Page 59 of Scrooge and the Girls Next Door

I hadn’t questioned his motives at the time, but now, I suspect there was more to his marching orders. Because this house is not the same house I left.

Someone has replaced my front door with an amazing art deco-style door, complete with an etched window, and painted it a green that will perfectly complement the exterior trim color I’m planning.

“Guys,” I say, even though there’s no one to hear me. Lisa and Bill really are the best, and once again, I take a moment to send up heartfelt thanks for their goodness. This is more than generosity: this is the gift of people whoknowme, who have taken the time to give me exactly what I need.

I’m sure Grace and Noah will be waiting inside with the full story, so I hurry up the front walk, meaning to rush in and thank them. Except I have to stop when I get to the door to admire how pretty it is. The precision of the etching, the unbelievable luxury of having old glass. Its luster is subtle but distinct from modern safety glass. I’ll have to warn Evie to be extra cautious about slamming this door.

Maybe it’s because I’m absorbed in the door that I don’t notice the muffled commotion behind it, but as soon as I open it, shouts of “Surprise!” nearly scare the daylights out of me.

“Aaah!” It’s a yelp. A puppy yelp. An embarrassing yelp. But it makes Evie laugh, so I don’t regret it, and as I step into my transformed living room, I can’t process what I’m seeing. The deep beige walls are now a delicate gray setting off the white bookshelves. Leafy houseplants brighten them, and the soot on the fireplace bricks is gone.

Bamboo flooring in the perfect shade of walnut has replaced the tired carpeting, and Roman shades cover the windows.

“We did a makeover!” Evie shouts.

“I can see that. I’m stunned.”

“Good stunned?” Grace asks.

“Definitely.”

Noah comes over to give me a hug. “I’m going to be honest, we didn’t do it for you. We did it for Evie.”

I sniff into his shoulder, unable to fight a huge smile. “Dork.” That’s how he’s always gotten away with doing things for me that I’m too proud to say yes to. The idea that Evie would even care about me getting the modern transitional living room aesthetic of my dreams . . . it makes me chuckle, and then . . .

“Uh oh, floodgates are open,” Noah says as he feels me shaking.

“Laughing fit?” Lisa guesses.

I straighten, and I’m definitely laughing. This isn’t one of those times that it stresses me out because no one in this room will mind. I wish I could explain why these laughs overtake me sometimes, but these people don’t need an explanation. They’re family.

“She’s been doing this for about a year,” Lisa says. “She feels big stuff, and it comes out like this sometimes.”

They all look slightly bewildered but they smile indulgently.

“The furniture is in your bonus room,” Grace says. “We know you want to restore it. We just wanted to clear it out so you could get the full effect. We’ll move it back in before we go.”

I’m still laughing, looking at the empty living room and thinking how hilarious it would be if I’d come home to this without anyone to yell, “Surprise!” I’d have thought I’d gotten robbed by burglars who did some light renovating before they made off with shabby furniture. This makes me laugh harder.

“Your neighbor came over too,” Noah says.

“Yeah, Mr. Henry helped a ton,” Evie says. “But I guess he left.”

The thought of Henry working with this group of crazies all day makes me lose it worst of all, and by now I’m having a hard time breathing, and my sides hurt. But the fact that they hurt only makes me laugh more.

Noah shakes his head, smiling. “I think what she’s trying to say is thank you,” he tells the rest of them. “Now we’ll go move your furniture, and you can enjoy the new space.”

By the time they’ve moved in the dining table, chairs, sofa, coffee table, and easy chair, I’ve pulled myself together, my chest and sides hurting, but my heart full in the best way.

“Sorry about my fit,” I say. “Lisa is right about the big stuff. It just comes out like that, but I swear it’s happy laughing. Thank you. I can’t believe you did all this, and I love it.”

“Yeah, well, none of us are getting you anything else for Christmas, so enjoy it,” Noah says.

“Perfect.” I grin at him. “You’re the best when you’re not being the worst.”

“Unc’s never the worst, Mama,” Evie says.

“You don’t know him like I know him,” I say, winking at her.

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