Page 42 of The Clause in Christmas
“Make sure you close the door behind you on the way out,” he grunted.
One thing was loud and clear—she was being dismissed.
On wobbly legs, Cassie stood.
Frank kept his back to her as he rinsed the mug at the sink.
Leaving the jar of fudge on the table, dutifully fulfilling the day’s task, Cassie shuffled to the door.
“Here.”
Turning, Cassie barely caught the bag of coffee beans Frank tossed in her direction.
“Tell me what you think of those.” Without so much as a farewell, Frank twisted his back to her again.
“Okay.” Cassie clutched the crinkly craft bag to her chest. “Goodbye.”
She thought she heard Frank mumble something, but couldn’t quite make it out.
Completely bewildered by the entire exchange, Cassie turned and found her way down the corridor and out the front door.
Standing on the ramshackle porch, she ran her fingers through her hair.
Had Frank Barrie just given her an assignment? And if he had…why?
Was it possible that drawing her into his world was Frank’s own act of kindness?
Or was that simply wishful thinking?
Much like Cassie’s dream.
* * *
Luke drilled a screw into the two-by-four, securing it in place before pushing back his goggles to inspect his work. Satisfied with the alignment, he blew hard, scattering sawdust across the concrete parking lot of Poppy Creek Elementary where they’d set up their work station.
“Hey!” Reed Hollis swatted at the fine powder settling on his jeans before returning his attention to the jumble of wooden boards at his feet. “How’s this supposed to go again?”
Jack Gardner shook his head in bemusement. “You’re building an A-frame for the stable, genius. It looks like anA.”
Reed narrowed his eyes at his childhood friend. “And what exactly areyoumaking?”
Jack glanced down at his own discombobulated pile of wood. “A manger?” he said, more as a question than an answer.
Reed snorted. “That’s what I thought. You aren’t any more skilled at carpentry than I am.”
“Don’t be so sure, Flower Boy.” Jack squatted, reaching for two pieces of wood, pretending like he knew exactly what to do with them. “These manly hands can build circles around you.”
Reed, the owner of Poppy Creek’s only nursery and flower shop, threw his head back in laughter. “Right, Betty Crocker. You cook for a living. Not exactly the manliest job in the world. Besides, I’d like to seeyouprune a hundred rosebushes. The first thorn, you’d cry like a baby.”
Jack mumbled something sarcastic under his breath, which instigated Reed into “accidentally” knocking over the arrangement of boards Jack had stacked like Jenga pieces.
Luke sighed, sinking his head into his palm. Asking his best friends to help him make the sets for the school’s Christmas pageant seemed like a good idea at the time. But now, he wasn’t so sure. He pulled rolled-up papers out of the back pocket of his worn jeans. “I have instructions for you, lunkheads.” Luke handed them over with a good-natured swat.
“Hey!” Jack protested with a chuckle. Then, glancing at the plans, he said, “I think I can manage this.”
“They’re upside down.” Luke groaned. Jack could make the best pulled pork and baby back ribs in town. But a skilled carpenter he was not.
“I know that,” Jack lied before flashing a grin at Reed. “At least Luke’s in charge of building the actual stage.”
