“Right.” Taye blushed that she had been singled out as staring at Donovan. “Let’s meet at Blue Spruce Pizza. The veggie with sausage is the best.”

  Donovan chuckled. “You’re aware that if there is meat on a pizza, it’s not a veggie dish?”

  She grinned. “It’s easier to order veggie and add one topping versus ordering sausage and removing the stuff I don’t want.”

  “Good point.” He nodded.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she said softly as they walked away. “Lord, I’m depending on You, not them or me to bless others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Chapter Nine

  “H ow did I get suckered into this?” Donovan griped under his breath as he walked alongside his little sister who seemed to look more grownup every day. She appeared happy, the first time since arriving in Denver, which made him happy.

  When she wiggled her arm through his, whether to keep from slipping or because she looked up to him as her big brother, he almost choked with emotion. Donovan wanted Brea to see him as a good guy and trust him that he had her best interests at the forefront. If only his baby sister would give them a chance, they could build a loving sibling relationship despite the age gap

  “Hey, there’s a cupcake place.” She pointed to the store.

  Donovan looked down in his sister’s face, which reminded him so much of their mother who had been just as beautiful. “I thought you were in a hurry to get to this dress shop.”

  “I am,” she said, squeezing his arm tighter and yanking him toward the Cupcakes on Main window, “but I need hot chocolate and a cupcake.”

  So, he detoured to the shop, which had a line of customers vying for mega cupcakes with Christmas decorations. When they informed him they didn’t sell hot drinks, he paid for Brea’s order, then they took a seat. He glanced around the café and out the larger-than-life window that faced Main Street. Folks were bundled up, braving the elements to shop.

  Brea seemed to inhale the monster cupcake. The evidence of her indulgence was the icing on her top lip until she wiped it off. They left and stopped by the Cozy Coffee Shop for the hot chocolate for her and coffee for him. As they continued on to their destination, Donovan almost stumbled when Brea froze mid-step in front of Main Street Bridal.

  Donovan lifted his brows as he side-eyed Brea. “Planning on getting married soon?”

  She gave him a dumbfounded look. “Of course, one day, but he has to be cuter than you and no beard. Yuck.”

  Crossing his arms on his chest, Donovan acted like he was wounded. In actuality, his heart soared by her compliment. “Women happen to like men with well-groomed facial hair.”

  “I wonder if Taye does,” she said in a taunting manner, then walked ahead. “Anyway, I can make that, you know.”

  That was the problem. Donovan didn’t know, and neither did Taye. If his sister failed, he would have to deal with Brea and Taye’s disappointment, and who would take the blame for the two businesses that would close? It was too risky.

  “That has to be the shop. See the mannequin outside?” She yanked on his arm with strength that she had stored up from somewhere. He would have to lift more weights.

  Donovan was set to open the door to Royal Fashions, but Brea seemed more interested in the outfit on the dress form. She rubbed the fabric, turned flaps and collars as if she was giving it a total inspection. He smirked, giving her credit. She was playing the part.

  “Ah, Brea, there is a store full of clothes besides the outfit out here in the cold.” He faked a shiver. Opening the door, she strolled under the arch of his arm inside, removing her hat and scarf. He groaned, hoping she wasn’t planning to try on one garment after another. Taye should have been with them. He smiled. Not only did he enjoy her company, but Brea seemed to be a different person around her too.

  “Good morning. Welcome to Royal Fashions. I’m Miss Queenie.” She eyed Brea. “Is there anything you’re looking for in particular?”

  Donovan pegged the owner to be in her late sixties to mid-seventies. Her gray hair with white streaks was styled in silver twists. Her lipstick was as red as the festive holiday sweater she wore with a long black skirt.

  Brea twirled around. “Do you have anything for my age? I’m seventeen.”

  “Almost,” Donovan mumbled under his breath, then grinned innocently, looking away.

  “I’m sure we can find something you’d like.” Putting an arm around Brea’s shoulders, Miss Queenie led her away in one direction, leaving Donovan standing there. The shop wasn’t as busy as the others along Main Street, and the selection looked like something his grandmother and maybe his mother might have worn. There was nothing trendy that he had seen his female colleagues or teenagers at the mall wear. The woman didn’t need more inventory. She needed a new buyer and marketing consultant.

  A few minutes later, Brea returned to his side. “See anything you like?”

  “No, but we have to buy something,” she whined in a whisper, then headed for the accessories counter and perused the selection of jewelry. “Hey, this is cool. I want that.” She pointed to a beaded bright blue bracelet.

  Donovan eyed the owner. She seemed disappointed that after showing Brea around, the only thing his sister wanted was a piece of jewelry.

  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, the Lord whispered. She is someone’s mother and grandmother. Then he remembered his company was sponsoring families for Christmas.

  He had to help, and not because of Brea or Taye. He pulled out his wallet. “How about three sweaters, pants, and jackets for gifts.” The woman’s eyes lit. “These are random gifts. Whatever you choose works for me, but we have to be somewhere else, so I don’t have a lot of time.”

  When she asked for sizes or color preferences, he didn’t know, so Miss Queenie said, “No worries. I’ll mix the sizes up.” She grinned and hurried off.

  Brea frowned and turned to him. “What are you doing?” She lowered her voice.

  “It’s called making a donation.” He turned away, folded his arms, and watched the owner color coordinate her choices.

  She beamed with happiness when she returned to ring up his purchases, which surprisingly totaled less than he expected for women’s clothing. Once they thanked her, Brea and Donovan headed for his car.

  “Miss Queenie is nice, but her stuff is yuck,” Brea said, already slipping on the big beaded bracelet. “Her store should be called Vintage something. She needs my help, Donovan.”

  After storing his purchases in the back of the trunk, he opened Brea’s door and waited for her to climb in and buckle up, then he slipped behind the wheel. “The woman needs help, but I don’t see you as her rescuer.”

  Humph. “I can do it. Watch. You know the motto from Missouri, the Show-Me State. I’m going to show you.”

  He followed the road away from the buzz of the epicenter of shops until the business thinned and he saw a small strip mall area. Sewing World seemed to take one of three storefronts.

  Minutes later, they walked into a wall-to-wall mini-size warehouse. Brea’s eyes widened before she took off, racing from one table stacked with fabric on bolts. Her excitement hinted this would be a long visit. Good thing they had to meet Taye within an hour or he would have to drag her out. He slipped his hands inside his pockets and waited.

  “Wow,” Brea said in awe, and she rubbed one fabric after another, but a multi-colored print seemed to fascinate her. “This would make a cute pajama set.”

  Donovan wrinkled his forehead. “Aren’t pajamas flannel?”

  She glanced over her shoulder and stared at him. “That’s old school. A woman wants to feel sexy, whether she’s asleep or lounging around her home or at a PJ party.”

  Sexy coming out of Brea’s mouth made him nauseous. “And what do you know about feeling sexy?” He was going to hurt somebody.

  Brea sighed. “My fashion magazines, silly.” She turned back to the fabric. “Can you imagine this in pajama pants with a matching jacket but in a quilted pattern to keep her chest warm.”

  “Nope.” He shook his head. “Can’t imagine that,” he said as his sister zigzagged to another pile of fabric. Judging by Brea’s reaction, the owner had great selections, but his store, too, lacked the holiday booming business. There were a couple groups of ladies in a quilting circle. After forty-five minutes, he had to remind Brea they had to leave.

  “Aren’t we going to buy anything?”

  “For what? You don’t have a sewing machine.”

  “Yet.” Brea grinned and trailed him out the store.

  Maybe there was a reason why Miss Tessie gave Taye a spacious bedroom on the second floor of the B&B. Who knew she would have a roommate? The owner and friend said Taye could stay free of charge, but Taye couldn’t do that.

  Miss Tessie chuckled. “Oh no, you’re not a guest. Since you know about computers, consider it an exchange for you to overhaul my computer system, or whatever it needs.”

  Taye nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” And she hoped the plan she hatched up for Charity’s gift would work too.

  Since she had a little time to meet up with Donovan and Brea, she decided to stop by Gifts N’ More. Not only to see how Sara was faring with her secret angel mission, but to buy something special for Melissa. Oops, it just dawned on her she had forgotten to text Melissa she had made it safely, so she tapped her message icon and sent it: Here. Talk to you soon.

  Although she was on a strict budget until she found more employment, she wanted to purchase tokens for Christmas gifts. She never gave someone a gift valued more than the love offering she gave for Christ in celebrating His birthday.

  Her spending limit was usually no more than fifty dollars on an important individual, so she could give a love offering of a minimum of sixty bucks. She was reflecting on the reason for the season when someone called her name.

  Taye twirled around to see Mia rushing toward her. They exchanged hugs. “Hey, what happened to you last night? I thought you were going to try and make it to the tree lighting ceremony.”

  “That was the plan when I left Kansas City yesterday morning, but I ran into bad weather not far from Denver and stayed the night at a hotel.” No need to tell her it was offered and paid for by a handsome gentleman who was in cahoots with her secret angel project.

  “Where are you headed?” she asked Mia.

  “Since it was slow at the store, I decided to run an errand. Diane can handle the cupcakes while I’m gone. See you later.”

  “Okay.” She watched her disappear down the street and wondered if her “errand” had to do with her secret angel assignment. Taye continued to Gifts N’ More.

  When she walked inside, Caro Price was chatting with Sara. Taye, Holly, and Caro were half of the six classmates who didn’t live in Snowflake that Charity asked to help with her wish. However, Caro didn’t live too far away in Aurora, Colorado. In high school, Caro wore her blondish hair long. Now, her old classmate’s blond bob highlighted her features.

  “Hey, ladies,” Taye greeted, and they responded in a singsong manner before she asked about Caro’s grandmother.

  “Oh, she’s been sick, but recovering.” Caro smiled, and her eyes always seemed to twinkle. “Thanks for asking. “How long are you staying in Snowflake?”

  “Probably—” she paused and glanced over her shoulder to make sure none of Sara’s customers could eavesdrop—“until I fulfill the project.”

  “Speaking of projects,” Sara interrupted as she scanned her store filled with a dozen or so customers admiring her goods. “How are you two doing with yours?”

  “I’m good.” Caro nodded, then they looked at Taye.

  “It’s a work in progress.”

  “I feel the same way,” Sara said.

  After checking the time, Taye excused herself to browse for a gift for Melissa. Besides her best friend, Taye planned to get trinkets for her neighbor in the apartment and make a donation to a food bank. Despite her finances, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without giving. As she strolled farther into the store, Taye admired an impressive selection of snow globes.

  One that caught her eye was a scenic view of a town with a mountain as the backdrop. It was a snapshot of Snowflake. A mirror on the bottom gave the illusion of a lake. When she shook the globe, small white particles depicting snow fell, but only on the mountaintops to create snowcaps. “Perfect.” On her way to the front to pay, she spied decorated wreaths piled on a display table.

  “Sara, these are beautiful.”

  The owner came to her side. “Oh, those are left over from a class I taught this morning.”

  “Are they for purchase? My girlfriend in K.C. would love this.”

  “Then it’s sold.” Sara gave Taye a slow grin.

  With her purchases in tow, she headed toward Blue Spruce Pizza, hoping to beat Brea and Donovan there. Minutes after getting a booth, the siblings strolled inside. Taye stood to wave. Brea’s face glowed with a contagious smile, then she hurried and hugged Taye so tight she would have fallen back if it wasn’t for Donovan’s strong arms reaching out to steady her.

  “I can do this. I know I can,” Brea said excitedly, giving Taye a generous dose of happiness.

  “I believe you can,” Taye said. At least I hope you can. She scooted into the booth. Brea slid next to her as she wiggled out of her down jacket, hat and scarf.

  Donovan sat across from them. His expression gave nothing away.

  “I’m ready to order the sewing machine as soon as you say yes.” She drummed her hands on the table, waiting for Donovan to sign off on the project.

  Brea bounced in her seat. “C’mon.”

  “Against my better judgment…” He paused.

  Both she and Brea leaned in, waiting for Donovan’s okay. He looked from Brea to Taye, then gritted his teeth.

  Donovan took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Y–yes.”

  Brea screamed and leaped up, and so did Taye, minus the screams. They gave each other high fives while Donovan looked downcast.

  “Come on,” Taye encouraged. “High five.” He didn’t respond. “Come on, Donovan.” When she was about to give up and sit down, in a quick reflex, he not only high fived her, but linked his fingers with hers. There was no denying his strength, but it wasn’t a grip where she couldn’t get free.

  “I still think you’re putting too much pressure on her.” He tilted his head toward Brea. “If my sister gets hurt, I’m not going to be a nice person.”

  The Big Bad Wolf will awaken. “I understand. If she begins to feel overwhelmed, then the machine is her early Christmas gift, and I’ll go to plan B.”

  “Which is?” Donovan asked.

  “Don’t know yet.” She shrugged as the waiter appeared to take their pizza order.

  “I’m hungry. Let’s order pizza so Taye can order my gift.” Brea picked up the menu.

  Less than an hour later, Donovan wiped his mouth. “That was surprisingly good.”

  “Told ya.” Taye grinned.

  “So, can we order my machine now?” Brea lowered her voice and looked around for secrecy. She was getting into this covert mission.

  “Sure.” Taye watched as Donovan stood. For a moment, she thought he was leaving as a sign of protest. Instead, he made his sister wiggle closer to Taye, squeezing Brea in between them. “Now, what should we look for, Miss Project Runaway protégé?”

  Brea giggled, then grabbed Taye’s phone and typed in a site in the search engine.

  Taye swallowed. She had fifteen hundred dollars. Neither one of them had an idea how much Charity’s gift was, and some of these machines were well into five digits. Really? No wonder sewing was a dying art as Mr. Sam had said. She was about to set a budget when Brea pointed.

  “That’s the one I want. It’s a Brother brand and is computerized with more than a hundred built-in stitches.” She faced Taye. “That’s a must-have feature for fashion designers.”

  “Umm-hmm.” Priced at three hundred and seventy-nine dollars, Taye guessed it was a bargain. “Are you sure?”

  “Yep.” Brea bobbed her head.

  “Although my sister tried to get me for double that amount, I can’t let you spend that type of money on Brea. You really don’t know her—or me.”

  Before Taye could answer, Brea lifted her chin in the air. “You didn’t really know Taye when you paid for a hotel room last night so she would be safe from the storm.”

  Donovan squinted. “You’re too smart for your own good.”

  “I am, and don’t you forget how smart I am. If you can help her, then why I can’t help someone? You can always get to know her so she won’t be a stranger anymore.”

  Was the girl matchmaking?

  Taye blushed. She wasn’t opposed to dating, but she needed a job first, a companion second or third. That was her focus before learning of Charity’s death and would continue after she completed the mission.

  Although she could feel Donovan looking at her, Taye resisted the urge to respond. She decided to read the product description, then the delivery date. “This says if I order within the next twenty-four hours, it’ll arrive by Tuesday, which means you’re going on a five-hundred-dollar fabric shopping spree.” That would still leave about six hundred dollars for incidentals.

  In her peripheral vision, Taye could see Donovan’s body tense and his grunt. “This is an investment in people. Even though my good friend was dying, she was thinking of others. How selfless is that?” Donovan’s expression changed. Maybe he was dropping his resistance. “I really need you on board. Please.” She reached over Brea and touched his hand. There was a spark. When she was about to pull away, he trapped it with his other hand.

  “While you were talking, I felt a stirring from God to help you,” he said softly.

  “Thank God for that revelation.” Tears formed in her eyes. She needed someone else to believe her plan was God’s plan. She slid her hand out. “I think it’s somewhere in the book of Hebrews. Maybe the twelfth chapter, but I don’t remember the verse.”

  He nodded. “I’ve been praying a lot for answers concerning things and waiting for God’s voice. He has been silent until now. Kinda caught me off guard.” Donovan’s lips curled upward. “So I guess Jesus is in on this.”