Sealed with a Kiss, Leeanna Morgan [black authors fiction .txt] 📗

Tank listened to the person who was speaking to him on the phone, then hung up. “There’s been a change of plans. We’re not going shopping.”

Bella’s mug of hot chocolate clattered against the table. “But we have to. I haven’t finished making dad’s Christmas present.”

Rachel looked up from the table. “What’s happened?”

“Christmas is what’s happened. Walmart is packed with people.”

Pastor Steven bit into a slice of Mrs. Daniels’ gingerbread loaf. “It happens every year. The week before Christmas is crazy wherever you go.” He looked at Bella. “What do you need to finish your present? I might have some extra supplies here.”

Bella leaned back and pulled a crinkled piece of paper out of her pocket. “I need pink foil, some double-dot jewels, sticky red jewels, glitter sticks, and some more cardboard sleighs like the ones Rachel found the other day.”

Pastor Steven frowned. “It sounds like fun, but I don’t have any of those things here. What if you visited one of the specialty stationery stores in Bozeman? They might have what you want without having to go to Walmart.”

“We might not even need to do that,” Rachel murmured. She looked at Tank. “I know a craft store that sells the scrapbook supplies that Bella needs. Would you take us there?”

He looked at Rachel. His intense stare told her that he wasn’t impressed with her suggestion.

Bella walked around the table to Tank. “If I don’t find what I need I can’t finish dad’s present. It will only take a few minutes. Can we please go to Rachel’s store?”

Rachel glanced out of the kitchen window. “It’s not snowing anymore. We can rush into the store, buy what we need, and be back in your SUV before you know it.”

“John’s not going to like it. I’m sorry, but the answer’s no.”

Rachel thought fast. Bella really needed the supplies and she knew this would be their last chance to do anything in town. “I know John wants us to be careful. I wouldn’t have suggested the store if I didn’t think it was safe. What if I went into the store and you stayed in your vehicle with Bella? I could phone ahead and order what we want. It will be twice as quick. All I’ll need to do is pay for the scrapbook materials and leave.”

Tank looked at Bella. She used her big brown eyes, silently pleading her case better than any adult Rachel had ever seen.

He looked at Pastor Steven, then back at Rachel. “Okay. But if we get there and it doesn’t look safe, we leave straight away. Where is the store?”

“On Main Street, beside Angel Wings Café. It’s called Crafty Crafts.”

Tank raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding me.”

“It’s a great name.” Rachel had known the store’s owner, Kelly Harris, since eighth grade. She was a good friend and loyalty ran deep in Montana. “Kelly turned a musty old building into the prettiest craft store in Bozeman. Scoff all you like, but a lot of people buy their supplies from her. But craft supplies aren’t the only thing she sells. She has the best selection of local artists’ work in Bozeman, and she runs workshops teaching people how to paint.”

“She sounds like a saint,” Tank grumbled.

“She’s better than a saint.” Rachel walked across to her bag and took her cell phone out. “She sells what we need. You’ve just made one little girl very happy.”

“The only thing that matters is that Bella’s daddy is happy when we get home. Otherwise, both of us might be looking for new jobs.” Tank looked across at Bella and his hard-as-nails face softened.

Rachel couldn’t think about John at the moment. Kissing him last night had been the most reckless thing she’d done in months. And recklessness, she’d learned, always came at a price.

She turned on her phone and searched through her contact list for Kelly’s number. “How did you know Walmart was busy?”

“I have my sources,” Tank said as he pulled out his own cell phone. “I just hope they can get across town before we arrive at the craft store.”

Rachel held her phone to her ear and waited for Kelly to answer. Buying the scrapbook supplies was important. Bella wasn’t creating a run-of-the-mill Christmas present. It was a heart-wrenching, emotional present that might make John realize how his daughter felt about him.

And if that didn’t work, Bella could always bake him his favorite cake and hope for the best.

“It’s a parade,” Bella squealed from the back seat of Tank’s SUV. “It’s the Christmas parade. Look…there’s Santa!” Bella pointed to the merry man in red.

“There’s no way I’ll be able to park close to the store,” Tank said. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

Bella frowned. “You can’t go back on your word. I need the craft supplies for dad’s present.”

“I’m sorry, Bella. But a deal is a deal. I told you before we left Pastor Steven’s house that if this didn’t feel right, Rachel wasn’t going inside for your supplies. It doesn’t feel right, so we’re going home.”

“I don’t want to go home. If we follow the parade down Main Street, we’ll drive straight past the craft store. The floats are going so slow that you wouldn’t need to find a place to park. Rachel could jump out and then run along the sidewalk and catch up with us.”

“Rachel would slip feet first into the gutter if she ran along the sidewalk. We’d end up in the hospital with a concussed teacher who should have known better.”

Rachel glared at the back of Tank’s head. “The so-called concussed teacher now has everything clearly spelled out. Thank you, Tank.”

“Don’t get angry with me. I’m just telling you that no one is going anywhere.” He stopped at a set of traffic lights.

Rachel watched the people on the side of the road. They were huddled in their jackets, with scarves and hats firmly attached to their bodies. The Christmas parade was a big deal in Bozeman. Most families made sure they were standing on the side of the road to see the long trail of floats moving down the street.

Tank would have to take a left-hand turn up ahead if he wanted to go anywhere. Main Street was closed to vehicles and, judging by the number of floats she could see, it would be a long time before it opened.

Before Rachel could think of another craft store they could visit, Bella unclipped her seatbelt and jumped out of the car.

Rachel made