Free We Need a Little Christmas by Sierra Donovan Page A

Liv said, and then took the hug.
    â€œI worked at The North Pole shop until last year,” Mandy said as she stepped back. “Olivia could never resist anything with a little red-haired girl. She talked about you and Rachel all the time. You’ve got—what is it, an interior design business?”
    Apparently Nammy had a lot of trouble getting Liv’s line of work across to people. “Home organizing. It’s a little hard to explain.”
    Mandy looked puzzled, but beside her, Jake was nodding. So, at least one person in Tall Pine had heard of such a thing. Definitely not from around here, Liv decided.
    â€œShe specializes in closets,” Scotty put in, although Liv was pretty sure he was still unclear on the concept. At least this time he wasn’t making fun.
    â€œI think she said you were opening a chain of them?” Mandy asked.
    â€œWe just opened a storefront about two years ago, that’s all.” It seemed Nammy had gone around telling people she could fly.
    â€œEverybody always knew you’d do well,” Mandy said.
    Liv felt her face warm. She’d heard a lot of that yesterday, too. Voted most likely to succeed in the yearbook, alongside Mark Knopp. He’d been accepted at UC Berkeley and, as far as she knew, he hadn’t been heard from since. Maybe he’d invented some kind of new computer superconductor that people relied on every day without ever realizing it was there. Or maybe Mark had just figured that it was easier to meet expectations when you weren’t around.
    â€œAbout that grand tour,” Scott said again.
    â€œAbout the Christmas trees,” Liv began, at the same time.
    Scott nodded at her, as if yielding the right-of-way. “Go ahead.”
    â€œWhat kind of trees are they?” Mandy asked. “Why did she have two?”
    Liv stepped forward and fingered the brittle old blue-and-white box. If anyone could appreciate this tree, it was probably Mandy. “It’s one of those old silver aluminum trees—”
    â€œWith the wheel that makes it change colors?” Mandy looked fascinated.
    Liv caught a glimpse of Jake’s face behind Mandy, his brow furrowing dubiously.
    * * *
    The nickel tour of The Snowed Inn turned out to be well worth the trip.
    Jake and Mandy led them through each of the guest rooms upstairs, all currently vacant following the weekend crowd. Each room had a different decorating theme. The “Reindeer Room” featured reindeer figures and fabric patterns. “White Christmas” had a snowflake motif, with pine cones and gold accents to add color. “Heart of Christmas” was accented with red hearts on blankets, throw pillows, and a lovely quilted bedspread. At the far end of the hallway, a honeymoon suite was decorated in white lights and antique lace.
    â€œMost of the rooms have Christmas trees,” Mandy said. “But we’re still short a few, and I really wanted to have one for every room in time for Christmas, so you’re a lifesaver.”
    â€œAfter Christmas, will you take down the trees?”
    Mandy and Jake exchanged glances.
    â€œWe’re still talking about that,” Jake said. “Obviously, Christmas never ends here. But having trees up just in December might keep the Christmas season a little more special.”
    â€œBut since the guests aren’t here year-round, the trees would be special year-round,” Mandy said.
    Jake smiled; it was obviously an ongoing discussion. “We’ll talk about it in January.”
    Through most of the tour, Scotty hung back. Of course, he’d seen it before. And, as Jake and Mandy frequently pointed out, he’d installed a lot of the inner workings: wood-burning stoves, old-fashioned pedestal sinks, and all of the bathroom flooring, using brick or stone instead of the usual tile.
    Another Mandy touch: decorative air fresheners gave off holiday scents like cinnamon, cider, pine, cookies, or