Page 22 of Blame It On the Lattes

“Do you think she would be mad if we put her name on the gifting tree at the mall?”

Cassidy shrugged and looked over at Kennedy.

“Even if she is, she can’t stay mad forever. Plus, the more gifts we can get for them, the better. It breaks my heart not being able to buy for them the way I want to.”

“I know. Me too.”

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Cassidy helped cleanup the mess and then got Kennedy into a bath before Avery woke up and saw her covered in frosting. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Cassidy had said about Avery needing money to start shopping for Kennedy. I didn’t usually give Christmas bonuses at Sugarplum Lattes because we always had an elaborate holiday party instead. Still, I kept getting a nagging feeling about changing things this year.

While Cassidy sat curled up on the couch with Kennedy, watching a movie, I sat at the kitchen table, looking over the reports from the past three years on what I’d spent on the holiday parties. It was roughly the same every year, which was nice because at least I had an amount to go off of. Between renting a ballroom at the Sugarplum Suites for the party, having a plated dinner, and offering everyone two drink vouchers, I was spending a lot. If I took that money and divided it among all of the employees, I could give everyone a very healthy cash bonus this year instead.

I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down everyone’s names, making sure that Piper got a slightly larger bonus for the extra work she’d been doing. Not only did she run a tight ship when I wasn’t there and kept things in line, but she was also going in on her days off to cover shifts when we needed it.

By the time I had everything written down, I smiled at the paper and felt a warmth spread through me. By eliminating the holiday party this year, I would be able to give everyone a five-hundred-dollar cash bonus this week.

Twelve

Avery

“Ineed to go to work,” I objected, trying to get past Sam, who blocked me in the kitchen.

“Not today, Avery.”

“You don’t get it,” I mumbled, still feeling way too tired to try to function. But that didn’t matter right now. If I was going to make Christmas magical for Kennedy, I needed every penny I could get.

“I do. And I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated, but you’re no good to me at work like this. You need to sleep and get better.”

“I’m fine. Really. I’m going to work if you’d move out of the way so I can get my shoes.” I sniffled, then burst into a coughing fit.

“You need to rest, momma,” Kennedy said, tugging on my hand to get my attention.

“See, even Kennedy knows you need to rest,” Cassidy said, walking past me and opening the refrigerator.

“How did you get here?” I asked, feeling like I was in a fever dream again. I had tossed and turned so much that I couldn’t tell if it was day or night when I finally woke up.

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