Spoonful of Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

father amended. “I’m glad to see you finally committed to something. You’ve done a good job here.”
    It was as close to a compliment as she could get, so she let it go. At least he was trying. Their relationship had been strained since her mother had died, but ever since he saw her determination to make the shop a success, he’d softened.
    A few weeks earlier, at Thanksgiving, he’d even thanked the Lord she’d committed to a job and a new marriage. But what would he say if she left the shop and moved away? Would he call her fickle? Would she lose her newly earned respect?
    Her mind was so focused on what her father might think of her, she didn’t realize Jake had entered the shop.
    “Jake, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” She poured him a cup of coffee, and when she slid it toward him, she noticed the telltale crease on his forehead. “Tough day?”
    He sank down onto the stool opposite the counter and gave her a half-hearted smile. “Yeah.”
    “What’s wrong?”
    He shrugged. “I went to interview several foster parents today, and it didn’t go as expected. I’d made appointments, but some of them weren’t home.”
    “Everyone’s shopping.”
    The crease in Jake’s forehead deepened. A few of the foster parents I talked to were great, but others . . . didn’t seem . . .” He shook his head. “I feel sorry for those kids trapped in the system, moving from place to place, family to family.”
    “Rachel’s mother has a friend who’s a foster parent, and the kids all love her.”
    “Then her friend is one of the exceptions. There aren’t enough good foster parents for all the kids who need homes.”
    “I see a few foster kids every week,” Andi agreed. “Every time I volunteer to pack weekend lunches for the Kids Coalition backpack program or host a free cupcake camp for Mia and Taylor’s school friends.”
    Jake pushed the coffee aside and met her gaze. “I met a boy today. Max. He didn’t look like he’d had a decent meal in weeks. I didn’t want to pry, but I got the feeling he might be one of the homeless kids living downtown in the ‘Shanghai tunnel’ under the street. He made me think of our own girls and how lucky we all are to have each other.”
    Andi frowned. “Max is the name of Mia’s imaginary friend. We used to have a dog named Max, and I’m sure that’s where she got the name. Today she insisted he was in the back party room, but when I went in, there was nobody there. Maybe she overheard us talking about moving to D.C., got scared, and this is her way of comforting herself. I’m worried about Mia.”
    “I’m worried about Max,” Jake admitted. “What kind of Christmas does he have to look forward to?”
    Andi frowned, then said brightly, “I know! We can host a Christmas party for all the foster children in the area. If I ask Mia to help, it might take her mind off her imaginary friend. Local businesses can donate gifts, we can serve cupcakes, and maybe we can even get Mike to dress up as Santa.”
    “Or we could sign up to be foster parents,” Jake suggested. “We already have two kids; what’s one more?”
    “Oh, Jake!” She stared at him and realized he was serious. “I’ve always dreamed of taking in lots of kids and having a big, happy, home, but—”
    “Yes?” Jake asked.
    “We have to decide where we’re going to live first.”

 
    Chapter Five
----
    Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.
    —Margaret Thatcher
    U NLIKE G UY, THE tattoo artist, Rachel loved everything about Christmas: parties, tinsel, mistletoe, lights, music, shopping, and gifts. She took an ornament out of the box set on the Creative Cupcakes dining table. “Remember when we were in the first grade and made these?”
    Andi looked at the macaroni angel with gold-painted hair and white wings, then nodded to her daughter. “Looks like Mia when she was younger. Now she’s growing so fast. She lost