Finding Christmas Read online

  Tommy was watching them both and looking more uncomfortable by the second.

  “She is here all the time,” Tommy said.

  Emmie gave Tommy a grateful look. “Exactly.” She then turned her attention back to Sam. “So we’re good here?”

  “But . . .” Tommy said.

  Emmie’s eyes shot back to Tommy. She didn’t like the tone of his voice. “But?” she asked.

  Tommy gave her an apologetic look. “But Mr. Riley ordered this wreath a couple weeks ago. It was custom-made for him. That’s why it’s bigger and has more pinecones and the bow is different from all the rest.”

  Emmie’s smile faded as Tommy gently took the wreath from her and handed it over to Sam. “So this one’s . . . his?” she asked.

  Sam gave her a little wave. “As I said, the name’s Sam.”

  Emmie wasn’t amused. She turned her attention back to Tommy. “Do you have any more like this, with the white lights?”

  Tommy shook his head. “Sorry. This one was made just for him.”

  Sam laughed. “Again, it’s Sam. You can call me Sam.”

  Now Emmie was starting to feel really embarrassed and ashamed of her very un-Christmas-like behavior. She had always been the kind of person who admitted when she was wrong, and she knew if there was ever a time to admit it, it was now. She turned back to Sam. “I’m really sorry.” Her voice was sincere. I didn’t realize you had ordered the wreath ahead of time. I get a little carried away when I find something I love.”

  “And she loves all things Christmas,” Tommy said. “We call her Miss Christmas.”

  Sam looked intrigued as he smiled back at her. “Really? Well, that’s quite a name. So let me try again.” He held out his hand to Emmie. “My name is Sam. I just moved to the neighborhood. Nice to meet you.”

  Emmie still looked a little guilty as she shook his hand. “Well, that’s nice of you to say after the way I behaved. I really am sorry about that, and your wreath is lovely. I love the plaid bow and the lights really make it magical. You have good taste.”

  Sam smiled at her. “My sister’s the one who loves plaid bows. They’re always her favorite.”

  Emmie gave the wreath one last longing look. “Having the lights just puts it over the top, and I love how big it is.”

  “The bigger the better, right?” Sam asked. “You can never have too much Christmas spirit.”

  Emmie gave him a surprised look. “That’s what I always say.” When their eyes met and held for a moment, Emmie felt a kindred spirit.

  Sam held out the wreath. “You know what, take it. It’s yours.”

  Emmie’s eyes flew from the wreath back to him. “What?”

  He handed her the wreath. “If you love it that much, you should have it. I mean you being Miss Christmas and all.” His genuine smile went straight to Emmie’s heart. “I can get another one made, right, Tommy?”

  Tommy smiled back at them. “Right. We’re a little backed up right now, because we have so much demand right before Christmas, but I can put a rush on it for you, since you gave yours to Emmie, and try to get you one tonight.”

  “That’d be great,” Sam said. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  “Are you sure?” Emmie asked. “Now I feel like I’m the Grinch stealing your wreath.”

  Sam laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. Enjoy it. Merry Christmas.”

  Emmie didn’t even try to hide her gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas!”

  As Emmie watched Sam walk away, Tommy unpacked another wreath. “It looks like the Christmas Spirit Wreaths are working already,” he said.

  Emmie smiled back at him. “It sure does. That was really nice of him. I didn’t know you could special order. I’ll have to remember that for next year. I want all my wreaths from now on to have lights.”

  Tommy laughed. “Okay, you got it. So are you ready to check out now?”

  “Yes. Thank you,” Emmie said. “I have been looking for just the right wreath to get my boyfriend. He loves plaid, too, so he should love this.”

  “Great. Let’s go,” Tommy said as he headed for the door.

  As Emmie followed him inside, she also happily scooped up a pink poinsettia. “You can never have too much Christmas!” When she started singing “‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly,’” she stopped cold in her tracks. “Wait, Tommy, I think I need some more holly!”

  AS EMMIE AND Denise strolled down the Seattle waterfront, Emmie was holding only one wreath. The one she had fought so hard for, the one with the plaid bow and Christmas lights. She’d already turned on the lights and looked as happy as one of Santa’s elves; Denise, not so much.

  Emmie gave Denise an apologetic look. “I really am sorry,” Emmie said. “The last time I asked for them to deliver stuff, it took them forever, so I really was planning to carry everything back to work. That’s why I needed your help. And did you see that holly? It’s amazing.”

  Denise shook her head but couldn’t help but smile when she saw Emmie’s face. Emmie looked so sincere and excited.

  “It’s okay,” Denise said. “Someone needed to stop you from buying up the whole shop. It’s dangerous having them so close to work.”

  “I think it’s fabulous and fate,” Emmie said as she happily held up her new wreath. “Or else I would have never found this when I was on my lunch break.”

  Denise laughed as she looked at the wreath. “And you think Grant’s going to like that? Mr. Scrooge.”

  Emmie playfully swatted Denise with her scarf. “Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about and he’s not a Scrooge. He’s just really busy with work.”

  Denise didn’t look convinced.

  “Seriously,” Emmie said, “Grant likes Christmas. He just hadn’t had time to get into the holiday spirit yet.”

  “And you think a Christmas Spirit Wreath is going to help?” Denise asked.

  “A Christmas Spirit Wreath with a plaid bow, extra pinecones, and white twinkle lights—uh, hello, yes! This is our first Christmas together. We’re making our own memories and now this wreath is going to be part of that. I’m going to get one like this every year. It can be one of our new traditions.”

  Denise laughed. “Well you better get going if you two are planning to make some memories this year. Christmas is only a week away.”

  “I know,” Emmie said. “That’s why I have the perfect Christmas plan.”

  Denise laughed. “Oh, boy. What are you up to now?”

  Emmie looked excited. “Grant knows how much Christmas means to me, so he said I could plan whatever I wanted for our little mini Christmas vacation that starts this weekend.”

  “Really?” Denise looked impressed. “Grant agreed to a Christmas-themed vacation? Wow. Okay, so maybe I was wrong about him. What are you guys going to be doing?”

  “I’ve put together a special Christmas scavenger hunt for him,” Emmie said excitedly.

  “Wait, what?” Denise looked confused.

  Emmie grinned back at her. “When I was little, we didn’t always have a lot of money for presents, but my dad would always do this special scavenger hunt for me. He’d wrap up my first clue, like a present, and it would lead me to my next clue, and I would have to follow all the clues to find my actual Christmas present. It was a way to make it more about the experience and not so much the gift. Honestly, I didn’t really care what I found as long as I figured out all the clues that brought me to that last present. That was the real gift, doing the scavenger hunt.”

  “So, you’re going to do something like that for Grant?” Denise asked.

  “Exactly,” Emmie said, happily holding up her wreath. “And he’s going to love it, just like he’s going to love this wreath.”

  “But if he’s not that into Christmas, how is he going to be able to solve all the clues?” Denise asked.

  “Don’t worry,” Emmie answered. “I’m making them super easy, and the last clue will bring him to Christmas Point, where I’ll be waiting, and
I’ve planned all these special Christmas activities for us to do together.”

  “Christmas Point?” Denise asked. “That Christmas town up in the mountains?”

  Emmie nodded enthusiastically. “That’s the one.”

  Denise looked skeptical. “And you think Grant’s going to go for that? I thought he was really busy at work.”

  “He is,” Emmie said. “He’s trying to make partner at his law firm, but he’s set aside this time just for us. I can’t wait. There’s so many Christmas activities I want to share with him, and I’d like to find out what he likes to do best at Christmas so we can combine our traditions. It’s all finally coming together. I’ve been planning this for weeks.”

  As they passed a Christmas tree at one of the stops, Emmie stopped and handed Denise the wreath and started adjusting the garland on the tree that had blown off in the wind. She also straightened up some lopsided silver bell ornaments. She turned and took the wreath back from Denise.

  “So Grant has no idea about this scavenger hunt?” Denise asked.

  “None.” Emmie laughed. “I’ve kept it all a secret. I want this to be a big surprise.”

  Denise laughed. “Oh, it’s going to be a surprise, all right.”

  Emmie gave Denise a look.

  Denise laughed. “Come on. You know I’m just giving you a hard time.”

  “More like Grant a hard time,” Emmie said. “You know Grant’s getting his firm to donate a hundred more Christmas dinners for us and is going to ask around about some volunteers.”

  Denise smiled back at her. “That’s great. Grant’s great, and you two are great together. It’s just I know how you are at Christmas.”

  Emmie put her arm around Denise. “Christmas is going to be great, too. Trust me. You’ll see and . . .”

  Emmie’s voice trailed off when she spotted some new trees getting unloaded at the Christmas tree lot across the street. Excited, Emmie started heading that way until Denise grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Denise said, then laughed at Emmie’s innocent look. “You’ve already bought trees for home, for work, for other people. You’re good. You don’t need any more.”

  “But . . .”

  The rest of what Emmie was going to say was cut off by the sound of a shrieking referee whistle coming from her cell phone. She checked her phone quickly. “Okay, you win this time, but only because I’m late.”

  Emmie picked up her walking pace.

  Denise hurried to catch up. “You’re hostage to that app.”

  “What?” Emmie gave her a look like she was crazy. “My On Track app is amazing. I put my whole schedule in it, and it keeps me on track, literally!”

  “Except that you’re always overscheduling yourself, I’m hearing this crazy whistle alert all the time. You can’t do everything, Em.”

  Emmie grinned back at her, grabbed her arm, and walked faster. “Watch me.”

  Chapter Three

  With the Bing Crosby classic “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” playing loudly, Sam, quite pleased with himself, stood in the middle of his high-rise Seattle condo, looking around at all his Christmas decorations that were scattered everywhere. There wasn’t a spot that didn’t glitter.

  The hardwood floor was covered with zigzagging Christmas lights that had all been plugged in to make sure they worked. In the corner, on the floor, in the one area that wasn’t already covered with lights, there was an eight-foot strand of a fresh evergreen garland that was waiting for its rightful place on the fireplace mantel.

  Scattered across the condo was Sam’s colorful and eclectic wooden nutcracker collection, in all shapes and sizes—the tallest was four feet, the smallest six inches. They were all standing guard. No naughty mouse king was getting by them. On the dining room table, coffee table, end tables, and kitchen counter, dozens of beautiful ornaments were also waiting for their chance to shine on the Christmas tree, a Christmas tree Sam still needed to get because he hadn’t found the right one yet. He had the perfect spot for a tree, right in front of one of his floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over Lake Union. It was a stunning view that was made even more magical at Christmas when he could see all the houses and boats on the lake lit up with Christmas lights.

  Carefully making his way into the kitchen, he eagerly opened a large pink-and-white-striped pastry box that said Patti’s Pastries. It was his favorite bakery and always well worth the trip, even if it was on the other side of the city. He’d first tried one of the bakery’s famous giant gingerbread boy Christmas cookies at a holiday party. He’d loved them so much, he’d tracked them down. As he carefully took one out of the box, his grin matched the cookie’s. He savored the first bite that was always the right leg, then the left, then the hands and body. He saved the head for last. He wasn’t quite sure why he ate the cookie in this order. All he knew was that he’d been doing it this way since he was a kid.

  As he looked around his condo, he laughed a little. There were enough Christmas decorations to decorate three condos, and that was saying something, because his place was a generous size at twenty-five hundred square feet. It had three bedrooms and an office he never used much.

  When he’d bought the place, he’d thought he wanted a dedicated space to work, just for his writing. But once he’d sat down in his office he felt claustrophobic, so he’d quickly moved his computer out into his dining room, where he found the natural light that flooded in and the views of the lake inspiring.

  When he glanced over at his computer and saw one of his nutcrackers standing on top of it, he looked away quickly. He didn’t want to be reminded of the work he was supposed to be doing.

  It made him feel better to look around his condo. He was happy with the choice he’d made to buy it. While it was in one of the city’s most prestigious buildings, nothing about his decor was pretentious or stuffy. His sister had offered to help him decorate after he spent the first six months living out of boxes. He’d agreed but had insisted that the vibe be laid-back and casual, as he was. He wanted people to walk in and feel instantly comfortable, not like they were in some fancy museum where they were too nervous to even sit on the couch.

  Some of his favorite things about the design were the custom-made floor-to-ceiling massive mahogany bookcases filled with books and the other showstopper, a stacked stone fireplace that was the focal point of the room. His sister had done a great job. His place looked warm and inviting, exactly like he had hoped it would.

  He was just about to take another big bite of the cookie when his doorbell rang. He was surprised because he wasn’t expecting anyone. Usually his doorman would ring him first. To get to his entryway he had to dodge various Christmas decorations and move a fierce and colorful four-foot nutcracker blocking the door.

  “Sorry, big guy,” he said as he picked the nutcracker up and moved it a few feet away.

  When he opened the door, he did a double take. Standing in front of him was Candace, his literary agent. She rarely made house calls.

  She’d discovered him over ten years ago, right after he’d graduated from college and he’d sent her the first draft of his novel Snow Break. The story was about a college student who had disappeared during a snowstorm while taking a break from one of his classes. He could still remember the moment she had called him, saying that while the story was rough, she saw potential and had decided to work with him on a trial basis. That was more than ten years ago, and she’d been his agent ever since.

  He would always be thankful that she had seen his potential and took a chance on him. He’d known when he’d sent her his manuscript that she usually took on only experienced authors, but he’d felt like he had nothing to lose, and he knew she had the reputation for being a straight shooter and would tell him if it was any good or not. Her unwavering candor was something he still both loved and feared. Feared, because he always worried if what he wrote was good enough, and she never minced words telling him when something wasn’t. And loved, because
when she said something was good, he knew she really meant it. He’d always felt he’d rather know the truth straight up, good or bad, because then at least he knew how to handle it.

  Over the years, Candace had become much more than just his agent. She had become his friend, his confidante, someone he trusted and respected, someone he never wanted to let down. They were like family, and just like family, she could drive him crazy sometimes. But deep down, he knew she only had his best interests at heart. Their relationship was about as real as it could get.

  Now as Candace stood in his doorway, Sam knew by the look on her face that she wasn’t happy. Still, he remained cheerful and optimistic as he opened the door wider. “Candace, what a wonderful surprise. Merry Christmas!” When she didn’t smile back, his fears were confirmed: he was in trouble.

  Before he could say another word, Candace, looking annoyed, held up a giant wreath. He was surprised to see it was his Christmas Spirit Wreath, exactly the way he had wanted it. It had the red-and-green-plaid bow, extra pinecones, and the white twinkle lights. The lights were turned off.

  “Where did you get that?” he asked.

  Candace gladly gave him the wreath and brushed off her immaculate winter-white cashmere coat. “Your doorman. He didn’t give me much choice. He said I could come up if I brought you the wreath. He wanted to get rid of it. He had so many other packages coming in, and it was taking up too much space. He tried to call you. So did I. But you never answer your phone.”

  “I know, sorry.” Sam said. “I’ve just been busy. The ringer must be turned off.”

  “That’s what you always say,” she shot back at him, not letting him off the hook.

  Sam put his arm around her. “That’s because it’s true. Thanks for bringing my wreath up. Come in.”

  “What in the world do you need a wreath this big for?” Candace asked as she started to enter the condo. “Where are you even going to put it?”