AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
“Auntie Piper, willyou read me a story?”
Piper Davis gave her sister a knowing nod and slid away from the dining room table, moving through to her niece’s bedroom.
She settled at the edge of Leila’s bed, looking at the stack of books on the floor. “Okay, which one will we go for this time?”
They’d played this game over and over. It didn’t matter what time of year it was, Leila always wanted the same book read to her.
Leila put her finger over her lips and looked upward, pretending she was thinking. “I think that because it’s December, a Christmas story might work,” she said.
Piper started laughing and sorted through the books at her feet. “Let’s see, this one? Snowmen at a party?”
Leila shook her head.
“Or this one? Santa getting stuck?”
Leila still shook her head, a wide smile appearing on her face. “I think I’d likeThe Mistletoe Crown.”
“Oh, you would?” Piper was faking surprise—the way she always did when her niece picked this story. She held the well-worn book to her chest. “Are you sure? This book is looking kind of shabby. Maybe we should pick something newer?”
Leila shook her head fiercely. “Oh no. It’s my favorite.”
Piper nodded to the corner of the room where a whole stack of the same book in newer versions was piled. “What about one with new pictures?”
Leila shook her head and spoke in a soft voice, one finger reaching out from under the bedclothes to stroke the cover of the book. “I want the one that you and Mamma used to read. The one that Grandma read to you.”
Piper breathed in. She and Alanna had loved this story as kids. Their mother had read it to them countless times and Piper credited her mother with her love of reading. She changed position, settling in at the head of the bed, and wrapping her arm around her niece, placed the book in front of them.
“Okay, then. Let’s get started. On a snowy winter’s day, there was a little girl called Amy, and a little boy called Joe…”
*
“Is she sleeping?”
Piper nodded as she collected her half-drunk glass of wine from the table and settled next to her sister on the sofa. “It only took three and a half Mistletoe Crowns.” She smiled as she took a sip of wine.
Alanna sighed. “Lucky you. Last night it was seven.”
“What about the new series with the winter badger—doesn’t she like those?”
Alanna rolled her eyes. “Oh, she likes them all and she’s read them all, but come bedtime, nothing else will do.” She sipped her wine, too. “We were a bit like that ourselves. Nothing else would do, so I can’t blame her.”
Piper smiled. “I know. We did love that story so much. I could recite it in my sleep.”
“Hey—any job news?”
Piper gave a nervous nod. “Yes, I’ve had a few enquiries with potential job opportunities, and the plant research I’m doing now has another four months to run.”
“But everything’s going good with that, isn’t it?”
“It is. But I still need to do some more testing. I think I’ve dealt with most of the plants’ vulnerabilities, but there can always be more.”
Her sister gave her a careful glance. “You seem jittery. You normally love your work. What’s wrong?”
Piper set down her wine glass and put her head in her hands. “I just feel as if I don’t have enough hours in the day.” She sighed heavily. “I’m just one person and I’m worried that I might miss something that will be vital for the research.”
Alanna raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t it about time you took on an assistant? You’re taking on bigger and bigger projects. You can’t possibly do it all yourself. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
