Three Christmas Wishes

Yes, to her! She’d told Mrs. Bing she’d love to buy it. She’d hoped Mrs. Bing would be open to carrying a contract with her. Mrs. Bing hadn’t been too excited about that, so Noel had made her an offer. It turned out to be an offer she could refuse. Still, Noel had insisted she could come up with the money Mrs. Bing wanted. Somehow. She’d been saving like crazy for a down payment that would impress both Mrs. Bing and the bank. All she needed was a few more months. Okay, more like a year, but still.

“I have someone who’s interested,” Mrs. Bing said.

“But I’m interested!”

“Yes, I know you are, dear, but this person actually has money and wants to make a cash offer, and I’m a little strapped for cash right now.”

“Oh, Mrs. Bing,” Noel began miserably.

“I’m sorry, dear. I really am. Anyway, we’ll be coming by around four. Like I said, I should’ve given you more notice, so I hope you don’t mind.”

Yes, she minded.

“You don’t need to be home,” Mrs. Bing continued. “In fact, I’m sure you’re out enjoying the Black Friday sales.”

She had been until this.

“Now, don’t worry. I’ll see that you have plenty of time to move out. A month’s notice should do, shouldn’t it? I heard they have vacancies in those new apartments over on East View.”

Noel didn’t want to live in the new apartments on East View, even if some of them did look out on Case Inlet. But before she could say that—or anything—Mrs. Bing said a cheery goodbye and ended the call.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jo.

“Mrs. Bing’s selling my house. Can she do that?”

“When’s your rental contract up?”

Oh, boy. “End of this month. But I already told her I’d stay another year.”

“Why’s she bringing in someone else? I thought you told her you wanted to rent with an option to buy.”

“Because she didn’t want to do that,” Noel said. “She wasn’t exactly open to any of my ideas.” She handed over her money and got a big cookie in exchange. Suddenly she wasn’t in the mood for a cookie. She wasn’t in the mood for anything except a good cry.

“She could have given you first dibs,” Riley said, incensed on her behalf.

“She knows I don’t have enough for a down payment yet.” Now she wished she hadn’t bought that fancy dress and boots. Or the stupid shoes. Even though the money she’d spent on them was only a drop in a very big bucket that seemed to have a hole in it.

“What if you went and talked to her, asked her for a few days to see if you qualify for a loan?” Jo suggested.

Noel already knew the answer to that. She’d been to the bank. With her fluctuating earnings as a children’s book author, Mr. Ridley, the loan officer at First Mutual, was nervous about giving her a loan, especially in light of how far short she was of what she’d need for a healthy down payment.

Her parents weren’t currently in any financial shape to help her. Dad had been laid off, and he and Mom were trying to make ends meet on his unemployment and what Mom earned working part-time at the library. Plus, they now had a wedding to pay for.

If only Marvella was real. Noel would sic her on this would-be buyer and get him out of the way so she’d have time to pull together her finances.

But she didn’t have a Marvella. All she had was herself.

“You should go over there and talk this potential buyer out of it. Don’t let him or her swoop in and take your place away from you,” Jo said.

Noel looked despondently at her cookie. “I have no idea how to talk somebody out of buying a house.”

“Too bad it isn’t falling down around your ears,” said Riley.

“Too bad it doesn’t have termites,” Jo added. “Or rats.” Then she grinned. “Rats, that’s it!”

Riley stared at her as if she were nuts. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about a strong deterrent,” Jo said. “Come on, Purrfect Pets has got to be open today.” She started waddling down the mall.

“What’s she talking about?” Noel asked as they followed her.

“I think she’s found a way to discourage your buyer,” Riley said. “Would you fall in love with a house that was infested with rats?”

“You mean turn rats loose in the house?” Eeew.

“It’s worth a try,” Riley said as they caught up with Jo.

“But...rats?”

“You got a better idea?” Jo asked.

“No,” Noel said with a sigh. “But I hate rats.”

“They’re kind of cute,” Riley said. “Anyway, you’ll probably only need a couple.”

“What am I supposed to do with them after this potential buyer leaves?”

“Call me and I’ll help you catch them. I could use some rats in my classroom.”

“I guess,” Noel said. Oh, but rats were so creepy with their little ratty paws and that long, ratty tail. Eeew. Just. Eeew.

Purrfect Pets was indeed open and filled with people hoping to buy puppies for Christmas. They passed a tank with snakes in it and Noel shuddered.

“Maybe we should get a snake, too,” Riley suggested and Noel quickly vetoed it. The rats were bad enough.

Ten minutes later she was the proud owner of two gray rats. (Riley had fallen for a gray-and-white one, but Jo had vetoed him. Too domestic-looking. Noel wanted to veto the whole plan, but she’d been outnumbered.) She’d also shelled out for a cage, bedding for the cage and rat food.

“I can’t believe I just spent all that on vermin,” she muttered as they left the mall.

“Don’t worry. I’ll reimburse you,” Riley told her.

Back in Jo’s Honda Pilot, the two sisters took the front seats and left Noel in back with the rats, who kept making little scritchy-scratchy noises as they paced around their cage. “These things creep me out,” she said, hugging the door.

“My kids will love them,” Riley said.

“Let’s hope the potential buyer hates ’em,” Jo said then groaned. “Oh, my gosh, I swear this girl is going to be a boxer the way she keeps pushing me.”

“A sure sign she’s about ready to come out,” Riley told her.