Page 4 of A Beastly Christmas Cheerful
“Hey there,” a girl with fiery red hair calls to me. I glance over to see her standing in front of the hardware store next to the bakery. She’s in overalls and boots, paired with an adorable Santa hat.
“Hi,” I chirp back.
“You’re not from around here.” She doesn’t ask it as a question, so I guess I stick out?
“No, I’m passing through to see someone and wanted to stop in.”
“Well, then, stop in.” She gives me a bright smile as she waves for me to come into the hardware store.
“You own this place?” I know it’s a hardware store, but looking through the front windows, the place is loaded up with Christmas decorations.
“My gramps does,” she says as I follow her into the charming little store. “Are you looking for some decorations? You can never have too many.” She wiggles her brows.
“I wish. I live in a small apartment with roommates, so I only have my room.” I pick up a dancing snowman and smile at it.
“Who did you say you’re passing through to see?”
“I forget their name. It’s an author, Marley something?”
“Marley Jacobs?” Her brows raise all the way up.
“Yes! That’s it. His books look scary.”
“Yeah, in one of them he kills my mom.” I stare at her. “She’s the mayor.” That still doesn’t give me much context, but she smiles. “We laughed it off. In fact, if you’re going there, can you take a few things with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“We have a gift for him. And as a thank you, I’ll give you the snowman you’ve been eyeing.” She pushes down on his hat, making him dance. “Batteries included.”
"That's an offer I can't turn down. You've got yourself a deal." That sounds easy enough.
"Perfect. I'll get it loaded into the back of your car. You should check out the bakery while you wait."
"Oh, I can help you," I offer, but she waves me off.
"I got it. I'm Tilly, by the way."
"Belle," I tell her, and we shake hands.
"Belle, wow, this just keeps getting better and better."
"Am I missing something here?" I often do.
"Yes, the angel food cookies next door. Let Molly know you're headed up to see Mr. Jacobs. She might want to send a few things too."
"Okay, wow. This town is really sweet."
"If you ask me, it’s magical," Tilly says and winks at me. “I'll put this in your car too." She takes the snowman from me and gets my keys before hurrying me out of the store.
The smell of sugary sweetness and sticky caramel hits me when I enter the bakery. My eyes go right to the popcorn balls, and I grab a couple off the shelves.
I get in line behind an older gentleman, but I don’t have to wait long. There’s a pretty girl behind the counter who appears to be around my age, and when it’s my turn, she smiles brightly at me.
“Belle?”
“Um, yeah, that’s me.” This really is a small town if word travels that fast.
“Great, I’m Molly. Tilly told me you were coming over. I’ve got Becs boxing you up some goodies to take to Mr. Jacobs if you don’t mind.”
