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“You were supposed to be my magical genie kitty,” she told Spooky. “So where is my special someone for Christmas? You know, it’s only a couple weeks away.”
The Christmas bells jingled as the door flew open again. Roni looked up, almost expecting to see Jimmy walk in, but it was only Melanie and Nicole. Boy, did she need to work on her overactive imagination. For a second, she actually thought she saw a man walk in behind them, but her friends running toward her waving flyers in their hands distracted her.
“Roni. You’re not going to believe this,” Melanie Gable said, outrage clear in her voice.
Roni quickly scanned the front room of the coffee shop, but no one was looking at them, and there wasn’t a man in sight.
“That new coffee shop is having a tree trimming event the same night as our Caroling Kickoff,” Melanie continued loudly.
Roni’s eyes widened. “What? No way!” That couldn’t be right. “Are you sure? How could they do that? Everyone knows the Caroling Kickoff is a huge fundraising event for the animals.”
“Well, apparently not everyone,” Nicole said with a twist of her lips as she fluttered the flyer in her hand. She was still wearing her elf costume from her Santa duty across the street in the park.
“Anyone who has lived here more than a minute,” Melanie said, scowling. She slapped the flyer down on the counter.
Melanie ran the Gable Inn down the block and hosted the annual Caroling Kickoff on the inn’s front lawn every year. The event had evolved over time and now many downtown businesses set up booths to help raise money for local charities, including Roni’s.
Roni stared at the flyer, her stomach dropping. “I can’t believe it’s the same night. Is there anything we can do? Anyone we can talk to?”
Melanie shook her head. “I tried calling the coffee shop but that got me absolutely nowhere.”
Roni blew out a deep breath. “Jenni is going to be so upset. She makes more money that night for their rescue animals than the whole rest of the year combined.” Roni’s sister Jenni had devoted her life to helping those animals. Like Spooky. She turned and petted her cat.
Nicole nodded her head, the bell on her elf cap jingling with each shake. Nicole grew up wearing that costume and helping her dad who was the town Santa. She swore when she left Pineville, she’d never put it on again. Fast-forward a few years, and she was back in Pineville, happily married, and her husband now the new Santa. That elf costume wasn’t going anywhere.
“We have to make sure this doesn’t happen,” Roni said, stabbing the flyer on the counter with her finger. “We need to go down to Frankie’s and talk to them in person. It’s the only way to make them understand how important this event is.”
Melanie shook her head. “Good luck. The lady who runs the place is all business, no heart. She wouldn’t even listen to me. What’s worse, I heard her son is coming to help her, and he’s just as bad. Word is, he hates Christmas. It’s just a business to them. The Scrooges.”
Roni’s mouth dropped to the floor. “How can anyone hate Christmas? Especially anyone who lives in Pineville?”
They all nodded and said in unison, “The Christmas capital of the world.”
“Maybe we should take them some of Candy’s special Christmas treats? Butter them up?” Nicole suggested. Their friend Candy ran the bakeshop next door, Candy’s Confections. Candy was going to explode when she heard this news.
“I’m going to try my luck with the mayor’s assistant, Hannah,” Melanie said. “See if she can come up with any ideas. She always books the inn for the mayor’s Christmas party, so I have an in.”
“Fingers crossed,” Roni said, crossing her fingers.
Melanie crossed her fingers too. “If that doesn’t work, we’ll pull out the big guns and take her Candy’s treats.”
“I like it,” Nicole said. “I have to get back to Santa and the kids. See you tomorrow for the Caroling Kickoff planning session?”
“You bet,” Roni said, giving her arm a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry, when we’re done with them, that Frankie’s place won’t know what hit them.”
“All right.” With a quick wave of her hand, Nicole was out the door and running back across the street toward the gazebo where the Santa booth was set up in the middle of the park.
Melanie quickly followed her. “See you tomorrow.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Roni saw a man coming through the back room, heading toward the door. A man who looked a lot like Jimmy. An older Jimmy, but a lot more handsome than the high school boy she remembered.
Had it really been that long?
“Jimmy?” she blurted, wanting to stop the man as he pushed through the door.
He paused and turned, looking over his shoulder and giving her a small smile and a little shrug as he disappeared out the door and into the falling snow.
“Hey, get back here,” she yelled and hurried around the counter and out the door. “Jimmy!”
