Page 116 - The Last Gift

loved having something better. She had hoped to
buy a few things with the money from the sale of
the house, but with all of the bills and with
Matthew taking much of it, that dream was gone.
Rachel had been furious that Mother Davis had
given in to Matthew and given him money, but
by the time Rachel found out, it was too late.

Just a few days before Christmas, a heavy
snow fell. The next day a commercial lighting
company came and hung Christmas lights. That
seemed to bother Rachel more than anything up
to that point. The lights, shimmering around the
house and bouncing off of the bright snow, made
it look homey. Before that she had been able to
tell herself it was just another house. But as she
walked around it that night, with it all lit up and
sparkling, she felt a tightness in her chest that

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