She nodded. She trusted the upkeep of their vehicles to her husband and immediately put the thought out of her mind. Car troubles were minor in the greater scheme of things.

By the end of the day, when clouds thickened the sky and the cold swept in, fierce and chilling, Thom finally had to admit that replacing the silver tea service wasn’t going to be easy.

He’d tried everything he could think of, called friends and associates who might know where he could find an antique dealer who specialized in silver—anyone who might lead him to his prize. Far more than a gift lay in the balance. It was possible that his and Noelle’s entire future hinged on this.

At seven, after an exhaustive all-day search, he went home. The first thing he did was check his answering machine, hoping to hear from Noelle. Sure enough, the message light was flashing. Without waiting to remove his coat, he pushed the button and grabbed paper and a pen.

A female voice, high and excited, spilled out. “It’s Carley Sue. Remember me? I’m Noelle’s sister. Anyway, Noelle asked me to call you. She’d call you herself, but I asked if I could do it, ’cause it was my bedroom window you knocked on. And my computer Noelle used.”

Thom laughed out loud, almost missing the second half of the message.

“Anyway, Noelle wanted to know if you could meet her at the park tomorrow morning. She said you should be there early. She said six o’clock ’cause you have to drive all the way to Portland. She said you’d know why, but she wouldn’t tell me. When you see Noelle, please tell her it’s not nice to keep secrets from her sister, will you?” She giggled. “Never mind, I could get it out of her if I really wanted to. Bye.”

Thom smiled, feeling a surge of energy. Obviously Noelle had had better luck than he did.

A second message followed the first.

“Thom, it’s me. I wasn’t sure Carley got the entire message to you. When we meet at the park, come with a full tank of gas. If this conflicts with your Christmas Eve plans, call me on my cell phone.” There was a short pause. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I found a tea service that’s not exactly like your grandmother’s, but I’m looking for a Christmas miracle. We’ll need to compare it to the picture. The dealer’s only keeping his store open until noon, which is why we need to leave here so early. I’m sorry I can’t see you tonight. I wish I could, but I’ve got family obligations. I know you understand.”

He did understand—all too well. A third message started; he was certainly popular today. It was his mother and she sounded worried.