Chapter 9 #2
Once they were out of the Pathfinder and on the sidewalk, Grady took Chelsea’s hand, and they strolled by Hannigan’s Feed Store, pausing a moment to look at the Christmas window display.
A holiday scene with a pair of white horses hooked up to a sleigh carrying a cowboy Santa and brown and white cattle in the background.
Artificial snow lay on the ground, and lights circled the window, creating a cute display.
He glanced at her and smiled, squeezing her hand tighter. Their eyes met and the moment seemed to last forever, and then it was gone.
They moved on to the next window, which was Susie’s Salon.
She had a silver mannequin head and shoulders, its wig done up in an elegant holiday style, a red velvet bow, and a sprig of holly on top.
Boxes wrapped in metallic green, silver, and red paper with elaborate trimmings were arranged prettily around the mannequin, and a red garland rounded the large window.
The next shop was Ashlyn’s Cards and Gifts store. The whole window was taken up by a brightly lit small Christmas tree, with a variety of Hallmark ornaments covering its top to the lowest branches.
“I’ve never been in here.” Grady held open the door for Chelsea to walk through.
“I adore this shop.” She smiled and waved at the owner. Grady followed her in, and she introduced him to Ashlyn.
After they greeted the store owner, Chelsea and Grady went their separate ways, in search of gifts.
She had her brothers and sisters to shop for, and she always managed to find something fun for each of them. Every year, she also exchanged gifts with Kyra, and Chelsea hoped she could find something cute for her closest friend.
She browsed the shelves and made her way to the Disney collection. Anneka loved Disney, especially Minnie Mouse. Chelsea smiled when she spotted the display. An eighteen-inch-tall figure of Mickey dressed as Santa with a bag of toys stood next to Minnie, who held a wrapped gift.
“Perfect.” Chelsea picked up the sculpture and carried it to the front counter and smiled at Ashlyn. “I’ll set this here while I do a little more shopping.”
“It’ll be here for you.” Ashlyn set it aside.
Chelsea roamed the shelves and came to the Hallmark display.
She paused in front of a dalmatian ornament, the dog holding a sprig of holly in his mouth.
“Should I get it?” she whispered to herself.
She had only dated Grady a few times, and they didn’t have a committed relationship.
But the dog was adorable and small, and she didn’t think it would hurt to give him a little gift.
Grady was nowhere in sight, so she found a box with the dalmatian and carried it to Ashlyn. “Please hide this.” She kept her voice low. “I don’t want Grady to see it.”
Ashlyn gave a conspiratorial smile and put the ornament box beneath the counter. “I’ll set it aside for you, and you can come back later for it sometime during the week.”
“Perfect,” Chelsea said just as Grady approached them. “Thank you, Ashlyn.”
Grady set two boxes on the countertop. “This takes care of my mom and dad. Three brothers, six sisters, and some nieces and nephews to go.”
“Big family.” Ashlyn started scanning the boxes.
“Yep.” Grady turned to Chelsea. “Find anything?”
She nodded and gestured to the Mickey and Minnie sculpture that Ashlyn had set aside. “That’s for Anneka. That leaves DeAndra and the boys.” She smiled at Grady. “You must send a lot of packages to Seattle every Christmas.”
Grady blew out his breath. “It gets harder every year. Before you know it, there will be fifty nieces and nephews to think of.”
Chelsea laughed, and Grady grinned. “You’re laughing, but I’m not kidding.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “I have to keep up the reputation as ‘the fun uncle.’” He pulled out his wallet. “Once I have my own kids, I won’t be able to afford all the other rugrats in the family.”
“How many kids do you want?” Chelsea blurted out the words before she could stop them, and her cheeks burned.
He smiled, a spark of both amusement and interest in his gaze. “Two, three? Certainly not as many as all my brothers and sisters and I.” He turned it back on her. “What size family do you want?”
She tried for a casual shrug. “About the same. Probably three, but no more than four.”
“Yeah, four would be enough of a handful.” Grady opened his wallet, and Chelsea waited as he paid for his gifts with cash.
Images of having a family with Grady stayed in her mind. She could see him as a father, and she knew he would be a good dad. Her face warmed again, and she pushed the thoughts aside.
He tucked his wallet into his back pocket and took the bag handed to him. “Thanks, Ashlyn.”
The store owner took care of Chelsea next and gave her a knowing smile. “See you soon.”
Chelsea thanked her and gripped the handles of the paper bag with the store’s emblem that Ashlyn had given her.
She waved goodbye to Ashlyn as Grady held the door open, and then Chelsea stepped out onto the sidewalk. The cool air brushed her cheeks and teased tendrils of hair around her ears.
They paused in front of Chelsea’s Closet, and she gave a pleased smile as she looked at her own display window.
Elegant dresses in red and green, worn by stylish mannequins, stood amongst large red and gold ornaments with corkscrew streamers.
Red and green bows decorated multiple packages of a variety of sizes, which were placed to the sides of the mannequins.
Artificial snow framed the window, and it looked like a fancy fairytale ball.
“I think this is my favorite display.” Grady flashed her a grin. “I’m partial to the store owner.”
Chelsea laughed. “Why don’t you come in? I’ll introduce you to Chantilly.”
“Maybe I can find something for my sisters.” He sighed. “I’m hopeless with buying gifts for them, but I do my best.”
“We might be able to help you.” She smiled and stepped past him as he held open the door. “We know a little about women here.”
Chelsea felt a strong sense of pride as she looked around her dress shop. She had done well, attracting clientele from as far as Phoenix. It was a beautiful shop, if she did say so herself.
She’d bought her home and the building with money from the settlement with the mining company, which had been at fault in the accident. However, after using a bit of start-up funds, she had built her business from the ground up, on her own, never touching the settlement monies again.
“Very nice.” Grady looked around in appreciation. He gave Chelsea a sheepish smile. “Not that I know much about women and dresses.”
“We can teach you.” Chantilly’s light and airy voice drew their attention.
Chelsea smiled at the young woman. A delicate-looking pixie with a will of iron. “Grady, meet my assistant manager and friend, Chantilly.”
“I’m sure I’ve seen you around town, Grady.” She cocked her head, her white-blonde hair swinging over her shoulder. “You’re the new firefighter, right?”
He gave a nod. “Feels like I’ve been here longer, but yeah, that’s me. You look familiar to me, too.”
Chantilly put her hands on her slim hips. “I live in Gold Canyon.”
Grady slid his hands into his back pockets. “You probably know Maddee Rawlings.”
“That’s right.” The blonde’s smile broadened. “You dated Maddee.”
He gave a little smile. “A few times. She’s a nice woman.”
Jealousy streaked through Chelsea, coming out of nowhere. The thought alarmed her, and her scalp prickled. The strength of her reaction surprised her and made it hard to shrug off—she’d never been the jealous type, so it was a foreign emotion to her.
“Grady is interested in finding something for his sisters.” Chelsea drew Chantilly’s attention. “He has six of them.”
Chantilly’s eyes widened as she looked at Grady. “Holy cow.” She nodded in the direction of a display of designer purses and wallets. “We can take a look over there, and at the front counter, we have a nice selection of fine jewelry as well as some fun costume pieces.”
He looked overwhelmed. “I think I’m going to need some help.”
“Let’s see what we can do.” Chantilly guided him toward the purse display. “I’m thinking wallets might be what you’re looking for. Cute, stylish, fun. And since they will more than likely be tucked in a purse, you don’t have to worry about it not going with their outfits.”
Chelsea shook her head and smiled. Her assistant was the best. She went to the front counter while she waited.
She wasn’t sure if she should feel weird about her date buying anything from her store, but if they could help Grady and he was happy with what he got, then that would be a positive thing for him.
It didn’t take long—Grady was decisive and didn’t question Chantilly’s advice. They brought seven wallets to the front and set them on the counter. They were all beautiful.
“You have great taste.” Chelsea stepped aside and let Chantilly handle the transaction. Considering the prices of the designer wallets, it was going to be an expensive purchase.
He shrugged. “Wasn’t hard. You have some nice things here.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at Chantilly as she scanned each wallet, then returned her gaze to Grady. “I take it you got one for your mom?”
“Yeah, I think she’d like one.” He looked amused. “They’re gonna know I had help.”
Chantilly’s cheeks dimpled, like an adorable nymph. “Just pretend you did it all by yourself.”
“They’ll never believe it.” He looked pleased as he smiled at Chelsea, then Chantilly. He handed over his credit card. “Thank you. This is terrific.”
Chantilly completed the transaction and put everything into a bright pink bag with white rope handles, labeled Chelsea’s Closet with the store logo in gold.
Grady thanked her, took the bag, and walked to the front door with Chelsea.
“I had no idea you were going to buy out the store.” She shook her head as he held the door open. “I just wanted you to see my store and meet my assistant manager.”
They stepped onto the sidewalk, the door closing behind them. He took her hand and squeezed it. “You don’t know how much you helped me out. I’ll be the Christmas hero this year with the girls.”
She loved the feel of his big hand around hers, and it made her feel warm inside. “I’m glad.”
“Now to see if I can find my bros something.” He looked down the street. “Do you have any suggestions?”
She nodded toward the one local store that sold camping, fishing, and hunting gear. “Jacob’s Outdoors is my go-to place for them, but I’m running out of ideas. Maybe you can help me with my brothers, too.”
“I haven’t had a chance to stop in Jacob’s since I moved here. I bet we can find something there.” Grady gripped her hand and smiled down at her. “What do you say to a day in Scottsdale tomorrow, and find any gifts we still need to buy? I’ve got my nieces and nephews for sure.”
Chelsea nodded with enthusiasm. “I know the best place for dinner after. It’s a Thai place on Main Street there in Scottsdale.”
“That’s a good plan for tomorrow.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “As for now, after we shop for the guys at Jacob’s, how about we get some dinner? I’ve worked up an appetite.”
“Great.” Chelsea put her palm over her belly, and she hoped he didn’t hear it growl. “I have to eat something, but I can wait until we finish at the outdoor store. Shopping for Christmas gifts is hard work.”
He grinned at her. “But it’s a lot of fun with you.”
She smiled back at him. “Ditto.”
They reached Jacob’s, but before Grady opened the door, she put her hand on his arm. “I have an idea for Wednesday. Would you be interested in making Christmas cookies with me for the soup kitchen? I did it the last couple of years, but I haven’t had a chance to yet for this holiday.”
“I’d like to help.” He leaned closer. “I may not be able to cook worth beans, but I can decorate a sugar cookie. I have lots of experience helping my mom.”
“Can we have breakfast instead of dinner on Wednesday?” Chelsea asked. “Spending all day baking that many cookies is exhausting.”
He nodded. “I’ll bring something to eat before we start. Any preferences?”
She shook her head. “Whatever you bring, I’ll eat.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Anything?”
She laughed. “Bring something you’re sure I’ll eat, which is almost anything.”
He smiled. “But first, we’re having a day in Scottsdale tomorrow.”
“It’ll be terrific.” She resisted showing as much excitement as she felt. “Wednesday morning, I’m putting you to work.”