Page 70 of The Clause in Christmas
Cassie wasn’t sure if she walked or floated into Thistle & Thorn. After spending the evening caroling with Luke, Frank, and so many others who’d become dear friends, her heart felt more airborne than Santa’s sleigh. And when she’d read the day’s activity—Buy Someone a Christmas Present—Cassie knew exactly what she wanted. And if one place on earth would have it, it would be Penny’s peculiar store.
“Hi, Cassie.” Penny set the vintage camera back on the shelf, tossing the dust rag over her shoulder. “What brings you by? Did you come back for the green dress?”
“I wish.” Cassie sighed, her longing gaze traveling to the goddess-worthy gown. If she could afford it, she wouldn’t hesitate to claim it as her own. But as it was, buying a present for Luke would be a stretch on her dwindling bank account.
“Then what can I help you find?” Penny asked.
Running a restless hand through her hair, Cassie hesitated. Sheshouldtell Penny what she was looking for. Otherwise it could take all day to find it. But even though the significance of the gift would be lost on anyone but Luke, Cassie felt too shy to share. “I’ll just take a look around, if that’s okay?”
“Of course!” With a bright smile, Penny tugged the rag off her shoulder, ready to resume her work. “There’s a whole lot more in back that I haven’t sorted through yet. Feel free to take a look if you don’t find what you want out here.”
“Thanks, I will.” Smiling gratefully, Cassie began her search.
As she explored the eclectic shop, Cassie marveled at how Penny had managed to create an atmosphere both chaotic and calm. There didn’t seem to be any clear organization and yet, everything appeared to be exactly where it belonged. Christmas carols resonated from a crackling gramophone, and the evocative scents of aged leather and spicy pipe tobacco lulled her into a dreamy state, making the minutes tick by like seconds.
After she’d looped around the store several times, only stopping to admire the gown twice, Cassie’s search came up empty.
“Penny?” Cassie interrupted the tall redhead as she dusted an odd chess set of exquisite marble sculptures featuring cats on one side and dogs on the other. “You mentioned looking in the back…”
“Yes! Please do!” Penny’s copper eyes shone with delight. “I love it when customers peruse the back room. It’s like sending someone on a treasure hunt.”
Cassie smiled. She already felt a little bit like Indiana Jones. But as she followed Penny’s graceful stride, her pulse quickened with anticipation.
Ceremoniously pulling aside a heavy brocade curtain, Penny revealed an enormous back room bursting with antiques and collectables of every sort.
Immediately overwhelmed, Cassie swallowed, wondering if was too late to change her mind.
“Incredible, isn’t it?” Penny gushed, clearly misreading Cassie’s shock for awe. “You never know what hidden gem you’ll uncover.”
Finding her voice, Cassie asked, “Do you collect all of this yourself?”
“Not always. I do a fair amount of scavenging myself. But a lot of stuff is dropped off, too. Sometimes in huge shipments when someone passes away and family members don’t want to bother with an estate sale. I’ll give them a price, sight unseen, and they’ll unload everything in here.”
“You pay for it without knowing what it is?” Cassie asked. “What if it’s worthless junk?”
“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Penny winked, then laughed. “Besides, that’s half the fun in what I do. Sometimes, in a shipment of seemingly ordinary things, you find something extraordinary.”
Cassie’s heart fluttered at Penny’s romanticized explanation.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Happy hunting.”
With a swish of the curtain, Penny disappeared, leaving Cassie alone in the jungle of doodads and thingamabobs.
Inhaling deeply, Cassie noticed the air smelled mustier than out front, and the bronzed glow from the antique light fixtures cast an otherworldly sheen about the room.
Thirty minutes into her exploration, Cassie began to feel a little claustrophobic. But as she turned to find her way out of the maze of objects, Cassie froze.
There, tucked away on a cluttered shelf, sat the very item she’d been searching for.
An authentic cuckoo clock.
* * *
Nostalgia washed over Luke as he glanced around the office where he’d spent so much of his life. First, visiting his father at work. Then, when it became his own space.
Since his father’s passing, Luke tried to keep the essence of the office the same, merely adding a few items of furniture he’d crafted himself. But the layout and design remained exactly as his father left it—homey and inviting.
Leonard Davis believed a law office should evoke calm rather than anxiety. He wanted his clients to feel as though they were entering his own living room, not a stuffy reception area. Especially if they had to discuss something painful like the death of a loved one. That meant setting up his practice in a location with enough square footage to accommodate an oversized sofa, a few chairs, shelves filled with books and boardgames, a table for refreshments, and, of course, a large Christmas tree during the holiday season.
