Haley inhaled deeply as she admired the wreath. “I think this was made using Douglas-fir branches. It has that almost sweet, citrus smell.”
Gail looked impressed. “You know your Christmas trees.”
Haley laughed. “Only the ones I learned about when I had to cut mine down.”
“With Jeff?” Gail smiled. She was giving her that look again.
Haley grabbed her arm. “Let’s go see what they have inside.”
As soon as they entered the store, Haley smelled cinnamon and they could hear Christmas music playing. As she looked around, she saw they were surrounded by floor-to-ceiling Christmas decorations. “Wow, everyone around here is really into their Christmas decorations,” she said.
“Isn’t this magical?” Gail did a slow circle, taking everything in. “I know I’m going to find some great gifts here.” She grabbed two shopping baskets and gave one to Haley.
“What about you? Do you have anyone left on your list to get Christmas gifts for?”
“Me?” Haley shrugged. “I’m done. I just do gift cards. It’s a lot easier and less trouble.”
“Really?” Gail seemed surprised. “I love buying Christmas gifts. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I won’t go out and buy a bunch of things just because it’s Christmas. I only buy gifts if they have a special meaning. But I really think there’s something special about finding someone the perfect gift. It means you really know who they are and what they might like.”
“But what if you don’t really know what someone will like?” Haley asked.
“That’s really the point, isn’t it?” Gail answered. “You should know your friends well enough to know what they like. Plus, it’s the thought that counts. I would rather get something small and thoughtful than something that someone just bought and gave me to mark me off their list. A friend once gave me some smoked salmon, which would be a lovely gift if I wasn’t allergic to it.”
Haley laughed. “You never told her you’re allergic?”
“Of course I did, years ago, and several times since, but obviously this is the Christmas gift she gives everyone. So, you see what I mean. If you’re going to give a gift, it should be a thoughtful one.”
“Not one that makes you break out in hives.”
Gail laughed. “Exactly.”
“I guess that’s why I give gift cards to my parents and friends, because at least I know what stores they like, and then they can go and pick out their own gifts,” Haley said. “I’ve been giving my mom a Starbucks gift card for the last ten years. She goes there every day for her caffeine fix.”
Gail nodded. “That’s thoughtful, because you know it’s something she likes. But I think it’s also nice to give an actual gift, something that lasts, that someone can keep for a memory. I know those are the gifts that mean the most to me.”
Haley walked over to a table displaying some pretty vintage Christmas music boxes. She picked up the one that had Santa and a little girl on it. When she turned it on, it played “Silent Night.” She smiled and looked at Gail. “This is my mom’s favorite Christmas song.”
“It’s beautiful. It’s one of my favorite songs, too. It’s such a classic.”
Haley continued to study the music box. “It’s nice, and she really does love anything vintage.”
“Do you think she’d like it better than her Starbucks gift card?” Gail asked in a teasing voice.
Haley laughed and put the music box down. “Probably, but then you don’t know my mom and her caffeine. That’s a love you don’t want to mess with.” After they shared a laugh, she looked back at the music box and picked it up again. “But I do think she would like this, don’t you?”
Gail nodded. “I think she’d love the fact that you were thinking of her when you saw it and bought it for her, and every Christmas she could put it out and remember that.”
Haley smiled, thinking about Gail’s words. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. I’m getting it. Are you sure you don’t work here? You’re a really good saleswoman. Now, besides wrecking my diet, you’re a bad influence on my bank account.”
Gail laughed. “It’s only money. Let’s go spend some more.” She pointed at a table of snow globes. “Look at those little treasures.”
“Wait!” Haley suddenly remembered the angel she had taken from the angel tree at the community center. She took it out of her pocket and showed it to Gail. “Because you’re the expert shopper, can you help me with this?”
“Sure, what do you have there?” Gail looked with curiosity at the angel Haley was holding.
“One of the angels from the tree at the community center,” Haley said. She turned the angel over to read the writing on it. “It says, ‘This Christmas wish is for a little five-year-old girl named Anna who says she wants a baby doll.’”
Gail touched her heart. “That’s so sweet. Every little girl should have a baby doll. I see a toy section over in the corner. Let’s go see what they have.”
As they headed to the corner of the little store, Gail had to stop several times to admire different Christmas decorations, including a table of Christmas candles. She made sure Haley smelled every scent they had from holly berry to pine tree and gingerbread to cinnamon stick. When she couldn’t decide which candles she liked best, she gave up and decided to get one of each.
By the time they finally made it over to the toys, Gail’s shopping basket was overflowing. “I think I need another basket.” She laughed. “This one is getting pretty heavy with all these candles.”
Haley quickly took the shopping basket from her. “I got it.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m fine.” Gail tried to grab the basket back, but Haley wouldn’t let her.
Haley smiled at her. “It’s not a problem. Besides, I need your help picking out this baby doll. I don’t have a clue. So, pick one out that you think five-year-old Anna would like.”
They both stood in front of a long line of toys, taking it all in. They weren’t your usual run-of-the-mill toys. All of them were thoughtfully curated and displayed in different Christmas themes. On the top shelf, there were cute stuffed animals, mostly reindeers and Santas and even a Grinch. Haley laughed and pointed it out to Gail.
“If my best friend Kathy could see this, she would get it for me for sure.”
“The Grinch?” Gail asked surprised. “You like the Grinch?”
“No, it’s more like she calls me the Grinch. Actually, probably everyone at work calls me that.” Haley picked up the Grinch and looked into his eyes. “It’s my nickname because I don’t really celebrate Christmas.”
“When you say you don’t celebrate—”
“I mean I go to the Caribbean every year and take my parents so I can avoid all the usual Christmas chaos. I work with a client we have there, and my parents relax. We all love it, but it’s certainly not your traditional Christmas.”
“So, you’re not a Grinch. You don’t hate Christmas.” Gail took the Grinch from her, put it back on the shelf, and took down a stuffed Santa. She gave it to Haley. “I think this reminds me more of who you are.”
Haley laughed loudly. “Santa? What?” She looked at the Santa and gave it back to Gail. “I think sniffing all those candles has gone to your head.”
Gail laughed and hugged the Santa. “No, I’m serious. Look at you. You’re here right now in the toy section of this store because you’re making a little girl’s Christmas wish come true.” She handed Haley the Santa. “So, I’d say that definitely makes you closer to a Santa than a Grinch.”
Haley stared at the Santa. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“I do.” Gail took the Santa back from Haley and put it in her basket. “Merry Christmas; my gift to you so that you’ll always remember this time.”
Haley laughed. “No, Gail, really, you don’t need to do this.” She took the Santa out of Gail’s basket and put it back on the shelf. “Really, I don’t need the Santa.”
Gail grabbed the Santa again. “Everyone needs a Santa.”
<
br /> Haley couldn’t help but laugh.
Gail put the Santa in her basket and held it away from Haley so Haley couldn’t take it out again. “I told you when you find the perfect gift for someone, you really need to get it. This Santa will always remind you of who you really are. Who you really can be . . .”
Haley gave up. “Okay, if that’s what you want to do . . .”
“It is. Now, let’s find that baby doll for Anna.” She walked over to a glass shelf where a bunch of adorable dolls were lined up. One in particular caught her attention. “Look at this one. She’s really sweet.”
When Haley got closer, she couldn’t believe it. Gail was holding a Tyler Toys doll. The exact same doll she herself had in her office back at work, the same one she’d lost the staring contest to.
“Wait, I know that doll!” Haley said. “It’s a Tyler Toys doll.”
“It is,” Gail agreed. “It must be this year’s Christmas doll.” She admired the doll’s cute red velvet dress. “When I was growing up, this was the one thing I always asked Santa for. I’ve saved a lot of my dolls in case I have a granddaughter. The Tyler Toys dolls always bring back so many good memories. Do you know them? Did you have any growing up?”
Haley laughed. “Oh, I know them all right. You know that Christmas toy campaign I was telling you about that I’m working on? It’s for Tyler Toys, the company that makes these dolls.”
Gail looked impressed. “They’re one of the largest toy companies in America.”
“I know, and that’s why getting this account is so important to me.”
“Because of the Christmas tradition and all that Tyler Toys stands for?” Gail asked.
“No, because they’re a huge company, and they would be one of our biggest accounts, a real moneymaker for us,” Haley said. “If I can get the account, then I get my promotion.”
“Oh, I see.” Gail looked a little disappointed as she went to put the doll back on the shelf.
“Wait.” Haley stopped her. “Do you think Anna would like this doll?”
Gail’s smile was back. “I do. I think any little girl would love to get this doll. I know how much I loved my first doll.”
“Well, that’s good enough for me.” Haley put the doll in her basket. “My basket is getting pretty full. Is there anything else you want to check out?”
Gail looked around, and when she spotted some crystal snowflake ornaments hanging in the window, she gave Haley a hopeful look.
Haley laughed. “Okay, we can look at the ornaments, but that’s it. We’re running out of room.”
Gail was already making a beeline for them. “Don’t worry, they’re small!”
Haley laughed as she followed her.
Ten minutes and a dozen crystal snowflake ornaments later, they were finally at the register when this time it was Haley who spotted something across the store. It was a table of exquisitely painted ceramic Santa figurines.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, and hurried over to the Santas. There was one in particular that had caught her eye. He stood about seven inches tall and had the look of an old-world Santa. He had a long gray beard and bushy eyebrows that framed gentle-looking eyes. He was wearing an emerald-green cloak with gold stars, and he was holding a miniature Christmas tree that reminded Haley of her own little tree. When she picked up the Santa, she saw it was signed and dated by the artist. She smiled and walked back over to the register with it and told the cashier, “I’ll take this, too.”
Chapter 20
By the time Haley and Gail were done with their shopping and back at the inn, a light snow was just starting to fall. As they passed the life-size elf by the front door Gail patted him on the top of his head.
“Hello, little guy, looks like some snow is coming.”
Haley gave her a look. “Why is everyone always talking to that elf?”
Gail turned to her and smiled. “I think the question you should be asking is why aren’t you talking to him? It’s Christmas Camp, and he’s part of it. Where’s your Christmas spirit?”
Haley laughed. “I’m working on it.” She wasn’t about to admit that she, too, had been talking to the smiling elf, but she didn’t think in her case it had anything to do with having Christmas spirit.
Just as they were heading inside, Jeff appeared and held the door open for them. He hurried to help when he saw all their shopping bags. “Looks like you girls have been busy.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Haley said. She pointed at Gail. “This one here is quite the little shopper.”
“And proud of it,” Gail said. “And if I remember right, you found a few things, too.”
Haley nodded. “I did. She’s a bad influence on me.”
“Like eating ice cream for dinner?” Jeff asked.
“Exactly.” Haley smiled back at him.
Once they were inside, Gail held out her hands. “I can take those now.”
Jeff felt the weight of them. “Are you sure? I can take them up to your room.”
Gail gave him a grateful look. “Thank you, but I’m good. That’s one of the rules of Christmas shopping. I can only buy as much as I can carry.”
“Or as much as your shopping partner can carry,” Haley added.
“We really did make a great team, didn’t we, Haley?” Gail asked. She looked tired but happy.
Haley nodded. “We sure did.”
Gail gave her a quick hug. “I’m going to head upstairs and call it a night. Oh, and Haley, I know Anna’s going to love that doll. Have a good night, you two. Thank you for everything.”
After Gail left, Jeff gave Haley a questioning look. “So, you bought a doll?”
Haley pulled the Tyler Toys doll out of the bag and showed it to him. “I did, and this isn’t just any doll, this is a Tyler Toys doll.”
“Okay.” Jeff still looked confused.
“And this is Anna.” Haley dug around in her pocket and found the angel she had taken from the angel tree.
Now Jeff looked really surprised. “From the community center?”
Haley nodded.
He looked into her eyes and smiled. “That’s really nice of you. You’re making a child’s Christmas wish come true.”
Embarrassed by the way he was looking at her, Haley quickly put the doll back in her bag. “The doll is made by the company I’m trying to win over as a client, the big Christmas toy campaign I’ve been trying to work on.” The way he was studying her made her squirm a little. She felt he could see right through her.
“So, you’re saying you bought that doll for Anna as part of your research for work.”
“That’s right,” Haley said, trying to sound like she meant it.
“Really?” He smiled at her. It was obvious he didn’t believe her.
Haley didn’t blink. “Really.”
“Well, that’s good to hear, because I have some more research for you.”
Haley kept a smile on her face as she mentally prepared herself for the trap she’d just laid for herself. “What kind of research?”
Jeff held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Haley looked into his eyes and saw that familiar challenge. “Okay, but this better be good.” As she put her hand in his, she hoped this wouldn’t be something she’d regret. When Jeff opened the front door, she gave him a surprised look. “We’re leaving right now?”
“Don’t worry.” He held the door open for her. “We’re not going far.”
As she followed him outside, she quickly saw he wasn’t kidding about not going far. He stopped about twenty feet from the door. Only then did she realize he was still holding her hand. Slowly withdrawing it, she felt instantly cold as the warmth she had felt from his touch was gone.
Jeff looked up at the sky. The snow was coming down faster. Haley followed his gaze, and within seconds, she was wiping snowflakes off her cheeks. When he leaned over and brushed some snowflakes off her face, she could only stare back at him. “It’s really starting to come down,” he
said softly. Haley, not trusting herself to speak, just nodded.
Jeff turned his smiling face up to the sky. “I love it when it’s like this. When the snow starts falling, and everything gets quiet . . .”
Haley wasn’t looking up anymore. Instead she was watching Jeff enjoy the snow. She held out her hands and watched some snowflakes swirl around in the wind before disappearing when they touched her skin. Then she rubbed her hands together to warm them up.
Jeff noticed and frowned. “We need gloves. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”
Haley laughed as he ran back into the house, and she glanced over at the elf by the door. “Like where would I go?”
Seconds later Jeff was back, tossed her a pair of gloves, and put on his own as well. “You’re going to need these.”
Haley put them on. “So, when are you planning to tell me what we’re doing? You said this was something that would help me with work. How can standing out here in the snow help me?”
Jeff laughed a little. “I’m not going to tell you how it will help you, I’m going to show you.” And with that, he put both arms up into the air, spread his legs out wide, and then fell backward into the snow.
Haley’s hands flew to her mouth. “What are you doing? You’re crazy.”
Jeff was laughing as he moved his arms and legs back and forth, making a perfect snow angel. “Come on. Your turn.”
Haley shook her head, laughing. “You’re crazy!”
“Come on . . .”
Haley looked at him, her hands on her hips. “This is not on the Christmas Camp activities list.”
Jeff continued to move his arms and legs. “No, but I bet it will help you with work.”
She tilted her head as she looked at him. “How?”
“Think about it. You’re trying to come up with a Christmas toy campaign, right?”
“Right . . .”
“So, if you’re trying to come up with ideas for a toy company, you need to think like a kid, right?”
Haley nodded. “Yes, but even when I was a kid, I didn’t like making snow angels. I always got a lot of snow inside my coat, and it wasn’t a good experience.”
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