by Kate Kasch
“What? What’s wrong?” Adrienne asked, panicked.
“You are never going to believe this! I can’t believe this! Look at what Nick just found on the Internet?”
“Gretchen if this is some sort of cute kittens playing with yarn kind of thing, I’m going to kill you,” Adrienne threatened.
“Oh no, this is so much better than that! Look,” she thrusted the tablet at Adrienne.
It took Adrienne a minute to realize what she was looking at. It was some sort of community crowd-funding page where people come together to raise money for charities and things, but the name of the page was 22 Oak Street.
22 Oak Street
The Harkins’ Family needs your help!
Many of you knew Tom and Elizabeth Harkins who tragically died in a car accident four years ago. Longtime residents of Chestnut Ridge, they constantly gave back to the community. Tom helped most of the businesses on Main Street become what they are today.
They also raised their two daughters, Adrienne and Gretchen, here.
Their family home was always a beautiful piece of Chestnut Ridge history having been around for over one hundred years. Tom and Elizabeth restored it to its original beauty. It was even once featured in the Chestnut Ridge House Tour one holiday season.
Unfortunately, since Tom and Elizabeth’s passing the house had fallen into disrepair. That is, until about a week ago when Adrienne and Gretchen returned. I’m sure some of you have driven by and noticed the amazing transformation that has occurred in an unbelievably short amount of time.
22 Oak Street will be put up for auction if Adrienne and Gretchen don’t raise $15,000 by December 31st!
Let’s show one of our beloved families of Chestnut Ridge how our community helps those in need. We helped raise them, now let’s help save their childhood home.
Please donate what you can today!
*Below see photos taken of 22 Oak Street during the renovations this past week. Notice many of our community members donating their time and expertise.
As Adrienne scrolled the photos taken during the renovation, she saw Gabe and Nick, Pete Wallace, Charlie Matthews, Kurt Jeffries, and before and after photos of the house. Stunned that someone in their community would go out of their way like this to help them – people they have never met – her heart pounded in her chest.
“Who did this?” Adrienne looked up at Gretchen.
“I don’t know! Nick got an email about it – that’s how he saw it.”
“But the photos – aren’t those the photos you took?
“Ohmigoodness, you’re right. I know who did this! Angela! She asked me for the photos I took – she said she wanted to see the ‘before and after’ transformation. This has to be her.”
“We need to find her. We need to thank her. Oh my, Gretchen, did you see how much money has been raised already?!”
“No, I got too excited. How much?”
“$8,000. And it’s only been a few hours. I can’t believe this!”
Gabe grabbed Adrienne by the shoulders and turned her toward him. She looked up from the tablet, her eyes filling with tears. “Adrienne, whatever is not raised through this site, I’ll cover it. You have the $10,000 from the contest, and $8,000 already from this fundraising campaign . . . you are keeping this house.”
Adrienne felt like she had been knocked over the head and spun around in circles. No words could find themselves from her brain to her mouth; she just stood there wide-eyed and dumbfounded.
“I could never. . ..”
“It would be a loan. I see a lot of potential in you, and I trust that you would be able to pay me back quickly,” he smiled at her.
Gretchen came over and took the tablet out of Adrienne’s hands, “It’s already up to $9,000! And you must read some of the comments people are posting -- Mom volunteering at the women’s shelter, Dad helping someone start a business or get a loan to save their home. This is incredible . . . Oh my gosh, it’s at $10,000!”
Adrienne had to sit down; her legs no longer had the strength to hold her weight.
“We need to find Angela. Does anyone know how to contact the Town Hall right now? Have they forwarded their calls somewhere? Gretchen, can I see the tablet for a minute?”
Using the tablet, she went on the Town Hall website where she found a phone number listed. Adrienne punched in the numbers and after a few rings a woman answered.
“Hello, could I speak to Angela, please? Um, I’m not quite sure of her last name. But you must know her -- Angela – beautiful, sparkly, always wearing white . . . she was contracted out to revamp the software program.”
After a quick conversation with the receptionist, Adrienne hung up the phone and was completely confused.
“Did you get to speak with Angela?” Gretchen asked.
“The receptionist said she knew exactly who I was talking about, but since the fire they have no contact information for people. And since Angela was just there temporarily as an independent contractor, she has no way of getting in touch with her.”
“That’s it! I know where I’ve seen Angela before!” Gabe exclaimed. Hoping it would be some clue as to how to get ahold of her, Adrienne and Gretchen listened anxiously. “She is the person who gave me the woodworking tools all those years ago. I don’t know how I didn’t remember this. I couldn’t believe the deal she was giving me, really expensive tools, and she sold them to me for practically nothing.”
The girls stared at each other, bewildered.
“It’s like she is some kind of fairy godmother,” Gretchen said.
“Guys, the campaign is at $11,500. This is crazy!” Nick kept looking at the page on his phone. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think you’ll have reached the $15,000 by the end of today – never mind the end of the week.”
“I don’t know about all of you, but all this excitement has me starving. Anyone else hungry?” Gabe asked.
“I guess it is almost dinner time, and we sort of missed lunch,” Adrienne agreed.
“Okay, here’s the plan. Nick and I will run to Peas & Pickles, I know they’re open on Christmas Day, and we’ll pick up some dinner. Do we have champagne?”
“I think we drank it all last night,” Gretchen said.
“We’ll get more. I think we’re going to have a lot to celebrate tonight.”
Adrienne and Gretchen followed Nick and Gabe to the front door, giving them last minute items to pick up at the store. Suddenly, Nick and Gabe, who were leading the pack, both stopped short causing Adrienne and Gretchen to bump into them.
“What is it? Is something wrong?” Adrienne asked.
When the guys don’t respond, Adrienne walked around them and followed their eyes to something on the floor in front of the door. A red envelope.
Gretchen gasped and Adrienne froze in place. The last time the two sisters saw a red envelope like that it was not good news. No one moved – as if it was a bomb that might go off at any second.
“Adrienne, you open it. I can’t do it. I can’t look,” Gretchen said.
Adrienne walked over and slowly picked the envelope up off the floor. Feeling three sets of eyes on her, she held her breath as she tore open the thick envelope. She pulled out a bright white card with a big red “A” on the front. She read aloud as the other three looked on anxiously.
Dear Adrienne and Gretchen,
It has been a pleasure getting to know you both over the past few weeks. I am so pleased with the decisions you have made throughout this journey – your parents would be proud. I hope living in your home brings you the joy you both deserve and have worked hard for. Remember, one of the hardest decisions in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder – you both chose to walk away from some things and try harder for others. That’s what leads to a life filled with purpose and happiness.
I will miss you both, but plan to check in on you from time to time -- especially around Christmastime.
All my love, Angela
Astounded by
Angela’s words, Adrienne was filled with wonder about this mysterious woman in white. At the close of the letter, Adrienne looked up at Gretchen, shaking her head in disbelief. “Who is she?” Adrienne asked.
“I think she’s our fairy godmother,” Gretchen said.
“More like a Christmas angel,” Adrienne smiled. They all nodded their heads in agreement.
“The red envelope is exactly like the ones we received in our apartments in the city. Does that mean that Angela . . . did she put them under our doors?”
Our Christmas miracle.
After shopping, prepping and cooking, the four friends feasted on a dinner of juicy steaks, red potatoes and green beans.
“Well, I have to say, this has been the best Christmas ever,” Gretchen layed her head against Nick’s arm.
Looking down at his phone, Gabe said, “I think it just got better. The fundraising campaign just reached $15,000. Congratulations Adrienne and Gretchen -- you are homeowners again!”
Gretchen and Adrienne jumped up from their seats causing one of the chairs to tip over and crash loudly on the floor. The loud bang could barely be heard underneath the screams and cheers from the sisters. They ran and hugged each other, continuing to jump up and down while holding each other.
The pop of the champagne cork blasted through the celebration. Gabe filled champagne flutes, “Cheers! To the Harkins sisters – and to the bravery it takes to make life-changing decisions.”
“And to Angela, our very own Christmas Angel,” Adrienne added.
They clinked their glasses and Adrienne felt like she might explode with happiness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Two Weeks Later
Hopping off the train at the Chestnut Ridge station, Adrienne felt so light she wouldn’t be surprised if she just floated away. Having just completed her last day working for Morgan Lynch, this dreary January day appeared brighter, and excitement from her newfound freedom was oozing out of every pore. Not since college had she felt like she had so much to look forward to – starting tonight with dinner plans with Gabe, Gretchen and Nick to celebrate her last day of work. Although they were taking things slowly, she and Gabe had made a lot of progress in their relationship the past few weeks.
Perhaps the old Adrienne would have been annoyed when Gretchen asked if she and Nick could join Adrienne and Gabe for dinner, but today, nothing could spoil her good mood. She and Gretchen had some exciting news to share with Nick and Gabe, so it would be fun to tell them both at the same time.
Unlocking the doors to her new car that she leased after she decided to move out of the city, she anxiously drove home to Oak Street to quickly change before dinner. When she pulled into the driveway, she was happy to see a moving truck outside the house. Finally, all her things from her apartment in the city had arrived: her clothes, her furniture, and her shoes! Now I will actually have something to wear tonight, she thought as she walked in the front door.
She waited for the two movers who were carrying the headboard from her bed into the house.
“Would you mind putting that in the upstairs bedroom? It’s the very pink bedroom,” She asked the movers politely. She couldn’t wait to re-decorate that bedroom.
Once the movers have moved out of the way and disappeared up the stairs with her bed, she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the family room. It was filled from floor to ceiling with cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes and the coffee table, sofa and chaise lounge from her city living room. So much for being able to find an outfit for tonight. She would be lucky to be able to find the kitchen.
“I thought you said you had a small apartment?” Gretchen’s voice could be heard but Adrienne couldn’t see her anywhere.
“Where are you?”
Gretchen pushed a stack of boxes out of the way and stepped out from behind them. I was trying to find a box labeled ‘shoes.’ I wanted to steal a pair of yours to wear tonight.”
“Any luck? I wanted to find some of those boxes too.”
“There is more than one box? Ooohhh I can’t wait. We have to find them. And seriously though, I thought you had a small apartment? My stuff all fit in the back of Nick’s pickup truck.”
“Well, I guess ‘small’ is a relative term. Now let’s continue to dig for some shoe boxes.”
“There’s more in the dining room. And still some out in the truck.”
“Oh. Okay, I’ll start in the dining room. You keep looking in here.”
After about twenty minutes of searching, the girls found a couple of boxes labeled ‘shoes’ and Adrienne found a box of dresses. Excitedly, Adrienne and Gretchen rushed upstairs to change and get ready for dinner. When they were both satisfied with their appearance, they met at the bottom of the stairs.
“Looks like you’re driving,” Gretchen smiled at Adrienne.
“You know, at some point youre going to have to get a car. We’re only going to be able to share for so long. You should go down to Freddie’s, he gave me a great deal on my car.”
“I know, I know. I will. The one thing I miss from living in the city? Being able to walk everywhere.”
Adrienne nodded in agreement.
“Are you ready to tell them our news tonight?”
“I am. I can’t wait! It has been so hard keeping it from Nick all week. Did you confirm everything with Mr. Cooper?”
“It’s confirmed! It’s a done deal. Okay, let’s go before we’re late.”
Walking into Judy’s Restaurant downtown, Adrienne and Gretchen spotted Gabe and Nick right away. How could you miss two men that look like that? Nick and Gabe stood up as the sisters approached the table. Nick let out a low whistle, “Wow. You two look gorgeous!”
“Seriously. Wow,” Gabe pulled Adrienne into a hug.
Adrienne and Gretchen were glowing. They took their seats, both ready to burst with the news they had to share. Gabe poured each of them a glass of wine and held his up in a toast.
“I know we’ve had a lot to celebrate lately, but today is extra special. Today is the first day of the rest of Adrienne’s life. We are so happy for you. And so proud. Here’s to the future – and it sure looks bright.”
“Thanks, Gabe. I really appreciate all the support the three of you have given me these past two weeks. Being back at Morgan Lynch when everyone knew I was leaving certainly wasn’t easy.”
“I have some news,” Nick looked around at the table. “I just heard today that my construction company has been selected to lead the restoration project at the Town Hall. I’m working with a local architect and he has some amazing ideas. It won’t have the historical significance that the original building had, of course, but it will be an impressive building – one Chestnut Ridge can be proud of.”
“Congratulations Nick! I am so excited for you -- it looks like your future is bright too!” Gretchen reached over putting her hand over his.
“Nick, that is such great news! It sounds like you’re going to have a busy year ahead!” Adrienne said. “And speaking of the future, Gretchen and I have something we would like to tell you,” Adrienne made eye contact with Gretchen.
Gretchen nodded, a huge smile lighting up her face. Nick and Gabe looked on, curious.
“Gretchen and I are going to start our own business. We have been working with the Chestnut Ridge Bank, where, of course, my Dad used to work, and have received a small business loan from them. Mr. Cooper, the bank manager, confirmed our application was accepted today,” Adrienne bubbled over with enthusiasm.
“That is amazing news!” Gabe and Nick congratulated the girls, giving hugs all around.
“What is this new venture? What kind of business?” Nick asked.
“It’s going to be an art gallery, but so much more than that. We are going to offer art classes, for children and adults, painting, drawing, and photography. I’ll hang some of my photographs that I have been working on over the years, just to get things started, of course. And then we hope to be able to showcase local artists,” Gretchen exp
lained.
“That is incredible. Such a great idea,” Gabe said.
“I’ll handle the finances and the marketing side of the business, and Gretchen will teach some of the classes and do all the creative part,” Adrienne continued.
“You two are the ying to the other’s yang. A perfect balance,” Nick smiled.
“And considering how your dad felt about small businesses and how they are the backbone to every community, I’m pretty sure he would approve,” Gabe looked into Adrienne’s eyes.
Adrienne and Gretchen then looked at each other, their eyes filling with tears, “We thought the same thing. And we feel we’re paying homage to our mom too, she so loved art galleries,” Adrienne said.
The dinner continued with talk about the gallery and all the different ideas the girls had for it. Sometime around the dessert course, Nick asked for everyone’s attention.
He turned to Gretchen and placed her hand in his. She looked deep into his eyes, and suddenly it was as if no one else was in the room. Nick got down on bended knee, keeping Gretchen’s left hand in his. Gretchen’s mouth dropped open in surprise and as the diamond ring was slipped on her finger, she gasped. She looked from the ring to Nick and back again, unable to speak as her mind tried to understand what was happening.
“Gretchen, I’m pretty sure I have been in love with you since the moment you knocked a Christmas tree on top of me.”
Gretchen laughed nervously, tears filling her eyes.
“I know we haven’t known each other very long. But I also know I have never felt like this before. I know that I want your face to be the one I see when I wake up in the morning, and when I go to bed at night. If there’s one thing I’ve realized, it’s that life is short, and not a minute of it should be wasted. I don’t want to waste another minute without you by my side. Will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Gretchen jumped into Nick’s arms as the entire restaurant cheered. “I know the perfect place for the wedding. Adrienne, do you think we can have Oak Street ready for a wedding by the Spring?”