A Humbug Holiday by Bella Falls

Author:Bella Falls [Falls, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Evermore Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

I’d visited every single store in Holiday Haven, looking for a present that would fit Wyatt. And I’d still come up empty-handed and even more panicked. It took four of Vale’s special chocolate truffles to keep me from the pits of despair. Well, maybe more like six or seven.

“Why don’t you make him one of your ice sculptures?” Vale asked as she closed down Yuletide Yummies for the day.

I groaned. “Because that feels like a cop-out. Like he’d be expecting that. I’d already made him a bunch more of the ice mugs for him to use for his customers before we started this whole Secret Santa business. It just feels…unoriginal.”

My friend snorted. “I think your ice creations are far from unoriginal. You have no idea how many people ask me if I can get their names moved up on your waiting list when they come in here.”

I stared back at her in astonishment. “They do?”

“Uh-huh,” she admitted with a grin. “I just tell them to talk to Cora now.”

“That woman is the best thing to happen to me. I really should get her something special for Christmas, but she told me not to go to any trouble.” I threw up my hands in surrender. “This gift-giving thing is way harder than I ever thought it would be.”

Vale switched off the lights to the front of the business and pushed me back into the kitchen. “How do you normally choose gifts for others?”

I glanced around the room at the busy elves cleaning up. Lowering my voice, I answered, “Uh, I’ve never given gifts before.”

Her eyes widened. “Never?”

I didn’t care for the pity I saw in her expression. “So, do you have plans for dinner or do you want to hit up the Wassail with me?” I said, changing the subject.

She snapped her fingers. “Oh, frosted sugar cookies, I forgot to tell you. Mama wanted me to invite you over to our place for dinner.”

“Well, I’m not turning down some of her home cooking! Hurry up so I can fill up my belly with goodness already,” I teased, jumping in to help move things a little faster.

It didn’t take us very long to get the place spic-and-span for the next day. Vale waited for all of the others to leave before switching off the lights and locking up. We walked down the street towards the Gingerbread General Store, talking about Amos and his change of heart.

Aster Sugarplum threw her arms around me the second we arrived to the top floor of the store that served as Vale’s family home.

“Welcome, Rory,” the witch exclaimed. “We’re so happy you could join us tonight. Jingle should be up shortly for dinner. Come in and make yourself at home.”

It wasn’t hard to follow my friend’s mother’s orders because their place had always felt like what I’d imagined a home to be. All those years of living day to day on my own and peeking in through open windows, I’d created the fantasy place in my head of what having a family might be like.

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