“Oh...” Betty laughed. “Candy, get in, dear. We have a long day ahead of us and a lot of people to call and set up interviews with.”
“People—” Candy tried to ask as a cold blast of wind struck her rosy red cheeks.
“Well, we can't operate our island with just three people, can we, dear?” Betty asked and then let out a joyful laugh. “Get in, Candy, because we're about to build the greatest toy island the world has ever seen!”
“You’d better get in,” Fran told Candy. “Right now, I better get to the toy factory and figure out how to be a manager.”
Candy drew in a deep breath of cold, snowy air and then climbed into the back of Betty's SUV. “Well, Mrs. Oaks watches Snowball during the day for me, and my jeep is parked at home. Okay, Betty...let's go to our island. Destiny awaits.”
Yes. Life can be very amazing. If only Candy knew what awaited her, she would have most likely fainted on the spot. The bag full of miracles following her around was still full...very...very...full.
Chapter 5
“It's all like a dream,” Candy spoke from the backseat of Betty's SUV. The inside of the vehicle was warm and toasty. That was the good news. The bad news was that the snow was falling heavily, and Betty was driving slower than a snail. Oh well. What was the rush? If Candy was delayed on the island, Mrs. Oaks would take care of Snowball. Snowball loved the old woman almost as much as he loved Candy.
“My nephew didn't buy a single lottery ticket. He must be the only man in the country who didn't buy one,” Betty told Candy. The woman was hunched over the steering wheel like a bus driver navigating a flood.
“I don't believe in gambling,” Chris explained in a cheerful tone. “I trust in God for my needs.”
Chris seemed like a very positive man to Candy, and an atmosphere of light and laughter seemed to flow from him. “A girl at a local station accidentally printed me off the lottery ticket I bought,” Candy explained. “I don't believe in gambling, either.”
“I guess this gamble paid off.” Chris laughed, and Betty followed along.
Candy smiled. “I guess so.” Life sure felt strange. Candy knew she was a very wealthy woman—overnight she had gone from having about forty thousand dollars in her savings account to having millions and millions injected into her checking account.
Chris folded his arms over his winter coat, which seemed a bit old. The coat matched his brown hair, hair that had a few strands of gray in it...not much, but a few. “Most people who win the lottery fly to Europe or buy a yacht. I never heard of someone wanting to turn a small island into the North Pole. When Aunt Betty told me what you two were planning, I couldn't pass up the chance to jump on board.”
“Well, we have a lot of work to do,” Betty explained as she crawled down the snowy back road with thick frozen trees covered with snow. “This snow is coming down harder by the minute. I'm thinking we might have to turn back and try to reach the island when the snow lets up.”
“We'll make it, Aunt Betty. You just keep crawling on down this road the way you're doing,” Chris assured her. “The way this snow is falling, if we try to turn back, we might get stuck. This road was plowed about a half hour ago. I don't think a plow is going to show up again anytime soon.”
“I suppose you're right. I checked the plowing schedule. A plow isn't due to clear this road again until two o'clock. The road may be impassable by then.” Betty decided to keep driving forward.
“Pine Snow is located in a very rural part of New York. The island you guys now own is also located in a very rural spot on Lake Ontario. We're in the far north reaches of the lake, close to the St. Lawrence River. Plows are plentiful in the area,” Chris explained. “I might have to get the plow you mentioned, Aunt Betty, and plow the road leading onto the island.”
Chris spoke like a man who was well-educated, smart, and capable. Candy wondered why Chris wasn't married with afamily of his own. He was handsome and obviously a decent man. Chris wondered why Candy wasn't married with a family. Candy was a beautiful dream. Betty had mentioned Candy's divorce to Chris—while hinting that she wouldn't mind if her nephew sent Candy a dozen roses at some point. Chris wasn't interested in romance. He had suffered a very ugly divorce himself—a divorce that ruined his career. Divorcing a woman who was the daughter of a man who owned the biggest architectural agency in Manhattan proved fatal. Chris became amarkedman. Anyone who hired him was threatened with ruin. Candy knew none of this, of course. All she knew was that Chris seemed like a delightful Christmas light full of joy.
“I called my nephew once I found out that my cousin was giving us his island instead of charging a fortune,” Betty called back to Candy. “Chris lives in—”
“I lived,” Chris quickly cleared his throat.
“Yes, he lived in Manhattan,” Betty clarified. “He moved to North Point, New York, a few years ago, and he's been working as a ghostwriter ever since.”
“A ghostwriter? That's very interesting,” Candy told Chris. Chris certainly didn't look like a writer.
“Well, I've published a few books under—"
“Four books,” Betty pointed out in a proud voice. “Two of his books have been turned into movies...Christmas movies.”
Chris looked back at Candy. “Don't ask for my autograph yet.” He laughed. “My books were bought by a studio. A studio that produces low-budget family movies.”
“Be that as it may, you were paid nicely,” Betty pointed out. “Chris is very smart with his money. He made some very wise investments and knows how to stretch a penny.”
“Aunt Betty—”
“Well, it's true.” Betty beamed. “I'm proud of how smart you are, Chris. My brother wasn't the best of men. We both knowthat. Between my brother and your mother, I expected you to end up in prison or a mental ward.”
Chris laughed. “A mental ward in a prison, perhaps.”
