Angels at the Table: A Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy Christmas Story Read online

  That last summer her mother was alive had set Libby’s life course for her. Although her mother wouldn’t be around to see her achievements, Libby longed to make her proud. Today was sure to be one of those “Hey, Mom, look at me” moments.

  Early on in high school Libby had set her sights on becoming an attorney. She was the president of the debate club and was well known for her way of taking either side of an issue and making a good argument. Reaching her goal hadn’t been easy. Academic scholarships helped, but there were still plenty of expenses along the way. Funds were always tight. In order to support herself through college, she’d worked as a waitress and made some good friends. Later on in law school she’d found employment as a paralegal in the Seattle area.

  Her career path had taken a short detour when she married Joe Wilson. Joe worked as a short-order cook. They’d met at the diner where she waited tables while in college. When she moved from Spokane, he willingly followed her to the Seattle area and quickly found another job, cooking in a diner. He was the nicest guy in the world, but their marriage was doomed from the beginning. Joe was content to stay exactly where he was for the rest of his life while Libby was filled with ambition to be so much more. The crux came when he wanted her to take time out of her career so they could start a family. Joe wanted children and so did Libby, but she couldn’t risk being shunted off to the “mommy track” at the firm. She asked him to be patient for a couple more years. Really that wasn’t so long. Once she was established at the firm it wouldn’t matter so much. But Joe was impatient. He feared that once those two years were up she’d want another year and then another. Nothing she said would convince him otherwise.

  Hershel glanced up when she entered his office. He wasn’t smiling but that wasn’t unusual.

  “Sit down, Libby,” he said, gesturing toward the chair across from his desk.

  One day her office would look like this, Libby mused, with old-world charm, comfortable leather chairs, polished wood bookcases, and a free-standing globe. Pictures of Hershel’s wife and children stared back at her from the credenza behind his desk. The one of him sailing never failed to stir her. Hershel had his face to the camera, his hair windtossed as the sailboat sliced through the Pacific Ocean on a crystal-clear day with a sky as blue as the Caribbean waters. The sailboat keeled over so close to the water’s edge she wanted to hold her breath for fear it would soon swamp the vessel.

  The photograph inspired Libby because it proved to her that one day, as partner, she too would have time to vacation and enjoy life away from the office. But in order to do that, her work, her commitment to the law firm and her clients, had to be her sole focus.

  Libby sat in the chair Hershel indicated and relaxed, crossing her legs. She knew the managing partner’s agenda. What she hadn’t expected was the deeply etched look of concern on his face.…

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DEBBIE MACOMBER, the author of The Inn at Rose Harbor, as well as the Cedar Cove and Blossom Street series, is a leading voice in women’s fiction. Five of her novels have scored the #1 slot on the New York Times bestseller list, with three debuting at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly lists. Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle (2009) and Call Me Mrs. Miracle (2010) were Hallmark Channel’s top-watched movies for the year. This prolific author has more than 150 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

  www.debbiemacomber.com

  As a bestselling author and an avid knitter with a big heart,

  DEBBIE MACOMBER

  proudly serves as the International Spokesperson for World Vision’s Knit for Kids.

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  Join Debbie and our nationwide family of 28,000 volunteer knitters to help fight poverty with your knitting needles! You can give warmth and comfort to children in need, across the nation and around the world.

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  Visit worldvision.org/knitforkids to download a pattern and start knitting today!

  Visit worldvision.org to see what else we’re doing for children around the world.