The Wishing Bridge
Viola Shipman
Graydon House
Henrietta “Henri” Wegner is fifty two, menopausal, and hanging on to her job at Tolliver & Co for dear life. One of the nastiest asset-stripping outfits in the Midwest, the company is full of ambitious, back-stabbing, up-and-coming young executives hungering for her high-flying position. With her new boss giving her less than subtle hints about firing her, Henri pulls a desperate rabbit out of the hat. She promises to persuade her parents to sell their family’s “everything Christmas” business to the company. Wegner’s is a linchpin of the Christmas town of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Delivering it up to the rapacious Tolliver & Co. would ensure Henri will stay in her job—at least for a while longer. Her boss approves, but he sets a deadline: Deliver Wegner’s to him by Christmas or she’s out.
Henri returns home to Frankenmuth and the bosom of her family. Her parents are delighted by her promise to stay for the whole holiday for a change, but her brother is suspicious. Her old friends are curious about her sudden return, and running into Shep, the old flame she abandoned for the corporate world, only adds to Henri’s guilt. She sets to work covertly examining Wegner’s operations. Wegner’s needs to modernize. What began as a small business in her grandparents’ basement now employs artisans from across the world. Many people depend on it, not least the town. As Christmas approaches, Henri becomes torn between the loyalty she owes her boss and the loyalty she owes her family—and Shep. Whichever decision she makes will have consequences. Either one will lead to heartbreak.
If there was ever a Hallmark movie in book form, The Wishing Bridge is it. Henri is a great character faced with difficult choices. By turns tense, lighthearted, and heart-warming, readers of romance will thoroughly enjoy this book.
