The Christmas Gift

“Are you going to buy one of those for Charlie?” Alex asked in a teasing voice.

“No! Never!” Grandma exclaimed. “But I can’t think about Charlie. Not when Burton’s stopping by the store.”

“Burton?” Krista said. “I thought you were interested in Charlie?”

“I am.” Grandma threw up her hands. “But what was I supposed to say to Burton when he saw my profile and asked to meet me?”

“No,” Krista suggested. Her grandmother really did not have the hang of online dating.

“On that note,” Alex said, “I’m gonna change.”

Change into what? Krista wondered. Before she could ask the question, she got distracted watching Alex leave them with his sexy, hip-rolling walk. The attraction was still going strong, she admitted.

Her grandmother grabbed Krista by the hand. “I’ll give you a quick tour before I put you to work.”

Talking so fast her words nearly ran into each other, Grandma showed Krista sections of the store that contained lighted yard art, personalized ornaments, collectibles and Nativity scenes. The biggest surprise was the ball crawl tucked away in a far corner, its pit filled with green and red balls.

“What a good idea!” Krista exclaimed. “If you get children into the store, you’ll make sales to their parents.”

“It was Alex’s idea,” Grandma said. “He got us to make up flyers and post them around town. I don’t know what we’d do without him.”

Even when Alex was out of sight, Krista thought, someone brought him to mind.

“We’re starting the children’s activities soon,” Grandma said. “Do me a favor and try to convince your mother to run the ball crawl. We’ve got a chair over there.”

Krista’s mother was at the cashier’s desk, fur-trimmed reindeer antlers sticking from her head. She didn’t have much color in her face aside from the splotches of rouge on her cheeks, but her eyes were bright.

“Darling, you made it!” her mother cried. “We can use the extra hands today. I’ve got a feeling our Santa Claus is going to be very popular.”

She indicated a point over Krista’s shoulder. The tall man in the red suit heading their way was lean and muscular instead of soft and round. His posture and manner of walking were familiar. Krista squinted to see past the white beard.

“Is that Alex?” Krista asked.

“Isn’t he a dear?” Grandma replied. “Milo was already booked at the mall so Alex said he’d step in.”

“After you begged him,” her mother said.

“I didn’t beg. I bribed him with Christmas cookies.”

Her grandmother went to meet Alex, who was already gathering a small group of children in his wake. Taking him by the arm, she led him to a thronelike chair that hadn’t been on Krista’s tour of the shop. The children talked excitedly and jostled for better positions in the line that was forming.

“Time for me to switch places with your grandmother. I’m on crowd control.” Krista’s mother emerged from behind the cash register, preparing to enter the fray.

Krista laid a hand on her mother’s arm, waylaying her. “Let’s trade jobs, Mom. If you run the ball crawl, you’ll be able to sit down.”

“I don’t need to sit down.”

“Yes, you do,” Krista said firmly. “You just got out of the hospital, and you promised Rayna you’d take it easy.”

“That snitch!” Her mother crossed her arms over her chest, gnawing thoughtfully at her lower lip as she openly surveyed Krista. “If I let you manage the line, you can’t do it looking like that.”

Krista sighed and stuck out her hand. “I’ll put on the antler ears.”

“I’ve got a better idea.” Krista’s mother crossed to a nearby display, plucked a package from the shelf and held it up. The illustration on the front showed a curvaceous model wearing green tights and a short red dress. “You can be Santa’s elf. Won’t that be fun?”

CHAPTER THREE

THE BABY WAITING IN LINE to see Santa Claus was seriously lacking in Christmas spirit.

No more than six months old, she was an adorable little thing with wisps of dark hair and big brown eyes that dominated her face. She’d be cuter if her fists weren’t clenched and her wails weren’t loud enough to drown out the holiday music.

“That baby has an excellent set of lungs.” The speaker was a beautiful blonde in an eye-catching burgundy coat who Krista had noticed browsing the store aisles.

“Good stamina, too,” Krista said.

The little girl refused to be soothed no matter how much her mother cooed to her and bounced her. With a start, Krista recognized the mother as an acquaintance from high school. Once upon a time, before Krista had lost touch with everybody in Jarrell, she and Tracy Timmons had served on the high-school-yearbook committee together.

“I’m sorry.” Tracy apologized to the children in line and their waiting parents, not for the first time. “I’d leave but my little boy is next.”

Her son was a serious child of about four years old who kept his eyes straight ahead, probably for fear Tracy would pluck him out of line before he got his turn with Santa Claus. He rushed forward the instant the child ahead of him was through.

“Don’t move ’til I get a picture.” Tracy balanced the wailing baby on one hip while attempting to focus her camera. Before Krista could offer to hold the baby, Tracy thrust the child at Alex. “Would you hold her, Santa? That way I can get both kids in the shot.”

Alex didn’t have a choice. He took the baby and settled her on his knee, his hand supporting her back, his white teeth showing through his beard. The baby stared up at him out of watery eyes and quieted.

“Would you look at that?” Krista remarked to no one in particular. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Laughter sounded from behind Krista. The blonde. Tall and slender with the bone structure of a fashion model, the other woman was even prettier when she was amused.

“It’s no miracle,” the woman said. “It’s Alex.”

“You know Santa?” Krista asked.

“I’m here because of Alex,” the woman said. “See the blond boy in line? That’s my five-year-old son, Derrick. He chickens out every time I take him to see Santa. I’m hoping this time will be different.”

“Alex is really that good with kids?” Krista asked.

“Look how that baby loves him.” The blonde gestured to the little girl, who was laughing and tugging on Alex’s white beard. “When Alex and I were together, my nieces and nephews couldn’t get enough of him. Neither could I.”

That didn’t sound like something a married woman would say. Krista checked the blonde’s left hand for rings. It was bare except for the faint outline of pale skin on her fourth finger.

“Alex is an ex-boyfriend, not my ex-husband.” The woman had misinterpreted Krista’s look. “It never went far between us, probably because he was on the rebound.”

Krista couldn’t stifle her curiosity. “I didn’t realize Alex had been serious about anyone.”

The woman’s expertly made-up eyes widened. “Do you know him well?”

Krista squashed a sudden impulse to lie. “Hardly at all.”