Saving Christmas Manor (SCM) Chapter 1 continued:

Introductions

So…if anyone needed a Christmas miracle this year, it was Nan and Livy. Frost Marley Construction had been after Noel Manor, and its land, for a year. Mr. Frost, originally from the town next to Hopestown had wanted the property his entire life. So, when he started his own condominium construction company, he knew the property would be the best place for him to build vacation condos for tourists from major East Coast metropolitan cities. The area was the best place in New England for skiing, winter festivals, and overall winter wonderland goodness.

He intended to cash in on this gold mine, and do so quickly. Mrs. Nan Parker had been persistent though. She resisted selling, despite being six months behind on her mortgage payments. Yes, if Christmas miracles happened every year, this year was Arthur Frost’s turn, or so he thought. He wanted the house by #ChristmasEve, and would do anything to make that happen.

Livy, on the other hand, would do anything in her power to stop Mr. Frost from buying the estate. She was desperate to restore the house to its original glory. As a child she helped she decorate and set up for the Christmas Gala. As her parents volunteered at the museum, her little sister, Maddie and her spent Sunday afternoons playing among the rich and decadent fabrics of the window draperies, exploring the expansive library, and playing pretend in the dollhouse on the back porch near the gazebo.

Livy remembered one year in particular while playing in Nan’s closet, with Nan’s permission tried on a few of Nan’s mother’s beautiful dresses. Livy looked lovely in her flapper dresses and fur coats, and that memory had stuck with her. Nan pulled out a beautiful snowflake broach that had belonged to Nan’s mother, and gifted it to Livy to wear to the gala that year. As Livy grew up, she owed a lot to Nan. Nan had given Livy her first job as a museum tour guide as a high school sophomore. Even though she went to college in Boston, she always knew she was going to return to Hopestown one day.

As the years went by, she became wrapped up in college, her college boyfriend, Tom, and after graduating, decided to continue her education by getting an MBA. Her goal was to run the historical society program in Boston, specializing in restoring historical museums and buildings. She lived in the city for years, working almost seventy hours a week. Despite the long hours, Livy loved her job so the extra work was worth it. She had hoped one day to take over for her boss. That day never came, however. Due to budget cuts, she had to be let go. A devastating blow but when one door closed, another door opened. After that the drum beat to move home became louder, and she yearned to move back. Leaving Boston, she knew, was the right decision for her, and it would change her life. She just didn’t by how much.

Tom however didn’t see things the same way. When Livy told Tom of her plans of starting her own company with him at her side, he was shocked she’d ever want to leave Boston. In the end, Tom and Livy decided they wanted different things in life and parted ways, after Tom declined to make the move with her. She loved him, and thought he would move with her, but apparently, she had been mistaken. He hadn’t been in love with her as much as she thought. Tom had no intention of leaving Boston, or his mistress of a year. Livy soon found out that not only had he cheated on her, but he married the women after they broke up. So, in June, with no boyfriend, or job, Livy rented a moving truck and moved all of her possessions back to Hopestown to the happiness of her family.

Back home, Livy quickly settled into a routine. She immediately got a job, managing Noel Manor’s first-floor museum. She volunteered at the local animal shelter, and took care of her parent’s husky, Max. He was adorable, and all the love she needed at the moment. Six months later, she was back where she belonged and ready to take on big bad Frost Marley Construction. Between Nan, Noel Manor, her family, and her friends, she told her self she had no time for anything or anyone else. She had everything she needed, and the only thing she cared about was her main mission this Christmas: Save the manor.

Livy turned back to the stair runners. What am I going to do about these repairs? She thought the best thing to do would be to find carpets or rugs that were close to the original pine green color. The original house furnishings were so beautiful, she wanted to keep things as close to the original design as possible. Livy would research a few options and bring them to Nan to get her final approval. In the meantime, she would make a note to talk to Luke, the town handyman, had just arrived home after graduating from Howard University. He was a smart, and sweet kid with a great future ahead of him.

But for now, he was working as a handyman so Livy would need to ask him about finding similar fabric. Luke was a life saver, having volunteered to help her with the restoration on the cheap since funds were slim. Livy walked through the parlor into the living room and headed toward the kitchen, busy thinking about figures and different shades of green.

There was so much to do to get this house back in shape, she was determined to make it happen. The kitchen was in major need of an update, though the breakfast nook was okay, as it had been updated in the 1990s. The room was happily situated, with lots of natural light right off of the kitchen. There was a small table in the middle of the room with five chairs. But other aspects of the manor, like the copper pipes, were problematic, to say the least. The two water heaters kept stopping randomly, clearly on their last legs. The most important priorities for Livy were replacing the water heaters, installing a new septic tank, and replacing the copper pipes.

They couldn’t risk the pipes freezing again this year. That would prove disastrous since Christmas was their busiest time for the museum, and they needed the funds. Livy couldn’t risk the decorations, furniture, paintings, and everything else in the house getting damaged or destroyed because the pipes froze, and then burst. The house was always decorated so beautifully at Christmas. It was one of the few times, tourists still flocked to the area usually staying at the nearby ski lodge. They’d come to Hopestown to take a break from the snow-covered bunny hills to shop and do a little sight-seeing. They might be able to get through another new year, if they were lucky.

“Livy, dear…” Nan called from the dining room. “Can you help me hang up this ornament wreath around the chandelier, and hang some garland around the door frames? I just love how the ornaments glisten gold, white, and blue when we turn on the lights to have supper. The garland is such a beautiful touch with the gold, white and blue fruit sewn into the green. The room reminds me of how the dining room was decorated when I was a little girl.” It had been Livy’s idea to decorate each room as it had been originally decorated throughout the last few decades. Each room would represent a Christmas past, and be a good way to remember everyone who was part of the Christmas magic, even if they were no longer around.

“Of course, Nan. I’ll be right in.” Livy put down her list, and went to assist.

“The house looks lovely, Nan. The Christmas decorations are really on another level! It looks fantastic! The white, blue, and gold bulbs, ornaments, and decorations make the house sparkle. These touches will definitely attract more museum goers this year for sure.” Livy said cheerfully.

“I hope you’re right, dear. I need $100,000 to pay the mortgage and keep the lights on. The bank has already taken steps to put the house into foreclosure, and that’s exactly what Frost Marley Construction wants to happen, so they can take Noel Manor right out from under me.” Huffed Nan.

“Nan, let’s have a little Christmas faith, and stay positive.” Livy assuredly touched Nan’s arm. “I am calling Luke today, and he will be able to make some repairs on the pipes, and the electrical wires for the lights. We have almost enough saved for the new water heaters, and new pipes so we soon won’t have to worry about the pipes freezing. I have a plan, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep Frost Marley at bay. I am not afraid of this big shot attorney from New York City. When I was in Boston, I used to eat people like him for lunch.”

“There.” Livy said. “The dining room looks beautiful Nan. Why don’t you finish up in here? In the meantime, I’ll go call Luke.” Livy sauntered off to call her friend.

“Luke, hey it’s Livy Cameron. I wanted to talk to you about Noel Manor, and some of the repairs we had talked about. Do you have a minute?”

“Oh hey, Livy. Sure.” Luke said. “So, I need to take a look at the electrical wiring, and start taping up the exposed wire in the walls. It’s a huge fire hazard, and with wiring as old and fragile as in this place, it’s going to need to be fixed ASAP. I will put in new wiring where I can, but unless we gut the house, we aren’t going to be able to go totally brand new. I’m thinking it’s going to be the same situation for the copper pipes. The house needs new, and up to code, pipes. Because the house is a historical landmark, it’s going to be difficult to replace everything, so we are probably going to have to do the repairs patchwork. The copper pipes aren’t necessarily a health concern, but the eroding pipes are a problem. Bursting pipes is always a worry this time of year. We are going to need to look at that. Not to mention the new water heaters. They need to go in as soon as possible. I have a few contractor friends from Boston who can help me with some of this stuff. Gramps is going to work with me at the coffee shop a little this Christmas, so I will have some extra time to help out at the house.”

Livy took a deep breath. “Luke, thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough. It sounds pretty complicated, but I know you’re the man for the job. About how much are all of these repairs going to cost, and about how long will it take to finish all of this?”

Livy and Luke discussed the cost for another twenty minutes, until Livy hung up, her head spinning. How on earth was Nan going to have enough money for the repairs and pay the bills.

Thanks for reading! Until next time. All my healing love,

K