Free Christmas With Tiffany by Carolynn Carey

 
 
    Chapter
One

 
    The tinkling of the tiny
bell above the gift shop door was almost drowned out by the unmelodious blare
of the Christmas song Tiffany Elwood hated most in the entire world. “I’m going
to kill that girl,” she muttered as she stepped into the small shop that
encapsulated her dreams and her joy.
    Well, it was a joy other
than the times when her kid sister watched the store for her.
      “You’d think she could cover for me for
half an hour without going out of her way to irritate me,” Tiffany said aloud.
She pushed the door closed behind her, shutting out the cold but subjecting her
poor hearing to the high-decibel chorus of Grandma Got Run Over by a
Reindeer.
    She closed her eyes, struggling
for composure. Usually just being inside her shop soothed her spirits and
brought a smile of near contentment to her face.   The tangy smell of pine-scented candles,
the peaceful gurgling of the small fountain in the front window
and—usually—the soft strains of instrumental Christmas music always
left her feeling as though she was at peace with the world.
    But
not today.
    The song thankfully
ended and Tiffany glanced around, relieved for once that there were no
customers in the store. She hoped Holly’s choice of music hadn’t driven anyone
away. Tiffany couldn’t afford to lose business, especially at this time of
year.
    “Holly,” she yelled.
    Holly came bounding out
of the storeroom. “Hi, Sis. Did you grab some lunch?” She grinned and her
braces flashed in the sudden spear of sunlight that found its way through the
small window behind the counter.
    Tiffany immediate
stepped across the room to tilt the blinds. Too much sunlight destroyed the
atmosphere she’d tried to create in her shop. “I didn’t take time to eat. I was going to the post office , remember ?
I got all the cards mailed inviting people to the open house. And I stopped by
the newspaper office to place the ad. I hope you’ll be able to help me unbox
and display the new decorations that I have on order.”
    “I should be able to
help. Most everything at school is over for the semester. When’s the open house
again?”
    “The fifteenth. Why
don’t you put it on your calendar?”
    “I would if I had a
smart phone like all the other kids. Do you suppose if I asked Santa—
well, if there were a Santa. ” Holly sighed, and the sound was a burred dagger straight to Tiffany’s heart.
She hated that her little sister couldn’t have what other kids her age could
afford.
    “If the monthly fees
weren’t so high—” she began, feeling as though she was singing the same
song, fiftieth verse.
    “I know,” Holly interrupted.
“It’s okay, Sis. I don’t need a smart phone calendar to remember your open
house. Everybody in town looks forward to it. Of course all of the goodies Mom
makes for the refreshment table draws in most of the crowd.”
    Tiffany forced a smile
to hide the fact that she was gritting her teeth. Trust Holly to state the
unadorned facts. “Yes, well, in any case, I ordered some of the most beautiful ornaments
you could ever imagine and they will be arriving any day now. I’ll let you know
when they get here so you can help me unpack them. Now, did any customers come
in while I was out?”
    “Just Mr. Matthews, who
bought a candle for his wife, one of those fancy ones that smells like peaches
when it burns. I’ll bet she’s mad at him again. And, oh yes, some guy who said
he knew you from high school.”
    “From high school? Who
was it?”
    Holly crinkled her
forehead. “Okay, let me think. I was going to remember his name. Hmmm.”
    Tiffany continued to
smile over her clenched teeth as she waited.
    “His first name started
with an R. Or was it a B?”
    Tiffany raised her
brows. “I didn’t go to high school with that many people.”
    “I know, I know. That’s
what’s weird. I know just about everybody because they are all still here in
Rushville, but I didn’t know this guy. Oh, I remember