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“Hello again.”
She turned to face Jake, the man she’d met in Starbucks that morning. For a moment she couldn’t speak. Eventually she croaked out a subdued hello.
He looked curiously at Gabe. “Your son?”
“My nephew,” she said, recovering her voice. “Gabe’s living with me for the next year while his father’s in Afghanistan.”
“Nephew,” he repeated, and his eyes sparked with renewed interest.
“I brought Gabe here to visit Santa and he said that what he wants for Christmas is Intellytron the SuperRobot.”
“An excellent choice. Would you like me to wrap one for you now?”
“Ah...” Holly paused. “I need to know how much they are first.” Just looking at the toy told her she wasn’t getting off cheap.
“Two hundred and fifty dollars.”
Holly’s hand flew to her heart. “How much?”
“Two hundred and fifty dollars.”
“Oh.” She swallowed. “Will there be a sale on these later? A big sale?”
Jake shook his head. “I doubt it.”
“Oh,” she said again.
Jake seemed disappointed, too.
Holly bit her lip. This was the only gift Gabe had requested. He’d indicated mild interest in a train set, but that was more at her instigation. Watching his eyes light up as the robot maneuvered itself down the aisle filled her with a sense of delight. He loved this toy and it would mean so much to him. “I get my Christmas bonus at the end of next week. Will you still have the robot then?” Never mind that Lindy Lee might be less than generous this year....
“We should have plenty,” Jake told her.
“Thank goodness,” Holly said gratefully.
“We’ve sold a number today, but I brought in a large supply so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
“Wonderful.” She could hardly wait for Gabe to unwrap this special gift Christmas morning. Tonight, the spirit of Christmas had finally begun to take root in her own heart. Seeing the joy of the season in Gabe’s eyes helped her accept that this year would be different but could still be good. Although she and Gabe were separated from their family, she intended to make it a Christmas the two of them would always remember.
“I want to thank you again for buying my latte this morning,” she said to Jake. She was about to suggest she pay him back, because she had the cash now, but hesitated, hoping for the opportunity to return the favor and spend more time with him.
“Like I said, it was my good deed for the day.”
“Do you often purchase a complete stranger a cup of coffee?”
“You’re the first.”
She laughed. “Then I’m doubly honored.”
“Aunt Holly, did you see? Did you see Telly move?” Gabe asked, dashing to her side. “He can talk, too!”
She’d been so involved in chatting with Jake that she’d missed most of the demonstration. Other children had come over to the aisle, drawn by the robot’s activities; in fact, a small crowd had formed to watch. Several boys Gabe’s age were tugging at their parents’ arms.
“We’ll have to see what Santa brings,” Holly told him.
“He’ll bring me Telly, won’t he?”
Holly shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“How many days until Christmas?” Gabe asked eagerly.
“Today’s the tenth, so...fifteen days.”
“That long?” He dragged out the words as if he could barely hang on all those weeks.
“The time will fly by, Gabe. I promise.”
“Excuse me,” Jake said as he turned to answer a customer’s question. Her query was about the price of the robot, and the woman had nearly the same reaction as Holly. Two hundred and fifty dollars! A lot of money for a toy. Still, in Gabe’s case it would be worth it.
Mrs. Miracle brought out the display robot to demonstrate again, and Gabe and a second youngster watched with rapt attention. The older woman was a marvel, a natural with children.
“So, you’re the manager here,” Holly said once Jake was free.
He nodded. “How’d you guess?” he asked with a grin.
“Your badge, among other things.” She smiled back at him. “I was just thinking how smart you were to place Santa next to the toy section.”
“That wasn’t my idea,” Jake said. “Santa’s been in that location for years.”
“What about the Intellytron display across from the elevator?”
“Now that was my idea.”
“I thought as much.”
Jake seemed pleased that she’d noticed. “I’m hoping it really takes off.”
“Well, if Gabe’s interest is any indication, I’m sure it will.”
He seemed to appreciate her vote of confidence.
“Look!” Gabe said, grabbing Holly’s hand. He pointed to a couple who were removing a boxed unit of Intellytron from the display. “My robot will still be here by Christmas, won’t he?”
“Absolutely,” she assured him.
Jake winked at her as Mrs. Miracle led the young couple toward the cash register.
“Hiring Mrs. Miracle was a smart move, too,” she said.
“Oh, I can’t really take credit for that,” Jake responded.
“Well, you’re lucky, then. She’s exactly right for the toy department. It’s like having someone’s grandmother here. She’s helping parents fulfill all their children’s Christmas wishes.”
Jake glanced at the older woman, then slowly nodded. “I guess so,” he said, sounding a bit uncertain.
“Haven’t you seen the way kids immediately take to her?” Holly asked.
“Not only can’t I take credit for her being here, it’s actually a mistake.”
“A mistake,” Holly echoed. “You’re joking! She’s perfect. It wouldn’t surprise me if you sold out the whole toy department with her working here.”
“Really?” He said this as if Holly had given him something to think about.
“I love her name, too. Mrs. Miracle—it has such a nice Christmas sound.”
“That’s a mistake, as well. Her name’s not really Miracle. HR spelled it wrong on her badge, and I asked that it be corrected.”
“Oh, let her keep the badge,” Holly urged. “Mrs. Miracle. It couldn’t be more appropriate.”
Jake nodded again. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Mrs. Miracle finished the sale and joined them. “Very nice meeting you, Gabe and Holly,” she said warmly.
Holly didn’t remember giving the older woman her name. Gabe must have mentioned it.
“You, too, Emily,” she said.
“Oh, please,” she said with a charming smile. “Just call me Mrs. Miracle.”
“Okay,” Gabe piped up. “We will.”
Four
Lead me not into temptation.
I can find the way myself.
—J. R. Finley
“I thought we’d bake cookies today,” Holly said on Saturday morning as Gabe sat at the kitchen counter eating his breakfast cereal. When he didn’t think she was looking, he picked up the bowl and slurped what was left of his milk.
“Cookies?” Gabe said, frowning. “Can’t we just buy them?”
“We could,” Holly answered, “but I figured it would be fun to bake them ourselves.”
Gabe didn’t seem convinced. “Dad and I always got ours at the store. We never had to work to get them.”
“But it’s fun,” Holly insisted, unwilling to give up quite so easily. “You can roll out the dough. I even have special cookie cutters. After the cookies are baked and they’ve cooled down, we can frost and decorate them.” She’d hoped this Christmas tradition would appeal to Gabe.
He slid down from his chair and carried his bowl to the dishwasher. “Can I go on the computer?”
“Sure.” Holly made an effort to hide her disappointment. She’d really hoped the two of them would bond while they were baking Christmas cookies. Later, she intended to go into the office and put up decorations—with Gabe’s help. She wanted that to be fun for him, too.
Gabe moved to the alcove between the kitchen and small living room with its sofa and television. Holly was astonished at how adept the eight-year-old was on the computer. While he logged on, she brought out the eggs and flour and the rest of the ingredients for sugar cookies and set them on the kitchen counter.
Gabe obviously didn’t realize she could see the computer screen from her position. She was pleased that he was writing his father a note.
From: “Gabe Larson”
To: “Lieutenant Mickey Larson”
Sent: December 11
Subject: Cookies
Hi, Dad,
Guess what? Aunt Holly wants me to bake cookies. Doesn’t she know I’m a BOY? Boys don’t bake cookies. It’s bad enough that I have to put the toilet seat down for her. I hope you get home soon because I’m afraid she’s going to turn me into a girl!
Gabe
Holly tried to conceal her smile. “Would you like to go into the city this afternoon?” she asked as she added the butter she’d cubed to the sugar in the mixing bowl.
Gabe turned around to look at her. “You aren’t going to make me go shopping, are you?”
“No. I’ll take you to my office. Wouldn’t you like that?”
“Yes,” he said halfheartedly.
“I have to put up a few decorations. You can help me.”
“Okay.” Again he showed a decided lack of enthusiasm.
“The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is up,” she told him next.
Now that caught his interest. “Can we go ice-skating?”
“Ah...” Holly had never gone skating. “Maybe another time, okay?”
Gabe shrugged. “Okay. I bet Billy and his dad will take me.”
The kid had no idea how much that comment irritated her. However, Holly knew she had to be an adult about it. She hadn’t phoned Bill to discuss the fact that his son and her nephew were friends. She would, though, in order to arrange a playdate for the two boys.
“I thought we’d leave after lunch,” she said, resuming their original conversation.
“Okay.” Gabe returned to the computer and was soon involved in a game featuring beasts in some alien kingdom. Whatever it was held his attention for the next ten minutes.
Using the electric mixer, Holly blended the sugar, butter and eggs and was about to add the dry ingredients when Gabe climbed up on the stool beside her.
“I’ve never seen anyone make cookies before,” he said.
“You can watch if you want.” She made an effort to sound matter-of-fact, not revealing how pleased she was at his interest.
“When we go into the city, would it be all right if we went to Finley’s?” he asked.
Holly looked up. “I suppose so. Any particular reason?”
He stared at her as if it should be obvious. “I want to see Telly. He can do all kinds of tricks and stuff, and maybe Mrs. Miracle will be there.”
“Oh.”
“Mrs. Miracle said I could stop by anytime I want and she’d let me work the controls. She said they don’t normally let kids play with the toys but she’d make an exception.” He drew in a deep breath. “What’s an ‘exception’?”
“It means she’ll allow you to do it even though other people can’t.”
“That’s what I thought.” He leaned forward and braced his elbows on the counter, nodding solemnly at this evidence of his elevated status—at least in Mrs. Miracle’s view.
As soon as the dough was mixed, Holly covered it with plastic wrap and put it inside the refrigerator to chill. When she’d finished, she cleaned off the kitchen counter. “You want to lick the beaters?” she asked.
Gabe straightened and looked skeptically at the mixer. “You can do that?”
“Sure. That’s one of the best parts of baking cookies.”
“Okay.”
She handed him one beater and took the second herself.
Gabe’s eyes widened after his first lick. “Hey, this tastes good.”
“Told you,” she said with a smug smile.
“Why can’t we just eat the dough? Why ruin cookies by baking ’em?”
“Well, they’re not cookies unless you bake them.”
“Oh.”
Her response seemed to satisfy him.
“I’m going to roll the dough out in a few minutes. Would you help me decide which cookie cutters to use?”
“I guess.” Gabe didn’t display a lot of enthusiasm at the request.
Holly stood on tiptoe to take down the plastic bag she kept on the upper kitchen shelf. “Your grandma Larson gave these to me last year. When your dad and I were your age, we used to make sugar cookies.”
Gabe sat up straighter. “You mean my dad baked cookies?”
“Every Christmas. After we decorated them, we chose special people to give them to.”
Gabe was always interested in learning facts about Mickey. Every night he asked Holly to tell him a story about his father as a boy. She’d run out of stories, but it didn’t matter; Gabe liked hearing them again and again.
“You gave the cookies to special people? Like who?”
“Well...” Holly had to think about that. “Once I brought a plate of cookies to my Sunday school teacher and one year—” she paused and smiled “—I was twelve and had a crush on a boy in my class, so I brought the cookies to school for him.”
“Who’d my dad give the cookies to?”
“I don’t remember. You’ll have to ask him.”
“I will.” Gabe propped his chin on one hand. “Can I take a plate of cookies to Mrs. Miracle?”
Holly was about to tell him that would be a wonderful idea, then hesitated. “The problem is, if I baked the cookies and decorated them, they’d be from me and not from you.”
Gabe frowned. “I could help with cutting them out and stuff. You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Not if you don’t want me to.”
“I don’t want any of my friends to think I’m a sissy.”
She crossed her heart. “I promise not to say a word.”
“Okay, then, I’ll do it.” Gabe dug into the bag of cookie cutters and made his selections, removing the Christmas tree, the star and several others. Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck him, he pointed at her apron. “I don’t have to put on one of those, do I?”
“You don’t like my apron?”
“They’re okay for girls, but not boys.”
“You don’t have to wear one if you’d rather not.”
He shook his head adamantly.
“But you might get flour on your clothes, and your friends would guess you were baking.” This was a clever argument, if she did say so herself.
Gabe nibbled on his lower lip, apparently undecided. “Then I’ll change clothes. I’m not wearing any girlie apron.”
“That’s fine,” Holly said, grinning.
The rest of the morning was spent baking and decorating cookies. Once he got started, Gabe appeared to enjoy himself. He frosted the Christmas tree with green icing and sprinkled red sugar over it.
Then, with a sideways glance at Holly, he promptly ate the cookie. She let him assume she hadn’t noticed.
“Who are you giving your cookies to?” Gabe asked.
Actually, Holly hadn’t thought about it. “I’m not sure.” A heartbeat later, the decision was made. “Jake.”
“The man in the toy department at Finley’s?”
Holly nodded. “He did something kind for me on Friday. He bought my coffee.”
Gabe cocked his head. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“Oh, no. But he’s very nice and I want to repay him.” She got two plastic plates and, together, they arranged the cookies. Holly bundled each plate in green-tinted cellophane wrap and added silver bows for a festive look.
“You ready to head into town?” she asked.
Gabe raced into his bedroom for his coat, hat and mittens. “I’m ready.”
“Me, too.” The truth was, Holly felt excited about seeing Jake again. Of course, there was always the possibility that he wouldn’t be working today—but she had to admit she hoped he was. Her reaction surprised her; since Bill had broken off their relationship she’d been reluctant to even consider dating someone new.
Meeting Jake had been an unexpected bonus. He’d been so— She stopped abruptly. Here she was, doing it again. Jake had paid for her coffee. He was obviously a generous man... or he might’ve been in a rush to get back to the store. Either way, he’d been kind to her. But that didn’t mean he was attracted to her. In reality it meant nada. Zilch. Zip. Gazing down at the plate of cookies, Holly felt she might be pushing this too far.
“Aunt Holly?”
She looked at her nephew, who was staring quizzically at her. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Oh, sorry... No, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking maybe I should give these cookies to someone else.”
“How come?”
“I...I don’t know.”
“Give them to Jake,” Gabe said without a second’s doubt. “Didn’t you say he bought your coffee?”
“He did.” Gabe was right. The cookies were simply a way of thanking him. That was all. She was returning a kindness. With her quandary settled, they walked over to the subway station.
When they arrived at Finley’s, the streets and the store were even more crowded than they’d been the night before. Again Holly kept a close eye on her nephew. She’d made a contingency plan—if they did happen to get separated, they were to meet in the toy department by the robots.
They rode up on the escalator, after braving the cosmetics aisles, with staff handing out perfume samples. Gabe held his nose, but Holly was delighted to accept several tiny vials of perfume. When they finally reached the toy department, it was far busier than it had been the previous evening. Both Gabe and Holly studied the display of robots. There did seem to be fewer of the large boxes, but Jake had assured her there’d be plenty left by the time she received her Christmas bonus. She sincerely hoped that was true.
The moment Gabe saw Mrs. Miracle, he rushed to her side. “We made you sugar cookies,” he said, giving her the plate.
“Oh, my, these are lovely.” The grandmotherly woman smiled. “They look good enough to eat.”
“You are supposed to eat them,” Gabe said with a giggle.
“And I will.” She bent down and hugged the boy. “Thank you so much.”
Gabe whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, but I helped Aunt Holly make them.”
Holly was standing close enough to hear him and exchanged a smile with Mrs. Miracle.
“You should be proud of that,” Mrs. Miracle said as she led him toward the Intellytron display, holding the plate of cookies aloft. “Lots of men cook. You should have your aunt Holly turn on the Food Network so you see for yourself.”
“Men bake cookies?”
“Oh, my, yes,” she told him. “Now that you’re here, why don’t we go and show these other children how to work this special robot. You can be my assistant.”
“Can I?” Wide-eyed, Gabe looked at Holly for permission.
She nodded, and Mrs. Miracle and Gabe went to the other side of the toy department. Holly noticed that Jake was busy with customers, so she wandered down a randomly chosen aisle, examining the Barbie dolls and all their accoutrements. She felt a bit foolish carrying a plate of decorated cookies.
As soon as he was free, Jake made a beeline toward her. “Hi,” he said. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
“Hi.” Looking away, she tried to explain the reason for her visit. “Gabe wanted to check out his robot again. After that, we’re going to my office and then Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree...but we decided to come here first.” The words tumbled out so quickly she wondered if he’d understood a thing she’d said.
He glanced at the cookies.
“These are for you,” she said, shoving the plate in his direction. “Sugar cookies. In appreciation for my latte.”
“Homemade sugar cookies,” he murmured as if he’d never seen anything like them before.
He continued to stare at the plate for an awkward moment. Holly was afraid she’d committed a social faux pas.
“My mother used to bake sugar cookies every Christmas,” Jake finally said. His eyes narrowed, and the memory seemed to bring him pain.
Holly had the absurd notion that she should apologize.
“I remember the star and the bell.” He spoke in a low voice, as though transported through the years. “Oh, and look, that one’s a reindeer, and of course the Christmas tree with the little cinnamon candies as ornaments.”
“Gabe actually decorated that one,” she said.
He looked up and his smile banished all doubt. “Thank you, Holly.”
“You’re welcome, Jake.”
“Excuse me.” A woman spoke from behind Holly. “Is there someone here who could show me the electronic games?”
Jake seemed reluctant to leave her, and Holly was loath to see him go. “I’ll be happy to help you,” he said. He set the cookies behind the counter and escorted the woman to another section of the department.
Holly moved to the area where Gabe and Mrs. Miracle were demonstrating Intellytron. A small crowd had gathered, and Gabe’s face shone with happiness as he put the robot through its paces. In all the weeks her nephew had lived with her, she’d never seen him so excited, so fully engaged. She knew Gabe wanted this toy for Christmas; what Holly hadn’t understood until this very second was just how much it meant to him.
Regardless of the cost, Holly intended to get her nephew that robot.
Holiday Sugar Cookies
(from Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Cookbook)
This foolproof sugar cookie recipe makes a sturdy, sweet treat that’s a perfect gift or a great addition to a holiday cookie platter.
* * *
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or grated lemon peel
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
* * *
1 In a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.
2 In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until combined. Shape dough into two disks; wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
3 Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator. Cut disk in half; cover remaining half. On a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1⁄4-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; reserve trimmings for rerolling.
4 Place cookies on prepared sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (depending on the size of cookies) until pale gold. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and rerolled scraps.
TIP: Decorate baked cookies with prepared frosting or sprinkle unbaked cookies with colored sugars before putting them in the oven.
* * *
Makes about 48 cookies.
Five
People are like tea bags—you have to drop them in hot water before you know how strong they are.
—Mrs. Miracle
“Sugar cookies,” Jake said to himself. A rush of memories warmed him. Memories of his mother and sister at Christmas. Spicy scents in the air—cinnamon and ginger and cloves. Those sensory memories had been so deeply buried, he’d all but forgotten them.
“We sold three of the SuperRobots this afternoon,” Mrs. Miracle said, breaking into his thoughts.
Just three? Jake felt a sense of dread. He’d need to sell a lot more than three a day to unload the five hundred robots he’d ordered. He checked the computer, which instantly gave him the total number sold since Black Friday. When he saw the screen, his heart sank down to his shoes. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. Jake had made a bold decision, hoping to prove himself to his father, and he was about to fall flat on his face.
“I’ll be leaving for the night,” Mrs. Miracle announced. “Karen—” the other sales associate “—is already gone.”
He glanced at his watch. Five after nine. “By all means. You’ve put in a full day.”
“So have you.”
As the owner’s son, Jake was expected to stay late. He wouldn’t ask anything of his staff that he wasn’t willing to do himself. That had been drilled into him by his father, who lived by the same rules.
“It’s a lovely night for a walk in the park, don’t you think?” the older woman said wistfully.