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Let's have one excerpt from A New Dream. In this excerpt Matt and Violet meet for the first time. A New Dream is available at
“Psst, Marjorie, he’s here.”
Marjorie English finished the swirl of yellow roses on the
cake in front of her before she answered. “Who’s here, Violet?”
“The new manager,” she whispered.
Marjorie wiped her hands on a towel and joined Violet at the
front counter. “Poor man,” she remarked as a look of compassion
spread across her face.
“I thought he’d be all scarred up,” Violet confessed, “but
from a distance he looks fine.”
“He wasn’t hurt anywhere except his legs.”
Marshall Chapman, the retiring manager of Chef’s Pantry,
the largest grocery store in Wellington, had slowed his customary
brisk pace to accommodate the limping man beside him. He saw
Violet and Marjorie at the bakery counter and paused to introduce
them.
“Good morning, ladies. I’d like you to meet your new boss,
Matt McCallum. Matt, Marjorie English is the manager of our
bakery department, and Violet Emerson is her assistant.”
Matt shook hands with each of the women. “Tomorrow is
my brother’s birthday, Mrs. English. My mother asked me to order
a cake from you.”
Marjorie smiled at him, the open, friendly smile she
reserved for special people. “What would you like on the cake, Mr.
McCallum?”
“Please, call me Matt. She didn’t say what to get. He’s been
offered a football scholarship at Tri State Tech, so maybe a football
theme.”
“He’ll be playing for my son-‐‑in-‐‑law, Kurt Deveraux,”
Marjorie said.
“Well, how about that? They say he’s a good coach.”
Marjorie just laughed. “We think he is. I believe I’ll let
Violet do your cake if that’s okay. She’ll do a nice job for you.”
“That’s fine.”
“Leave it to me,” Violet promised. “I know just the thing.”
Marshall moved the new manager along, so the women
went back to work.
Violet reached for a sack of flour. “I wonder if he has a
girlfriend?”
“Who? Marshall? I think he’s married,” Marjorie teased.
Violet felt her face turn pink. “No, Matt McCallum.”
“Handsome, isn’t he?”
“He goes beyond handsome,” Violet declared, eyes
sparkling. “How tall do you think he is?”
“Oh, probably six two or six three,” Marjorie replied as she
boxed the cake she had just finished decorating.
“You could see the muscles in his chest through his shirt.”
Marjorie grinned at Violet. “I thought you liked brunettes.
Matt’s blonde.”
“Well, his hair is a dark blonde,” Violet defended herself.
“And his eyes are a pretty shade of blue.”
Marjorie laughed as she removed a pecan pie from one of
the store’s big ovens. “Violet, I think you’ve got a crush on the
man.”
Violet ducked her head. “He is awfully sexy. He can’t walk
too well, though.”
Laughter faded from Marjorie’s face. “He’s lucky to be
walking at all the way I hear it. They had to amputate his right leg
above the knee, and his left leg was so mangled and crushed he’ll
always walk with a limp.”
Violet stared toward the manager’s office even though Matt
was nowhere to be seen. “Can you imagine what it must be like for
him? He was a big football star. He was going to have the world on
a string, and now he can hardly walk.”
“And his brother has a football scholarship. That has to
hurt,” Marjorie observed with a shake of her head.
She tore off a piece of plastic wrap to cover the pecan pie.
“Violet, if you like Matt’s looks, why don’t you flirt with him?”
Violet laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll get right on it.”
“I’m serious,” Marjorie insisted. “I know you were a sickly
child, but you’re as healthy as a horse now. It’s time for you to
stretch your wings and start thinking about a family of your own.
Matt McCallum liked what he saw, and so did you.”
Violet cocked her head and thought for a minute. “How do
you know he liked what he saw?”
Marjorie paused for a good laugh. “Can’t you tell when a
man likes your looks? He couldn’t take his eyes off you.” She
slapped a sticker on the pie and went to place it on the shelf beside
the muffins. She returned to the bakery and said, “You’re like a
breath of fresh air in a stuffy room. You aren’t selfish and jaded like
a lot of young women I know, which is a surprise because your
parents were so protective of you when you were younger.” She
reached for a bag of sugar. “So, why wouldn’t Matt be interested?”
Violet shrugged and threw up her hands, and Marjorie went
to take a birthday cake order from a customer. Could Marjorie be
right? Could Matt McCallum ever take an interest in someone like
her? Violet pondered the matter as she pulled out the ingredients
she’d need for Matt’s cake. He was like a fairy tale prince come to
life in a mundane setting like a grocery store.
When she was little, she had a storybook that told the story
of Cinderella. Matt McCallum resembled the story book prince in
so many ways. He was tall and blond as was Matt, and like Matt,
he had a handsome face. The prince in the storybook had six pack
abs, and from what little she’d seen of Matt, she’d bet he did too.
No matter what Marjorie said, she would never expect
someone like him to be interested in her. Superstars didn’t date
little violets. Oh, she guessed she was pretty; everyone said so but
inexperienced, gauche girls didn’t attract men like Matt McCallum.
It didn’t hurt to daydream about him, though. She’d make him a
beautiful cake. At least she could do that much for him.
