Caring for her grandmother was a labor of love, but busy executive Christine Powers worried about the paper piling up in her office. And no sooner has she arrived on Mackinac Island during the frantic holiday season than her haughty attitude was challenged by Will Lambert, her grandmother's enigmatic boarder. His laid-back style grew on her, as did his sreadfast faith in this season of joy and wonder. But an ultimatum to return to work or lose her job forced Christine to decide between her heart and her career.
Busy executive Christine Powers takes a leave of absence from her stressful advertising career in Chicago to travel to Mackinac Island in Michigan to care for her grandmother. Christine at first is abrasive and overconfident, but she eventually warms to both her grandmother (whom she knows little about) and Will, who is renting a room from her grandmother.
Christine is 39 and Will is roughly a decade younger, which is a nice twist for the story. Christine is concerned about appearances and asks a friend to be her wingman (wingwoman?) and vet Will for her, which I found funny and realistic. Will has escaped the corporate world for the relative isolation of Mackinac Island and the joys of creating stained glass artwork, which he sells to locals and tourists, much to the chagrin of his parents, who'd hoped he would have a business career.
The trope of business world bad/small business owner good is at play here, and for once I almost wish that a person would take a high-powered career over a small town/small business owner just for the benefits (dental, for one thing) and pay. Still, it's a sweet romance with a holiday setting.
