? Can you get Mayor Jessup on the line – I’ll take it in my office.”
Walking over to his desk, Gabe sat down and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Competing thoughts about what to do with his new business venture had been wrestling in his brain for days now, and it had completely worn him out. It was time for him to make a decision. This latest stunt with the Mayor was the last straw. The phone rang once, letting Gabe know the Mayor was on the line.
“Bill, it’s Gabe – we need to talk.”
“Of course, what can I do for you Gabe?”
“I was just over at the Harkins residence, and a Mr. Brower showed up with a stop work order. He claimed Adrienne and Gretchen can no longer do the construction repair work they need to do on their garage. I’m assuming you know about this.”
“I know about everything going on in my town, Gabe. Just like I know how you have been practically living over at 22 Oak Street, helping them fix the house up. We had a deal, Gabe, and from my perspective, it doesn’t look like you’re honoring that agreement.”
“You know what Mayor – I have been torn up about this partnership. Your little stunt today, well that’s low, even for you. If I had known you could stoop this low – purposely trying to hurt members of our community for your own personal gain, well, I never would have agreed to partner with you.”
“Gabe, you need to grow up. This is how things work when you’re an adult. Sometimes in business you need to be willing to take things to the next level – that’s just how it is. I’m sorry you’re upset about it – if I had known you had a crush on Adrienne, maybe I would have approached things with you differently. But you weren’t honest with me either. So why don’t we agree that we have both made mistakes. Water under the bridge – let’s move on.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Bill. This partnership is over – terminated. And I’m going to need you to cancel that stop work order you put on the house. You know it’s the right thing to do.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Gabe. You see, now with our terminated partnership, I now see you as the competition. One might even say, the enemy. Good luck to you and your little girlfriend, and I guess I will just see you tomorrow night at the Christmas Home Decorating Contest – you better change your attitude before I show up to judge.”
Before Gabe could get another word in, the Mayor hung up the phone. Gabe sat listening to the dial tone drone on in his ear, and then he slammed the phone down hard. So hard in fact, that poor Louise came running into his office to be sure everything was okay. Seeing the anger on Gabe’s face, Louise timidly asked, “Gabe, honey. Is everything all right? Is there anything I can do to help?”
Gabe looked up at Louise, and an idea flashed in his mind. His anger was replaced by sheer determination. “Yes Louise, you can help,” he started to get excited as his idea formed. “We are going to do this my way – by the book. We are going to figure out a way to get this stop work order thrown out – and we’ll do it using the law – all above board.”
Louise looked at Gabe, puzzled. “Okay, sir. What is it you need me to do?”
“I need you to call in a favor for me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Pushing open the door to the hardware store, Adrienne was overwhelmed. This place was not in her comfort zone – she needed help. With no employees in site, Adrienne grabbed a cart and wandered the aisles. As she turned onto aisle eight, she was relieved to find paint cans and supplies. Scanning the million different kinds of paint, she found the one Nick told her to buy: a premium oil-based paint that was made for cold weather. Lifting the heavy gallons, she started loading one after another into her cart. She then moved down the aisle a bit to check out paintbrushes. Adrienne’s eyes started to glaze over reading all the different sizes and types of brushes, so she couldn’t trust them when she looked up at the man standing three feet from her. Her eyes focused, and then her heart stopped. Mayor Jessup.
“Why hello there, Miss Harkins. Funny running into you here.”
“Hello. Why are you so surprised to see me here, Mayor Jessup? Is there some reason you didn’t expect me to have any work to do on my house?”
Mayor Jessup stood up straight and looked her square in the eye. “Miss Harkins, is there something you would like to say to me?”
Adrienne’s mind raced – there were many things she would like to say to him. But it was Christmas Eve eve and he wasn’t worth her time.
“Looking forward to seeing you at the Christmas Home Decorating Competition,” Adrienne’s voice was as sweet as sugarplums. “Merry Christmas!”
“You should have seen the look on his face,” Adrienne laughed to Gretchen and Nick back at the house. “I don’t know if he was more surprised to see me buying paint or wishing him a Merry Christmas.”
“I want to win this contest now more than ever,” Gretchen said.
“Let’s get painting! I will start on the ladder near the roof line, you two start on the ground,” Nick said.
Fueled by coffee, Christmas music and the desire to put Mayor Jessup in his place, the three friends began the arduous task of painting the front of the large home. At around 11:30 a.m., after what seemed like days, Adrienne stepped back to look at their progress. Massaging her frozen, cramped hands she sighed, this was going to take forever. Howeve
r, the relatively small section that had been painted looked amazing - only a million more hours to go.
“Anyone need a coffee?” she asked.
“Something warm and filled with caffeine? Yes, please!” Gretchen raised her hand.
“Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks, Adrienne,” Nick yelled down from up high near one of the second-floor bedroom windows.
The entire drive into town Adrienne rotated her hands – one on the wheel and one in front of the heater, and then switched. The plan was to get some lunch to bring back from Peas & Pickles and then get three coffees from the Dreamy Bean. Walking out of Peas & Pickles with her grocery bags something across the street caught her eye. Adrienne stopped moving and focused on two people having what appeared to be an intense conversation – one of those people was Gabe. Gabe and a young woman with long blonde hair were sitting on a bench outside of a jewelry store. They were sitting so close their knees were touching.
Still holding her grocery bags, Adrienne hid behind one of the lampposts, which was wrapped in garland and lights, peering around it to watch Gabe and the mystery woman. Adrienne gasped when she watched Gabe put his hand on the woman’s knee and lean in close. The woman nodded her head, staring into his beautiful blue eyes. Simultaneously, they both stood up and hugged for what seemed to Adrienne like an extremely long time.
Feeling sick to her stomach, Adrienne hustled to her car, putting the groceries in the trunk. Not wanting to be seen by Gabe, she kept her head turned away as she walked down the block to the Dreamy Bean. The delicious smell of coffee and scones didn’t have the calming effect it typically had for Adrienne. Why was she so upset? Was it at all surprising that Gabe had a girlfriend? Adrienne felt silly for thinking anything to the contrary. Of course, he had a girlfriend – he was a successful, kind, thoughtful, handsome guy. After ordering the coffees, Adrienne tried not to feel so dejected. Gabe was not the reason she was here, nor was he the reason she had stayed so long. Maybe this was a good thing – it would keep her focused on the goal. She would keep reminding herself of that.