Riley didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t have a clue what she wanted to write about, and she had been hoping that something would inspire her at Christmas Camp. She didn’t want to panic Margo, so she just decided to play along.
“Sounds good,” she told Margo.
Silence.
“Margo?” Riley asked.
“Yes, I’m still here,” Margo said. “It’s just so rare that you simply agree with me without putting up a fight.”
“Well, when you’re right, you’re right,” Riley said, hoping Margo would buy it.
Margo laughed a genuine laugh. “Who are you and what have you done with my author?”
Riley laughed, too. “Seriously, Margo, everything’s going to be great. I appreciate what everyone’s doing on your end. Is there anything you need me to do from here?”
“Yes,” Margo said. “Find your Christmas spirit.”
Riley rolled her eyes. When reindeer fly, she thought.
“I’m serious about this, Riley,” Margo said as if reading her mind. “Don’t think you’re fooling me. I’ve known you for seven years, and in that time, you’ve never once talked about celebrating Christmas or talked about Christmas at all, for that matter. And,” she continued, “when it was first brought up that you needed to do a Christmas story for your next book, I saw the look on your fa—”
“What look?” Riley interrupted.
“Like you’d rather chew broken glass,” Margo said.
Riley winced. Margo always had a way with words.
Silence again. But this time It was from Riley.
“Are you going to say something?” Margo asked.
“Nope,” Riley said. She wasn’t about to incriminate herself, and she knew Margo could read her like a book, pun intended. “Look, Margo, I really need to go. Luke is waiting for me to finalize the Christmas Camp plans.”
“Okay,” Margo said. “But there’s one more thing.”
“What?” Riley asked. “Whatever you need.”
“I need a Christmas picture of you with your family—something when you were little or one of those pictures kids get every year with Santa. A couple of the online outlets are requesting them since Mike is promoting you as ‘Miss Christmas.’ You know how everyone loves to see childhood photos.”
Riley shook her head as she stared up at the ceiling, thinking Margo may as well have been asking for all the snow in the North Pole. She didn’t have any childhood Christmas pictures, and this was something Google couldn’t help her with.
“Riley? Are you still there? Did you hear me?” Margo asked. “I swear we have a terrible phone connection.”
“Yes,” Riley said in a voice that sounded far away, even to her own ears. “I heard you.”
“Great,” Margo shot back. “So it won’t be a problem to get me something right away?”
Riley looked over at Comet and mouthed the word, Help.
She then answered Margo with a lie that rivaled Mike’s. “No, Margo, it won’t be any problem at all.”
Chapter Twenty
Riley stared at the phone for several seconds after she hung up with Margo. She looked over at Comet. “Now what am I going to do?”
When Comet looked up at her, Riley thought his big brown eyes almost looked sympathetic. It was like he understood exactly what was going on. She loved him for that. She kissed the top of his head and gave him a hug.
Riley blamed all of this on Mike and his pitching her to media outlets as “Miss Christmas.” If there really was a Naughty or Nice List, Mike would be at the top of the Naughty List, and instead of a lump of coal in his stocking, he’d get an entire coal mine. All the stories he was spinning about her were spinning out of control, and right now, naughty was about the nicest word that came to mind when she thought of Mike.
Riley knew she only had one last hope.
She picked up the phone and dialed her mom. She dreaded asking her about this. She didn’t want to upset her by bringing up any painful Christmas memories. Ever since they had started going to Hawaii for Christmas, they never talked about how the holiday had been when her dad was still alive. It was like Christmas had never happened.
They had just moved on, into the future, with their fun-filled, beach-themed Hawaii trips that had made them both happy. Yet, now here she was, about to bring up the past.
She was halfway through dialing the last number when she stopped. She stared at the phone. She couldn’t do it. She was about to hang up when Comet barked.
Her attention flew to him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Comet barked again.
And then she heard another sound. It was her mom on the other end of the line.
“Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?”
Surprised, Riley looked at the phone and realized she must have accidently dialed the last number when Comet distracted her with his bark. When she gave him a look, Comet was wagging his tail.
“Hello?” she heard her mom ask again.
She looked at the phone and steeled herself. “Mom? It’s me. Can you hear me?”
Her mom laughed. “I can now. I thought I heard a dog barking.”
Riley eyed Comet, who put his head down on his paws and continued watching her. “You did, that was Comet.”
Her mom laughed. “Like the reindeer?”
“That’s the idea,” Riley said.
“What kind of dog is he?” her mom asked.
“A crafty one,” Riley answered without hesitation, but she smiled as she looked over at him. “He’s really smart. He’s a Bernese mountain dog. They’re from Switzerland, from the town of Bern. Remember when I visited there when I was doing my travel writing? That’s the first time I ever saw one. They were raised to heard cattle, and I think some of them even pulled farm carts. Comet looks strong enough to do that.”
Comet lifted his head up when he heard his name.
“I’ve read about them,” Riley’s mom said. “They’re supposed to be great watchdogs and very loyal companions.”
Riley nodded and smiled. “I can totally see that.”
“So where are you right now?” her mom asked. “You didn’t get a dog,
