Page 28 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
The kids turned to her obediently, and Pixie grabbed John-John’s hand as if to remind him to be good.
“Christmas is coming,” Nora reminded them with asmile. “So, we’re just here to look. It’s not a shopping day.”
“Okay,” Pixie said.
John-John looked disappointed, but he nodded his head.
“But if there are books you especially like you can tell me,” Nora said. “That way I can take a picture of them with my phone, and we’ll remember them when wearehaving a shopping day. And who knows, maybe some of them will even end up under the tree on Christmas morning.”
That idea visibly cheered both kids, and Nora found herself swallowing over a lump in her throat. They were such good children. She would buy them every book in the place if she could afford it.
“Now, this is a fancy shop,” she went on after a moment. “So, we don’t want to go around touching everything. If there’s a book you want to look at, you tell me, and I’ll get it down so we can look at it together. Okay?”
“Okay,” Pixie said.
John-John nodded again, and they headed inside.
“Now, show me your hands,” she told them.
They held out their cute little hands, which were nice and clean since they had all washed up before heading out to town.
“Those are absolutely perfect hands for looking at nice new books,” she told them. “Good job.”
That earned her two happy smiles. The cold breeze picked up, and they hurried into the shop.
The interior was bright and so pretty, with wooden bookshelves filling the space. While most displayedbooks, some held handmade cards and various crafts, as well as copies of the farmer’s almanac, local maps, and other useful items.
“Hi there,” a young woman with long, dark hair said as she approached. “I’m Sarah. Can I help you find something special?”
“We’re just looking today,” Nora told her. “But we’re interested in children’s books.”
“Wonderful,” Sarah said. “It’s a perfect day for window shopping, isn’t it? Follow me.”
She led them back to a beautifully stocked children’s section.
“I’ve pulled a few of my favorites for the kids to browse,” she said, pointing to a big stack of books at the center of a little table with two small chairs.
“We can hold them?” Pixie asked politely as they all watched her brother make a beeline for the table.
“Of course,” Sarah said. “Thank you so much for asking.”
“Don’t worry,” Pixie said, holding up her palms. “We have perfect book-looking hands.”
She darted off after her brother before Sarah could ask what that meant.
“They washed up before coming,” Nora explained with a smile. “We were playing outside this morning.”
“That sounds like a fun day,” Sarah said.
Pixie and John-John had already pulled out chairs and begun looking through the stack of books Sarah had set out.
“This is so nice,” Nora said. “What a thoughtful thing to have for the kids.”
“Children are my favorite customers,” Sarah confided. “Are you guys new to town?”
“We’re just here for a visit,” Nora confided. “We normally live in the city. They’re really enjoying their country adventure. They got to see horses today, and cardinals. We’re going to try and make a bird feeder this afternoon.”
“Wow,” Sarah said. “That reminds me of a book we have about bears at Christmastime.”
