Meri first meets Chris as she is surveying the devastation that is her music room. Sloshing through water to see if any of the instruments were salvageable. Chris was waiting for his Captain to sort through everything with the principal, and helps her get the instruments were possibly salvageable out of the room.

A favorite scene is when she comes up with a solution when the Principal suggests a play instead of the Christmas Concert.

“Not cancelling, exactly, just making it easier.”

“The kids already know all the songs.” Panic laced her voice. True, they had no instruments, and the score was original so they had no recordings, but she could make it work. She had to. “The kids helped write the songs.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” The woman handed her a tissue. Great. She was crying. “We…I just thought it would be easier.”

“Compromise?” She blew her nose in a most unladylike fashion.

“How so?” Ms. Snyder offered her a second tissue, and she took it to blot her eyes. Some adult she was. “Maybe…maybe we could do both.”

The principal leaned in, a very good sign. The woman planned to at least hear her out. Too bad Meri had zero ideas where the plan was heading. “That way the kids can still sing the music they have worked so hard to learn and, in some cases, write, and parents could see their cuties all dressed up for the play?”

“Hmmm, that could work.” She seemed to be mulling it over, so Meri let silence fill the air. “It might get long, though.

“It will. But—” She was going to add a happy but and that made her smile almost as much as the plan beginning to come together in her mind. “We can invite the folks from  the local senior center and have an intermission with cocoa and cookies.” Meri crossed her fingers, now holding the tissues. Who doesn’t love cookies? Right? This would be a slam dunk. It had to be. A concert without accompaniment would bore parents to tears. This, though, this could be a game changer and set the bar for future years.

“We would have to switch the date and time.”

“Yes, that’s true. Thursday evening would mean a super-late night and, frankly, from volunteering at the senior center, I can attest to the fact that anything after five is considered a late night for many of them.”

Ms. Snyder chuckled.

Nighttime driving was practically a social status at the center. Mr. Webber was considered quite the catch by many of the single woman as the only car owner who could drive at night. “I can stop by the center on my way home and talk to the director. See what day and time she thinks would work best. I needed to talk to them about using their piano to record some music anyway.” Their instrument sounded worse than the school’s had pre-flooding, but some music would be better than none, making recording from it her next plan of action while she waited to hear where the grant proposal decisions fell. Most of the grants focused on the upcoming next school year, decreasing the likelihood of answers coming in soon.

“And I can talk to the teachers who offered to help,” Mrs. Snyder said.

The teachers meant well. They had welcomed her with open arms, and there didn’t seem to be a mean one in the bunch.

“I know they are going to love this idea,” the principal went on. “They just started the classroom grandparents program, so this will blend in perfectly.”
Fraser, Dara. Sweet Christmas Kisses: A Sweet Holiday Anthology (Kindle Locations 2057-2081). Decadent Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Meri meets up with Chris once more at the senior center, where they were doing an inspection. This leads to a date for cocoa and more getting to know you. after she makes the arrangements for the show and gets overwhelmed by the generosity of the seniors.

Chris also has a secret that makes her Christmas even better.

A beautiful story of love, giving and caring.

5 Contented Purrs for Dara!

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