Accidental Christmas Miracle

15.

Miracle

Once the other two had helped with the notes, we rolled them up and stuck them inside the small boxes, closing the lids that Christi had somehow made on said boxes.

We were done with our part.

Christi made everyone all hot chocolate and my group waited for the other three to finish, sipping our hot drinks.

When the others had finished decorating their note cards, we all washed out hands - which led to a small water fight where we  before eating lunch and then decided to go hide the notes that afternoon.

Dot got really excited and the three of us - Jules, Christi, and I - took our opportunity to tease him.

When we got to town via Christi's truck - although it was a slight squeeze, she turned towards us. "Okay, everyone! Let's get those notes hidden. Remember, it must be accessible easily and you can't hide it completely. Otherwise, they'll stay there and no one will find them and I'll be sad."

Grinning, we all nodded and exited the truck.

Well, I stumbled out more than anything because I had been squished between the window and Noel.

The back seat was definitely not supposed to hold four people.

Noel smothered a grin poorly as she asked me if I was okay.

I waved her off. I was fine but embarrassed. Dusting myself off, I looked around, trying to find the best hiding spots for the small boxes that filled my sweatshirt pocket.

Noel grabbed my arm. "Come with Gabe and me."

I immediately corrected her without thinking and then winced. "Sorry. I-"

She stopped me. "It's fine. I forget sometimes."

Gabriel nodded. "I have to correct her often."

She rolled her eyes at him and looked at me, shaking her head. "No, he doesn't." She whispered to me and before Gabriel could say anything more on that topic, she pulled me along with her, forcing Gabriel to follow her.

When she gotten to the place she wanted to be, which was in front of Larry's Ice Cream Parlor, she grinned at me before walking in.

The door jingled as the three of us entered and a strawberry blonde girl looked up before smiling. Her freckle covered face radiated happiness.

"Hey there you two. Who's this you brought?" The girl asked, leaning on the counter.

Noel grinned and motioned towards me dramatically. "This is Miracle. She's staying with us for right now."

"She's the one that hit Christi's truck." Gabriel added.

I gave him a look and the girl laughed.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miracle-who-ran-into-Christi's-truck." She said jokingly. "What may I do for you three today?" She asked.

"Josie? Who are you talking to?" A man's voice came from the back of the shop.

"The Taylor twins and their guest. Come say hi, Grandpa." She said over her shoulder.

An older man emerged and smiled when he saw us. "What are you three doing here? No one gets ice cream in the winter."

"If that were true, you would be closed down long before now." Gabriel replied.

He laughed. "That's true. That's true." He looked at me, "And you are-?"

"Miracle." I answered quickly.

"Well, what can Josie and I do for you three?"

I smiled at the similarity of what Josie had asked and what her grandfather had just asked.

"Well," Noel started. "We need your help once again."

The man's eyes twinkled. "Hiding the notes again, are we?" He asked with a smile.

We all nodded.

"Larry here is the best at hiding things." Gabriel explained to me.

I nodded, thankful for his explanation.

"Okay, show me what you've got this year." Larry motioned to the counter and we emptied our pockets of notes and boxes holding notes. He picked one up. "Christmas's?" He asked and Gabriel nodded.

"Yes. She made it out of-" He started explaining but Larry held up his hand.

"Stop there, sonny. I didn't ask for a craft lesson. I would ask Christmas if I wanted that." He told him not unkindly. He paused, thinking and then snapped his fingers, breaking the somewhat of a silence that had fallen over the ice cream parlor. After all, huge freezers weren't too quiet.

"I've got just the places this year." He then divided the notes and boxes up, handing us each a handful and giving us each different instructions. He gave Gabriel his portion and instructions. "I hear that the music shop is particularly busy recent." He hinted. "Just no putting them in the instruments but near the music books are a good place, near the Christmas ones are even better."

He then gave Noel hers. "Your usual spots in the coffee shop and bakery ought to do it."

Larry finally turned to me. "Now - Miracle, was it? - I find that the bookstore is an excellent place to be."

I nodded as I was handed my portion and tucked the mixture of notes and boxes into my sweatshirt pocket.

"Here, you three. Take a small cone along with you." Josie leaned over the counter, holding three small cones with a tiny scoop of ice cream in each. "Any bigger and you'll be freezing out there." She explained to my confused face.

I nodded and took the cone handed to me and to my surprise, it was my favorite: mint chip. "How-?"

She shrugged. "After a while, you start to be able to tell which are people's favorite ice cream flavors."

"Impressive." I commented.

"Yeah, yeah, okay cool. Now, can we go?" Noel asked impatiently, clearly unimpressed.

Josie raised an eyebrow. "Patience still isn't your thing, is it Elle?" She asked.

Noel rolled her eyes, "So I'm told. Anyways, can we go?"

"Say please." Gabriel instructed her, smirking as he licked his ice cream cone.

"Please." She added after he told her to, giving him a look.

I nodded. "Sure." As  I was leaving, I looked back at Larry and Josie and waved, smiling. "Merry Christmas!"

"I see you've gone to the expert." A voice said as I opened the door and walked out.

I jumped, having been spooked, and looked for the voice source.

Christi was leaning against the ice cream parlor's big front window, covering part of its name. She was smirking, obviously finding it funny that she had scared me. "Where you headed?" She stands up straight, awaiting my answer.

When I looked at Noel and Gabriel, I saw - well, more like I didn't  see them.

"They left." Christi informed me.

I nodded.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Hmm?"

"Where you headed?" She asked again.

"Bookstore."

She brightened up and grinned. "Me too. Come on." She looped her arm in mine and dragged me to the bookstore before I could react.

I had to give her props. She was definitely stronger than she looked.