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    The Gift: A Pen and Paintbrush Short Story, #2
    The Gift: A Pen and Paintbrush Short Story, #2
    The Gift: A Pen and Paintbrush Short Story, #2
    Ebook71 pages1 hour

    The Gift: A Pen and Paintbrush Short Story, #2

    By S.L. Dearing

    ()

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    About this ebook

    In The One, Kate Flannery and Matt Eisner met at a gallery opening and, after spending one evening together, realized that it was true love. Now, eight months later, they are happily living together in Matt’s home in Malibu and getting ready for their first Chanukah and Christmas together. But as the holidays draw near, an unexpected problem threatens their happy holiday.

    Will they be able to weather the storm and find their happiness this holiday season? Or will the intolerance of the past tear them apart?

    On the last night of Chanukah and Christmas Eve, they will discover… The Gift.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSLDearing
    Release dateDec 20, 2014
    ISBN9781519964502
    The Gift: A Pen and Paintbrush Short Story, #2

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      Book preview

      The Gift - S.L. Dearing

      C:\Users\sdsmith\Documents\Shannon's Stuff\Writing\The Gift Title page.png

      Copyright © 2014

      S.L. Dearing

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission from the authors, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

      ––––––––

      Follow Her Website at:

      www.SLDearing.com

      ––––––––

      Cover Created by Magen McMinimy

      www.MagenMcMinimy.com

      Table of Contents

      The Gift

      More from S.L. Dearing

      Biography

      Dedication

      To all those who love Matt and Kate as much as I do and encouraged me to continue their story, with each story I write, I feel they have more and more to share, so keep your eyes peeled for future installments.

      Hope you enjoy.

      The Gift

      Chapter 1

      Kate Flannery yawned as she padded along the slate floors of her home and entered the kitchen. She stopped briefly, collecting her thoughts, then scratched her head and made a beeline for the single-cup coffee maker. With hooded eyelids, she picked up a mug and lifted it to the machine, selected her pumpkin spice flavored cup, inserted, and locked the lid. After pushing the brew button, she looked down on the counter and saw a note. She grinned lazily as she read it out loud.

      Good morning, beautiful. I love you. M.

      Good morning, baby, she mumbled, smiling.

      As the last of the bitter brew sputtered into the cup, Kate mixed in her yellow packet and creamer, stirred, then raised it to her lips to blow on the hot liquid before slurping the delicious concoction.

      Mmmmm. Yummy.

      She moved to the kitchen bar, curled up in a cushioned chair and perused the newspaper, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun, while sipping her first cup of java.

      *****

      Matt Eisner let his feet lead him as they pounded against the wet sand. He barely avoided the arc of seawater as it endlessly swept up the beach before him. The crispness of the early December morning was felt with each deep icy breath as he forced his muscles forward, keeping his breathing, while sweat formed on his forehead and steam rose from his exposed skin. Running in rhythm with the percussion of the classic rock music blaring in his headphones, he moved past neighbors, nodding, always mindful of the two lumbering, slobbering masses jogging with him. He glanced down at the dogs and grinned as he remembered when they had met for the first time. Luckily, they had both been socialized quite a bit and the meeting was fairly easy. A few sniffs, a few tumbles, and they were the best of friends.

      Six months had passed since Kate and her Malamute, Kodi, had moved in with Matt and his Ridgeback, Tucker. All of her furniture and mementos fit perfectly, giving the house the warmth Matt had been longing for, reflections of her life and family. His favorite items were the pictures that now hung in the once bare hallway and foyer. Frame after frame of posed and candid shots, smiling faces, memories in Kodachrome, and black and white, telling story after story of each holiday, birthday or graduation, as well as an eight month history of their life together.

      He remembered watching Kate after she had hung all of her photographs. She stood there looking around, a frown deepening on her soft face. After a few moments, she demanded access to all of Matt’s family pictures. When he asked why, she merely said, Hand them over, which, after digging around in a cabinet, he promptly did. A few hours later he had wandered down the hall to find them hanging in frames between all of the pictures she had hung of her own family. He hadn’t realized what was missing before, but seeing them all together, he couldn’t help but grin. Glancing down at the dogs again, he smiled.

      A half an hour later, he looked up and saw the house at the top of the hill. He veered to his right to run up the stairs that led to the road back home, the hounds right next to him. Fifteen minutes later, he was opening the front door and taking the leashes off the dogs, who promptly ran off to find Kate.

      There you go.

      He hung the leads on the coat rack and tossed his keys in the bowl, which was on the entryway table. He pulled the buds from his ears, and smiled as the beautiful tones of Andrea Bocelli singing Adeste Fidelis permeated their home. He chuckled as he moved through the living room. The entire house was decorated in a combination of Christmas and Chanukah. The blue and white amid red, gold, and green, creating what Kate had started to call ChristmaChanukah.

      He had to admit, he was excited to celebrate his first

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