Spoonful of Christmas (8 page)

As the room spun, she gripped the counter. Her mother’s ornament was irreplaceable, one of a kind. Something she’d never get back.

“There’s no sign of breaking and entering,” Ian Lockwell informed her. “The thief must have had a key to come into the shop and then lock the door on his way out, unless he dropped down from the roof. But since you don’t have a chimney, I think we can rule that out.”

“How would this thief get a key?” Rachel asked. “From one of our employees?”

Kim shook her head. “Eric, Heather, and Theresa deny losing or giving their key to anyone.”

“And if it wasn’t any of us,” Andi said, trying to think, “or the guys . . . that means somehow someone got a key to this shop without us knowing about it, or he found a way to magically appear inside.”

Rachel pursed her lips. “Should we ask Mike for ideas? He knows about magic tricks.”

“Yes,” Kim agreed. “But why would he take our tree?”

Andi frowned. “It’s as if the culprit shanghaied the tree and all the new gifts I’d collected for the foster children. Except our shop doesn’t have a trapdoor or a hatch leading out of the building like the Captain’s Port.”

“He must have used the side door of the back party room,” Ian explained, “because the interior security camera showed he didn’t use the front door. Whoever did this came up to the camera from the inside and smashed a cupcake into the lens before it could get a clear shot of him.”

Andi pointed to the pages of the Cupcake Diary spread out on the counter next to the glass display case and looked at Rachel and Kim. “Did you leave this open?”

Both shook their heads and drew closer.

Rachel’s eyes widened as she read,
“Got Grinch?”

“This person isn’t just being funny,” Kim said, pointing to the green lettering. “He wants to be known.”

Rachel waved her hand toward the coatrack. “Can you believe it? The Grinch even stole Mike’s red Santa suit.”

“He really
is
a Grinch!” Kim said with a scowl.

“I guess you don’t have to worry about Mike wearing the Santa suit at your wedding,” Andi said, glancing at Rachel.

She’d meant the comment as a joke, but the crack in her voice ruined the humor. All she could think about was that she’d failed again, failed to gather the gifts she’d promised those poor foster care children.

Later that day, Andi agreed when Jake suggested they take the girls to the Port of Ilwaco Christmas celebration. Jake needed to write an article on the event, and he said it might help take her mind off the Grinch and all his cold-hearted thievery.

Ilwaco, Washington, was just a short ride over Oregon’s Astoria-Megler Bridge, and many of Astoria’s locals made the trip to see “the World’s Tallest Crab Pot Christmas Tree,” “the World’s Shortest Fireworks Display,” and the renowned Lighted Boat Parade.

Mia and Taylor, excited to be off from school for two whole weeks of winter break, ran ahead as she and Jake strolled through the Christmas Market featuring Pacific Northwest arts and crafts vendors. Caroling and the lively, uplifting music of the jazz band filled the frosty night air.

Jake stopped at a food booth and bought them each a slice of pizza. “Reminds me of the pizzeria my family owned when I was growing up. Can you smell the fresh oregano and garlic?”

Andi could smell it, all right. “I can taste it, too. You won’t want to kiss me after this.”

Jake grinned. “Of course I will. I was raised around people with pizza breath. You know the East Coast is famous for its pizza. My grandmother came from Italy and helped my father start his first pizza store in New York. Then Dad decided to move to Lake Tahoe, and our family started a second store there.”

Andi’s gaze traveled past him to a tent vendor selling ornaments. “You know, some of those look familiar. I’ll be right back.”

She browsed the Christmas ornaments decorating the six mini tabletop trees lining the fold-out table and pointed to a painted glass ball with a reindeer.

“Where did you get this?” she asked the seller.

The woman pointed to another vendor three tents down who sold the same generic ornaments. “Would you like to buy?”

“No, thank you,” Andi said and returned to Jake and the girls.

“A change of scenery might be good for you,” Jake said, taking her arm. “Have you thought more about—”

“Jake! The tree lighting is about to start.” She waved to the girls to throw their pizza-stained napkins in the trash and taking their hands, led them toward the gathering crowd.

Dozens upon dozens of stainless steel boxed-wire crab pots had been stacked one on top of the other, forming the shape of a giant tree. A golden star lit the top, and the rest of the “tree” was decorated with multicolored lights and hundreds of fishing lures.

“Looks like it’s at least twenty-five feet tall,” Jake said and scribbled a few lines in his notebook. “Almost as big as the Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C.”

Andi pointed past the tree to another vendor. “Do you see the bag of presents that guy is holding?”

“The man by the beach offering Pirate Santa Photos?” Jake shot her a look of sympathy. “Andi, the guy’s legit. Those aren’t the gifts stolen from our shop.”

“I’m sorry. I keep picturing the foster children having a blue Christmas like in that old TV special,
The Year without a Santa Claus.
”

The Lighted Boat Parade immediately followed. Floating vessels of all shapes and sizes, from dinghies to crabbers, sailed past in single file through the marina. They went out to Cape Disappointment and back, giving people plenty of time to judge which boat’s lighted mast, garlands, and other festive holiday decor they liked best.

While the red, blue, yellow, and green lights reflected in the dark nighttime water were some of the prettiest images she’d ever seen, Andi’s gaze strayed back toward the vendors, especially to one man selling gifts and ornaments out of the back of an open truck.

Excusing herself, she left Jake with the girls and made her way toward him. He even had some macaroni angels, similar to the ones she and Rachel had made when they were younger, except with different decorative detail.

“I’ll make you a deal,” the guy said, giving her a wink. “Two for the price of one.”

Then she saw it. Her mother’s handmade gray bakery mouse clutching the silver spoon with her initials and the date she’d made it, engraved on the back.

“How about I call the cops,” Andi countered, “and you explain how you stole this ornament from my cupcake shop?”

The police questioned the man for fifteen minutes, during which he claimed he’d bought the items from someone else he couldn’t name. Then when some TVs and other high-dollar gifts that had been reported stolen were also found in his truck, the man was handcuffed and taken away.

“We’ll let you know what we find out,” an officer promised, handing her his card.

Andi turned to Jake, who had joined her once the cops started closing in. “Can you believe that guy? I hope they get him to confess he’s the Grinch who’s been stealing from us.”

“I hope so, too,” he said, an urgency tingeing his voice as they walked with the girls back to their car. “But about our move to D.C.—”

“We didn’t say we’d move,” Andi corrected. “And . . . I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“We
have
to talk about it,” Jake said, the expression on his face anxious. “The editor of the
Post
called and said they’d prefer to hire me, but if I don’t give him an answer, they’ll give the job to someone else.”

Andi stopped walking and met his gaze. “Okay, we’ll make a decision after Christmas like we agreed.”

“No.” Jake gave her a solemn look. “They want to know
tonight.
”

R
ACHEL SMILED AS
she stepped over the threshold of the boutique where she and Kim had decided to shop. The beat of her heart kicked up a notch as she breathed in the scent of new clothes, sweet perfume, and the promise of another glorified purchase. She couldn’t understand why anyone—
like her cousin
—wouldn’t love to shop.

Okay, Kim didn’t exactly share her enthusiasm either, but she had been excited to come along to find a gift for Nathaniel—which made all the difference in the world.

“Last night Nathaniel took me on a horse-drawn sleigh ride at one of the farms by Youngs River Falls, and he kept hinting he got me something special for Christmas,” Kim explained. “I want to find something special for him, too, something that shows how much I care.”

“I take it luggage tags are out?” Rachel teased.

“He talked to my dad,” Kim said, twisting the shoulder strap of her hobo bag around and around.

“What about?”

“He won’t tell me. Nathaniel said he saw my father in town, and they went for coffee.
Coffee!
Can you believe it? First I asked him if he was sure he had the right father, because my dad’s never chatted with me or Andi over coffee.”

Rachel frowned. “I thought you said your father had been opening up more with you and Andi over the last few months?”

“Yeah, but not enough to have a full-blown conversation. What could they possibly have talked about?”

Rachel laughed. “You look nervous. Maybe Nathaniel asked your dad for your hand in marriage. Nathaniel is a traditional kind of guy.”

Kim shook her head. “Nathaniel hasn’t even hinted at marriage. If anything, he keeps pressing me on my thoughts of continuous travel.”

“Speaking of travel,” Rachel said, picking up a pair of sunglasses from the rack in front of her. “Do you think I’ll need these for Hollywood?”

Kim smirked. “Yes, in fact, I think you’ll need a different set for each day of your honeymoon.”

“Great idea!” Rachel agreed. “I should buy Mike some, too.”

“What about your agreement?”

Rachel pictured herself with Mike in sunny California with the famed white Hollywood sign on the hill behind them. She’d wear one of those stylish wide-brimmed floppy hats she’d seen in the fashion magazines, and Mike could wear a black beret to go with his gorgeous dark brown hair. They’d each wear their sunglasses and sit under an umbrella table at a cafe sipping champagne like the movie stars.

“Oh, but he’s going to love it,” Rachel said. “Who can go to Hollywood without a pair of sunglasses?”

Kim looked at the price tag. “Did you know they cost a hundred dollars? You can find cheaper ones at the drugstore.”

“Oh, but these are perfect,” Rachel whispered. “And I’ve already planned the perfect wedding with a videographer, ice sculptures, a chocolate fountain, a live band, and hundreds of white rosebud flowers.”

She ignored the skepticism on Kim’s face and made her purchase at the cash register. “Besides, I don’t have time for the drugstore,” she continued, breaking into another smile. “I’m getting married tomorrow!”

R
ACHEL STEPPED ONTO
the red-carpeted staircase with her two bridesmaids and waited for Grandpa Lewy to come give the signal that the wedding was about to start.

The historic downtown Liberty Theater, which opened in 1925 as a vaudeville/motion picture palace, had more recently been turned into an exquisite performing arts venue. She’d rented the McTavish Room, where both the ceremony and the reception would take place.

The elegant room, with its cranberry red carpets, wooden dance floor, and candlestick crystal chandelier, held 185 people, seated in groups of eight around fifteen tables. She’d calculated the numbers over and over when making her plans. Five large serving tables would be spread with the catered food, along with a buffet table for the chocolate fountain fondue and a small carving table for turkey and roast beef.

She’d waited her whole life for this once-in-a-lifetime day. She, Rachel Marie Donovan, was about to walk down the aisle behind her most cherished friends, unite with the man she loved, and have the Cinderella wedding of her dreams.

So why were both of her bridesmaids’ eyes brimming with tears? If anyone should be crying, it should be her, from sheer happiness.

“Andi, what’s wrong?” she whispered. “Are you okay?”

Andi, dressed in the holly green gown her mother had been able to fix, let out a soft, audible sob. “I can’t help it. I love this place.”

“I love it, too,” Rachel soothed. “That’s why I chose to have my wedding here.”

“I meant Astoria. I love Astoria. And I love Creative Cupcakes.”

Rachel pretended she understood, but Andi had been acting weird, and now she was all emotional. She turned to Kim. “What about you?”

“I overheard Nathaniel talking to your cousin,” Kim said, her face grim. “I thought he was flirting with her.”

“Stacey?” Rachel laughed, then covered her mouth, hoping no one being seated in the other room had heard. “The woman can’t even dress herself. Yesterday she wore a tie-dyed skirt and zebra print top beneath her red apron.”

“He told her he plans to go away soon—to New Zealand—which is halfway around the world. He didn’t mention this to me, so I doubt he intends to take me with him.”

Rachel elbowed her. “Kim! Don’t you see? That’s what he’s getting you for Christmas! Travel tickets.”

Kim nodded. “But that’s not what I want.”

The door opened, and Grandpa Lewy, a dashing sight in his black tuxedo, looked a far cry from the sick man he’d been six months earlier. “Is there anyone here who wants to get married?”

“That’s me,” Rachel said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Are you the man they broke out of the senior center to give me away?”

Grandpa Lewy chuckled, and then a tear slipped down his cheek, too. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m getting married,” she told him. “I’m not leaving you.”

He wiped his eyes. “Mike said he made an appointment to visit a real estate agent while you’re down in Hollywood for your honeymoon.”

Rachel hesitated. “He did?”

She only thought he suggested moving to California so she’d stop working and have babies, but now that she’d told him she’d like kids, she didn’t expect to
move
.

Her flower girls, Mia and Taylor, came up the stairs to join them. They both wore white dresses and had their hair piled up on their heads with a floral circlet. Then the door opened, and one by one they all made their way down the aisle. The flowers girls went first, followed by Kim, then Andi.