Her Christmas Hero (Home To Dover 6) Read Online Free Page A

attractions in the South. Maybe even a feature article in
Southern Living
magazine.
    She chuckled softly. She was getting ahead of herself. First she had to get her ideas approved.
    “Hey, Mom. What’cha doing?”
    Gemma smiled as her son joined her on the porch. “Looking over some work for tomorrow. Did you run out of time on your video game?” She’d set strict limits on the amount of time Evan could spend on his games.
    “Yes, ma’am. Can I play under those trees until dark?”
    “Sure.”
    Refocusing on the file, her confidence wavered. She had a lot to accomplish between now and December 1. Thankfully the Chamber heads were eager for her to succeed. And she
needed
to succeed. Failure meant accepting help from her parents. She’d imposed on Caroline long enough, and moving back home would be emotional suicide. But with a mountain of debt, working as a low-level accountant would barely provide a living for her and Evan.
    Gemma ran her hands through her hair, staring up at the passing clouds. As long as she could remember her parents had pressured her and her older sister, Beatrice, to achieve greatness. Nothing less would do. Her father, a well-known professor of political science, and her mother, head of a large private foundation, had expected even more from their daughters. Bea had done her part by earning her doctorate.
    Gemma was the black sheep. Her creative bent had been a puzzlement to her parents, something they didn’t understand or condone. To them it was a waste of time to draw or paint. She’d fought them her whole life, even down to taking piano lessons. If she wasn’t going to be a concert pianist, what was the point?
    She’d compromised by getting a second degree in accounting, but she had no intension of getting her CPA—an achievement her parents ceaselessly pressured her to attain. Accounting was a handy skill to have to fall back on, but event planning was her passion.
    Determined to prove herself and carve out her own life, she’d started Fine Day Events with her good friend Darren. Their business had been a huge success, fulfilling all of Gemma’s hopes. Until Darren had betrayed her and destroyed her dream.
    But she’d learned her lesson. This time she would rely only on her own skills and abilities. She was an exceptional event planner, and she would turn Dover’s holiday celebrations into something everyone in south Mississippi would flock to see.
    Nothing would stand in her way.
    * * *
    Linc’s cell phone rang the moment he changed the channel to ESPN and settled back for a distracting game on
Monday Night Football
. He groaned and picked up his phone. Mom. Maybe she was coming home. Finally. “Mom. How’s it going?”
    “Fine. I was just calling to ask you if you’d made our new tenant comfortable. I want her to feel welcomed so I hope you’re going by and checking on her.”
    “I’m not the welcoming committee, Mom. I’m sure if she needs anything she’ll ask.”
    “Does she have your number?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “John Lincoln, you make yourself available to that young woman. She’s taking on a big job and we need to be there for her.”
    “Mom, I have my hands full trying to run the business. I don’t have time to play host.”
    “Do you know if she’s met with the Chamber folks yet?”
    Linc rubbed his forehead. “No. I’ve only spoken to her once.”
    “Son, I’ve dumped a big project in her lap and I’m not there to guide her. I want you to attend those meetings and make sure she has all she needs. You’ve helped me with Christmas events several times and you know what to do.”
    “Mom, maybe it’s time you came home. We miss you. Especially now. Tori’s not doing well. If you were here you could help this woman yourself. It would keep you busy and your mind off...things.”
    “You think keeping busy will make me forget I lost the man I’ve loved for nearly forty years?”
    His mother’s harsh tone humbled him. “You know that’s not