One year later

Maya De La Rosa closed her eyes and tried to make a Christmas wish. The only problem was there were too many things she could be wishing for, and she couldn’t decide which was most important. She snuck a peek at the little girl watching her intently, and she suddenly knew what to wish for. It’s not that Maya, at the age of twenty-six, believed in wishes anymore, but her youngest customer, and most adorable, really needed a healthy dose of Christmas magic.

“Did you really make a wish, Maya? I saw your eyes open,” Abigail Lim said, leaning forward, hands on her hips. Abby peered at her with a gaze that suggested the little girl had made many wishes in the past that had never come true.

Maya crossed her hand over her heart. “Uh, of course. As if I would lie about that. You can’t…