“Bye.” The reminder of the fire twisted at her stomach.I should go home now.
But for some reason, she stayed and looked down the street at the line of shops. There weren’t a lot of options, and she didn’t want to make do for Ben’s present. Besides, since there weren’t so many shops, it wouldn’t take long to have a look at what she might be able to get him.
If only I had time to go to Adelaide. She would’ve perhaps bought something online if she knew it would arrive on time. It was too close to Christmas now, and since she lived away from a major city, it was likely to arrive too late.
A reflection on a sign caught her attention—Heart and Soul Gifts. The gift shop was new to the area, and one that Raven wasn’t familiar with. She pushed on the front door and walked in, deciding it was as good a place as any.
Incense wafted to her as she walked inside, the smell evoking a sense of peace for her. The place was organized and neat. There were small round tables with long white cloths over them scattered around the shop. Some had candles, some fancy glass, and others had little statues of unicorns, which she really didn’t think were at all suitable as a gift for Ben.
She picked up a coconut and lime scented candle and smelled it. This could be all right for Anne. She kept it in her hand as she wandered around the shop, looking.
Raven spied some wooden, handmade items on a lower shelf along the wall. They were made from jarrah wood. There was a bowl, which she thought would be suitable for Janette. A tube which was labeled ‘pencil case,’ which she thought was a cool idea but, of course, not a suitable present for Ben.
For some reason, she kept looking through the carved objects. One, in particular, caught her attention.
Just what I was looking for.
She picked it up and turned it over in her hand. She wanted the gift to be special, to have meaning that was between her and Ben.
Her heartbeat skipped.But would he like it?
“Can I help you?” the young female shop assistant came up to Her. “I’m Nat.”
“Do you do gift wrapping?” she asked, knowing that there was no way she’d manage to find the time to wrap this gift, not with the fire. She realized they hadn’t even put up the Christmas tree yet. The fire was putting everything out of alignment.
Unsure if Ben would appreciate, let alone like this gift, she handed it to Nat. Most guys were used to getting jocks and socks, and she wondered if while predictable, if that’s what she should do. At least it would cause him to have a laugh. She looked at the carving in her hand. For whatever reason, this felt right. This had a special meaning that she couldn’t get past.
“Can you please wrap it for me?”
“Of course, Christmas paper?”
“Yes, and can you wrap the candle and bowl as well?”
“Sure thing.”
“Thanks.” Raven remembered she needed Christmas cards. She made her way over to the rack of cards. They were stock standard cards, and what she wanted was unique cards to make this Christmas together with his family special.
I could design my own, and the thought amused her. If there weren’t the fire and more time before Christmas, making her own cards could be easy. But this thought came from somewhere deeper. It wasn’t a fleeting idea, but something she could do alongside her online business, and with any luck, it might well take off.
Something to consider later.Raven went to the counter to pay and collect the wrapped gifts. If anything, thinking about making her cards might just help her stop worrying about Ben.
Janette and Raven set up a production line of sandwich-making in the kitchen. Raven couldn’t believe she was helping to make five dozen sandwiches. It wasn’t even midday yet.
The kitchen table had the bread lined up in neat columns, two slices of bread next to each other for the sandwich. The bread covered most of the space. She was going through smearing butter on them. Janette then followed with a slice of cold meat, corn beef or ham or chicken, followed with a piece of lettuce, and then a piece of tomato. Raven finished by smearing tomato chutney on one side of the sandwich and closed them up. Janette finally cut them diagonally making two large triangles.
“What do I package them into?”
“On the top shelf of the cupboard there are some big plastic containers,” said Janette, not even looking up from cutting the sandwich.
Raven opened the large kitchen cupboard and went up on her tiptoes. She could just reach the containers. Carefully, she pulled them down. They were huge. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought to have in her kitchen. It appeared that when things were done out here, they were done on a much bigger scale.
Raven wiped out the containers, then set them on a chair and started stacking the sandwiches inside them. They fit perfectly. She knew that Janette had put thought into what containers she was buying and the size. She wouldn’t have. She was impressed.
She placed the lid on the container, set it over by the counter space near the kettle, and began filling another.
“I think we should take them to the fire front,” said Janette.
“You think? Didn’t you say that they were setting up a place for volunteers to rest in Keith?” As much as Raven wanted to see Ben, she also remembered how firm he was that she stayed here.
