Table Of Contents
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Recipe: Holiday Roast Beef with Root Vegetables
A Christmas to Remember
Copyright @ 2018 Crown Media Family Networks
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print ISBN: 978-1-947892-23-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-947892-22-4
For more about the movie visit:
www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-christmas-to-remember
Chapter 1
Christmas was a magical time of year in New York. Wollman Rink was open in Central Park, and a gigantic Christmas tree graced Rockefeller Plaza. Holiday music was ubiquitous, and strains of songs like “All I Want for Christmas,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and “Sleigh Ride” seemed to follow Jennifer Wade everywhere she went.
Lights twinkled on buildings, trees, and food carts. A faint dusting of snow still clung to the grass in the parks that Jennifer passed as she walked at a brisk pace from the subway to the Kitchen Network building where she worked. Wreaths hung from lampposts. The smells of hot cocoa with cinnamon and roasting nuts made her mouth water. There was no time to enjoy the Christmassy sights and sounds, though.
She had a TV show to record, and she didn’t want to be late. After all, the popular weekly show Homestyle with Jennifer Wade on the Kitchen Network was named for her. Posters for Homestyle were plastered all over New York City—even on the sides of busses.
Being on billboards and busses came with a certain level of pressure. She didn’t take the responsibility lightly and made sure that each show was polished down to the last detail. That’s what her viewers had come to expect of her, and she demanded no less of herself.
This morning they were taping Jennifer’s Christmas special, and she wanted everything to be perfect. But nothing ever was, was it? There was always some aspect that could be improved. Had she forgotten anything? She couldn’t shake a faint feeling of worry that hovered at the edge of her thoughts, spurring her to walk faster.
Once inside the network building, she rushed through hair and makeup, then changed into the outfit she had chosen after spending almost two days trying on various possibilities. Elegant, yet simple, it complemented her dyed-blonde hair and pale skin.
“Oh, my gosh, I hope we got this wardrobe looking right,” Jennifer said to the wardrobe assistant, Aimee, as they headed through the soundstage toward the set. Dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, with her hair up in a ponytail, the girl seemed young, and Jennifer tried to impress on her how important clothing choices were. Of course, the crew of the show didn’t always appreciate her penchant for perfectionism. Around the set, they joked that there were two ways of doing anything: Jennifer’s way and the wrong way.
Jennifer walked fast and talked faster, as she usually did when she was wound up. “Because,” she continued, “last week Angela from Duluth posted that she thought that my look was too New York. What am I supposed to do? I’m trying to stride that fine line between looking fashion-forward and what the Midwest wants.” She wanted viewers to like her and identify with her. That’s why Jennifer spent countless hours each week poring over the network website and Homestyle’s social media pages. Viewer opinions definitely affected her choices.
“I thought maybe they would like this nice ice silver,” she explained, smoothing a hand down the sleeve of her pale gray silk blouse. She had added a princess-length triple strand of cut-glass beads in a neutral color. Not too “big city” for her viewers, right? Or was it? Her forehead creased with tension as the words rushed out. “You know, like in that movie where they freeze everything?”
Ian Carroll, the show’s director, bustled up to her. His short beard, Wayfarer-style glasses, burgundy pullover, and gray winter scarf with matching gray slacks hinted at his fastidious nature. That was a major plus, as far as Jennifer was concerned. He always seemed pulled together, whether it was his clothes, his office, or his attitude. He cared about the big things and the little things, and got them all done. Maybe that’s why he had a calming influence on her.
“Jennifer, you don’t seem