Free Christmas With Tiffany by Carolynn Carey Page A

now. I thought he seemed
a little vain. I mean , you should have seen the way he
was dressed, all fancy with shiny black shoes and one of those coats that I’ve
heard described as camelhair. Boy, was it ever soft.”
    “You touched him?”
    “Don’t look so shocked,
Sis. I just accidentally brushed up against his coat sleeve. That’s when I
decided he was vain, because he sort of took a step back like I was going to
contaminate him. So I remember his name. It rhymes with vain.”
    Tiffany felt the floor
shift under her feet and she grabbed onto the back of the chair she kept
sitting near the counter to accommodate husbands who got bored while waiting
for their wives to shop. Okay, no need to come
unglued. There must be a thousand names that rhyme with vain. Cain, Raine , Fane, Jane. No not Jane. A man wouldn’t be named
Jane. Would he?
    “Sis?” Holly looked at
her strangely. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine.” She
straightened. “So what was the man’s name and what did he want?”
    “I don’t know what he
wanted. He didn’t say. He just said he was looking for you because he hadn’t
seen you in so long. He said he’d be back.”
    “The name, Holly. The
name.”
    “Oh, right. Duh. It’s
Bain. Bain Lyndhurst. But I don’t remember ever hearing of any Lyndhursts around here. Did they all move away?”
    Bain was back. Why on
earth would he be back in little old Rushville, Tennessee? He wasn’t a native.
In fact, he’d only lived here during his last three years of high school. His
father had been transferred to Rushville to establish a factory for making
parts for one of the large auto manufacturers in the state. The factory had
been a Godsend for Rushville, employing dozens of people who were in dire need
of a job.
    The thankful townspeople
had welcomed the new residents, but while the Lyndhursts had been friendly enough, they’d not bothered to put down roots or form any
attachments in the community, knowing they’d be moving on in a couple of years.
    Bain had been the
exception. When he entered Rushville High as a sophomore, he instantly became
the most popular boy in school. Good looking, outgoing, and always joking, he
had all the girls half in love with him. Why on earth he’d singled out quiet
little Tiffany Elwood was a mystery that baffled everyone.
    “Sis? What’s wrong with
you? I asked you a question. Who is Bain Lyndhurst?”
    Tiffany cocked her head
to one side and forced the biggest smile she could manage. “Just a guy I knew
in high school, sweetheart. Just a guy. Now you run
along home and tell Mom I’ll be late for supper. I can’t leave the shop until
after the freight truck runs. I want to hang around in case my ornaments
arrive.”
    “Okay.” Holly reached
under the counter and pulled out a knitted scarf that she wrapped around her
neck. She lifted her jacket off the coat stand and pushed her arms into the
sleeves.
    “Holly?”
    Holly paused. “What,
Sis?”
    “Thanks.”
    “Are you sure you’re all
right? You look kind of pale. You’re not sick, are you?”
    Holly always worried if
she thought a family member was getting sick. She’d been this way ever since
their dad had begun to feel sick one bright spring morning and was gone a mere
three months later.
    “I’m fine, Holly. Don’t
worry. I might be a little tired but I’m fine.”
    “You work all the time.
Mom says you work too much. I can stay and wait for the delivery man.”
    “No, sweetheart.” Tiffany
blinked rapidly for a second, not wanting Holly to realize just how tired she
really was. Besides, tears would merely bring on more objections, and she
couldn’t leave Holly alone to sign for a delivery. She swallowed hard. “I
appreciate the thought, really I do, but I’m not all that tired.   You go on home and help Mom. I’ll be fine.”
    “Okay.” Holly pulled on
her mittens and slipped out the door while Tiffany settled down to wait. If she was lucky, she’d have a few customers while