A Light Yule Problem (Antique Magic book six)

Chapter One

The street surrounding Starfort Collectibles hummed with the traffic of holiday shoppers rushing to the malls. Caitlin ignored them to focus instead on the customer examining the antique desk in the center of her shop. The beautiful piece of furniture was of pine, carved with pleasing scrollwork designs down its legs, and older than Caitlin's own namesake. Not quite two hundred years old, but close.

The customer picked up a delicate antique green Gaollé glass Christmas ornament, circa 1919, Caitlin had set on the desk for a splash of cheer and color and opened the little drawer before which it stood. She took the ornament from him and placed it gently in a plush ragdoll's lap.

After opening another few drawers, and knocking on the top—to test its solidity, she guessed—he approached the counter. "It's perfect. My daughter will love it."

Caitlin hoped so. The first thing they'd done when it arrived in the shop last week was magically bless, douse, and cleanse it. Then she placed protection spells so the family wouldn't have any problems with their order. If the creativity and study spells she'd set on it helped the recipient in anyway, she would be glad.

Christmas was well on its way, and Yule right around the corner. Lights twinkled from local store windows, a cheap plastic Santa screamed "Ho, Ho, Ho" from another shop yard. Another store owner across the street added even more fake snow to their manger's roof.

With all those visual prompts, and their antique store to think about, Caitlin was surprised at herself for ignoring the calendar. After all, they'd had a steady stream of shoppers into the store since Thanksgiving.

She resumed draping a gaudy silver garland over the packed shelves. How did I overlook Yule?

She couldn't blame her usual active magickal life. The folk of the Otherworld of Annwn, who often needed them, had given them a whole three weeks with no new explosion.

Only Thanksgiving had been chaotic.

Thankfully.

Trying not to summon up any new trouble by thinking about her supernatural assignments too hard, Caitlin finished her drape and exited the shop. She stood back as her husband Trevor, hammer in hand, pounded nails into the eaves of their store. A pile of cord sat waiting on the porch step, the cords supporting Christmas light bulbs, shaped like tiny rosebuds. The creator had painted the bottom half of the glass white, the tops a pretty, deep blush pink, while the glass itself sported delicate ripples to indicate the petals.

Vintage, she'd seen them while rummaging with a seller in the woman's grandmother's storage unit. Trevor paid her way too much for them and spent an extra hour deciding they didn't need to go in the shop, but on it. They worked today at hanging them around the eaves.

The temperatures in Gulf Breeze were a balmy eighty degrees today. Judging by the forecast, Florida might get cool for Christmas. But Caitlin hoped not.

The warmth would make it a perfect end to a rather unique year and winter's chill could stay away as long as it wanted, as far as she was concerned. February's usual freezes would come quite soon enough. They had to get through Yule first, though.

Trevor paused between strikes. "I think we'd be better off sticking to smaller Yule lights in the windows, rather than hanging these ones all over the eaves."

She handed him up another nail. "This is nicer, trust me. They'll attract more customers."

A few of the surrounding business owners came over this weekend hinting they'd waited too late in putting decorations up. The suggestion put the idea in Caitlin's mind, and here they were. Spending a lull in Monday's business, decorating. Not mentioning their neighbors' stores were lit up like a big city strip seemed like a good idea if she wanted him to keep helping her decorate.