With a smile pinned to her face, she was about to close the little Christmas shop attached to the café, but she was dealing with one last customer, a pudgy woman stuffed into a bright red jacket at least two sizes too small, a Santa hat partially covering her short brown curls. Her chapped lips were pursed as if she’d sucked on a lemon, and she was showing Julia an ornament she’d plucked from the display tree and complaining that it wasn’t available in off-white or ivory. Apparently snow-white “just couldn’t possibly” go on her tree.

“I’m sorry; it’s all we have left,” Julia said, trying to keep her voice light, but she was irritated. For Pete’s sake, it was two days before Christmas, and the woman was decorating her tree now? Just so she could get the fifty percent off the sales price?

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Pudgy pouted.

“I’m sorry.” Julia wasn’t. “Maybe you can find something else?”

“I’ve looked! Everything’s picked over.”

Well, duh. Again, two days before Christmas!

“Don’t you have some in the back? I swear I saw a bone-colored one just last week. Maybe there are others.”

“Everything we have is out,” Julia assured the old bag.

“Well, this just won’t do.” Pudgy scowled and puffed herself up even more, straining the zipper running down the front of her jacket. “I guess I’ll just have to look somewhere else.”

Good luck with that!

“I’m sorry.” But there wasn’t the least trace of sincerity in Julia’s tone; in fact, she was being sarcastic

And Pudgy knew it. She slapped the delicate ornament into Julia’s hand.

“And Merry Christmas to you too!” But Julia didn’t utter the overused phrase.

Pudgy adjusted her Santa’s hat and walked out in a huff, the door with its little tinkling bell over the threshold slamming behind her.

Good riddance, Julia thought, and wondered how long she would have this job—such as it was. Sophia had indicated that, during their fight, James had suggested Sophia find employment somewhere else but had acquiesced as it was the busy season. However, the holidays would soon be over. She hadn’t dared approach James, as Sophia had also told her that James needed a little time to sort things out.

Whatever their fight had been about, it had been a doozy, nearly ruining everything they’d worked for. Sophia had only confided that it had been about Rebecca, which was a pisser.