Page 26 of Sugar Plum Serenade

Mike had said the same thing. Exhausting. That state was a constant with children, or so it seemed.

“I can imagine.” Olive’s logical mind wouldn’t allow her to believe that ghosts were real and her niece saw them, but she had to push past her own logic and accept that maybe she didn’t know all. It was more than Ava and her invisible friends that had her questioning. Adding Colt to the mix complicated everything. Who was she to say what was possible and what was not?

“You haven’t said much about running the store,” Dawn said.

“I’ve said plenty.” She tried not to complain, but she did keep her sister up-to-date on sales and inventory.

“It’s challenging, I know, or can be. Some days more than others.”

Olive leaned into the table to be closer to her sister. “How do you do it? Day after day. I mean, most of the customers are lovely, they really are, but it seems like every day there’s one. The bad apple that spoils the bunch.”

“I’ve learned to take them in stride.”

“Maybe in the next week and a half I’ll learn to do the same, but I suspect it might take longer.” Not quite a week and a half. Nine days.

Dawn laughed at her, and Olive smiled in response, but her stomach knotted. She didn’t let her response show. Nine days, Christmas Day, and then a day or two later she’d head home. Leaving her sister, this amazing family that should include a new baby at that point, and Tuck behind.

Nine days…

This year is shapingup to be…

She’d finished, after a pause, with nice. But was that where she’d been going? How else might Olive have finished that sentence? This year is shaping up to be better. Extraordinary. Life-changing.

Special would do.

He should’ve gotten up early. There was so much to do. Instead he’d slept in, staying in bed long after Olive would’ve headed for work, dreaming of their upcoming date. No one would interrupt them tonight. There would be no change of plans, no emergency at The Magnolia. If there was, he’d just tell whoever was in charge to call Mac, kick everyone out, and lock the doors.

Colt tried to call a couple of times. He texted. The man would not give up! Tuck didn’t answer. He didn’t even read the texts. One day he was going to have to deal with what he’d been told, but not today. Not tomorrow, either. Next year, after the holidays were over… he’d think about it.

Olive made him forget everything. She was a much-needed escape from reality. Could he call a ghost granny reality?

He’d bought his house on Jasmine Street on a whim. The Magnolia did good business, especially in tourist season. He had to spend his money on something, unlike Uncle Houston who’d squirreled away his profits — which had also been left to his only living relative, Tuck — and lived simply. This was a great house but was definitely too big for one man. It wasn’t like he had real prospects for more or dreamed of having a family to fill the empty rooms. Sure, the vague possibility had occurred to him a time or two, but that possibility seemed as likely as the chance of being bitten by an insect and turning into a superhero.

Neither was likely to happen. He managed to run off every woman who expressed anything other than interest in a one — or two — night stand.

He’d always thought the idea of the perfect family was a lie. The house was just for him, even if he didn’t use much more than a quarter of it. His bedroom upstairs; the kitchen; the sunroom; the den, with a comfortable recliner and big TV. He didn’t entertain, so the other rooms got dusty and stale.

Why did that seem kinda sad to him today?

His doorbell rang right at one. Tuck was waiting, so he answered the door quickly. Jodie looked better than she had Saturday night, but her arm was still bandaged. Ginny was, well, the same as always. Tough expression. Shoulders squared. Eyes alert.

Everything they needed for today’s job had been delivered an hour ago. “Thanks, guys,” he said as he let them inside. They’d never been to his home, so they looked around with open curiosity. He didn’t question that they seemed surprised by his living quarters. “Everything you’ll need is here.” He gestured to the boxes and bags sitting on the floor.

Ginny crossed her arms. “Why aren’t you doing this yourself?”

I don’t know how. I don’t do Christmas. I need help…

“I figured y’all could use the extra money.”

“Overtime pay, right?” Jodie asked.

“Yes. And a nice Christmas bonus.”

Ginny looked at Jodie and smiled. “Fine. Let’s get to work.”