Chapter 1

Libby made her way through the new addition to her grandmother’s house, which she’d inherited nearly two years earlier. At that time, she’d had no intention of moving from sunny California to her small hometown of Little Creek in the Northeast. Yet, there she’d found the loves of her life in a man she deeply loved and a little boy she adored. A newborn little girl had joined them and was wailing to be fed.

Libby’s heart lifted when she heard her husband and son coming her way. Both adults smiled wide as they watched Mikey run on sturdy legs toward Libby.

“Mama! Look!” Slowly, Mikey opened his fist to show her a bug he’d collected, now unmoving in his hand.

“Oh, how wonderful. It looks like a roly-poly little beetle. Are you putting it back in the grass outside where it belongs?”

Doubt crossed his face before deciding. “Yup,” he said with a sigh.

“How are you feeling, Libs? You haven’t gotten much sleep,” Matthew asked worriedly.

“I’ll be fine if the baby can settle down. It’s all good, though. Not to worry,” she replied, kissing him. “Do you like this shade of yellow for Skye’s room?”

“It’s perfect,” he said. They looked at each other and smiled. When they had been told months earlier there was a chance their daughter would be born with a defective heart, they had been terrified of losing the baby. They decided that Libby would continue the pregnancy, knowing it was not unheard of that the heart could heal itself in the final months of pregnancy. When it was time for their baby to be born, there were heart specialists to ensure the baby’s health. But they were lucky. Besides a slight heart murmur, the baby girl was healthy, born with near-black hair and large blue eyes, the color of the sky.

“Danny said he’d watch Mikey while I run and get the paint to finish painting the nursery now that you’ve decided on the color.”

“That’s so nice of him. It’s great that you, Danny, and Joe have become such good friends since we girls are so close. That makes life a whole lot easier.”
Mathew smiled. “Yes, it does. Now, I’m off. Later, Alligator, right, Mikey?”

“Later, Alligator,” repeated Mikey, laughing.

Libby shook her head and smiled at them as they left her behind with a fussing baby demanding to be fed. She headed into the Master bedroom, where the baby slept until her room was finished.

Nursing the beautiful little girl, Libby let her mind drift to the worry she was hiding from Maggie, her best friend and business partner. Mathew had let it slip that a large coffee franchise was considering coming to Little Creek and was making noises about loans at the bank where he worked. They would directly compete with Maggie’s Café, which she and Maggie co-owned. Although not afraid of competition, Libby knew that some of their customers came to their café not only because their coffee was so delicious but because there was no real competition for what they served.

In addition, her former boss Gerald needed Libby to spend more time in California to present her marketing ideas in person to the client she oversaw. And with the idea that Maggie’s Café would soon have competition, it was important for Libby to do what was needed to keep her client happy. The compensation she received was paying for the work being done at the house she now owned.

When the baby finished eating, Libby held the baby against her, patting her back until she burped. Holding Skye in her arms, she leaned back in the rocking chair and began singing as they rocked back and forth.

“Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won’t sing, Mama’s going to buy you a diamond ring….”

Drowsy, Libby felt her eyes close. She jerked herself awake enough to lay the baby safely in her bassinet before she laid down on the bed to sleep. A short while later, she awoke when she felt someone in the room with her. She opened her eyes and found her mother hovering over the bassinet.

“Oh, so sorry, sweetie. I was hoping to peek at the baby without waking you,” Hope said. “Skye is so beautiful. I swear she’s grown already, Libs.”

“I know what you mean; she feels heavier, too.”

“I’m happy that, without you having to work full-time at the café, you can spend time with her for these first months.”

“That’s only possible because you and Aunt Mabel are helping out our two full-time girls, for which we are thankful. How are things at the café, Mom?”

“All is good, my darling girl. Business is steady. But we think it’d be good to add another specialty item. Aunt Mabel is working on it now. She’ll have something for you girls to taste within the next few days. Then you can decide whether to add it or not.”

“Thank God, it’s working out so well since we expanded the café. The building I bought has given us enough space to have both a baking kitchen and a traditional one. Thanks to Bruce’s lowering the price of my building, it’s helped Maggie and me to pay the mortgages on both spaces.”

“Your father loves you, that’s for sure.”

The women smiled at each other, remembering what they’d gone through when Frank first learned about the daughter he never knew he had. Hope had kept his identity a secret from her daughter and Libby’s father. She had not wanted to disrupt Bruce’s political ambitions and career, especially since he was married then. Bruce had returned to Little Creek, a widower, more than a year ago and had come to terms with having a daughter. He’d told Hope he’d never stopped loving her. He proposed, and several months later, they’d married. They were blissfully happy, making up for the time they’d lost.

“How is the decorating coming along at the house?” Libby asked.

“Your father lets me do whatever I want in our new house. As you might expect, it’s filled with things from around the world,” Hope laughed. “But he’s okay with it. He even said that he’s envious that, as a travel agent, I’ve been to so many more places than he has. He wants us to do more traveling.”

“Besides paddling in the boats he’s making?” laughed Libby.

Hope chuckled. “That, too. Bruce is having so much fun making them. His three orders keep him busy, and he’s even hired a helper.”

“I’m so happy for him, Mom.”

“Yes, me, too.” Hope searched Libby’s face. “I know you well enough to see that something is bothering you. Want to share?”

“I’d rather not just yet, but I’ll let you know when the time is right.”

Hope leaned forward and kissed her daughter. “I’m here for you if I can help.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“I’m meeting Bruce for dinner at the Chinese restaurant, and I don’t want to be late. See you later, Libs.”

Libby sat with her thoughts. If the International Coffee franchise came to Little Creek, how would it affect the café’s profits? Had she taken on too much financially by buying the building? And what about their decision to complete the addition to the house immediately after marriage? She didn’t want to go into debt.

Her heart squeezed. Mikey had kept her busy before the baby was born. With Skye’s arrival, she was beginning to understand that her time wasn’t necessarily her own. How would that play out with her boss Gerald wanting her to spend more time in California?

Skye stirred, and Libby rose to watch the baby wave her arms spastically as all newborns did. Libby smiled, and the baby cooed. Your family is what is important. The rest will work itself out. She picked up the baby and went to change her.

Presents from Heaven

A Holiday Romance

Libby, Maggie, and Sally find themselves pregnant at the same, with their babies due at Christmas time. Born within weeks of each other, the three little girls, dubbed the “Presents from Heaven, have grown enough for their mothers to return to Maggie’s Café full-time. But trouble brews when Maggie’s archrival brings an international coffee franchise to Little Creek to destroy all that Maggie and her friends have worked for to make their café so successful.

The women have their own issues to contend with while putting all their energy into doing whatever is necessary to save their business. A mishap challenges them to consider what is truly important. Will they be able to hold onto Maggie’s café?