Chapter Twenty- A Critical Night for Michael

The Christmas House

222 East Pleasant Street
Apartment 326
Evanston, IL

10:30 p.m.

Sharon slid her key into the lock of the eggshell-painted door with the number “326” displayed at eye level as Michael stood behind her.

“This is a pretty nice building for being so old. You can tell a lot of renovation work went into keeping it up to code. I like the ornate trim and cove molding at the ceilings. It’s very distinguished,” he said.

“Yes, I looked for an apartment in this area because I like older buildings. There are more problems to contend with, but you can’t beat the old-time construction quality for warmth and quiet,” Sharon replied.

As she opened the door to her apartment, she reached around the corner and flipped on the wall switch that lit a table lamp sitting nearby. The apartment was very nicely decorated, but that was expected, considering Sharon was a decorator. The door opened into the living room area, which boasted hardwood floors covered with custom-designed area rugs.

The walls were painted a light gray with dark and light beige accents ruled lines toward the top of the walls. The furniture featured a modern set of dark green leather pieces, including a couch, a love seat, and an oversized chair. Glass tables could be found throughout the area and very modernist works of art and oil paintings.

“Wow, you have very modern tastes for yourself. I can’t believe that you were able to suggest the Victorian-style furniture that you did for my house,” Michael said.

“Decorating is based on the person that lives in the environment, Michael. I have to judge the person and then make a recommendation. I have different tastes for different rooms. Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom. I will be right back. Make yourself at home,” she replied.