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As Emma drove down the Chattahoochee stone driveway, the crunch of stones beneath her tires stirred a sense of nostalgia. She couldn't help but feel as though she was journeying back in time. The private road to the Anderson estate was overgrown with tropical foliage. Palm trees peeked their way out of large, lush philodendron bushes that filled the shady ground area. Macho ferns, with their oversized fronds, mingled in among the undergrowth creeping their way toward the stone driveway. But when Emma rounded the corner, and the main house came into view, it was almost culture shock, like she had gone from the past to the future with that one turn.
The house before her was modern in design. Straight efficient lines broken by vast amounts of glass windows greeted guests as they entered the circular driveway. In the center of the circle was a large abstract sculpture with pristine landscaping around it. There was no color to speak of; everything was green in different shades and textures, but all green against the vast whiteness of the house. Emma parked her car in front of the main door as she had been instructed, and got out looking around her, taking in the overwhelming sight.
Her gaze then shifted to a man near the front door, seemingly in his early thirties like herself, meticulously planting a pot of flowers. His work brought a lone splash of color to the estate's austere surroundings. This was the only spot of color that was going to be allowed in the landscape. The cool breeze ruffled his dark hair, and he must've been working for a while because his sweatshirt was lying on the ground next to him and the T-shirt he wore had sweat stains down the back. The gardener didn't seem to notice Emma's arrival, so she called out a greeting.
"Good morning. That's going to be in a beautiful arrangement of flowers when you're done. This cool weather makes it nice for planting, doesn't it?"
The young man looked up, and his smile made Emma take a step back. He was friendly without saying a word, and gorgeous. Deep blue eyes twinkled to match the smile, and his skin had a healthy tan from hours of outdoor work. Muscles rippled under the T-shirt, and without thinking, the young man ran his hands through his hair, leaving a trail of dirt on his forehead. Emma was tempted to reach out and brush it away, but before she did, the front door opened and a young woman with blonde hair in a tight bun and a clipboard in hand greeted her.
"Ms. Cassidy? Mrs. Anderson will meet you in her office. If you follow me, I'll show you the way."
In contrast to the gardener's warm smile, the woman's expression was reserved, her tone brisk, implying an expectation for promptness. Emma quickly gathered herself, following the woman's lead into the house. Their heels clicking on the marble floor echoed in the quiet hallway.
As they made their way to the office, Emma couldn't help but notice the inside of the house was just as beautiful and modern in design as the outside. The decor was mostly black and white with a few patches of color, nothing bright or shocking, but more subtle and warm. Christmas decorations were tastefully added to the decor, but again no bright colors. Mostly whites with touches of gold were the color theme for the Christmas decorating.
Emma was a fan of the traditional Christmas red, green, gold, and silver, and brightly wrapped presents of all colors, but she nodded in approval of the Andersons' Christmas display. There was this subtle calmness about it that pleased her. Emma wasn't given a chance to get a close look at anything as she followed the young woman. Once they reached Mrs. Anderson's office, the woman opened the door and motioned for Emma to go inside.
"I'll let Mrs. Anderson know you're here. If you just wait, she'll be here shortly."
Without another word, the woman turned and left Emma standing in the middle of the room, looking around. She didn't know if she should sit down or stay standing and almost felt rooted to the spot. But then she caught a look out the window and couldn't help herself but walk to look out onto the vast backyard. Where the front yard had been a calm green, the backyard was a riot of color. Hibiscus hedges mixed with birds of paradise, and groups of pots were filled with bright-colored flowers. Even the cushions on the lounge chairs were vivid teal with black stripes. It was like looking at another side of Mrs. Anderson's personality.
"It's a colorful garden. Almost takes your breath away, doesn't it?" A woman's voice behind Emma made her jump, and she turned to see her client standing in the doorway.
"It's wonderful. It makes you want to go out and enjoy the garden."
"And that's exactly what I like to do. My husband, when he was alive, insisted that the front had to be more formal and rigid, which is not at all to my taste. But rather than totally redoing the landscape I've kept it the way it is. But the backyard has always been my domain, and to be honest, I go overboard with the color just to make up for the greenness of the front."
The woman laughed as she held out her hand to shake. Emma grabbed it, noticing how soft her skin was and how perfect her manicure was. That would explain the need for the gardener; she couldn't picture Midge Anderson getting dirt under her fingernails.
"Well, I'm sure you keep your gardener busy. He was working hard out front on a flowerpot that will be beautiful when he finishes."
Emma dropped Midge's hand and followed her lead as the woman sat down on the cream-colored sofa and patted the seat next to her. Midge looked confused at first and then smiled. "Oh, good, Travis is finally getting to those pots for me." The older woman pointed to Emma's briefcase and rubbed her hands together. "I'm eager to see your designs, Emma. As you can see, we've already started decorating for the Christmas party."
Emma smiled as she pulled the paperwork from her briefcase and handed it to the woman. She had learned that for designs it was best to let the client look things over in silence before she started explaining her work.
"This is perfect, exactly what I was thinking." Midge didn't need any explanations. She quickly understood Emma's concept and pointed to a few items she would like tweaked. The two women sat and talked over the designs. And it wasn't until there was a knock on the door that they realized how much time had gone by. Another woman stood at the door with a cart laden with a beautiful tea set and a tray of delicious-looking holiday cookies. She wheeled the cart in Midge's direction, smiling shyly at Emma.
"Thank you, Sophie. This looks wonderful. Would you please tell Marianne that we'll be out and about in half an hour to look at the display pieces. That should give her plenty of time to get them ready."
The young woman called Sophie still said nothing but nodded her head to indicate she understood and gave another shy smile in Emma's direction before leaving the room.
"I hope you don't mind that I ordered tea and cookies. It's hard not to eat all these delicious snacks, and I do love mid-morning tea. Like I told Sophie, this will give Marianne a chance to get those pieces ready for you to look at."
"Tea's a lovely idea, and this looks scrumptious. I'm eager to see the Christmas ornaments that we're basing our whole design on. Tell me a bit about them."
Midge poured the tea and took a bite of her cookie before she answered Emma.
"There are twenty-four ornaments, some that have been in my family for generations. They were designed by Tiffany, and each one is more beautiful than the next. My late husband loved to find pieces to add to the set. I believe Tiffany made thirty-six. Most people looking at them would just think they were beautiful crystals. It's not until you look closer that you see the different cuts of diamonds that have been added to the crystal—"
"Don't get her started, mother loves to talk about the family jewels." The two women turned and looked at the door as it opened, and Emma gasped.
"Travis, you'd better not be dragging any mud into my office."
The young man walked into the room and kissed his mother on the head before reaching out and grabbing a cookie. Emma was still staring at him with an open mouth, and he grinned back at her with a wink.
"You are right, that pot turned out perfectly. I'm Travis Anderson by the way."
Emma looked back and forth between him and Midge and immediately saw the family resemblance. She burst into a slight laugh of embarrassment.
"I'm Emma Cassidy, pleased to meet you."
"Oh, you two have met?" Midge asked, looking between the two of them, noticing Emma's embarrassment.
"Yes, Emma thinks I'm the gardener." Travis chuckled at the inside joke, and his mother stared him down.
"And you weren't polite enough to introduce yourself properly. I apologize for my son, Emma. Travis has an odd sense of humor." Emma burst out laughing at the chastised look on Travis's face. It only seemed fair after she'd been so embarrassed that he would get a dressing down from his mother.
"Well, as somebody who has a gardener in the family, I can tell you your son has a talent, and it was easy to see he was enjoying his work. Are you responsible for the pots out here on the terrace as well?" Emma pointed out the window, and Travis nodded, indicating he was. He started to sit down on the chair next to the couch, but one look from his mother and he changed his mind. Instead, he pulled over a rather uncomfortable-looking straight-back chair. It was clear he knew better than to get her beautiful furniture dirty.
"Continue with your story about the ornaments, Mom. I'm sorry I interrupted." Reaching over for another cookie, Travis turned the conversation back to where it had started, before he had come in.
Midge smiled as she shook her head at Travis. "Easy on the cookies, Cook is preparing a nice lunch, and you don't want to spoil it by being too full."
"I have plenty of room for cookies and lunch, don't you worry about me." Emma hid a grin at their exchange, remembering similar exchanges between herself and her mother. It was obvious that Travis and his mother had a great relationship, and although she was still slightly embarrassed about the mistaken identity, she couldn't help but like Travis.
Midge took a sip of tea and then turned her attention to Emma.
"It's traditional at our Christmas Eve party, which you will be coming to of course, for us to add the ornaments to the tree. And this year, after we hang the ornaments, we will also be announcing the company changes that you are working on."
"Then I guess we better finalize these ideas so I can get things going for Christmas, it's only a week away."
Before Midge could answer Emma, there was a crash in the outer room and then a scream. The three of them jumped to their feet, and with Travis leading the way, rushed out to the living room where the scream had come from.