She had loved.
And she had lost.
Dayna Stone
had lost her husband eight years earlier when their daughter, Khloe, was only
four months old. She had survived the devastating loss of her husband, only to
find out she’d likely lose her daughter as well to cancer.
Eddie Kringle
is captivated by his beautiful neighbor and her equally beautiful daughter.
Born a Magi, Eddie has issues coming to grips that Magi magic cannot cure the
child, though his father, Kris, is more than capable. He and Dayna lean on each
other as the days pass.
They grow
closer and a bond is formed.
A tragedy befalls them on
Thanksgiving. Can their love, and the intense love they feel for Khloe, be the
miracle they are looking for?
Excerpt:
As Eddie turned the corner of the alley he used to
return to his human form, he stopped abruptly.
A woman
with sunny, blond, straight hair walked out of the first floor apartment
located beneath his apartment. A child, perhaps seven or eight, bounded out
behind her.
If it
weren’t for the cotton candy pink shorts and matching sleeveless top complete
with ruffles, he would’ve assumed the child was male. She had no hair. Only a
fine blond…fuzz, for lack of a better word.
He
approached the metal steps that lead up to his second floor apartment. Mr.
Barkley, his landlord, noticed Eddie and waved him over. Tired from his magical
excursion, he wanted nothing more than to go upstairs to his air-conditioned
abode. Feeling trapped, he walked toward the threesome.
“Ah, Eddie. May I introduce you to Dayna Stone and
her daughter, Khloe?” Mr. Barkley said.
Up close,
the woman was a stunner. Dayna’s hair hung in long layers down her back and
shined like silk in the setting sun. Her alluring face was angular and her jaw
square, with a mouth that was slightly wide but full and lush. Eyes the shade
of green with flecks of gray sparkled as she smiled.
“Eddie Kringle,” he said and waited for the usual
questioning look that accompanied the mention of the Kringle name.
A soft
giggle came from behind Dayna. Khloe was hiding behind her mother’s legs. Eddie
assumed she was shy.
“You mean like Santa Claus?” Khloe asked, her
voice angelic and innocent. Her eyes, identical to her mother’s in color,
possessed experience beyond her years.
“No relation to the big guy,” Eddie responded, the
lie coming smooth as silk from his lips. He went through this more times than
he needed to count. For reasons unknown to him, he absentmindedly put his given
name on the apartment application. Usually, he used an alias. Sure, he could
have used his magic to change it and wipe the memory from Mr. Barkley, but that
was forbidden by Magis. It was strictly taboo for his kind to meddle in the
ways of humans. Eddie and his brethren could cure diseases, influence memory,
and make humans do as they wished. But that wasn’t their way.
Those who
possessed magic were the Magi, powerful mystical beings. The same Magi who
followed the Star of Bethlehem to locate the Messiah upon his birth. The Magi
had passed their powers down through the centuries to both their male and
female offspring alike. Kris Kringle and his kids were such children.
Khloe
walked from behind Dayna, and Eddie took the opportunity to examine the young
girl. Something about her hair gave him pause. She’d suffered an illness, and
the fuzz atop her head gave him his greatest clue.
Cancer.
The child
had or still had the disease, and his heart sank. She was only a kid who should
have her whole life ahead of her. On a guess, Eddie figured she’d gone through
chemotherapy, which meant the cancer could have been in a more advance stage.
Eddie
clenched his fist. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair. He had been gifted with
perfect health, impervious to injury or illness.
As should a
child.
“Is something wrong, Mr. Kringle?” Khloe asked, as
she swung from front to back of her mother’s legs, an act of innocence that
angered Eddie even more.
“Everything is fine. Are you and your mommy
renting the apartment below me?”
“As a
matter of fact, we are, Mr. Kringle,” Dayna answered. “I just signed the
paperwork with Mr. Barkley. The location of the apartment building is right
between work and the hospital.”
Dayna’s eyes, twinkling moments earlier, dulled as
something quelled their liveliness. A frown, however brief, turned her mouth
downward, but she soon recovered, and a weak smile returned.
Eddie
almost questioned her regarding the hospital comment but thought better of it.
Would he want to tell an utter stranger about his daughter’s condition? If he
had a daughter…with a condition.
A thought
crossed his mind. There appeared to be no male in the picture. Maybe he worked
away from the family or they were divorced. Yet another question wanted to
leave his tongue, but he stopped before he made a butt of himself.
They’d be
neighbors. There was plenty of time to get to know each other.
His gaze
fell to Khloe.
He only
wished he’d have plenty of time to get to know her.
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About the Author:
I live in South Central Pennsylvania with my husband and daughter. My
son serves his country in the US Navy.
My
parents instilled a love of reading into my brother and me at an early age.
I’ve been known to have my nose buried in a novel.
When
not writing, I’m watching television. Most likely sports or shows like American
Pickers, Wheeler Dealers, Rizzoli and Isles, or Major Crimes.
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