Page 42 of Once Upon a Winter
When she saw Cooper’s curious expression, she said, “It’s a family tradition. My mother gave me my Christmas Eve gift, and I almost forgot to open it, so I added it to my tote bag and brought it here. If she doesn’t hear from me, she’ll think I hate it or that I’m in some sort of peril.” She laughed.
With a sweeping gesture, Cooper said, “Bring it here. Let’s see what it is.”
As she unwrapped the box, Laura said, “I meant to do this at home.”
Cooper shrugged. “It’s Christmas Eve. What better way to spend it than by opening gifts?”
Laura gently tore off the wrapping paper, opened the flaps of the brown cardboard box, and pulled out the tissue inside. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
“Laura? Are you okay?”
Too stunned to speak, she handed the box to Cooper.
He took one look inside. “Oh.” Their eyes locked in shared shock. Inside the gift box was Laura’s snow globe. Cooper took it out of the box. “It can’t be the same one.” But he turned it over in his hands and examined it.
Then Laura took it and did the same. “It is. It’s the same one. But how?” She shook her head slightly. “My mother was in town yesterday. She must have gone into Jessica’s shop before she picked me up. But how could she have known about this?” She didn’t want to believe the next thought that occurred to her. “You don’t suppose Jessica did this on purpose?”
Cooper shook his head slowly. “She wouldn’t do that, knowing how you feel about it. Besides, how could she? She doesn’t know your mother, does she?”
“No.” Laura’s eyes widened.
“So she couldn’t have known she was selling it to your mother.”
“But then… Oh my gosh!Itdid this.” She couldn’t stand the thought of holding it, so she handed it to Cooper. “I can’t get rid of it. It’s taken control.”
Cooper put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Let’s not get carried away. It’s just a Christmas decoration.”
Laura brushed her stray hair with a trembling hand. “A Christmas decoration that’s controlling my life!”
“Hey. It’s okay.”
She searched his eyes, wanting so much to believe him. “You don’t understand.”
“Then help me.”
She considered it for a moment, but when she glanced at him, he looked so warm and caring that she forged ahead. “I have worked so hard to maintain control of my life. It’s how I’ve managed to cope all these years.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“You’ve seen my sister’s friends. A lifetime of their ridicule taught me to control what I could. Have you not noticed what a control freak I am?”
Cooper hesitated, looking more diplomatic than indecisive. “Well, now that you mention it…”
“It’s okay. I know it’s a little out there.”
A hint of amusement lit his eyes. “Doesn’t everyone uniformly fold and sort microfiber towels by color? Everyone except me, that is.”
“I know.” His smile was so warm and kind that she didn’t mind his amusement. “But it makes me feel better when everything is where it should be.” She drew in a breath and sighed. “I can relax. That’s what I love about accounting. There are rules. Things balance, and that gives me peace.” She shrugged helplessly. Either he would understand, or he would think she was a little nutty. Either way, it was best for him to know now.
His eyes softened. “Come here.” He set down the snow globe and drew Laura into his arms. “It’s okay.”
She didn’t believe him for a minute, but his strong embrace comforted her.
He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out this snow globe thing.”
Laura nodded, not because she believed him but because she wanted to.
He smiled. “That explains our first meeting. Until then, I’d never seen perfectly matched and stacked moving boxes. It was… impressive.”
