Merry's Christmas: A Love Story Read Online Free PDF

trainer.
    “Do you, now?” she coyly replied.
    Daniel maintained a pleasant, nonchalant
air. “Perhaps it’s no surprise, but...I do have intentions toward you,
Catherine.”
    Catherine took it in, making her designs
upon him every bit as clear. “Good to know.”
    ♥    ♥    ♥
     
    It had been
easy for Merry to wait through the night. A man like Daniel wouldn’t be rash,
she reasoned. He would probably sleep on the decision. Merry had said her
prayers. She’d nodded off, blissful at the events of the day. For hours she’d
slept soundly, that was, until she heard the slap of Mr. Grabinski’s newspaper
being flung onto the stoop at 4:30 a.m.
    For a long while, Merry resisted crawling
out from beneath the covers. She tried to have faith that the best would come
to be. But by five, she found herself padding down the stairs of the walk-up,
dressed in her terry robe and slippers.
    Carefully, Merry pulled out the
classifieds and stood under the yellowed lantern by the door. She turned the
pages and scanned the Help Wanted ads meticulously, searching for any sign of
whether or not Daniel had gone ahead and posted his ad after meeting her.
    There was nothing. Merry breathed
relieved sigh.

    By the time Merry got to the Downtown
Diner later that morning, Skeeter was standing by the newspaper machine,
counting what little change had been tossed into his cup. She liked the way his
weathered face brightened whenever he saw her round the corner with a brown bag
in her hand. Merry figured it was an even trade for the fact that Arthur always
kept her fed when things slowed down at the diner. So, as often as she could,
she brought a bag lunch for Skeeter. Inside, there would be his favorite tuna
sandwich and some of those cheesy puffs that made his chocolate-brown fingers
turn orange. A juice box would wash it all down to soothe his growling stomach.
    “Hi, ya, Skeeter, “ Merry grinned. She
handed him the sack. “God bless you.”
    “He does,” Skeeter nodded. “Thank you,
Sweetheart.”
    As Merry entered the diner’s door, a
little bell rang. A yellowed plastic Santa at the register leaned back
mechanically, then bobbed up and down with a raspy sort of ho-ho-ho . She
shot a look at Arthur.
    Arthur glanced up from the grill. A
sheepish curl formed on his lips. “Yeah, I figured it was time to coordinate a
little Christmas around here, too.”
    Relieved not to have to broach the
subject, Merry seized the opportunity. “Did he call yet?”
    “Nope,” Arthur replied. “But we got a bus
load of blue hairs coming for a birthday party. So, get hopping, Hopper.”
    Merry kicked into gear. “Be right back,”
she promised before she spun right into Kiki, whose empty tray went flying.
“Sorry!” she called, retrieving Kiki’s tray.
    Arthur opened his mouth to comment, but
Kiki intervened. “You hush, now.”
    Arthur recoiled. “Who you telling—”
    “Shoosh,” Kiki ordered as she accepted
the tray back from Merry. “Just you think about it first with your smart self.
What would Oprah do?”

    It had been a long day for Merry. There
had been no call about the Christmas Coordinator job, even a quick buzz just to
check Arthur as a reference. Arthur hadn’t mentioned it. He didn’t have to.
With each passing hour, it had become harder for Merry not to give into
disappointment.
    The diner was closed for the night.
Business hours were over. Still, Merry dove to answer when the phone rang.
    “Arthur’s.” Once again, Merry’s face
fell. “No, Arthur’s as in the Downtown Diner...Okay, bye.” Merry sighed as she
hung up, with a sheepish glance toward Arthur.
    “You always got your job here,” Arthur
reminded.
    “Thanks. You know, just because I wanted
that temp job doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what I’ve got.”
    Suddenly, the phone rang again. Merry
started for it, but Arthur put up a hand to stop her. He picked it up himself.
    “Arthur’s...Yeah, you got him.”
    Merry caught her breath. Her