Christmas in Eternity Springs by Emily March

We are selling them for twenty dollars apiece or two hundred twenty-five dollars for the entire set of twelve.”
    â€œOkay. Okay, then.” Nicholas sucked in a deep, bracing breath, then asked, “Maybe … do you think … maybe you could save one for me? A Captain ornament?” He glanced at his father and added, “For when I’m better.”
    Jax opened his mouth to speak, but Claire stilled him by holding up her hand, palm out. “I’ve been thinking about establishing a layaway program for my shop. This would be the perfect opportunity for me to put that idea into motion. Would you like to put a Captain ornament on layaway?”
    The boy narrowed his eyes. “How do I do that?”
    â€œWell, it’s a little like a loan, a little like a promise. If you put a Captain ornament on layaway, then you give me a deposit of … say … a dollar. I take it out of my sales stock, and I keep it in a special section of my shop with your name on it. Every month, you send me another payment and I mark it down in my layaway book. When you have paid the entire twenty dollars, I send the ornament to you.”
    â€œTwenty dollars?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œSo if I paid you two dollars a month, I could get it in ten months?”
    â€œYes. Of course, you can pay it off early. There’s no penalty for that. Also, the Twelve Dogs of Christmas ornaments aren’t due to arrive until October, so you could delay the start of your payments until then.”
    â€œWhat if I’m not ready for it once I’ve paid you the whole twenty dollars?”
    â€œI can continue to hold it for you.”
    â€œFor how long?”
    â€œAs long as you need me to hold it.”
    â€œReally? What if it takes me a really long time … like until I’m a grown-up? What if your store goes out of business or you die?”
    â€œJeeze, Nicholas,” his father said.
    â€œI need to know, Dad!”
    â€œHe’s right,” Claire said. “We are entering into a business agreement, and it’s always best to iron out any potential problems at the outset.”
    Nicholas shot his father a triumphant glare as Claire tapped her index finger against her lip in a show of considering the issue at hand. “I probably shouldn’t commit to storing your purchase indefinitely because you’re right, the business could fail or something bad could happen to me. Something good could happen, too. I could decide to move to Bora Bora.”
    â€œWhere’s that?”
    â€œThe South Pacific.”
    â€œAre you thinking about moving to Bora Bora?” Jax asked, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
    â€œNot right now, but like Nicholas, I do like to keep my options open.” To the boy, she said, “I have an idea. If you’re not ready for me to send you the Captain ornament when you make the final payment, I could always send it to your dad to keep for you until you’re ready.”
    â€œHe’s the one who goes away all the time.”
    Jax closed his eyes and sighed. Then he ruffled his son’s hair. “Not anymore, son. You’re stuck with me. And one more thing. Based on what I saw earlier today up at the Rocking L, I’m convinced you’re not going to need to leave your dog ornament in layaway for a long time.”
    Nicholas looked up at his father with hope beaming in his eyes. “Really? Do you really think so? Are we going to move to Eternity Springs?”
    â€œYes, I really think so, Nicholas. And no, we’re not going to move to Eternity Springs. I don’t think you need to move. I think you’re doing great now, and you’ll continue to do great once you’re back in Seattle. I have every confidence that you’re going to want to hang your Captain ornament on our very own tree this coming holiday season.”
    Behind the thick lenses of his black-rimmed glasses, Nicholas’s owl eyes