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He mulled this over, giving her words careful consideration. “Maybe in this case it would be all right,” he said, doing his best not to sound disappointed.

“Thank you,” she whispered, with such relief she slid off the bed and hugged Ricky. He squirmed in her arms until she released him.

Seeing that he seemed to have taken pity on her, she had a second request. “Can I ask another favor of you?”

“Okay.” He sounded wary as if he wasn’t sure he should have so easily agreed.

God love this child. “Please don’t tell your mom or grandma about the shoes in the oven or the firemen.”

He nodded and pressed his finger over his mouth, silently letting her know his lips were sealed.

“Thank you.” She could only imagine what her mother would say.

The next morning, Sage took Ricky to Dahlia Bakery and let him choose the cookies to bring Santa. He carefully looked over the glass case, as if this was a momentous decision. Sage didn’t care how much these cookies cost, it was a relief knowing she’d escaped baking them herself. She was convinced her neighbors would be equally grateful.

Earlier in the week, Sage had found a website that listed where Santa made appearances. Santa with his elves were available for several hours at Pacific Place, a downtown shopping mall in the heart of Seattle. That would be perfect.

After the disaster from the night before, the weather for the day couldn’t have been better. Unlike the gloomy, drizzling rain of winter, the sun was out, and the air was cold and crisp.

Sage’s step was lighter as they made their way through the throng of holiday shoppers. Carolers, dressed as if they’d stepped out of a Dickens novel, stood in the area outside the mall, their songbooks in their hands. Sage and Ricky stopped to listen.

Not once since Ricky’s arrival had Sage taken a moment to enjoy the festivities associated with the holiday season. The atmosphere felt magical. Sage and Ricky, along with a small group of others, lingered, appreciating the music. Sage closed her eyes as the carolers’ blended voices filled the air, their harmony lifting her above the craziness from the night before.

The downtown area was beautifully decorated. Every storefront displayed some aspects of the season. There were windows painted with reindeer and snowmen everywhere she looked, along with lighted Christmas trees and red poinsettias. She saw a vendor selling hot roasted chestnuts.

Ricky was completely enthralled, and frankly so was Sage.

By the time they headed into Pacific Place, the line to see Santa was long. A pair of girls, who looked to be about thirteen, stood in front of them, dressed in purple leggings and pink tutus.

“When we get the picture of me and Santa, I want to send it to my mom,” Ricky said, hardly able to contain his excitement.

“You got it.”

The teens giggled and bounced up and down to get a better look at Santa. The woman in line behind her held a screaming, squirming toddler. The young mother did her best to assure the little one he didn’t need to be afraid of Santa.

“Joey, it’s okay,” she tried to tell him.

Ricky turned around and studied the two-year-old, who acted as if he was about to be kidnapped. The mother struggled to keep Joey in her arms.

“Joey, please,” she cried. She sent Sage an apologetic look. “The picture is for our Christmas card. We’re late as it is.”

Ricky tugged at the sleeve of Sage’s coat. “Can I give him a cookie?” he whispered.

“I think that might be a good idea, but let’s ask his mom to be sure.”

Ricky opened the box and took out a bell-shaped sugar cookie with red frosting and white sprinkles. “Can Joey have a cookie?” he asked the young mother.

“Yes, I’m sure he would love one. Thank you.”

Ricky held the cookie up to the little boy.

Tears instantly dried on Joey’s face as he reached for the cookie and brought it to his mouth.

The line slowly progressed. To her surprise, Sage really didn’t mind that a photo with Santa took much longer than she’d assumed. The mood was jovial and upbeat. The scent of fresh evergreens was in the air. The crowd of holiday shoppers moved up and down the escalators, their arms filled with packages.

In all the years she’d lived in Seattle, Sage had sort of ignored the holidays, preferring to concentrate on her work. Mark and Annalisa’s wedding had taken place in December, and every year the holidays were a reminder of their betrayal. No one needed to tell Sage the two had been secretly seeing each other long before Mark split with her.

It suited her to get involved working on some deadline or hurrying to finish a project so she could put the past behind her. Besides, Sage told herself, downtown Seattle was to be avoided. Parking was a nightmare, the crowds overwhelming. Looking around her now, there seemed to be magic in the air. A joy she’d chosen to ignore. Ricky had given her a gift she hadn’t expected to receive.