She reluctantly stood up. “Okay, I’m coming.”
I must be losing it, she thought. She was not only talking to a dog but she was also asking it for advice.
There was one thing she knew for sure. Those Christmas miracles she’d never believed in? She was going to need one, and fast.
When Comet barked, she walked a little faster. “I’m coming, Comet,” she said. “Take me to my miracle.”
As she followed Comet into the kitchen, she could smell fresh coffee brewing and decided she would just take things one step at a time. She knew she needed a plan, but right now, she also desperately needed a big jolt of caffeine for inspiration.
Luke looked up and smiled when she and Comet entered the kitchen.
“Coffee is ready,” he said, holding up a mug. This time the mug had the face of an elf on it. The elf had pointy pink ears.
Riley didn’t even try to hide her laugh. “Let me guess. Your mom also collects elves?”
“No,” Luke said. “That was my dad. He loved the elves. He believed they were the ones that brought the Christmas magic. Of course, my mom always insisted it was Santa who did that. They would have quite the debate.”
Riley was still smiling as she sat down at the kitchen table. “That had to be some debate.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Luke said. “When I was little, I thought they were just doing it to entertain me.”
“But . . . ?” Riley asked.
“Well, when the annual debate continued every Christmas, I realized they were doing it for themselves as much as they were doing it for me. Call it one of our crazy family traditions.”
“That must be nice,” Riley said, not realizing she’d said the words out loud until Luke answered her.
“The debates or the traditions?” he asked.
Riley answered honestly. “Both.”
Luke nodded. “It was. How would you like your coffee? Do you want cream or sugar?”
“Actually,” Riley said, “I’d love some cinnamon if you have any? Or I can just take it black.”
Luke opened the cupboard, took out some cinnamon, and held it out to her. “Your Christmas wish has just come true,” he said, smiling.
Riley laughed. “Well, I don’t know if I’d call it a Christmas wish. It’s more like a habit I’ve had since college.”
Luke gave her a curious look as she took the cinnamon and added a heaping spoonful of it to her coffee.
Luke laughed. “Okay, that’s a lot of cinnamon. Why so much?”
Riley smiled as she happily inhaled the scent and then stirred the cinnamon into her coffee until it disappeared.
“My college roommate, Kim, was studying to be a nutritionist and said she’d read that cinnamon in your coffee is supposed to help kickstart your brain in the morning. Even the scent alone is supposed to help you concentrate more.”
Luke gave her a doubtful look. “Cinnamon can do all that?”
Riley laughed. “That’s what she said, so I tried it and I’ve been hooked ever since. Do you want to try it?” She held out her elf cup.
Luke laughed. “No, I’m good. I’m a purist. I drink mine black. I feel like if the coffee’s good, you don’t need anything else.” He held his mug out to hers. “Merry Christmas.”
Riley hesitated only a moment before clinking her cup to his.
As she took a sip of her coffee, she thought about how Merry Christmas were two words she rarely used. Usually, if people wished her a Merry Christmas, she would answer with something like Have a great day, or You too, or something like that. But there was something about actually saying those two words, Merry Christmas, that tugged at her memories of when she was a little girl and the last time she’d celebrated Christmas with her dad. She was lost in thought when she realized Luke was talking to her.
She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. You were saying?”
Luke smiled back at her. “I was just asking what some of your family Christmas traditions are. Maybe we could use some at Christmas Camp. Were you planning to put any in your book?”
Riley instantly stiffened. Over the years, she’d always avoided the topic of Christmas traditions because whenever she’d told people she didn’t have any traditions, they always thought something was wrong with her. So early on she’d come up with an answer that she always used, and she decided to use the same one now with Luke.
“Oh, you know,” she said, staring into her coffee, “the usual stuff like everyone else. We didn’t do anything really unique or special.”
“Really?” Luke asked.
Without looking up, she could sense him studying her.
“I would have thought Miss Christmas had all kinds of interesting family traditions.”
Riley put her coffee cup down and met Luke’s stare. “About that name,” she started.
Luke smiled. “Miss Christmas?”
Riley tried to smile, but it was forced. “Yeah. I think Mike has been exaggerating a little.”
Luke laughed. “Mike? Exaggerate? Never!”
Luke’s response had Riley relaxing a little bit. “So you know how Mike likes to—”
“Embellish the truth,” Luke finished for her.
“Yes,” Riley said. “That’s a nice way to put it.”
Luke laughed. “Oh, trust me. I know Mike well. Ever since we were roommates in college, Mike has been spinning stories. I think he should have been a writer, the way he likes to make things up.”
Riley put both hands on the kitchen table and leaned toward Luke. “That’s exactly what I always say.”
“The thing is,” Luke continued, “I think he actually believes his own made-up stories. He just doesn’t sell other people on them, he starts believing them. That’s why he’s so insistent and just goes full speed ahead when he gets one of his ideas.”
Riley leaned back in her chair and gave Luke an impressed look. “I think you just summed him up perfectly.”
“In his defense,” Luke started.
Riley held up her hands. “Wait, just when I thought we were going to agree
