Wink took the bag, peeking down into it as if afraid a snake hid there, coiled to strike. Her eyes widened as she spotted the weather gauge, sweatshirt, and sticker book. She took the sticker book out, setting the bag down so she could hold it with both hands. Her lower lip trembled. Furiously, she blinked back the tears welling in her eyes.

“Awesome,” she breathed. “Thank you, um, Miss Christina.”

“You are most welcome, Wink. Merry Christmas.” This is what Christmas is all about, Christina thought. She almost cried, too.

Wink’s face brightened even more. “And I can use my five dollars to buy my mom a present!”

“Excellent idea,” Christina said.

Wink turned to face Christina, her chin high, her dignity fully restored. “Miss Christina,” she asked, “could I hug you?”

“Miss Wink,” Christina replied, “I would like that very much.” She crouched to be eye level with the girl.

Wink threw her arms around Christina and squeezed her hard.

Christina swallowed a big gulp of emotion. Someday she would have her own children. Until then, this was one of the sweetest embraces she’d ever known.

Wink released her, grabbed her presents, took the five-dollar bill from the counter, and headed for the door. “Merry Christmas!” she called, and raced away down the wharf, out of sight.

Chapter 2

“You guys are a pair of suckers,” Harriet said, rolling her eyes.

It was the next day. The Shedders were eating lunch again at Mimi’s, huddled around the heater. Christina had described giving Wink her gift. Mimi and Jacob were delighted, but Harriet scoffed at their sentimentality.

“She’s probably a little scam artist,” Harriet continued. “She probably does this at all the shops.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist,” Jacob told her.

Harriet glanced at Jacob and sighed. “I’ll try, but it’s hard.”

Christina changed the subject. “I’m not going to take an entire half hour today. Tomorrow the Christmas Stroll starts. The shoppers are out. Are you guys doing good business?”

Mimi nodded. “The sweatshirts are flying out of here, especially the ones I had made up with Santa riding the back of a whale.”

“I’m almost sold out of pinwheels,” Jacob reported.

“Pinwheels are hardly going to pay the rent,” Harriet reminded him.

“True,” Jacob agreed. “But the expensive science stuff is selling, too. Plus, lots of people are taking pamphlets about wind energy.”

“Oh, groan,” Harriet said. “Can’t you stop saving the world for one day? Don’t you need to make a buck?”

Mimi smoothly intervened. She stood up, which never failed to get attention, since all two hundred and some pounds of her was clad in her wildly patterned Christmas sweater. “Children,” she said sweetly, “no fighting. It’s Christmas. I, for one, am going to finish my sandwich at the counter. I can hear people milling about outside.”