MERRY MATCHMAKERS (MATCHMAKER MIXUP) - Darlene Franklin - One Free Book

Yesterday at church I heard an old hymn that describes my life�s journey very well, �Day by Day (and with each passing moment.)� I love these words from the first verse: �He whose heart is kind beyond all measure/gives unto each day what He deems best/lovingly its part of pain and pleasure/mingling toil with peace and rest.�

Here�s another recent discovery, from the passage in Lamentations that starts with the exclamation �Great is thy faithfulness!�

Later in the paragraph, Jeremiah says, �When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don�t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don�t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The �worst� is never the worst.� (Lamentations 3:28-30, Message).

I love the phrase �wait for hope to appear.� The word �hope� (which also happens to be my middle name, lol) has been popping up over and over again. Don�t fuss, don�t question�just wait for hope to appear. Because it will.

Oh, that�s a tough one. If I think about all the things I�ve done wrong in my life, I�ll end up with a long list of regrets�but they have made me the person I am today. Lately I�ve wondered �what if� I had switched to a music theory major as my professors suggested, when I failed to as a candidate for a Master of Music in piano. Instead, I switched to a Master of Arts in religious education.

Listening! When needed and without judgment.

I was in band and choir and also participated in the math club and the Spanish club. A real nerd.

Field of Dreamsand It�s a Wonderful Life never disappoint.

The origins are unclear. I thought we were writing a sequel to the highly successful Christmas Traditions series published in 2014. My publisher suggested a matchmaking theme which replaced the sequel idea. But my book combines both threads: the twin daughters who appeared in An Apple for Christmas became matchmakers for each other.

           

So why? I love writing Christmas stories and this was an opportunity that will hopefully sell well. A story that felt silly and foolish while writing it turned funny and charming when I read it.

MATCHMAKER MIXUP

Pippin Cortlandlingered by the wall of the University�s gymnasium, trembling in anticipation. Why she had ever agreed to her twin�s hair-brained scheme? How could they possibly get through the evening without their escorts discovering their duplicity?

For a moment she thought she saw her twin, Margil, with Ned Hawkins, and her heart stuttered. But her date for the night, Clint Keller, didn�t notice them, and she relaxed. Her sister had accepted two dates to the homecoming dance and insisted that Pippin go with Clint, who�d asked first, so Margil could attend with Ned when he finally got round to asking. �Besides,� Margil had said, �it�s our senior year. You have to go to homecoming at least once.�

The band played �Good Evening, Carrie.� Clint turned to Pippin. �Would you care to dance, Marg?�

Before she could answer, Clint swept her onto the floor. According to the twins� plan, Pippin and Clint would dance during one set while the other enjoyed refreshments or took a walk. They were wearing identical outfits, something they hadn�t done since childhood.

The dance was nothing like the nightmarish images Pippin had conjured last night. Long ago dance classes proved valuable as Pippin slipped into a lively two-step for one the year�s most popular songs. �Was you dreaming �bout me, Carrie?� Clint was an excellent dancer. Her fears of having her feet stepped on in Marg�s uncomfortable heels proved unfounded. Also, dancing minimized talking.

They stayed for a second song. Clint had the physique of a football player, a talent for baseball, but the glasses of a scholar. When he smiled, Pippin wished he were smiling at her, Pippin Margaret Cortland. But of course he believed her to be Margil Rose Cortland.

�Marg.�

That single word threw cold water on her spirits.

�I�m glad you agreed to come with me. I was afraid you would politely decline, as your sister has many a time.� He pushed his glasses back up his nose, something Pippin�s mother often did. Even with the glasses his brown eyes sparkled at her.

Pippin blushed. She had indeed turned him down on numerous occasions, not believing a man with his handsome features and fondness for sports could be seriously interested in a wallflower such as herself. Her mouth stayed closed as she searched for an explanation. How ironic, that Clint finally had the woman he had pursued for years but didn�t know it.

They danced for a moment before she said, �I�m curious as to how my sister is perceived. I want her to find happiness in this world, and not only in her fantasies.� She smiled and twirled the curls around her face, the way Margil did.

�How rude of me to mention her.�

Twitter: @darlenefranklin