a table by the door, wrapping gifts. I did a double-take when I noticed the Happy Bones logo on a big plastic donation jug.
The next store, a shop that sold candles, had a Girl Scout doing the same thing.
I passed five stores with volunteers I had never seen before. Finally I reached Macy’s. That table had a man dressed in a Santa costume wrapping gifts. It took me several seconds to recognize Riley.
“There you are,” he said with a grin. “I was wondering when word would get to you.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. It was a dumb question, but that’s what came out of my mouth.
He pulled a piece of tape from a dispenser. “Trying to make things right, one donation at a time. And one burger at a time, I guess. How’s Bubba doing out there? Any customers?”
“The line stretches halfway across the parking lot,” I said.
Riley pumped a fist. “Nice. I didn’t know how much business he would get on Christmas Eve, but I guess people who are doing last-minute shopping are hungry.” He finished wrapping a gift and handed it to the customer, who was a middle-aged man with his son by his side. The boy stuffed a five-dollar bill in the donation jar.
“We appreciate your donation!” Riley turned and gave me a sad smile. “Listen, Christie. There’s no sugarcoating it. I screwed up. I lied to you, and then covered up that lie with more lies. I should have just told you the truth from the start. It’s too late to undo what I’ve done, so if you never forgive me? I would understand. It would make me sad, but I would get it.”
He gestured at the table next to him.
“But I have to do something to help make things up to you. Even if it only fixes a tiny fraction, I’m going to do it. I’ll wrap paper until my fingers bleed if that’s what it takes.”
The look in Riley’s eyes broke my heart. He thought I was never going to forgive him, yet he was still here helping out. Putting in the work. My chest ached and my heart went out to him. I wanted to forgive him badly.
He nodded, then turned back to the table where a customer was waiting. “Hello! Can I offer you free gift-wrapping for your last-minute purchase? All we ask is for a donation in return. All proceeds go to the Happy Bones dog shelter.”
“The blue paper, please,” the woman said.
“Where did all the Girl Scouts come from?” I asked Riley while he wrapped the gift.
“Ask Logan and Sandy. They’re over in Nordstrom’s. Ma’am, do you want this package tied with ribbon?”
“Yes, please.”
I walked across the mall to Nordstrom’s. There were two folding tables set up instead of one. Sandy occupied one, but the other wasn’t manned by Logan. It was Harper wearing another Santa costume like Riley.
“Hi,” Harper said with a smile.
“Christie!” Sandy exclaimed. “I heard you finished the hike! There’s no badge for it, but there should be. You’re amazing.”
“It was a lot of fun,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
She gestured at the tables. “I know it’s not what you normally do, but we decided to put two gift-wrapping stations in Nordstrom’s. They’re getting more foot traffic than any other store. We’ve been busy all morning.”
“I meant what are you doing at the mall,” I clarified. “Yesterday was supposed to be your last day.”
She turned to me and scowled. “Logan told me what your ex did. I can’t believe he stole all the money we had earned! Today’s the last day before Christmas. We have to take advantage of it. There are lots of people making last-minute purchases. Look at all the donations we’ve received so far!”
“Logan called her,” Harper explained. “She said yes before he could finish telling her what we needed. And Sandy recruited the rest of her Girl Scout troop.”
“Logan promised to lead our entire troop on a back-country hike of the Grand Canyon,” Sandy explained. “Once I told the rest of my troop, they were excited to help. We have tables set up in almost every store in the mall! All the big ones, at least.”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” I replied. “Where’s Logan?”
“He’s running the table in Victoria’s Secret.”
I chuckled. “He wanted to ogle the underwear mannequins?”
Harper shook his head at me, which made the fuzzy ball on the end of his Santa hat sway. “Logan’s not the one doing the ogling. The customers are the