*
The Monday morning after the reunion weekend, Grace arrived at the shop late for the first time that she could remember. Jodi and Candice were waiting anxiously on the bench outside the store. They both asked her if she was okay. Jodi told her that they were getting very concerned when they arrived and the shop was not open. Grace smiled and told them that she had not slept so well in a long time; it was a simple matter of oversleeping. As Kelli and JoAnn arrived at the shop, they also noticed that Grace had more spring in her step and a big smile that made her face absolutely radiant. For the rest of the day, Grace talked about the wonderful reunion that had brought her three best friends home to her.
As the customers came and went, they all remarked about how happy Grace looked. Several of the women made comments, asking her if there was a new man in her life. Grace told them no, that it was even better than a new man—she had her three best girlfriends back in town. She even found herself humming as she worked on the books. Grace felt that the reunion had been a turning point for her. She was not sure what that meant, but she did know that her life had instantly become fuller with the addition of Rebecca, Lindy, and Emily. Yes, life seemed a little easier today.
Chapter Twenty-Two
First Snowfall
The autumn days in Fergus Falls were a wide variety of clear, blue skies one day and cold, dull windy days the next. Grace and Rebecca got into the habit of stopping by Emily’s almost every day to see the latest progress on the house. Most of the time, they sat around the kitchen table just sharing a cup of tea and talking about what had happened to each of them during the day. Without fail, Lindy always seemed to have some funny story to share with them.
Emily and Lindy had banned Grace and Rebecca from the second floor of the house until all of the work and decorating was completed. Grace commented that the house seemed to have an aura of warmth and friendship that had never been there in the past. Emily quickly agreed, saying that it was because for the first time, there was love and true adult friendship within these four walls. They all just nodded in agreement.
*
Fall quickly turned to winter in Fergus Falls. The first week in November, they had their first snowfall, which ended up being four inches of the light powder type of snow that was terrible for snowballs. The town looked like a Currier & Ives painting. As the snow began to fall, they decided to take a walk around Lake Alice.
They walked in silence, which was very unusual for them. It just did not seem right to do anything but take in the beauty of the lake and trees sparkling with the white snow. As they were coming back to the house, they stopped and quietly watched as Warren Brooks played with his daughters. Without giving it any thought, Lindy ran up to them and told them that it was time for snow angels. She promptly lay down and created an angel by moving her arms and legs in the snow. Everyone quickly joined in, laughing as they made their angels in the snow. No one noticed that Warren had run into the house, quickly returning to photograph the looks of four women with pure joy on their faces, lying and laughing in the fresh, white snow.
Emily invited everyone back to her house for some wonderful hot chocolate. Within minutes, they were all in the house gathered around the old kitchen table. The first snowfall had proven to be a happy event.
As they all stood around talking, Melissa recognized Grace as the lady from the shop where they had bought their school uniforms and other clothes. Warren thanked her again for all of her guidance in getting the girls ready for school. Grace laughed as she told Warren that perhaps it was time for another trip, to purchase warmer hats, gloves, and warm socks. They agreed that they would come to Claire’s on Saturday. Warren insisted that after their shopping was done, he wanted to take Grace to lunch with them as a small way of saying thank you.
Lindy told the girls that they also needed to get Pops to buy them some ice skates. While six-year-old Sarah sat on her lap, Lindy told stories about how they would ice-skate for hours and always come back to Emily’s for Isabel’s perfect hot chocolate and warm chocolate chip cookies. Before too long, Rebecca and Grace were mixing the cookie dough while threatening to lock Lindy and Emily out of the kitchen if they did not stop eating raw spoonfuls.
Warren went home and returned with a pot of chili that he had made for dinner. The rest of the evening was filled with good food, laughter, and friendship. After the kitchen was cleaned, they all went into the library, where Emily had a fire going. As they sat on the floor on big overstuffed pillows, they continued to tell the girls stories about growing up in Fergus Falls. It was after nine o’clock when Warren and three very tired girls left.
After they left, everyone started teasing Emily about rekindling the old high school crush. Emily slowly turned to Grace and said, “I do believe that the spark in Warren’s eyes was not for me, but for Grace. I watched you two together. I must admit that you both looked comfortable together. Grace is a much better match for Warren than I could be.” Grace blushed as she denied knowing what Emily was talking about. However, later on she found herself thinking about Warren and his daughters.
At ten years old, Melissa needed the guidance of a woman to help her create her style. Katherine, who had just turned eight, appeared to be coming out of the tomboy stage, and Sarah was a spirited little girl who needed to cuddle. She had forgotten how blue Warren’s eyes were, and she liked his smile. She was also very impressed with his parenting skills. A man raising three young girls was a huge undertaking. Perhaps she could help him a little with the girls by offering a gentle woman’s touch that they needed.
*
With the snow on the roads not yet plowed, Grace and Rebecca decided to sleep over. The mood of the evening had brought so many memories to the surface that none of them wanted to be separated from the others. That evening, they slept in the library again, surrounded by the memories of the past. The first snowfall had proven to be a wonderful success and a time that they would remember for many years to come.
Chapter Twenty-Three
One Day at a Time
The days flew by so fast. The Thanksgiving celebration was at Rebecca’s house. Monica had spent days making lefse for the dinner. As they crowded around the small dining table, they held hands and said a prayer of Thanksgiving. Each of them took turns giving thanks for their special blessings this year.
Emily smiled as she gave thanks for losing her job, which helped her find her way back to Fergus Falls and to her friends. With tears in her eyes, Lindy gave thanks for having Larry in her life and all their loving memories. Then she paused to regain her emotions for a moment and proceeded to give thanks for bringing some life and color into the Larsons’ dreary old house. Grace gave thanks for her shop, all of her staff, and this wonderful girlfriend reunion, which had brought them back into each other’s lives. Rebecca softly prayed her thanksgiving prayer to her special mother, good doctors, and for enjoying more laughter with her friends than she had ever dreamed possible. She also thanked God for giving her the courage to face each tomorrow. Monica cried as she thanked God for every moment of Rebecca’s life.
They all sat in silence for a moment before Monica passed around a box of Kleenex and then began serving the meal. It was a wonderful day filled with many reasons to be grateful.
*
This was the busiest time of the year for Grace at the shop. She had already warned Emily, Lindy, and Rebecca that she would not be able to spend much time with them until after the holidays. Grace had spent a full weekend after Thanksgiving decorating the shop and the front windows for Christmas. Each year her windows were decorated with a large nativity scene surrounded with hundreds of twinkling lights that appeared to be stars in the sky. Every year, she added a few new pieces to the scene; this year she introduced a pond, geese, and horses.
Claire’s shop offered three special men only shopping events, where the shop was only open to the men of Fergus Falls looking to
buy special gifts for their wives, sweethearts, mothers, or daughters. There were also three Sunday afternoons reserved just for the children to come and purchase gifts for their mom, grandmother, and sisters. On those days, Grace had baskets overflowing with scarves, pins, ribbons, small bottles of perfume, and purses, all under ten dollars and including free gift-wrapping. The shop hours were extended until nine o’clock each evening and all day on Saturday.
Although Rebecca was feeling weaker with each passing day, she knew she needed something to keep herself occupied. So she volunteered to help Grace at the shop. She enjoyed having a reason to get up, get dressed each day, and be in such a wonderful Christmas place. Rebecca was officially in charge of the gift-wrapping department, where she could rest if she needed to during the day. The excitement of the shop kept her mind busy. She truly enjoyed reconnecting with many of the people whom she had not seen in years.
Rebecca did not tell Grace that she now required oxygen each night as she slept. The only person who knew about it was Lindy, who had helped her make all of the arrangements to have the oxygen delivered to her house. Each evening as she went to bed, Monica would come in and talk with her for a while, always making sure that she was settled in for the evening. Rebecca did not know that at least twice during the night, Monica would tiptoe into her room just to check on her breathing. Each day Rebecca struggled to find a little more energy. She knew that this was all part of the disease that her doctor had discussed with her. She continued to count on Lindy to answer her questions about what to expect.
What surprised Rebecca the most was that the weaker she became, she noticed that she had a stronger sense of peace that had overcome so many of her fears. As she lay in bed each night, she prayed that she could continue to make each day that was given to her a good day. So far, she had been able to do that. For that, Rebecca thanked God each night as she fell into a deep sleep.
*
The rule of not allowing Rebecca or Grace on the second floor remained in place all during the remodeling. Because the major work to restore the house was now done, all that was left were the decorating and finishing touches. Emily announced that for the week before Christmas, they were not allowed to visit. She mailed both Grace and Rebecca a handmade invitation to join her and Lindy for Christmas evening service at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, followed by a special dinner, gift exchange, and sleepover. Both of them quickly replied that they would be there.
Lindy had already sent boxes of gifts to her family in Florida. Rebecca’s mother had volunteered to work the midnight shift and Christmas day at the nursing home so that others with family could celebrate together; she planned to sleep there as well.
A few days before Christmas, Pastor Meissner called Grace and asked if the Girls, as they were known throughout Fergus, would consider singing a few hymns before the start of the candlelight service on Christmas Eve at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Because they were still not allowed in Emily’s house, they met at church to practice some of their favorite Christmas carols. They were looking forward to singing in this beautiful, old church with its stained-glass windows, oak pews, and majestic pipe organ.
*
On Christmas Eve, the snow began to fall about five o’clock, and the temperature dropped to twenty degrees. Lindy and Emily took Lindy’s SUV to pick up Rebecca and Grace for church services. On the way to church, they practiced their songs. The service was breathtaking, with hundreds of candles and the freshly cut giant evergreen tree decorated with handmade ornaments by the children from Bible classes. As the people filled the pews, they sang. Soon the entire church was filled, and everyone sat quietly listening to their wonderful blended harmony as SOLA sang one song after another. Lindy finally asked them all to join in as they closed with “Silent Night.” Pastor Meissner started his sermon by saying that he would never forget the beauty of all the voices singing “Silent Night” as it was sung tonight.
As Emily, Lindy, Grace, and Rebecca took their places in the front pew, they all said a special prayer of thanksgiving. Holding hands and bowing their heads, they prayed together. They were all at peace. It was good to be home in Fergus Falls.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Larson House
Before going to Emily’s house, Lindy took a quick drive around Lake Alice to see the houses all decorated, with the snow gently forming a white haze over the lake and trees. They arrived back at Emily’s house after the church service to find lights shining from almost every window. From the outside, the house seemed to glow with special Christmas warmth. Lindy asked them to go in through the front door tonight instead of their usual kitchen entrance; however, they needed to wait until she had parked the car so they could all go in together.
Emily smiled as she slowly opened the front door, painted a deep shade of red with a beautiful etched glass panel and a decorated evergreen wreath. As they walked into the front hall, they saw a woman standing in the shadows of the winding staircase waiting to take their coats from them. The wood floors had been polished to a high shine, and in the center of the large foyer stood a round marble table with a huge Christmas floral arrangement done in red and gold flowers. Overhead, a new three-tier crystal chandelier hung from the second floor to midway down to the first floor and softly illuminated the area.
Grace took off her coat and handed it to the woman without looking directly at her. She suddenly sensed something was different about the woman. As she turned to the woman, she was shocked. Isabel smiled at her with tears welling in her eyes as she quietly waited for her girls to recognize her. In seconds, everyone was talking and hugging at the same time. Emily and Lindy had decided that this was the perfect Christmas gift to give Grace and Rebecca. They laughed as they realized they had successfully pulled off their surprise.
When Emily had finally tracked down Isabel, she told Emily she would love to come for a visit. She asked if she could bring her husband Rolf and her twin daughters, Anna and Beata, age nineteen, with her.
It had been twenty-four years since she had last seen Emily; however, as they hugged each other, it seemed like yesterday. Emily and Isabel had only a few moments together before she needed to leave for the church service. Isabel and her family had flown into Minneapolis and were then whisked away in a limo that Emily had arranged to bring them to Fergus.
Isabel was in her mid-forties and the mother of five children. Her life had been a good life, filled with the joys of raising her children alongside a loving husband. Rolf inherited the family bakery shop, where the whole family worked side by side. The young girls were the last children at home. She had told Emily over the phone that she especially wanted them to meet the girls from Fergus Falls. From their early childhood, Anna reminded her so much of Grace that she was thrilled that she had chosen the name Anna, which meant grace in Norwegian. Beata meant blessed and reminded Isabel of Emily in so many ways. Beata had many musical talents and was planning to study in Oslo to become an opera singer.
She went on to explain that as her way of saying thank you to Emily for the wonderful and generous trip that she would prepare and serve a very typical Norwegian Christmas dinner for them. She would do all the special planning because they would bring some of the food with them from Norway. That explained the unusual smells that now came from the kitchen. Isabel called her family to come in and meet the girls, whom she still talked about so often.
As they came into the foyer, each of them was warmly welcomed. Rolf was a big man, who stood over six feet five inches tall. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks, with a warm smile. Anna looked just like Isabel had looked so many years ago. She was quiet and sweet with long, blonde, braided hair. Beata looked more like Rolf and instantly went to hug Emily, Grace, Rebecca, and Lindy. She told them that she had not slept for a week before they flew here yesterday. She also told them that the house was even grander than she had ever imagined.
After a little while, Emily
explained that she was now ready for the official unveiling of the Larson house. The first stop was the formal living room, which was decorated by Emily in rich colors of burgundy, emerald green, and royal blue. All of the furniture was overstuffed and comfortable. This was no longer a stuffy room filled with antiques. In the middle of the bay window stood a live evergreen tree that touched the ceiling. The tree was covered with thousands of tiny, multicolored lights and hundreds of gold bows.
Next, Lindy led the group into the dining room, which had been her project. This room was also done in rich shades of burgundy, emerald green, and royal blue. The striped silk drapes softened the oak paneling and floors. There was a colorful Persian rug under the massive oak table, and each of the eight chairs was upholstered in a different color. The light fixture had been inspired by Chihuly, with clusters of lights in the shape of flowers all lit in different colors, giving the room a soft rainbow effect. The cove in the ceiling was painted sky blue with soft clouds.
Rebecca had tears in her eyes as she took in the beauty of the room. She turned to Lindy and said, “You have created more than a room; this is an oasis from the world. You have captured a sense of peace.” They stood in silence for a moment before Emily told them it was time to reveal the second floor.
As they walked upstairs, Emily explained that each of the five bedrooms now had a name and a theme. She laughed as she told them that they would quickly be able to figure out who decorated each of the rooms. There were new bathrooms, connected between two rooms for even more convenience. All of the doors were closed, and each had a small brass plaque on it.
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