Chapter 11
A Christmas movie played on the TV, one of the many put out every year by Hallmark. It was one of Clara’s indulgences, one she’d let slip by the wayside the last few years. Though it would have been easy for her to be angry at herself for letting a foolish man have such an impact on her life, deep down she understood how pain dug in its claws and how hard they were to dislodge. Perhaps moving away had been the first step in the healing process. Reclaiming her love of the season could be the second.
She stepped back to look at her little tree, trying to gauge if the spot worked, the wee pine standing in the corner by the fireplace. With a few glittering presents underneath and the mantle all done up, Clara imagined it would look greeting-card festive.
“What do you think?” she
