She’d just settled in her seat and was about to start the car when her phone buzzed with a text. From Jake.

Dinner tomorrow?

Short and to the point, she thought as she studied the words. Not sure how to answer, she dropped her phone in her purse and fastened her seat belt.

She made the short drive to Wrap Around the Clock and found a spot in the rear parking lot. Belle helpfully carried in one of the shopping bags, her teeth firmly clamped around the handle. Reggie grabbed the rest and managed to make her way inside with only one trip. Camryn was at the checkout desk with a line of customers. When she spotted Reggie and Belle, she laughed.

“I love your dog,” she said. “You’re in room six.”

“Thanks. She loves to be loved.”

Wrap Around the Clock had several private party rooms. There were big tables, plenty of chairs and all the supplies one would need to wrap presents. The host simply requested a certain type of wrapping paper, and a dozen or so selections were provided. Meals could be catered by a variety of local restaurants and drinks provided by Holiday Spirits.

Reggie walked into room six and found Dena, Paisley and Shaye were already there, sorting through the holiday wrapping paper Camryn had provided.

“You’re here,” Paisley said, rushing toward her and hugging her, then dropping to her knees to embrace Belle. “You’re such a good girl. Look how cute you are! And carrying a bag for your mom.”

“I went simple,” Paisley said, waving toward trays of food. “Bacon chicken salad sandwiches, a veggie plate, chips and dip, with brownies for dessert.” She pointed to the large and small pitchers. “A non-alcoholic holiday-themed drink for you, Dena, compliments of Howard. And for the rest of us, cranberry coolers.”

Reggie hung up her coat. They all handed over their share of the cost of the meal, then pulled up chairs at the table, distributed plates and napkins, and filled their plates with food. Belle looked briefly hopeful until Reggie told her to go lie down.

“I’ve never been to a wrapping party before,” Shaye admitted as she took her seat.

“It’s fun,” Paisley told her. “You get it all done at once. The nice part, for those of us who don’t have giant houses, is we don’t have to keep all the supplies around. When we’re finished, Camryn tallies up the supplies we used. She’ll even ship packages, if you want. I love being able to choose from all those cute decorations without having to go buy them myself.”

“Plus the tutorials,” Dena said, pointing to the posters on the wall. “See how there’s a picture of the wrapped package and then a list of the supplies needed, along with the cost?”