I’m so happy you guys are enjoying this!

December 4

The store had closed an hour ago. Margie had departed soon after that, telling Molly not to work too late. “Don’t forget, the carolers are coming tomorrow,” she’d said, pausing on the doorstep. Behind her, Molly could see her Uncle Art in the car, patiently waiting, and she’d waved to him. “Do we have everything we need?”

“That’s why Schrodinger and I are staying late,” Molly had said, grinning. “The Terrible Trio is coming over to help me make goodies for them.”

The Terrible Trio. Molly’s best friends in the world. And now, considering what was unfolding, she had decided she needed them more than ever.

Precisely on time, the doorbell rang. Schrodinger, who had been sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen watching Molly roll out cookie dough and cut out shapes, jumped down and ran out to the front, shouting mentally, Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!

“Hi, Schrodinger!” Sue was first through the door, brushing snow from her short hair as she breezed in. Behind her were Noemi and Lai, each of the three carrying a large bag. “Molly, where are we setting up?”

“Kitchen!” Molly called. “And can someone hit the lock? We’re not expecting anyone else tonight.”

“Done!” Lai said, and then the three of them were piling into the kitchen. Schrodinger, after getting his greetings in, retreated back to his bed by the fire, where he had been sleeping.

“So, put us to work,” Sue said, once they’d settled onto stools and Molly had set out, not mugs of tea, but glasses of wine. “You said you needed help.”

“I do, but not just with the cookies.” Molly had been thinking about how she was going to approach this conversation since the afternoon, when she’d realized she needed help. The reason for that was tucked into the basket on the shelf in the pantry, along with the three others she’d received. “There’s something weird going on, and I need you guys to help me figure it out.”

“Ooh, a mystery?” Noemi’s eyes twinkled. “Does it have to do with a certain Gate Tech coming home early?”

“Possibly,” Molly admitted. “I don’t know.”

“Well, spill!” Lai said, leaning forward eagerly. “Tell us all!”

“There’s not a lot to tell.” Molly went into the pantry and came back out with a tray of goodies she’d made up earlier in the day, and the basket. Nestled inside the wicker was four red envelopes.

“Where did you get these?” Noemi asked, pulling one out. “And mini CDs? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Molly said. “They all have Christmas carols on them. And they’re all from the same person, or persons. Started on December first.”

“Which is when Tom came back,” Sue said, looking at one of the scraps of paper. “This is gorgeous. Can he do calligraphy?”

“I don’t know,” Molly said. “I don’t even know if it’s him. But it’s starting to weird me out a bit, and you guys are the only ones I can trust not to laugh at me. Or pat me on the head and tell me it’s romantic.”

“Put them in order,” Lai said. “Maybe we can find a pattern in the songs or something. Are they marked?”

“No, but I remember which is which.” Molly laid the scraps out next to their CDs and then named them off. “First day, We Need a Little Christmas. Second day, Let It Snow. Third day, The Christmas Can-Can.”

“I love that song!” Sue said, giggling. “At least he has good taste, whoever he is.”

Molly laughed a bit at that. “He does, doesn’t he? I just wish I knew who he was.”

“What did you get today?” Noemi asked.

“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” Molly said, pointing to the last one.

Noemi picked up the scrap of paper and read it out loud. “Dear Molly, Sometimes you need friends around you. You seem so lonely all the time, even when you smile. Do something with people tonight. SA.”

“Wow, he does seem to know you,” Lai said. “Although that’s not really news here in the Cove – the perils of living in a small town. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. We do tend to go out most Saturday nights, and you really don’t go out otherwise, Molly.”

“I’m busy,” she replied a little tartly. “Do you think the cookies and goodies here bake themselves?”

“Which is ostensibly why we’re here,” Sue said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the decorating kit she’d brought with her. Lai and Noemi followed suit, as Molly put the CDs back into their envelopes and then put the envelopes in the basket. Returning it to the pantry, she came back out with a tray of sugar cookies, already glowing with a coat of silvery-white glaze. “So, you want us to be detectives? Find out who’s romancing you?”

“Romancing me?” Molly rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”

“Oh, come on, Molly! SA? Secret Admirer? How is that not romantic?” Noemi said, producing several batches of her homemade frosting from her bag. “Someone is trying to be sweet on you.”

“Maybe.” Molly grabbed a pastry bag from the drawer behind her and began to fill it with red icing. “But I think I’d be happier if he just came out and said it.”

“Well, if it’s Tom, I can see why he wouldn’t,” Lai said, filling a bag with green icing. “It’s not like your breakup was all that quiet.”

Molly winced. “True.”

The breakup had been horrific, truth be told. Screaming, crying on her part, and at least one box of something, books maybe, thrown out the window of her apartment. Followed by a three-day withdrawal on her part to her bedroom, holding Schrodinger and crying. Molly shook her head. If it was Tom sending her the messages, she could see why he wouldn’t want to admit it.

“No, I don’t think it’s him,” she said, suddenly remembering. “He saw one yesterday, and was honestly surprised. I don’t think he’s that good an actor.”

“Maybe.” Noemi shrugged. “But there are other candidates.”

“Oh?” Molly looked at her. “Who?”

“Well, Drew doesn’t have a girlfriend,” she said. “Neither does Luke.”

“They’re all busy too,” Molly said. “And just because they don’t have girlfriends,”

“And tend to stop in here a lot,” Sue interjected, and Molly frowned at her.

“Lots of people stop in here,” Molly said. “It’s a tea shop and a bookstore, and Carter’s Cove has a lot of readers.”

“Uh-huh.” Lai, Noemi and Sue all shared a glance before . “And it just happens that some of the Cove’s most eligible young Gate Techs all have cravings for tea and books.”

Molly tried to glare at all of them and failed. “Alright, fine,” she said, a smile pulling at her lips. “I doubt it’s Luke – he barely says three words to me, and he buys books, not tea. But I’ll give you Drew. And Tom.”

“Could be the new school principal – Matt?” Noemi said.

“Mark,” Sue corrected. “Yeah, could be him. He’s cute, too.”

And so they talked on, discussing and discarding suspects as they decorated the plates and plates of cookies Molly had baked that afternoon. And later, when they finally left, all three promised to keep their eyes open.

“After all, we can’t have you being too creeped out,” Sue said. “Not around Christmas!”

“We’ll figure it out,” Lai said, and Noemi nodded. “And when we do…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but nodded mock-menacingly. All four burst into laughter.

This is one of my favorite versions of this carol. I hope you enjoy it as much as I and SA do!

Also, Molly’s going to be nice and share some of her cookie recipes starting next Monday. They’ll be at the end of the story – I’ll either type them up, or do a link (more likely). If you have a cookie recipe that you think Molly might like to use for the tea shop, let me know in the comments!