“Thought I had more containers out there.” Ava shimmied around her, picking up the stack she’d left behind. “I guess we’ll have to make do with these.” When Mom stood unmoving, staring at the garage door, Ava added, “You have to help me put these away before Elsie shows up. They’re five minutes out.”
“Is there anything you want to tell me, Ava dear?” Mom asked once upstairs, caution in that tone.
“Nope.”
“You’re sure?”
The chime of the doorbell saved her. “I better grab the door for Brayden. His hands’ll be full.” But when she pulled the door open, Kinley stood on the other side, decked out in a fabulously horrendous reindeer sweater.
“Hope I’m not too early.”
Ava yanked her inside by the wrist, relieved at the interruption. Three more days. That was all Ava had to survive. If she could make enough in sales by Christmas Eve, she would never have to tell Mom anything was wrong. “You’re just in time.”
“Kinley, how wonderful to see you, dear!” Mom wrapped Kinley in her famous suffocating hug. “Do you want to try some cookies? I’m practicing for our mother-daughter team. Contest is tomorrow, you know. Did you enter this year?”
“I’m a little swept up in wedding planning,” Kinley admitted, accepting the full dessert plate of cookies. “But I’m happy to be a guinea pig today.”
“Where’s that hunky man of yours?” Mom asked.
“Just finished his shift. He’ll be over soon.”
“Mom, why don’t you get the kitchen in order?” Ava suggested. “Kinley can help me get everything cleaned up before everyone else gets here.” She swiped a snickerdoodle from Kinley’s plate and took a bite.
“What do you need?” Kinley asked between bites of her own.
“I need to put all the extra baskets and decorations in the spare room. I’ll deal with them later.” Ava grabbed all she could and rushed down the narrow hall to a room she had thankfully locked before allowing Mom access to her house. The room was stuffed fuller than the garage, mostly with Christmas baskets.
“Just how many of these baskets did you make?” Kinley asked inside the room.
“A few dozen.”
“Looks more like a few hundred to me.”
Worried Mom might eavesdrop, she closed the door, barricading them inside the spare bedroom. “Don’t make a big deal about it, okay? Mom gets nosy. Christmas is almost here, and then—” Ava cut herself off, realizing what confession was about to slip out. “Never mind. I just don’t want Mom being overly snoopy.”
“Are you sure everything’s okay? We’rebestfriends. You know you can tell me anything.” Kinley pinned her with a concerned look, making Ava squirm. She was close to saving the store. With the massive order a businesswoman from Anchorage placed today, she held hope. Real hope. Ava still had no idea how she was going to transport seventy-five of them to Anchorage by Wednesday at lunch in time for a corporate Christmas party, but she would figure it out. She always did.
“It’s fine,” Ava finally said when Kinley didn’t budge. “Just a little worn out from the holidays. It’s my busiest time of year, outside of festival weekends in the summer. Can you please just drop it?” She asked the last in a soft plea.
Kinley lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. The topic is dropped.”
“Thank you.” But when Ava attempted to maneuver around Kinley for the door, she was blocked yet again. “We don’t have much time—”
“I want to ask you a favor.” Judging by Kinley’s ominous tone, Ava wasn’t going to like said favor. She folded her arms and waited. “Talk to Laurel. Do it for me, please. I want my two best friends to get along for my wedding.”
“Your wedding is six months away.”
Kinley’s frown deepened. “That’s why I want you two to sort everything out well in advance. Consider it my Christmas wish. Just pick up the phone and call her, Ava. She misses you. I know you two have a lot of history—”
“That’s one way to put it.” Ava didn’t mean to sound like a spoiled brat, but why did Laurel have to be brought into this conversation? “Kinley, shemarriedChase without telling me. They snuck away without telling a soul they were even dating, and came back married. If that weren’t bad enough, she dumped him a few months later and disappeared.”
“And she’s been trying to make amends ever since.”
“I’m not doing this right now.” Ava couldn’t handle one more thing on her precariously overflowing plate. Laurel least of all. “Ask me after New Year’s. I’ll reconsider then.”After I know the fate of the store.
“This really can’t wait. Ava, she’s—”
Rapid knocking startled them both. Ava startled, her feet tripping. She nearly took out half a dozen baskets, but Kinley’s quick hand saved her balance. “Girls, are you in there? Chase is here.”
