Who is it from? - 1. Chapter 1

I looked at the envelope. I knew what it was by the Company Secret Santa sticker on it. So, why was I so nervous about opening it. It was probably just a gift card, no one knew me well enough to get me anything personal.

But, then why was it my favorite shade of purple? It had to be a coincidence. Right?

I picked up the envelope and turned it over. There were no identifying marks, nothing to tell me who may have left it to me. Even my name was typed.

I huffed to myself. The whole point of a Secret Santa was that no one knew who was buying what for whom.

In the end, I ripped it open and pulled out the contents.

It was a postcard!

It was the statue of liberty front and center.

I flipped it to the back and read the short message.

I am not at liberty to divulge my name, but if you head for the lady at one o’clock tomorrow there will be another surprise waiting for you at the gift shop counter.

I frowned at the card and turned it over a few more times. That was it. Was it some sort of joke?

I stuffed the card into my pocket and sat down to work. I’d figure it out later.

***

I stood at the door of the Statue of Liberty gift shop and told myself again that I was being made a fool of. There was probably someone close by from the office with their camera on me waiting to see if I actually took the bait.

But, my curiosity was stronger than my survival instinct and I entered slowly.

I waited my turn at the counter and when I was called forward by a pretty assistant with the name tag Sophie I kept my eyes down.

“Um, I was told a message would be left here for me,” I mumbled feeling more stupid by the second.

“Oh, you must be Billy.” She clapped her hands together in apparent excitement and spun to shuffle through some papers behind her. “Here it is. Can I see what it says?” She looked so excited for me that I nodded helplessly.

Ripping open the envelope II found another postcard, this one was of Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Also in the envelope was an entry ticket for the museum. The back read, 12 million immigrants made their entrance via Ellis Island. Go see their stories and find another clue to your surprise.

“Oh, how romantic,” Sophie gushed. “You’re on a treasure hunt.”

I thanked Sophie and headed back out. The museum wasn’t far, but I didn’t want to get stuck on the island after the last ferry left.

The inside of the museum was cool, and I headed up to the ticket counter. I wandered the exhibits as fast as I dared. I didn’t want to miss anything, but I also really wanted to know what the next clue was and what this mysterious surprise was. However, most of all I wanted to know who was behind it all.

My attention was caught by a particular story when someone tapped me on the back. I looked around and then looked down.

A little boy of no more than five was staring up at me. I crouched down to his height and smiled. “Hi, there. Where are your parents?”

The little boy pointed to a woman who was standing off to one side watching us both carefully.

“Are you Billy?” the boy asked.

Snapping my attention back to him I nodded. “Yes, I’m Billy.”

“I’m Tod.”

“Hi, Tod, what can I do for you?”

Tod pulled his hand from behind him and I saw a familiar purple envelope. “The man said to give you this. He gave me sweets.”

I took the envelope and tucked it into my pocket before straightening and taking Tod’s hand to lead him back to his hovering mother.

“I did it, mama.”

“You did well, sweet boy.” He jumped into his mom’s arms and she hugged him close.

“Hi, I’m Zara.” I shook her hand. “The young man who gave us that said you’d know what it was about. I hope it’s not something bad. He assured me it wasn’t.”

I rushed to reassure her. “No, it’s fine. A work colleague of mine is playing a game with me for Christmas and leading me around Ellis Island with clues to a surprise.”

“What a lovely idea. I hope you enjoy your surprise.”

I waved them off and opened the envelope. This time it was a picture of Battery Park.

On the back is read, come get your surprise. Follow the ribbon.

In the bottom of the envelope was a piece of purple ribbon.

***

I entered Battery Park and looked around. It didn’t take me long to see a piece of purple ribbon fluttering in the breeze.

I headed towards the tree it was tied to and saw another not far away. I spent a good half an hour following the various pieces of ribbon from tree to tree. I was sure that someone was leading me in circles and was adding more ribbon as I moved. Finally, I found myself in a small grove of trees. It was only then I saw a picnic laid out on a red and white checkered cloth. There was a bottle of wine in a cooler, with two glasses beside it. All my favorite foods were laid out on plates and in bowls. There were apples, strawberries, cream, chocolate, sandwiches, and as I got nearer I smelled warm chicken.

“Surprise,” came a soft voice from behind me. I spun and froze when I met a pair of familiar stunning blue eyes.

“Terry.”

“I hope you like it. Merry Christmas, Billy.”

Terry stood looking anxious and seemed to be waiting for my answer, but I was speechless. Terry was the assistant to Mr. Simmons, the big boss of the company. I spoke to him most days when I went to pick up my next work cases. He was beautiful. And so out of my league. Or so I thought. Maybe…

I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw his face fall and I realized I’d taken too long to answer him.

“It’s lovely, Terry.” I smiled, and he grinned. “How did you manage to find out all my favorites?”

Terry blushed. “You always keep the same fruit snacks in the break room fridge. Since Chrissy left I’ve been handling the lunch sandwich orders so I knew you ordered the same most days. And I remember you mentioning your mother's chicken being your favorite when Paul brought some in to celebrate his birthday after hours one day.”

“You’ve been watching me a while,” I murmured and moved closer to him.

“Yes,” He breathed.

“Well, we mustn’t let all this wonderful food go waste.”

I held out a hand and led him to the blanket.

We had a wonderful feast. I found out he’d been too shy to approach me at work and so had made sure he ended up with my name for the Secret Santa. He’d then set everything up so he could get me alone and hope I felt the same as he did.

I for one was very grateful. I told him how I’d watched him too.

It was the beginning of something wonderful.