Page 1 of Daddy’s Little Candy Cane

CHAPTER ONE

Diana

The reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks as I stared and shocked and disbelief at Katrina, my boss, with my jaw hanging ajar. The day had started so well, but, after she started calling people to her office, I found myself fearing the absolute worst. Now that she had confirmed my fears, it felt as though my heart had stopped completely in my chest.

Due to budget cutbacks, the call center that I was working at was being forced to lay off approximately twenty to fifty people, and, since I had only been working there since the summer, I was considered one of the newest employees and chosen to be laid off. Katrina informed me that I would be receiving a severance package, which would include up to a thousand dollars, but all my benefits, including the health insurance I had, would be canceled by Christmas. It didn't seem like a lot, especially since I was already in the process of trying to get approved for an apartment, but it was all they could offer me.

The city was the absolute worst place to be unemployed, especially around the holidays. By the time Thanksgiving had arrived, every company had already hired their seasonal staff, so it was next to impossible to find a job until after the New Year. What was even worse was the fact that I had nowhere to go. My lease would be up on December first, and, without any verifiable income, I would not be able to lease the same apartment again. Overall, I was absolutely terrified and didn't know what I was going to do.

As soon as Katrina dismissed me from her office, I made my way out to the parking lot and sat in my car, completely lost for words and trying to make sense of it all. I didn't know what I was going to do, and the uncertainty was absolutely terrifying. Tears streamed down my cheeks completely unnoticed as I sat there, and I didn't even realize it until the year landed on my hand. Wiping my face, I took a deep breath and considered my options.

The moment I started to wish that I had taken Lana up on her offer and traveled back to our hometown with her was when I realized that I could always return home. Even though my parents no longer lived in the town, I knew almost everybody in town and knew that they were always looking for extra help and their businesses, especially around the holidays. Just that morning, I had even been talking to Lana, who said that she was going to be contacting Francine James, one of the most influential women back home, in order to apply for a job as a mall elf. While I didn't plan on applying for the same job as Lana, it proved the point that it would be easier to get a job back home than it had been here in the city.

When I started to think about my living conditions, I remembered that Mother and Father had never sold my childhood home when they moved away and often used it as a summer home when they returned to visit everybody. Realizing that I could call them up and probably convince them to allow me to stay at the house until I can find a place of my own, I started to calm down and pulled out my phone. Pulling up Mom's number on the phone, I smiled when she answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" she asked, sounding a bit confused when she answered the phone. Taking a deep breath, I gave her my most cheery voice.

"Hey, Mom," I said into the phone, trying not to sound distraught for her benefit. She and Dad had both been ill for a time, and, being out of state, it was next to impossible to go visit them at the time, so the last thing I wanted to do was make them worry. "How is everything going?" Even though she had been sick, she sounded much better than she had the last time I spoke to her, which was a huge relief.

"Oh, everything's going well," she informed me. "Your father has another doctor's appointment tomorrow in order to see if he's getting any better, but, other than that, we're doing really well. I just wish that the caretaker for our house out there hadn't quit and moved out of state." Amazed at how the conversation had already opened up, I couldn't help but smile as I responded.

"If you need someone to look after the house for a while," I began, trying not to sound too eager, "I could head down there and take care of it for you." Mom stopped for a moment, seeming to consider this before finally answering.

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" she asked, sounding both relieved yet concerned as she always did. Mother was a kind woman who didn't ever like to be a bother, and I felt bad that she thought that asking me to take care of her old home was too much for me. "I know that you don't always have time to drive from the city to the house everyday, but it would really help us out a lot until we can find somebody to take care of it, especially during the winter." Immediately, I shook my head, knowing that I had to explain to her exactly why it wouldn't be a bother in order to convince her to let me stay.

"Actually, I just got laid off from my job in the city and was planning on moving back to town anyways, especially since my lease is up in a few days," I informed her, hoping I didn't worry her too much. "I had actually planned on asking if you minded allowing me to stay at the house until I could get a job and get my own place down there." Mother laughed through the phone, and I knew she had to be shaking her head at me.

"Absolutely not," she told me, and my heart sank as my fears grew inside me. "Why would you want to get your own place when our house is perfectly fine?" Raising my eyebrow, I stared at the phone for a moment.

"So, is that a yes?" I asked, and she sighed through the phone.

"I was hoping to say this conversation for closer to Christmas," she admitted, sounding a bit reserved as she spoke, "especially since we hope to be better by then and possibly get to visit, but, considering the situation you're in, I think now is a better time than any to talk to you." She paused for a moment, as if preparing herself before responding. "Since your father and I are getting to that age where we don't want to travel as much even during the summer when the weather is nice, and we have the house paid off completely, we were wanting to see if you would like us to give you the house." My jaw dropped as I stared at the phone in disbelief.

"Give me the house?" I asked, and she continued

"As a late birthday present and a Christmas gift wrapped in one," she agreed. "We don't have the heart to sell the house we've lived in it ever since we got married, but, due to not being able to withstand the cold anymore, we have decided that it would be better to stay where it's warm and sunny. So, we wanted to see if you wanted to keep the house for yourself." Realizing that Mother had just saved me from a world of worries, I nodded in response.

"Of course," I replied. "I would love to." Over the next few minutes, we talked about everything, and, by the time we hung up the phone, I felt as though my luck was taking a turn for the better.