"You too." I was excited to have someone to spend the evening with. "I'd better get going. I don't want to be late for church."
That was not something I'd ever thought I'd be saying, but when new people come into your life, everything changes. And so far, I liked everything I was experiencing with Hudson.
CHAPTER 13
HUDSON
Ayla was chatting in the backseat and wanted to know everything there was to know about this live manger scene.
"Is it like a play? Will there be a real baby?"
I looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Mmm. I don't know about a live baby. I think it's a doll."
Her face fell. "Surely there's someone who has a baby who could let him be in the play?"
"I don't know," I said.
Angela came outside, and I wondered if Clara had said anything about us going to church together. I hoped she hadn't made her rethink her decision to join us.
I reached over and pushed open the passenger-side door, and Angela climbed in.
Once I pulled into traffic, I glanced over at her. "Did Clara need anything?"
"She was just talking about how she broke up with her boyfriend of six years recently, so she'll be by herself this holiday. I had no idea she had a long-term boyfriend, much less that they broke up. I need to be a better friend to her. She's been so good to Ayla and me."
"You've been overwhelmed with opening a new business and then the water damage. I’m sure she understands that you’re dealing with a lot right now."
"I want to be there for these women that have been there for me."
"Speaking of friends, how are the bookstore sales going for you?"
"I restocked several times, which is a good sign. Belle said she might want to keep the themed product year-round: candy canes for Christmas, hearts for Valentine's Day, and flowers for spring."
"What's for summer? Seahorses?" I teased.
Ayla giggled. "Unicorns."
I glanced over at Angela. "Do you have pa—" I glanced in the rearview and course corrected. "Undies with unicorns?"
"We don't yet. But I may have to order them. I've had a lot of requests. It's nice to know that my products did well there. Belle seems to think that they pair nicely with the romance books. She even suggested a blind date with a book where the buyer also gets a mystery pair of underwear."
"How does a blind date with a book work?" I glanced over at Angela.
"For Christmas, she wrapped a holiday-themed book with festive paper, and the buyer gets to be surprised by the book when they unwrap it."
"That's a cool idea."
"It's like a mystery box at the toy store," Ayla said.
Angela gestured with her hands to show the size. "Toy stores have these blind boxes with a theme, but you don't know exactly what you're going to get. The kids enjoy collecting action figures."
"The surprise would be exciting.”
"So much fun," Ayla said. "I asked Miss Belle if she would do a few blind packages with children's books."
"Is she going to do it?" I asked her.
"I'm not sure yet. I told her I'd help her pick out the books kids would want to read. She said I'm the perfect helper."
