chapter one a new neighbor Whoosh A gust of wind sent Whoosh A gust of wind sen wrapping paper and ribbons flying wrapping across the room Maddy jumped up and slammed the window shut She’d opened it that morning to say hi to Darcy She had forgotten to close it Even in Northern California late December meant blustery weather Her bedroom door had a gap on the bottom It was letting in a delicious 4
smell Maddy sniffed Brown sugar and butter That meant Mom was making lace cookies her favorite Maddy sighed with contentment as she tied the ribbon on her brother’s present Maddy had made her family’s gifts A rose petal sachet for Mom A painted rock for Dad And for Drew a picture of his new pet fish in a frame She opened her desk drawer to grab the sachet She glanced at her class photo on top of a pile of papers Her teacher smiled at her 5
An arrow of panic pinged Maddy She had to get a present for Ms Wilson Maddy wrapped the sachet her mind racing What about the secretaries And the librarian And the garden teacher And the crossing guard Her school had so many awesome grown-ups Her family liked her homemade gifts But she felt a little silly giving the teachers and adults at school painted rocks They deserved nice gifts Like earrings for Ms Wilson And seedlings 6
for the garden teacher And a book for Ms Katey the librarian But those things were expensive She was going to need money Again Maddy thought about the businesses she’d had in the past Last summer she’d run a day camp It paid for horseback riding lessons She and Darcy created an outdoor movie theater just before Halloween It paid for the annual block party permit What could she do to raise money to buy holiday gifts She and Darcy would have to brainstorm soon 7
