Christmas Trio B. Debbie Macomber

up in HR? Sales in the toy department could be brisk, demanding hours of standing, not to mention dealing with cranky kids and short-tempered parents. He needed someone young. Energetic.

      “What can I show you?” the woman asked.

      Jake blinked, taken aback by her question. “I beg your pardon?”

      “Are you shopping for one of your children?”

      “Well, no. I—”

      She didn’t allow him to finish and steered him toward the center aisle. “We have an excellent selection of toys for any age group. If you’re looking for suggestions, I’d be more than happy to help.”

      She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was the department manager—and therefore her boss. “Excuse me,

      Mrs….” He glanced at her name tag a second time. “Mrs.

      Miracle.”

      “Actually, it’s Merkle.”

      “The badge says Miracle.”

      “Right,” she said, looking a bit chagrined. “HR made a mistake, but I don’t mind. You can call me Mrs. Miracle.”

      Speaking of miracles. If ever Jake needed one, it was now. Those robots had to sell. His entire future with the company could depend on this toy.

      “I’d be more than happy to assist you,” Mrs. Miracle said again, breaking into his thoughts.

      “I’m Jake Finley.”

      “Pleased to meet you. Do you have a son or a daughter?” she asked.

      “This is Finley’s Department Store,” he said pointedly.

      Apparently this new employee had yet to make the connection, which left Jake wondering exactly where HR found their seasonal help. There had to be someone more capable than this woman.

      “Finley,” Mrs. Miracle repeated slowly. “Jacob Robert is your father, then?”

      “Yes,” he said, frowning. Only family and close friends knew his father’s middle name.

      Her eyes brightened, and a smile slid into place. “Ahh,” she said knowingly.

      “You’re acquainted with my father?” That could explain why she’d been hired. Maybe she had some connection to his family he knew nothing about.

      “No, no, not directly, but I have heard a great deal about him.”

      So had half the population on the East Coast. “I’m the manager here in the toy department,” he told her. He clipped on his badge as he spoke, realizing he’d stuck it in his pocket. The badge said simply “Manager,” without including his name, since his policy was to be as anonymous as possible, to be known by his role, not his relationship to the owner.

      “The manager. Yes,” she said, nodding happily. “This works out beautifully.”

      “What does?” Her comments struck him as odd.

      “Oh, nothing,” she returned with the same smile.

      She certainly looked pleased with herself, although Jake couldn’t imagine why. He doubted she’d last a week. He’d see about getting her transferred to a more suitable department for someone her age. Oh, he’d be subtle about it. He had no desire to risk a discrimination suit.

      Jake examined the robot display, hoping that while he’d been gone another one might have sold. But if that was the case, he didn’t see any evidence of it.

      “Have you had your morning coffee?” Mrs. Miracle asked.

      “No,” he muttered. His head throbbed, reminding him of his craving for caffeine.

      “It seems quiet here at the moment. Why don’t you take your break?” she suggested. “The other sales associate and I can handle anything that comes along.”

      Jake hesitated.

      “Go on,” she urged. “Everyone needs their morning coffee.”

      “You go,” he said. He was, after all, the department manager, so he should be the last to leave.

      “Oh, heavens, no. I just finished a cup.” Looking around, she gestured toward the empty aisles. “It’s slow right now but it’s sure to pick up later, don’t you think?”

      She was right. In another half hour or so, he might not get a chance. His gaze rested on the robots and he pointed in their direction. “Do what you can to interest shoppers in those.”

      “Telly the SuperRobot?” she said. Not waiting for his reply, she added, “You won’t have any worries there. They’re going to be the hottest item this Christmas.”

      Jake felt a surge of excitement. “You heard that?”

      “No …” she answered thoughtfully.

      “Then you must’ve seen a news report.” Jake had been waiting for exactly this kind of confirmation. He’d played a hunch, taken a chance, and in his heart of hearts felt it had been a good decision. But he had four hundred and ninety-seven of these robots on his hands. If his projections didn’t pan out, it would take a long time—like maybe forever—to live it down.

      “Coffee,” Mrs. Miracle said, without explaining why she was so sure of the robot’s success.

      Jake checked his watch, then nodded. “I’ll be back soon.”

      “Take whatever time you need.”

      Jake thanked her and hurriedly left, stopping by HR on his way out. The head of the department, Gloria Palmer, glanced up when Jake entered the office. “I’ve got a new woman on the floor this morning. Emily Miracle,” he said.

      Gloria frowned. “Miracle?” She tapped some keys on her computer and looked back at Jake. “I don’t show anyone with that name working in your department.”

      Jake remembered that Emily Miracle had said there’d been an error on her name tag. He rubbed his hand across his forehead, momentarily closing his eyes as he tried to remember the name she’d mentioned. “It starts with an M—McKinsey, Merk, something like that.”

      Gloria’s phone rang and she reached for it, holding it between her shoulder and ear as her fingers flew across the keyboard. She tried to divide her attention between Jake and the person on the line. Catching Jake’s eye, she motioned toward the computer screen, shrugged and shook her head.

      Jake raised his hand and mouthed, “I’ll catch you later.”

      Gloria nodded and returned her attention to the caller. Clearly she had more pressing issues to attend to just then. Jake would seek her out later that afternoon and suggest Mrs. Miracle be switched to another department. A less demanding one.

      As he rushed out the door onto Thirty-fourth and headed into the still-falling snow, he decided it would be only fair to give the older woman a chance. If she managed to sell one of the robots while he collected his morning cup of java, he’d consider keeping her. And if she managed to sell two, she’d be living up to her name!

      Chapter Two

       If God is your copilot, trade places. —Mrs. Miracle

      Friday morning, and Holly Larson was right on schedule—even a few minutes ahead. This was a vast improvement over the past two months, ever since her eight-year-old nephew, Gabe, had come to live with her. It’d taken effort on both their parts to make this arrangement work. Mickey, Holly’s brother, had been called up by the National Guard and sent to Afghanistan for the next fifteen months. He was a widower, and with her parents doing volunteer medical work in Haiti, the only option for Gabe was to move in with Holly, who lived in a small Brooklyn apartment. Fortunately, she’d been able to turn her minuscule home office into a bedroom for Gabe.

      They