AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
Holly winters opened another box, staring at the contents in horror. “More freaking gnomes!” She pulled one of the lightweight figures from the box and glared into its creepy, eyeless face. “I’m being haunted by these things. First Halloween and Thanksgiving and now Christmas!”
“I’ve heard gnomes are hot this year,” her sister Merry called from the far corner of the shop where she was hanging lengths of holly leaves along the top shelves of the displays.
“Hot with whom?” Holly asked.
“Everyone in my online craft group.” Merry climbed down off the step stool and grabbed another garland, cocking her head to the side as she studied the gnome. Merry’s blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, little strands hanging around her face. “I think he’s cute. Look, he’s holding a tiny holiday wreath.”
Holly turned the statue in her hand to study his face again. “I’m not convinced.”
“Why did you order them, then?”
“I didn’t. I bought the inventory from a holiday store in Boise that closed and I hadn’t been through everything yet. Now I get why it was all so cheap.”
The back door opened and their brother Nick came into view carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other, his face only visible from the nose up. He dumped the boxes on the floor next to the checkout counter, revealing his deep frown. “Is there a reason we’re doing all this on Black Friday?”
Normally Holly wouldn’t be, but she wanted to shift the store decor to Christmas before she opened up for Small Business Saturday tomorrow. Having a holiday decor store called A Shop for All Seasons meant being prepared to change inventory to the next holiday even at the crack of dawn the day after Thanksgiving.
They’d spent the first few hours boxing up all the fall decor and discounting any trinkets left over from spooky season. She’d sent Merry’s fiancé, Clark Griffin, and Nick over to pick up the holiday inventory from storage while she and Merry did the fun part. Redecorating the place.
“Because I don’t want to be doing a floor set during business hours. And this way, I get help.”
“You’re lucky I love you, little sister,” he grumbled, running a hand through his short brown hair. “Do you want us to bring all of it in or let you go through it box by box and find places for it?”
“You can hold off bringing anything else in until Pike and Anthony get here. They are coming, right?”
“Yes, they’re coming, but Anthony is on his way back from Black Friday shopping in Twin Falls, and Pike…Pike needs to wake up.”
Holly grinned. “Of course he does. Single Pike equals lots of late nights and mornings of regrets, even on Turkey Day.”
“Be nice,” Nick grunted.
“I’m always nice.” Ignoring Merry and Nick’s unanimous snorting, Holly put the creepy gnome back in the box, and then set the box up on the counter. “If you want, you can take this box and display these gnomes on that shelf,” she said, pointing to the shelf closest to the counter. “I’ll get you the price gun and you can just label them on the bottom as you go.”
Nick picked up the box with a grunt. “What do you want them priced at?”
“Nine-ninety-nine.”
“Thought you said they were ugly?” Merry asked from her perch on top of the step stool.
“And you said they were hot this year. I’m putting your prediction to the test.”
“Babe?” Clark stepped through the back door with a drink carrier in one hand and a large tote under his other arm. “I got caffeine, but where do you want your creations?”
Merry climbed down and crossed the room to take the tote from him, setting it on the floor before leaning up to give him a lingering kiss. “I got it. Thanks for grabbing that. Jace didn’t want to come?” Jace was Clark’s eight-year-old son and usually went everywhere with his dad when he wasn’t in school.
“He was still sleeping when I left for the storage unit.” Clark set the coffees down on the counter and tucked his shoulder-length brown hair behind his ears before adding, “But I talked to my brother a few minutes ago, and he dropped Jace at the main house before he went to work. Jace is helping your dad at the farm. I told Chris not to carry any trees, but you know your dad—”
“Stubborn?” Merry cut in. “Thinks he’s still thirty-something? Invincible?”
“That would be him.” He kissed her again, giving Holly a little wave when he caught her gaze. “You going to kill me if I bail?”
Holly laughed. “No, I’ll forgive you. Just make sure Dad doesn’t throw out his back.” Clark was the foreman of their family’s Christmas tree farm and Merry helped their father Chris Winters run the day-to-day operations.
“Will do.”
“I’ll come help as soon as I’m done here,” Merry said.
