Sadie hurried down the small street between her apartment and Leona’s bookstore. The festiveness of Christmas had doubled, she thought, as people walked in and out of stores with cups of drinks, which she didn’t know if they were coffee or cocoa. Music played from every doorway, and the scents of chestnuts at ten in the morning nearly overwhelmed her.
Did all of these people wait until the last moment to shop? Or, because it was a Saturday morning, and Christmas Eve, were they all just feeling festive and wanting to mingle?
When Sadie pushed open the door to the bookstore, she could smell the cinnamon candles that Leona would burn. People walked around the store picking up books and gift items. There was a hum of conversation and the meditation music drowned out the Christmas music from the street.
In all the years that Sadie had been walking into the store, she’d never seen it quite like this.
Leona, lifted her head to see her walk in. There was a line in front of the counter, and by Leona’s smile, she was very happy to have her store so full.
Sadie reconsidered her reason for being there. Leona didn’t have time to worry about the mistaken book.
Sadie walked toward the counter. “Good morning, Leona.”
“Hello, sweetheart,” she said, smiling at her, but continuing to ring up customers. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“You’re very busy.”
“Holidays on the weekend are miracles,” she nearly sang the words as she thanked the couple at the counter and handed them their bag before the next customer walked up. “Are you in need of another book already?” she asked, and Sadie only shrugged.
There was no way she was going to tell her about the mix-up now. Not that Leona wouldn’t make it right, but that she was much too busy.
“I just wanted to stop in and say hello,” Sadie said. “I’ll stop back by when you’re not so busy.”
“Enjoy your day, sweetheart,” Leona said as she rang up the next sale. “And if I don’t see you, Merry Christmas.”
Sadie gave her a wave, and then maneuvered through the crowd and out of the bookstore.
As she stood on the street, Sadie wondered if she could find Charlie on her own. Did he work close by? Was his grandmother in a facility close by?
Seriously, it wasn’t a priority. She could take the book back to the store, and if Charlie wandered in, Leona could get in touch with her.
Pulling her phone from her pocket, and walking against the flow of pedestrian traffic, she began to search for care facilities near her. Perhaps Charlie’s grandmother was in one, or she lived at home, but what would it hurt to look?
Then again, what was she going to do, walk into the facility and ask if they had a woman who had a grandson named Charlie?
Chuckling to herself at the absurdity of the thought, she nearly dropped her phone when a shoulder of a passerby bumped into her. She stopped and turned, just as the man who had bumped her turned.
Sadie felt her mouth open, and she stared at the man whom she was on a quest to find.
Charlie swallowed hard as he looked at the woman from the bookstore. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay," she said.
Then, at the same time, they both said, “I was looking for you.”
The woman’s eyes went wide.
God, he wished he could remember her name. “You were looking for me?” Charlie asked.
The woman nodded as she dug into her oversized purse. “Leona got the books switched yesterday. I wanted to make sure your grandmother got the right book.”
Charlie blinked hard. “I know the books were mixed up, but you were out here looking for me?”
She nodded. “I was just looking for care facilities in the area. I thought maybe you were with your Grandmother today. I didn’t know how to ask anyone about Charlie’s grandmother, but…”
Charlie stepped closer to her. “You remember my name?”
“I always remember names.”
“I don’t. Tell me yours again.”
When she smiled, a dimple formed in her cheek. “Sadie.”
“That’s right,” he said, knowing he’d never forget it again. “Sadie,” he repeated as another man bumped into him.
“Take it somewhere else. You’re in the way,” the man growled as he walked on.
Sadie pursed her lips. “I guess not everyone has the holiday spirit.”
“Are you in a hurry to get somewhere?” Charlie asked.
Sadie shook her head. “No.”
“Can I buy you a cup of coffee or hot chocolate?”
“Oh,” she said, tapping her fingers on the book with Vivian Leigh’s face. “I’m sure you have a million things going on today. Family and Christmas and all.”
Charlie shook his head. “Not until this evening. I’d love to talk to you about the book you picked out.”
Sadie’s brows rose. “You read the book?”
“No, but my grandmother did.”
“She likes romances? I have an entire bookshelf of them I could let her read.”
There was an urgency in him now to sit down with this woman and get to know her. He’d never read a romance in his life, nor did he know anything about them. What he knew was that for the first time in years, his grandmother remembered his name. Maybe those books were magic.
“Really, can I buy you a coffee? I’d really like to talk to—I mean if you’re not rushing off for Christmas Eve festivities or family events yourself.”
He noticed her eyes flashed sadness.
“No, I have nowhere to go."
“I work in the coffee shop down the street. I can get us anything. I know for a fact they baked fresh chocolate chip muffins. Usually, on Saturdays they use what was frozen during the week. And I probably shouldn’t tell people that. It sounds bad, but most of the coffee shops around use frozen items.”
Sadie laughed. He’d certainly talked too much, which he did when he was nervous.
Still smiling, she rested her hand on his arm. “I would love a latte.”