The Mistletoe Inn Read Free Page A

for her. She had a hot date.”
    â€œRachelle always has a hot date,” he said. “Want me to finish up for you?”
    â€œNo. I just needed someone to commiserate with.”
    â€œConsider yourself co-commiserated.”
    â€œThanks.”
    I started to walk back to my office when Steve said, “Just tell him you’re not interested in dating.”
    â€œYeah, I did.”
    â€œIt didn’t help?”
    â€œNo.”
    As I walked back to my office I thought, Is that what everyone thinks about me?

CHAPTER
Three
    There have been seasons of my life when rejection rained down. And then there have been typhoons.
    Kimberly Rossi’s Diary

In spite of the Denver traffic, my commute wasn’t too bad. I was glad to get home. For once I had plans for the evening. I had a second date with Collin, a man I had met at the dealership. He wasn’t buying a car—he was a vendor who sold tools to our service bay. I had gone to get a bottle of water from the waiting area and he was there drinking a coffee. He struck up a conversation by the coffeemaker, then asked me out.
    I stopped by the Java Hut for a coffee, then headed home. I lived in a decent but inexpensive apartment complex in Thornton, about a half hour from the dealership. Walking into my apartment with my hands filled with my coffee, purse, and mail, I heard my phone chirp with a text message.
    â€œYou will have to wait,” I said to myself. I unlocked my door and went inside. I set down my coffee and mail, then dug through my purse for my phone. I lifted it to read the text message. It was from Collin.
    Sorry. Something came up. Rain check? I’ll call you.
    I’m sure you will , I thought. I sighed. I liked the guy. I felt like a rejection magnet.
    I started looking through my mail. There was a letter from the Boulder County Clerk’s office. I tore it open.
    IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE BOULDER JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF COLORADO, IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF BOULDER
    Kimberly Rossi,
    Plaintiff,
    vs.
    Marcus Y. Stewart,
    Defendant.
    Case No.: 4453989
    DECREE OF DIVORCE
    This matter came before the court on the seventh day of October 2012. It appears from the records and files of this action that a Complaint was filed and served upon the Defendant.
    The rest of the letter was just typical legal jargon, which basically said over and over that we were over. However, the last line stopped me.
    3. Name Change. Wife will retain the last name of Rossi.
    Rossi again, I thought. Back to where I started.
    The paper was dated and signed by the magistrate and judge. The formalities of our divorce had taken longer than I had expected, as Marcus had fought the divorce the whole way. He wasn’t trying to keep me, he was trying to keep his money.
    I don’t know why the letter made our separation feel any more official—I hadn’t seen Marcus for more than six months—but it did. He was a liar, a cheater, and he didn’t love me. So why was I so sad?
    I flipped through the rest of the mail. As a child, I had thought mail was something magical. There were handwritten letters, cards, and thank-you notes. Now it seemed to be nothing but circulars and junk mail—the physical equivalent of spam.
    Then I saw a letter from a publisher.
    â€œPlease, please, please.” I tore open the envelope.
    Monday, October 12, 2012
    Dear Author,
    They didn’t use my name. Not a good sign.
    Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider your manuscript. We read it with interest. While there was much to like about your book, we regret we will not be making an offer of publication. We do not feel that we are the right publishing house to successfully publish your book.
    Thank you for thinking of us, and we wish you every success in finding a publisher for your work.
    Yours sincerely,
    Sharlene Drexell
    Strike three . I sighed loudly. Actually, it was more of a groan. The universe must have conspired to bring me so