Emily stopped at her bureau in the sleeping L off her living space while en route to the kitchenette to warm Margaret's tea. She couldn't help herself. She had to open the top drawer just enough to be able to pull out the old worn coin purse and check inside one more time. With the check her nephew, Jonathan, had sent her for Christmas she just might have enough now. And just in time. At least she'd have enough if they had taken their prices down again. This was the last time they'd do so before Christmas, though. It was already the morning of Christmas Eve.
Well, if not today, maybe in the after-Christmas sales, she thought—if she was lucky.
Yes, it was all there. More than she'd been able to save before. It was such a silly thing to do as much as she had to pinch her pennies, but she'd
