Read Online Do You Believe in Santa? by Sierra Donovan - Free Book Online Page A

Good. She could take lunch soon. The work day seemed longer than usual today, probably because she had a date with Jake tonight.
    Mrs. Swanson stored her purse behind the counter. “A young man was here looking for you yesterday.”
    â€œJake?” The name was out of Mandy’s mouth before she thought about it.
    â€œYes, that was it. I told him you’d be back at work today. I didn’t want to disturb you on your day off.”
    â€œOh, that’s all right.” Trying for secrecy was a lost cause. Trying for nonchalance instead, Mandy picked up the feather duster and cast her eyes around for some surface, any surface, that might need her attention. “He called me at home.”
    â€œStill busy with that housecleaning project?”
    â€œI finally made some real headway.” She’d constructed a tower of boxes in the hall closet that would put a New York skyscraper to shame, and she still hadn’t been able to fit everything inside. She’d finally resorted to stuffing the last few boxes into her bedroom closet. “The house looks civilized now.”
    Mandy hoped she’d achieved the flavor of a mountain cabin, leaving out some of the pinecone ornaments and the swag of artificial evergreen underneath the fireplace mantel. The cardinal snow globe occupied a place of honor on the table in the entryway. In the kitchen, the Christmas village she’d painted over the years still decorated the tops of the cabinets.
    A little bit of Christmas in every room. And she was exhausted.
    Mrs. Swanson nodded. “It’s good to be prepared for company.”
    Expecting any? might have been the unspoken question. Mandy decided not to hear it. She started toward the south wall with her duster, then belatedly changed direction, steering away from the space where the clippings had hung. She found a shelf of tiny blown-glass figurines and set to work.
    But the missing clippings weren’t so easily avoided.
    â€œTake a little extra time on your lunch break today,” Mrs. Swanson said. “That way you can pick up some new frames at the drugstore. Find a nice pair of matching ones.”
    The feather duster froze in Mandy’s hand. Slowly, she turned to meet Mrs. Swanson’s watchful eyes.
    â€œIt’s still August,” Mandy said. “Do you think there’s any way we could give that display a little rest? Just until the Christmas season starts.”
    â€œMandy.” Her boss’s voice was gentler than she expected. “You know that’s a big part of what makes the store special.”
    â€œSales are good. Especially for summer.” Mrs. Swanson regarded her in silence. “I’ll keep a running total,” Mandy rushed on. “If we fall behind where we were last year, I’ll hang them back up. And I’ll put them up for good at the very beginning of November.”
    She didn’t know whether Jake would be here until November, or if her secret could possibly hold till then. But she wanted as much time as she could buy.
    Mrs. Swanson’s eyes held hers. Her boss might have stopped teaching school ten years ago, but she obviously had no problem putting two and two together.
    â€œIs he worth it?” Mrs. Swanson asked.
    â€œI think he could be,” Mandy said. “I just want a chance to find out.”
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    That evening, November seemed far away.
    Mandy stood beside Jake at the railing overlooking Tall Pine’s tiny lake, holding a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone in one hand, Jake’s hand in the other. They’d reached the pond just before sunset.
    â€œThis was a nice idea,” Jake said.
    Mandy didn’t answer. She was involved in a race against time with her ice cream cone, trying to catch the vanilla that was leaking where the thin chocolate shell joined the cone.
    After dinner, they’d gotten the cones at Penny’s Ice Cream Shoppe on Evergreen Lane. From there, Mandy had brought