The Perfect Gift: A Romance Novel

By C.J. Wilde

Life has become mundane for Susan Harris, a thirty-year-old librarian living in Florida. Her only revolt against boredom is wearing a push-up bra and painting her nails red. Although she wants commitment, love, and a family, the tick of her biological clock is becoming louder by the day.

After she decides to visit her grandparents in Massachusetts, Susan receives faith-filled insight from her grammy on how to find happiness again. While strolling the beach one day, Susan meets a young Syrian man who is helping to establish a mosque in the town. Ari Mousani has dark eyes that seem to penetrate deep into her soul. Their attraction is strong and they agree to meet again. But just as they fall deeply in love, Ari completes his work and returns home. As Susan attempts to cope with her loss, she is reconnected again with a former love who delivers unexpected news that changes everythingincluding her perspective on life, love, and her future.

In this romantic tale, a woman sets out on a journey of self-discovery where she learns to love herself, gleans lessons from the past, and sees happiness in the future, with help from the perfect gift.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Dec 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781489714954

C.J. Wilde

C.J. WILDE is an eighty-one year old widowed and disabled retiree. Her writing is inspired by her desire to encourage others that we are never too old or young to begin anew and learn. Wildes three children, eleven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, nine dogs, three cats, and a parrot make her life fun. She currently resides in Largo, Florida, where she is hard at work on her next book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 C.J. Wilde.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

LifeRich Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.liferichpublishing.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1494-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1496-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1495-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017918853

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 12/7/2017

Contents

Ari Isamar Mousani

Robinson Michael Martin

David Robertson Ari Martin

You, Me, Everyone, Forever

Acknowledgement

My thanks to Michelle who made me realize I had something give. To Aunt Kimmie who gave me encouragement and a belief in my raw talent. My appreciation to Kathy Delicato whose editing and support were a guidance to complete this work. To my family: I wanted to write this book to show you my philosophy, the area where I lived, house, Grammy and Grampy. The people are real. The plot and story characters are fictional, but the rest of my life is the book: much of what I experienced and learned as I was growing up. This work consumed me, and I became part of the past, part of the book. This is very personal and cherished to me as my Grammy and Grampy were to all. I wanted you to feel them, see them in your mind, know and love them as I did. This could not have been accomplished without your support and faith in God. I love you.

Thank you, Susan J.

Dedication

To believe there is a higher power makes life easy, and the more you accept, the higher your soul raises; because happiness comes from the love of God.

Sylvia Browne

Self-Reliance

I

realize now that I am alone. On myself I must learn to rely.

I have to begin to stand on my own.

If I fail I must continue to try.

I can ask others for their opinions,

But ultimately, it’s I who’ll decide.

I’ll be the ruler of my dominion,

Determining which road I’ll take with pride.

Though some may disagree with my choices,

Thinking they know a better path to take.

Though people in abuse raise their voices,

It’s up to me my destiny to make.

By being true to myself I begin

To learn how to stand alone, how to win.

Kathy Delicato

T hese dear sweet children. It is noon and they should be in bed. They should always be in bed. The I eat people for breakfast T shirt means nothing. This is a place of business and they are getting to me. It is a library and they should have manners.

When Susan Rae Harris decided to become a librarian, she loved children. It would be a learning experience and the opportunities could be endless. Beside this wonderful adventure, she could meet interesting people and the travel could be fascinating.

Life was not quite as expected. She was now thirty. The library was a typical, dark place of knowledge and the year was 1991. Living in Florida, her life became mundane and unexciting. Work seemed to be her only existence. Living alone, her apartment was only a place to sleep.

Because she was five feet eight, choice of a male friend was limited. She was careful about female friends, unless they were challenging and well read, so she kept them to a minimum. Susan’s only rebellion was wearing a push up bra and painting her nails bright red.

She called it her revolt against boredom.

This was a complete desert stage in her life. There was no escape. Could this always be her entire being? Dreaming and wanting did not fill this emptiness. Susan needed more. Oh well, Mother had always said. I had a good personality and an inner loveliness.

She accepted this knowing it would be the same in twenty years, but that voice did keep calling. She wanted commitment, love and a family. That darn biological clock was ticking and having children of her own seemed further away.

Feeling especially lonely this year, she was stagnating, nothing to focus on. The time was rushing by and her search hadn’t even begun. It was time for a change.

Looking over her finances. Europe was out. Seeing all this and considering her budget. It would be a visit to her Grandmother’s. She had not been there in four years and wanted to go back to her roots.

To Susan, Grammy was and would be the most pleasant part of her past, present and future. She really missed home. When there, she was safe and could slowly open the rest of the world. She would find what she was looking for at her Grammy’s. Her vacation was in a week. She could go then.

Massachusetts was always as beautiful as it has been described: its people, it’s mountains and its history. It was such a wonderful place to grow. Even living by the shore with its rustic beaches, added to the good part of life. The seasons brought most of the wonderful gifts that nature had to offer, and many people loved their homes with the Revolutionary motif.

They carried this charm to collecting and creating their unique life style. Antiques were found as well as many interesting old books. There were always stories to be told and family treasures to be shared. This was Massachusetts.

When Susan arrived, her brother met her at the Boston airport. They up-dated each other on their lives as they headed to Beverly. Although balding, thirty-three and a little heavy, he still was an extremely handsome man. John was married with three children, and had made some bad life choices. With a wonderful wife and changes, he had gotten his life together. Everyone was happy. He was now involved in his family and all was optimistic.

Since John and Susan had been very close as children, their visits were fun and remembering their childhood, as well as, driving through the old neighborhood was always enjoyable.

Although three generations of children had lived in Grammy’s home, as they grew older each left for the big world. Most everyone found their way back, sooner or later, ready to establish their families and build a better life. They knew that security and love was here. It was a comfort blanket for building and having a better future for their families. People and friends gave support, and everything was good.

Things never changed.

On every visit, Susan had to adjust to the seasons but looked forward to the dry, warm weather. Now it was summer, looking the same with few changes. The flowers and birds were in their glory with delicate beauty and different fragrances. The colors were divine, and history was everywhere. Massachusetts was in it’s prime.

As they drove into the driveway, out walked Grammy and Grampy looking the same. They never changed. It made her feel warm and the rest of the world, far away. The peace was still there, the loveness was overpowering. Grammy, Grampy, and the house were still home. This was where she belonged. This was their perfect world. Grammy and Grampy had come from Italy and raised their family in Beverly. They were celebrating their seventy-sixth wedding anniversary.

Grampy was a carpenter by trade, but now spent much of his time in the vegetable garden, and working around the house. He had gone to South America as a youth, got a job on a freighter, then wound up in Beverly. He was a friend and business associate of Grammy’s father. They met and were married.

As the years passed, you would see him sitting under the pine tree, smoking a cigarette with his beagle Jack beside him. He was content. He raised a happy family and was thankful for God’s gifts. He enjoyed the fresh smell of the grass and the aroma of the pine trees were like a piece of heaven. Watching this small, gentle man, in his touch of completeness, made one understand the amazing wonders of life.

Now Grammy was also special. She personified the stereotype Grandmother as