According to Susanna, her best friend, Clem and Slade had another yelling match in front of Clem’s today. How could she get across to her mother, the two men, the whole town that Christmas was about family and giving, not about who had five gillion lights and a Santa in front of their business?
She bundled up on her bed, tossed aside the pink throw for her white comforter, and popped a throat lozenge. It only took moments to transfer the pics from her phone to her laptop and upload the best picture from the incognito social media account. Thinking for a minute, she captioned the photo: “Even pumpkins know Santa belongs to the town.”
She could have used her phone, but no one could discover what she was doing yet, and her laptop stayed in her room for studying purposes and nothing else. Her mother’s rule. Her brother, Chance, the computer geek, had gone to great lengths to make sure her computer stayed private.
Her phone dinged again, and she checked the message. Daniel sent another Santa picture set at the VFW and the elementary school. They’d been busy. She voted to do the Lutheran Church, but too many people went there to gawk at the gigantic Christmas tree, and Jake had vetoed that one.
Was she using the boys? She forced herself to be honest. Yes.
For Daniel, the prank was a way to be different from his overachieving brothers. For Jake, he liked her. A lot. Did she like Jake back? She rubbed her nervous tummy and set her laptop aside, uncomfortable with the question.
Opening her experiment notebook, she marked the day and time she loaded the farm picture of Santa and plotted when to deliver the next picture to the Sergeant. Did she dare keep her nose in the investigation? She was interested in their steps and how long it would take to figure out it was her, but she had a greater purpose for this: wake up the darn town. Arguing overdecorations was not what her hometown was about, and she was going to prove it.
&&&&&&&&&$
Tom disconnected his cellphone and stared at all the cars lined up for the bays at his grandmother’s mechanic business. Window cracked, the chilly breeze swept away the stuffiness of the vehicle. With nine days to go before Christmas, the shop was busy. Olivia only spent two days a week here, and Josh Anderson, her head mechanic, ran the rest. The business had been her dream since her father’s original one had been sold after his death. The entire family had been worried about this venture, but it soared to success within weeks of opening to the consternation of Buddy from Buddy’s Towing and Auto. Tom grinned. He didn’t like Buddy. Never had.
He always took a few minutes every shift to enjoy the Santa and reindeer lighted display on the top of the adjoining car dealership. He had a deeper appreciation this year. That one took a crane to get on the roof and nobody could steal it.
He sat, lips pursed and head calculating. Penny Gutherie had Summer’s art room planned. New floor, custom cabinets, moving a closet access for more storage, new windows, and all new electrical for lighting – which might lead to new electrical throughout the house. It was a doozy cost wise.
He’d told Penny to go ahead and draw up plans and ideas for Summer to approve, but these changes might take a visit to the bank for a loan. They’d inherited the house from Walter, so they had no mortgage payment, but he considered the house Summer’s inheritance. He in no way wanted her covering any of the cost when it was his gift to her.
Still. What was he trying to prove? He couldn’t compete financially with Summer’s artwork or Jonathan’s financialbacking, and he couldn’t do it loan free unless he drew on his family’s gas/oil leases. Any of those options defeated the purpose of it beingfrom him.
He was only a cop, not world renowned.
He frowned, unhappy with the direction of his thoughts. “Come on, Tom. She’s not Georgia O’Keeffe. Yet,” he muttered. “What else are you going to use your money for?” He reported his location to dispatch and got out of the SUV.
His grandmother stood in bay one, blue overalls over her clothes and her gray hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her rosy cheeks and happy expression made him smile. She was at peace with herself, and she loved the shop. He shook his head at the black work boots, though. They were out of place on a woman who usually wore colorful tennis shoes.
She gave him the look.
Uh-oh.
He hadn’t done anything. That he knew of.
“Where have you been?” The sound of her voice always soothed sore places, but she wasn’t usually so demanding. She’d always been his confidant, but he’d quit appraising her of his location when he’d been fourteen and started kissing girls.
He stopped in front of her, eyes sweeping the front of the business and identifying Josh Anderson and Dell Bryant, her tow truck driver. “Out at the farm. Chad had some pranksters at the market last night.”
“No surprise.” She handed Tom her phone. “Look what Josh just showed me.”
One glance and Tom groaned. Disgust flooded him. He shut his eyes and exhaled. “A Santa picture. At the farm.” He clamped his mouth shut on a bunch of swear words. The mischief at the farm finally made sense.
“Has about 100 views.”
“I swear there are kids at the high school who are in on this secret. I need to call Bret.”
Olivia shook her finger at him. “Don’t involve your pregnant sister. She’s got enough on her plate.”
Due January 3rd, Meg was counting the days until school let out for Christmas break. Chrissy having Stevie the other day finally tumbled for him as a necessity not an excursion.
Tom handed back her phone. “She’s nosy. Not sure either of us can get away without telling her the whole story. But I’ll try.”
“You and Summer are coming for dinner tonight.”
“Okay. News to me.”
