Page 31 of Christmas Treasures

Laney pulled several picture books from a display. “These might be just what you’re looking for.” She handed Max one titledThe Snowy Day, its colorful cover showing a child exploring fresh snow. “Simple text, beautiful illustrations. And here’s one of my favorites—Corduroy. Everyone loves that little bear.”

Charlie smiled fondly. “I loved that one as a child. But you don’t think these are too young for her?”

Laney set the book aside. “I’m thinking they’re a great tool for learning English, plus the illustrations are wonderful. You can’t go wrong with classics—Madeline, maybe? And some fun books for early readers. Mercy Watson books are hilarious—about a pig who eats toast.”

“I love toast,” Charlie said.

Max laughed, flipping through a Mercy Watson. “These look fantastic.”

“Oh, this one for sure,” Charlie said, holding up a beautifully illustrated book calledMiss Rumphius. “It’s about making the world more beautiful. It might resonate with her.”

“Good choice.” Laney chose another. “And this one—Owl Moon. It's a beautiful story about a child going ‘owling’ at night with her father. The illustrations are stunning, and it captures that quiet magic of special moments shared with someone you love. Then, you could take her ‘owling’ if you wanted.”

Max nodded, feeling excited. “My dad took us every year.”

“What a wonderful tradition to pass on to her,” Laney said. “I’m going to ask Nolan if he’ll take me this winter.”

“Given his life work of studying transcendentalists, I’m sure he’ll be happy to take you,” Max said.

Laney gently squeezed his arm. “We’re all excited for you, Max. Bianca’s going to love it here.”

After Laney rang up their choices and neatly stacked them into a cloth tote bag bearing the Clever Fox logo, she leaned against the counter, glancing between them. “What are you up to next?”

“I’m hoping to take Charlie to dinner to thank her for helping me today.” Max stole a glance at his companion.

“Can we go to the Moose?” Charlie asked. “Anything but pizza.”

“I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” Max said.

Laney looked a little too pleased with herself. “There’s a band playing at the Moose tonight. You could dance.”

“Unlikely,” Charlie said drily.

As they stepped back out onto Main Street, Max adjusted the bag over his shoulder, smiling at Charlie. “Let’s drop these in my truck and go eat.”

“Lead the way. I think we deserve a nice meal.”

“Yeah, shopping’s exhausting,” Max said.

Just then, a fat snowflake landed on his cheek. He glanced up to see more coming. “Look at that. Snow.”

She stopped right there on the sidewalk and tilted her head toward the sky, looking like a kid. “We never had this in California. It thrills me every time. There’s nothing more beautiful.”

He disagreed. The woman standing next to him was without question the most beautiful of all sights.

Inside the Moose,a fire roared in the hearth, and a local band played a folksy rendition of “Silver Bells” on a small stage in the back. The musicians wore Santa hats and ugly Christmas sweaters. Almost every table was full, but the hostess cleared a spot for them, and soon they were seated next to the window.

Through the frost-edged windows, snowflakes danced in the light shed by a streetlamp and the glow from the restaurant.

Over burgers and fries, Charlie told him more about her company and how she’d gotten the idea for software to help restaurants with inventory, accounting, and staffing. He found it interesting and slightly terrifying how easy it felt between them. As if they’d known each other a lot longer than they actually had.

“I can’t thank you enough for today,” Max said.

“It was fun. Truly.”

“I was thinking about something—would you go with me to pick Bianca and Camilla up from the airport? I’m feeling nervous, and I could really use someone fluent in Italian.”

She looked down at her plate and picked up a fry, then held it aloft, as if contemplating its future. “I keep wondering if this is all a terrible idea, but yes, I would like to go with you.”

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