As soon as she got home she called her sister. “It went well, Lana, but I need to talk to you and Tom privately. Can you come over tomorrow night before you go home from work?”
“No problem, Sis, we’ll make it happen.”
Matt had to work hard to convince Anna to share Christmas in his home. Even after they agreed, she made numerous attempts to change the location back to her house. He was glad he had remained firm and argued that Melody needed to feel as comfortable in his home as hers. A friend of his who was an interior decorator was going to do him a last-minute favor and help bring some Christmas cheer. She was scheduled to arrive that afternoon.
Katrina threw up her hands in dismay. “A traditional Christmas feel, with warmth and welcome. Are you kidding me, Matt? How am I supposed to create warmth with futuristic style furniture, metal and steel accents, and these ghastly white walls? Everything you’ve created here, Matt, is the opposite of the classic traditional style. You’ve got modern style going on, if you can call it a style, and it’s not my cup of tea, that’s for sure.”
Matt looked around with eyes wide open. The walls reminded him of the operating room and exuded a cold starkness. The furniture had never been to his liking but had been designed and custom built by one of the city’s finest.
“What? The interior decorator I hired after the house was built recommended this style as the latest rage.”
“But do you like it, Matt?”
He looked around thoughtfully and realized he far preferred Anna’s home with its wonderful ambience of warmth and color.
“No. Change it,” he said. “You have a week and an unlimited budget.”
The shock on the designer’s face registered fully, as her eyes popped open wide.
“Okay, let me get this straight. You want me to change the décor, not just decorate for Christmas.”
“Yes,” Matt nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Well then,” Katrina stated emphatically not about to argue, “let’s not waste another moment. There’s much to do. Matt, your house has beautiful bones, though unwisely appointed I might add, but not to worry … this will be so much fun.” She clapped her hands in sheer excitement and opened her computer. “Come,” she said. “You will not have another decorator choosing your style. Show me what you like.”
Anna was barely out of bed when her cell rang.
“I don’t know what you did, Anna, but we have our daughter back. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was so worried, but she’s up already this morning and ate a full breakfast. For the first time in months, she’s wearing a smile. I can’t believe the change—she’s her old chatty self again.”
“Have you talked to her yet?”
There was a pause on the line. “Well, yes—of course we talked, but nothing specific. Should there be?”
Anna dreaded what was to follow. In her mind, she could see her sister flip a lid. The more time she had to think about it, the more fearful she had become. How had she been stupid enough to stick her nose into her sister’s life in such a big way without consulting her first?
“Sorry, Lana, I intended to tell you and Tom tonight. In truth I’ve … I’ve needed time to pray.”
“Okay, Anna, out with it! Surely it can’t be anything too bad, because the transformation in Lorena is amazing.”
“You’ve got to promise to let me finish and not interrupt until I’m done.” Anna found it hard to be forceful with her sister but felt the situation merited a bit of grit.
“Yeah, yeah … now what is it?”
Anna explained the whole conversation she had with Lorena. When she was done, she waited to hear the lecture on why she had not been respectful enough to talk to them first. Instead, she heard soft sobs filter over the line.
“Lana, are you there?”
“Yes.” She sniffled. “Give me a minute.”
Anna heard the sound of a blowing nose, the click, click of heels, and a door shut before Lana whispered into the phone.
“Gosh, Anna, I should be the one offering to look after this child, not you. After all, it’s our grandchild. But you know me, I was never great with babies. Tom and I have had some real good arguments about this lately. He wants me to be someone I’m not. I feel so selfish, but I don’t want to commit to something I know I’ll resent.”
Anna didn’t know what to say, she certainly didn’t want to get between the two of them. “Lana, talk to Tom. We don’t have to figure out all the details just yet. If this idea helps Lorena through a difficult time and gives her peace, then let’s just leave it there. We’ll all pray for the will of the Lord on this matter, and remember, we have months until the baby is born.”
“You’re right, Anna. The most important thing is Lorena’s well-being. We’ll have time to sort out the rest. Thanks, dear Sis. I’ll call you after I talk to Tom.”
“Oh, and Lana?”
“Yes?”
“God knows how he created you, and he knows how he created me. There’s nothing wrong with either creation.”
“Sis, you’re the best.”
Anna hung up the phone and exhaled deeply. She had fretted all night wondering how to tell her sister what she had done on impulse, only to find that the good Lord had everything in his control.
“Imagine a floor to ceiling fireplace without a mantle,” she scoffed. “That’s like having a pie without filling. We’ll fix that in short order.”
True to her word, a crew of masonry experts arrived and set to work. They tore down the colorless white marble and framed the fireplace with stones in rich, earth-tone colors, adding a complementary black slate hearth. A couple days later, a carpenter installed a meaty timber mantle that finished off the beautiful transformation. The room instantly became one of Matt’s favorites.
A team of painters showed up and
