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Chapter 1

Trixie

Ever since I was little, I’ve had a gift. At first, it was just a fun arts and crafts game. I would see a person, and an image would pop into my head. I would have to make that image become a reality. The very first image I made into a reality was when I was seven years old. I made a Fairy, in all pink and mint, dancing in a circle with a toy dent in her side. I could never figure out how to finish that piece. My mother saw it as we were putting up our Christmas tree, and she hot glued a hook onto it and hung it on our tree. She turned my silly little clay fairy that took me days to make into the prettiest Christmas ornament I had ever seen.

That was the day I realized what I wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to make custom Christmas ornaments.

That same year, I made my mom her very own Christmas ornament. I wanted to cheer her up because that was also the year my father walked out on us, and she was trying her best to make it the best Christmas ever for me. I needed to do something special for her, so I made her a moon ornament. She loved everything to do with the stars, the night, the moon, all of it. I made her the ornament, and when Christmas had come and gone, my mother still used the moon as a keychain. I didn’t realize until two years later that the ornament I made for my mom came in a set—I just hadn’t made the other half yet.

I walked into my fifth-grade class, and my teacher came up to me to introduce himself. Mr. Craft was the most marvelous person in that school. I had heard so much about him and was so excited to be assigned to his class. The minute I saw him, an image came to mind. I ran home that day and started working on it. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but I knew I had to give it a shot. Four long days later, I handed Mr. Craft his very own ornament. It was a star with jagged edges and a slight nick in the side.

My mother picked me up from school two days later, and Mr. Craft walked me out to meet her. Something clicked, and I could see the instant connection between them, even young as I was. They were laughing and having fun, and somehow they got all tangled up. Mr. Crafts Star got tangled with my mom’s moon, and like puzzle pieces, they fit together perfectly.

Like they were made for each other.

Not long after that, my mom and Mr. Craft got married, and only three short years later, he adopted me. He’s an even better dad than a teacher, and I don’t know what my mom or I would do without him. I’ve never seen my mom happier, and the love the two of them have found is something I dream of. Anything less would never do.

Now, you might think just because I matched up my parents with connecting ornaments, it still might be a coincidence or a fluke, if you will. Except you would be wrong. I’ve made ornaments for my aunt and the man she fell in love with, my best friend and her soon-to-be husband, and a few other people around the community who have found their matching missing piece safely guarded with their soul mate. It’s become a kind of game at the tree lighting ceremony in our Candy Cane Center Christmas Village every year. People put their custom ornaments on the tree and then try to find their match. There have been several who have found there’s, and so far, they’ve all had their happily ever afters.

“How are you today, baby girl? Did you eat?” my dad asks, coming into the shop carrying a bag of food.

I can’t help but smile. He knows me all too well. He walks over to my workstation, places a kiss on my forehead, and sets the bag in front of me. The delicious scent has me ripping the bag open and digging into the addicting meal I know he got from the food truck vendor around the corner.

“No, I haven’t had the chance. Finishing up this last ornament before heading home for the day,” I tell him around a mouthful of fries.

“I know you get busy, hunny, but you need to make sure you eat,” he tells me, looking at me with concern stretched across his face. “Have you had any more trouble lately?”

“No, she hasn’t been back to the store since the restraining order,” I tell him, knowing what he’s really worried about.

See, I don’t make custom ornaments for just everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I make standard everyday types of ornaments sold in bulk in my store. I also sell Christmas lights, and people flock to my store every day of the year to buy whatever they need. Unfortunately, not every customer who asks for a custom-made ornament gets one. I have to picture it, see the custom piece in my head, or it doesn’t work.

Apparently, word has gotten around of my unique ability. A few months ago, I had a complete stranger come in and demand a custom piece from me. She also showed me a picture of her “soulmate” and insisted I make a matching piece for him. I tried to explain to her calmly that that’s not how it works. I have to have an image come to mind; I can’t force it. While I felt a connection, like a glimpse of an ornament from the man in the photo, from her, I got… nothing. She got upset and started yelling at me, demanding I make her a custom ornament. When I asked her to leave, she began throwing things and knocking over displays, completely destroying my store.

I called the cops, but she was able to get away before they got here. I got her name, though, and luckily was able to get a restraining order, but something about the woman just feels… off.

“Please stay safe, okay? If you need anything, let me or your mom know. She worries,” he tells me, winking.

“Just her?” I ask, giving him a hard time. I know he loves me, and he’s not afraid to show it, but he also keeps his emotions close to his chest.

“You know better than that baby girl,” he says, smiling.

“I do, and I love you too, dad. I’ll stay safe. Closing down the store in an hour, then heading home,” I tell him, turning back to the tiny clay clover I’m making.

I saw a redheaded woman walk by my store today. I have no clue who she is, and she didn’t stop, but I immediately got an image in my head I had to start working on. She’ll probably never see it, but who cares. This is what makes me happy.

“Alright, I can take the hint. Do you need me to stay and walk you to the car? It’s already dark,” he asks, but I shake my head.

“No, Aria and I walk to the lot together,” I tell him. Aria owns the jewelry store next door, and we’ve become fast friends. She’s been so amazing throughout everything that’s happened, and I don’t know what I would do without her. She has cerebral palsy but is the strongest woman I know, with the biggest heart.

“Okay, baby girl. Stay safe,” he says, and I give him a nod and a wave before fully concentrating on this new piece once again.

Chapter 2

Brandon

“Mom, calm down. I took the part because, for one, it’s in Florida. Beaches, sunshine…Freedom.” I mumble that last part so she can’t hear me. “And two, I didn’t want to play Emma’s love connection,” I tell my momeger as she huffs and puffs on the other end of the call.

“I just don’t understand. All you had to do was go on a couple of dates with her, be seen kissing, and maybe holding hands. It would have landed you the biggest movies in cinematic history,” my mother whines as she explains how I just set my acting career on fire by turning down the advances of a very popular starlet.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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