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“What?” he asked.

“Handed over her baby to a total stranger. She doesn’t know me. Why would she trust me not to take off?”

His smile was gentle. “It’s Wishing Tree, Shaye. Bad things don’t happen here.”

“Bad things happen everywhere.”

“Okay, sure, but this is a small town filled with good people. She knew her baby was safe with you.”

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to know that there were happy places where there was no pain or heartache, only she knew that wasn’t possible. Sometimes life was cruel, and sometimes people made stupid mistakes. There was no guarantee of a happy outcome in any given situation.

She felt her good mood shatter and her connection to Lawson break. Suddenly she was standing next to a guy she didn’t really know, in a place she was never going to see again.

“I should get back on the road,” she said.

“I thought you were in town through the weekend,” he said, sounding disappointed.

She shook her head. “I’m on my way to Seattle. I just saw the sign for Judy’s Hand Pies and turned toward Wishing Tree. I was never staying.”

His dark gaze locked with hers, and for a second she would have sworn that whatever she’d felt for that short period of time was back, more powerful than before. For a single heartbeat she wanted to say that of course she was staying and that he should ask her out so they could get to know each other. She wanted to offer her number and point out that Seattle wasn’t that far, right? They could stay in touch. Only she didn’t, because what was the point?

He handed her the small bag with the lotion. “I had a good time,” he said quietly. “I enjoyed spending the afternoon with you.”

“Me, too.”

“If you’re ever back this way, you can find me at Wishing Tree Auto Repair.”

Despite her conflicted emotions, she laughed. “Is that really what it’s called?”

“Yup, and when it’s mine, I’m not changing the name.”

“Why would you?”

He took a step back. “Bye, Shaye.”

She thought maybe he would pull her close and hug her, or even kiss her, but he only waved and turned away, quickly disappearing into the growing crowd. She stood outside of Yule Read Books and wished . . . Well, she wasn’t sure what she wished for, but something other than what she had.

The Wreath was filling with people. Couples and happy families. She thought she caught sight of the woman who had passed her the baby, but she wasn’t sure. Shaye stood in the middle of all of it wondering how long it would be until she was able to feel like she belonged somewhere. Going back to Iowa wasn’t an option, but moving on didn’t seem right, either.

There was nothing waiting for her in Seattle—no friends, no job. She was chasing a memory first made when she was twelve years old. What did she expect to find when she got there?

Sadness settled on her. The deep, down-to-the-bone kind she’d felt when each of her parents had died. It joined the sense of being totally alone in the world. Her friends had drifted away when she’d spent months looking after her mom. There was no other family, and she was totally done with her idiot ex-boyfriend. When she drove out of Wishing Tree, there was literally no one in the world who knew her. No one would miss her or think about her or want her back. She was like a ghost.

Somewhere behind her a child laughed. The sound was so pure, so happy, she turned to see what was happening. A little girl, maybe five or six, had just bitten into a berry hand pie. The crust had crumbled, and there was filling everywhere: on her chin, her cheeks, her hands, and down the front of her dress. Her mom was laughing, too, saying something about making a mess.

It was a silly thing, just a moment in time the family probably wouldn’t remember. But it struck Shaye as something hopeful. In a weird way, a sign.

There was nothing waiting for her in Seattle, no reason to get there today or tomorrow. Why not stay in Wishing Tree—just for Christmas in July? She could catch her breath, get her head together, come up with a plan for her future and then leave for the big city.

She didn’t consider herself an impulsive person, but lately she’d been making a lot of snap decisions. She walked purposefully toward Judy’s Hand Pies. The Help Wanted sign was still in the window. She brushed the front of her blouse, then stepped into the store.

A different woman stood behind the counter. She was older and a little stern-looking until she smiled.

“How can I help you?”

“I was wondering about the job.”

The woman’s expression instantly brightened. “Are you? That’s great. Now, you know it’s only part-time and just for the month, right? With all the activities with Christmas in July, we want to have a cart out in The Wreath. The hours are from eleven until three, Tuesday through Saturday. You load up the cart, roll it to your position, then sell pies until your four hours are up or until you sell out. Whichever comes first.”