Page 5 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
As she slipped off her coat and hung it up, she heard the click of heels on the tile floor. Belle braced herself to deal with her boss. She hurriedly shrugged off her winter coat and hung it up.
No sooner had she done that when her boss approached her. Her gray hair was pulled up in her standard bun. And her ivory face was made up, but there was a frown on it. “You’re late.”
“I’m so sorry. Everything that could go wrong this morning did go wrong.”
Mavis arched her penciled brow. “You know I don’t care for excuses.”
“Yes, ma’am. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not.” Mavis gave her clothes a once-over. “What happened to you? Your skirt is wrinkled and…and wet.”
Belle sighed, and her shoulders drooped. “I fell on the ice in the parking lot.”
“Oh, no.” Her boss’s brows rose, and then with genuine concern in her voice, she asked, “Are you all right?”
Belle nodded, although she was quite certain her hip was going to have a big bruise by morning.
“That was supposed to have been taken care of.” Her brows drew together as her frown deepened. “I’ll call Frosty Plows. They better get someone here right away.” A look of concern came over her again. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine. I promise.”
Thankfully, Mavis lived above the boutique and had no reason to be in the parking lot. At her age, a slip and fall could be very serious. For the last several years, the winters had been getting to her. She said that her joints didn’t work so well when the temperature dipped. She’d been talking about moving to Florida to join her sister.
Wanting to reassure Mavis that everything would be all right, she said, “They’re probably running behind after the big snow last night.”
“Probably. But I can’t have people getting injured out there. Look at you. You could have broken something.”
Belle glanced down at her clothes. The side of her blue skirt was covered in muck. And there were a couple of tears. She inwardly groaned. It was beyond repair.
She glanced over at her winter coat. It had taken the brunt of her fall, but it didn’t appear to be damaged—just a bit dirty, but that was easily remedied. It had protected her navy-blue sweater with a big snowman with a red cap and orange nose. She’d bought it last year from the clearance rack, and this was the first time she’d worn it.
“Stay right there,” Mavis said. “I’ll be right back.”
Belle looked down at her skirt again. This was her favorite skirt. It matched her sweater perfectly. She rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a couple of paper towels. She dampened them before rushing back to the spot where she’d agreed to wait for Mavis.
Her boss returned. “Here.” She held out a blue skirt. “Put this on.”
“Oh. Uh…” She noticed that it wasn’t one of the cheaper skirts from the clearance rack. In fact, this skirt was part of the new inventory. It was dark blue denim that ended mid-calf. It had embroidered snowflakes along one side. Belle recalled admiring it when she’d hung it on the rack. It would go perfectly with her sweater.
“Go ahead.” Mavis gave the skirt a quick shake. “Take it. It’s the least I can do after you got hurt.”
“I, uh…” Belle was caught off guard by her boss’s generosity. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you anything else?”
Belle shook her head. “I’m good. Thank you.”
Just then the jingle of the front door could be heard. Mavis looked at her. “I’ll take care of that. You get changed.”
Belle retreated to the bathroom to get changed. She was touched that Mavis had given her the skirt. Maybe it was time to broach the subject of buying the shop.
Although, today probably wasn’t the right time. She was still shaken from being pulled over by the sheriff and being ticketed right there in the middle of town. With the way gossip made the rounds, the news would be all over town before lunch.
As Sheriff Bishop came to mind, she frowned. Why did he have to zero in on her? Weren’t there other people in town that deserved tickets?
Whatever.She would just keep her distance from him. She knew that was easier said than done, considering Kringle Falls was such a small town. But it wouldn’t stop her from trying to avoid him.
Chapter Three
