She sighed deeply and determined to leave Craig in the past where he belonged and pray for opportunities to become better acquainted with her new family. Atlanta was a long way from home and she doubted it would be easy once they left the resort.
She felt the tap on her shoulder and she whirled around. “Sorry we’re late, sister. As usual, I was caught up with myself and kept Craig and my mother occupied with my constant planning.”
“That’s okay. Sharing someone else’s yard sale treasures is probably not your cup of tea.”
“But it should be, and I am eager to learn from you how to be more selfless and giving,” Selene said.
“I’m far from perfect,” Jolene said.
“Our Craig would beg to differ on that,” said Selene as she dragged him forward. “First I need to get my good news off my chest before I burst. It is so nice to have a sister to share my joy with.” She pecked a quick kiss on Jolene’s cheek and continued, her eyes lighting up like the ones flashing on the Christmas tree. “It seems our parents are not the only ones who make bad choices. Cherise Queen is groveling at my feet, begging me to take the position she offered her play-boy fling. It turns out, Steven Clarence was not a good fit for the top floor of the Fashion Queen Magazine and the chair in the grand office is still vacant.”
Excitement discharged from Selene, and Jolene pulled her into an embrace and hugged tight as if she could somehow make up for all the hugs they’d missed. “I’m so pleased for you. But I hope you didn’t jump at the offer immediately. Might be good for her to sweat it out a few hours, keep her trembling in fear that she made the biggest mistake of her career in not choosing you.”
“I did!” Selene yelled. “Told her a tiny white lie, that I needed to talk to my mother who’d offered me a better position in her company. That sent my boss into a frenzy, reminding me of all the excuses I’d vented for not making the move to the family magazine ages ago.”
The girls laughed and it felt so natural.
“I’m beginning to believe you can’t separate the heart of twin. All the years we’ve been apart and I sense that this bizarre bond with you has been hiding in my soul all along.”
“Oh, Jolene! I feel it too. You must tell me every time you fly into Atlanta and you have spare time. I’ll drop whatever I’m doing and run to the airport.”
That aroused a chuckle from Craig. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
She slapped at him playfully. “You won’t be there to see it. And that brings me to the unselfish news. Craig and I have spent hours talking this out so I don’t want no backtalk from you Jolene.”
Jolene’s insides fluttered like a butterfly while shivers sped up her arms. She managed to say, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good. In light of this new job offer and my sorry state of workaholism staring me in the face, I decided to release Craig back into the available pool of men who track women for a more normal relationship that promises a future. I not ready to commit to a man like that, and heaven-forbid, not one that wants children. I had no idea Craig wanted nine—his own private baseball team! It’s unheard of in the circles I hang with.”
Jolene dared to glance in Craig’s direction and saw the smirk growing on his face. She bit her lip to stop the laughter building inside from erupting into laughter. Who had nine children these days? No one in her circles either.
The girl moved like a Ferrari, racing in top gear with a tank full of energy. She glanced at the stockings. “I heard I had one hanging here. Did you make it Jolene?”
“Can’t say I did. The resort provided the missing guests with one. Didn’t want to exclude of any of their visitors from the gift-exchange event.”
“It is nice here, isn’t it,” she said as she pulled hers down. She peeked inside and squealed.
“You sound like a little girl who’s missed too many Christmas trees,” said Jolene.
“When I was young, we always had a tree and mother somehow managed an hour of free time in the morning to rip open the gifts Santa brought. But when the little-girl magic wore off it was harder to pin her down. It turned into an afternoon event that we worked around Christmas dinner, and it usually involved colleagues stuck in the city far away from their families, or a new man. Suppose that’s when I broke free of the dream. There would never be just the two of us – not in the world she’d created for us to live in. I got used to it, and look now, she has a clone for a daughter and it thrills her to no end.”
She pulled out the bag of treats from the Inn and moaned.
“Yep – Now you know why they have a spa and exercise room on site: So, you can work off all the pounds the chef puts on us with his rich recipes,” Craig said.
“I haven’t been yet,” Jolene said. “The weather has been so nice and who has time with all the events surrounding the Christmas theme.”
“Well, I have, and I believe I hear a weight-lifting competition coming on. Does tomorrow morning suit
