Chapter 18
THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE CANDY cane twist, Anika came in to work early to cover for Jessica. The store was flooded with holiday shoppers and they all bustled about spending lots of money on gifts. It was as though everyone in Echo Ridge could hear the ticking of the clock counting down to Christmas Eve. To Anika it sounded akin to a death knell— the death of her young daughter’s dreams. Maybe she shouldn’t put so much emphasis on fulfilling Megan’s wish list, but as a child, Anika remembered very little of happy Christmases. She remembered feeling cold, hungry, and wearing shoes that seemed to suck in all the ice and snow to numb her little feet. At least she had provided better for Megan in that respect.
The competition for the store credit would most likely go to the children
