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“Well, it’s just…um…an envelope came fromFestive Treasures. It’s pretty thick.”
“It always is. They send out a ‘sorry you didn’t win’ letter, ‘but you placed second or third along with a copy of the magazine,’” I muttered. “Just put it down with the others.”
Melinda stood there looking at me. I frowned. “Fine, give me the envelope. I’ll open it if it makes you happy.”
“Yes please.” She smiled like a small child and held out the envelope for me to take.
I took it from her and tore at the top of the envelope, pulling out the contents from inside. I barely glanced at the letter. “See, I told you, exactly what they send every single time.”
Melinda grabbed the letter. “You didn’t even read it! How do you know what it says?”
“Because, Melinda, I never win. I place second or third.”
Melinda stood there, her eyes running over the letter as a smile formed on her lips. “You are soo….”
“I’m so what, Melinda?”
“Read it for yourself!” she said, holding the letter out to me.
I grabbed it from her, annoyed that she hadn’t given up on this yet, and read the letter.
Dear Brooke,
First, I’d like to thank you for entering this year’s Festive Treasures Countdown to Christmas. We were honored to have another returning contestant, and to hold it in your hometown of Willow Valley.
Festive Treasures looks at many things during for this contest. Growth as a baker, growth as a business, and of course the recipe. Over the years, you have grown in all areas. That’s why this year I am happy to award you as the winner of this year’s Festive Treasures Countdown to Christmas Contest.
Please find included in this envelope a copy of the next issue of Festive Treasures. We will be sending out the plaque along with the twenty thousand dollar grand prize to you in the coming days.
Thank you for being a valued member of our contest family, and we hope you will join us next year.
Sincerely,
Vicki
Festive Treasures Editor in Chief.
I looked up from the letter and met Melinda’s eyes. “My God, I…I won,” I said, standing up from my desk.
“You did! You deserve it! You’ve worked so hard,” Melinda said, throwing her arms around me.
* * *
I sat down on the couch and curled up in a blanket then reached for my glass of wine. I’d come home, gotten changed, and then Melinda and Cici had taken me out for dinner. We’d eaten and celebrated, and then the girls brought me home. I’d come in and gotten changed, turned the fireplace on, put a holiday movie on the television, and had pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge.
I was so happy that I’d won, and as I sat here sipping my wine, something was missing. While my staff was happy for me, and my parents were proud and had congratulated me over the phone, I still had no one to really share my accomplishment with.
I took a sip of my wine and looked down to the magazine that sat on the table. I’d been so excited that I hadn’t even looked at the article that they’d written about me yet. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. However, I took a sip of my wine and reached for it, opening and flipping through the pages until I found it.
I blew out a breath and reached to turn the small light on that was beside me and sunk down farther in the couch and began to read.
Tucked away in the small town of Willow Valley is The Crispy Biscuit. A small generational family-owned business. Originally started by Betty and Clarence Higgins, as a small-town diner, Betty’s daughter Rita and her husband Fred finally took over the small diner when they were ready to retire.
The Crispy Biscuit became a landmark in the small town over the years. It’s now owned by Brooke Kinley, the only child of Fred and Rita. Brooke studied at Savory Sensations Cooking Institute where she excelled in all of her courses, especially pastry. Upon returning to Willow Valley, still undecided in her career choice, she seemed a little lost. She never mentioned that to anyone, especially her parents, since they were expecting to keep the small-town diner in the family.
However, over the next two years, devastation hit the Kinley family. Brooke’s mother Rita was diagnosed with cancer. This diagnoses that forced them to travel to another town for treatments meant trouble for the small diner. Financial strain was another issue that the family faced as the treatments were not only expensive but they also needed lodging and travel costs.
Brooke watched her parents struggle. Until one night she decided, with her knowledge of pastries, to open up a small counter inside of The Crispy Biscuit and bring to the small town the delicious, sweet treasures she’d learned to make from around the world. She’d hoped to help offset the costs her parents were facing. After all, she’d watched her parents work hard their entire lives to have a retirement they wanted, and now to see them spending it all on health care didn’t seem fair.
