Letter to Santa

By Racquel Henry

After ten months of nursing a broken heart, Viola Evans is ready to move on—she just needs to let go once and for all. Determined not to let misery win, she resolves that she won't let anything get in the way of celebrating her favorite time of year: the holiday season. While participating in a Christmas activity one day with the children at her job, Viola writes a letter to Santa—surprising herself when she asks for someone new to make Christmas memories with. The question is, can she truly let go of the past and let love in again?

 

Charlie Palmer had to get out of New York City. After a confusing breakup with his ex, he makes a fresh start in Orlando. What he's not expecting to find is Viola Evans… or her letter to Santa detailing her deepest Christmas wishes. Drawn to Viola's charm and deep love for the holidays, Charlie finds himself wanting to give Viola the holiday memories she dreams of and Orlando starts feeling like home… that is until his ex resurfaces.

 

For Charlie and Viola, life has been complicated, but maybe all they need is a little holiday magic. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marabella House Books
• Release date: Dec 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781733624053

Book preview

For the Unit always: Mommy, Daddy, Nat Nat, Jeffy, Ella, Roman, and Titan

Viola

Viola held the sapphire ring in the palm of her hand and stared at it. She closed her palm and let the weight of metal and stone sink into her skin. It was as heavy as her heart. She should be over this by now.

It had been ten long months since she ended things with Mark Winston—ten long months since she had a clear enough head to illustrate or design anything. On paper, he was perfect. He was charming, smart, and kind. He had the recently acquired job that provided stable income, the new house, the car—all the right threads that would sew their dream life together. They were right out of college, and they were both on a fast track. When he proposed, she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with him, lazing around the house on Sunday mornings, on his arm when they attended the future weddings of friends, and watching sunsets from their back porch. Once they tied the knot, Viola would work on getting her greeting card business off the ground.

The timer on the toaster oven signaled her toast was done. She trudged to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She had to figure out a way to get herself out of this messy state. She was certain she wouldn’t last much longer if she kept it up. The problem was that she had tried to pick up her pieces so many times before. The latest thing was meditation, and self-care, and self-love, and self-acceptance. Self, self, self. At her core, she loved herself, but she didn’t need everyone shoving it down her throat every two seconds. What about just taking the necessary time to heal?

She glanced at the time on the stove. In twenty-two minutes, she had to be at the adoption center where she worked to write letters to Santa with the children. When her dear friend, Mrs. Walker, had told her about the job a few months ago, she felt an instant need to lend a hand. After losing her own parents in an accident when she was sixteen, she knew what it was like to feel alone. Some of the counselors thought it would be nice to give them the best Christmas experience possible. That meant letters to Santa, regardless of who still believed in him.

Though it had been a rough morning of traipsing down memory lane, she had to admit she was looking forward to it. Making a difference for the kids was actually making a difference for her too. She wanted to hold on to that as long as she could. She had even told the counselors that she’d give as much of her time as she could beyond her regular work hours. She finished eating her toast, gulped the rest of her pumpkin spiced coffee, and slipped into her favorite glittery holiday sweater.

The air was crisp in Central Florida as she stepped out of the door of her apartment building. Despite her moping around this morning, the cool air and the spirit of the Christmas season dancing through it made her hopeful. Christmas was her favorite holiday, and she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for her. Just as she rounded the corner to the parking lot, she bumped into a rock, hard... chest?

Ouch, she said, rubbing her forehead.

Excuse me. I didn’t see you there, the voice that came with the firm body said. His voice was cavernous but gentle at the same time.

That’s because you weren’t watching where you were going, and you came barreling through, she mumbled, dusting herself off.

I was in a rush—I’m sorry, the guy said.

She was just about to make another smart comment when she glanced up and saw two sets of the most mesmerizing brown eyes she had ever seen. They had tiny droplets of gold speckled in them like they were designed specifically for hypnotizing. She couldn’t remember where she was, what time of day it was, or where she was going. She tried to blink, but her eyes remained resistant.

Are you okay? the guy said, narrowing his eyes.

Viola heard his voice, but couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.

He gave her an awkward smile, and she finally broke out of the trance.

Just be careful where you’re going, next time. Other people live in this building too, you know. She