"What did I tell you? What did I tell you?" Katie said, starting in a whisper and getting louder. "This is such a Todd-thing! Who else would ever think of mailing you a coconut? And sending back your message in Bible-verse code! This is so incredible!"

Christy looked at her coconut and then at her enthusiastic friend. Her vision turned blurry. She didn't know if the tears were from laughing or crying, because at this moment she wasn't sure which she was doing.

"Now that," Katie said with a complete air of confidence, "is what I was talking about. You hold in your hand evidence that Todd is always going to be your true friend."

"He is my true friend, Katie." Christy blinked back the tears and hugged the coconut close to her heart. With her other arm, she hugged Katie and said, "And you're my true friend too, Katie."

"True friends, no matter what happens," Katie said.

"No matter what happens," Christy agreed. "Because peculiar treasures have to stick together." Then smiling at Katie and feeling as if she were about to burst with joy, Christy added, "And that's why I hold you both in my hearta forever."

To my sister, Julie Ann Jones Johnson,

who has stood by my heart many times as

I've counted stars.

With special appreciation to Rich

Mullins, Margaret Becker, and Bryan Duncan, who

have each brilliantly put to music the starry-night

thoughts I've attempted to write in this story.

laugh," sixteen-year-old Katie said to her best friend, Christy Miller. "Just keep driving, and don't laugh."

"I'm not laughing." Christy pressed her foot on the brake pedal as she turned into the mall parking lot. "Honest. I'm not laughing."

Christy brushed back her nutmeg-brown hair and glanced at Katie out of the corner of her eye. "Is it okay if I park behind the pet store?"

"That's fine. Do you think anyone will see us? I mean, anyone we know?" Katie's bright green eyes scanned the parking lot.

"Probably not," Christy said, aware that her voice carried a hint of laughter. She pulled into a parking s.p.a.ce and turned off the engine before cautiously clearing her throat and asking, "Are you going to put on the rest of your costume in the car or when you get inside?"

"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" Katie said briskly. "You're going to crack up any minute. Admit it. Not all of us can have cushy jobs at the pet store like you."

Katie yanked a pair of felt shoes from her duffel bag and slipped them on. The toes curled up, and bells hung from their ends.

"It's a job, all right?" Katie defended, pulling a matching felt hat from the bag and adjusting it so the bell hung down on the right side of her head. She reached for a pair of plastic pointed ears and secured them in place. "And if you want to know the truth, I'm proud to be one of Santa's elves," she declared.

Christy could barely hold back her laughter at Katie's elf appearance. She quickly tilted the rearview mirror toward herself. "I think I have something in my eye." She tried to quench the laughter bubble in her throat.

One peek in the mirror at her sparkling blue-green eyes warned Christy that the laughter bubble had sprung a leak and was escaping as tiny tears.

She quickly dabbed them away and tried to maintain control for the sake of Katie's self-image.

"Let me see that," Katie said, turning the mirror in her direction and bobbing her head to get a full view of her green hat and pointed elf ears.

She turned to Christy, "What kind of best friend are you? Why didn't you tell me I look like the bride of Spock-enstein?"

Both girls burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Beam me up, Santy!" Katie joked.

Christy could hardly breathe she was laughing so hard.

Katie reached for a tissue and spouted in her best Scottish accent, "I cain't hold her together much longer! Captain, I think she's goin' to blow!" With that, she put the tissue to her face and faked blowing her nose so hard that one of her elf ears fell off.

"Stop, Katie!" Christy forced the words out over her laughter. "We're going to be late for work."

"Okay, okay," Katie said, calming down. "You're right. This is my first day, and I'd better not be late to Santa's house."

Christy caught her breath and, positioning the mirror back so she could view herself, did a quick fix on her eye makeup. "Come on, Katie. You're going to be the best elf this mall has ever seen. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Katie grabbed her bag, stepped out of the car, and then immediately ducked back in. With a m.u.f.fled shriek, she plunged her head beneath the dashboard.

"Duck!" she yelled. "Get down, quick. Maybe he didn't see me."

"Who?" Christy followed Katie's orders and scrunched down in the seat.

Before Katie could answer, Christy heard a gentle tap against her window.

She looked at her friend's terror-stricken face as Katie moaned, "Oh no! Too late!"

Christy turned to see Rick Doyle's smiling face peering in her window.

Quickly sitting up, Christy smiled back and pressed the b.u.t.ton to roll down the window. It didn't work because the engine was turned off. Without thinking, she opened her car door and bashed Rick in the knees.

Rick, ever the athlete, absorbed the blow as if she had only tapped him.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay, Rick?"

"Sure." He looked past Christy to the curled-up elf in her pa.s.senger seat. "I thought I saw Katie."

"Rick!" Katie said brightly, pulling herself up. Her hat tilted all the way to one side, and she looked pretty silly. "I was just, ahaIaah, I lost a contact!"

"Lost contact with your home planet is more like it," Rick teased.

Katie smirked. "Har, haf. I forgot what a funny guy you are, Rick Doyle."

Katie had never been a fan of Rick's. Even when he was voted "most popular" last year at their high school, Katie had written "As if!" across his picture in her yearbook.

"Yeah, I'm real funny," Rick said. "Too bad I don't have a pair of green tights and some alien ears so I could be as funny as you."

"I happen to be an elf," Katie stated, gathering her things and pushing open the car door. "And I'm proud of it. I also happen to be late for work, so if you'll please excuse mea" Katie slammed her door and hurried into the mall.

"I need to get to work." Christy looped her small leather backpack over her shoulder.

Rick held the car door for her, and she slid out. She was only inches from him. They hadn't been this close since they dated a few months ago.

Why is Rick being so friendly all of a sudden? What's he up to? Christy wondered.

"Mind if I walk you to work?" he asked. "Or would that make you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, not at all." Christy started toward the mall with Rick beside her.

Why is he asking if I'm uncomfortable? Why is he looking at me soaso tenderly?

"So, what brings you to the mall?" Christy asked, trying to appear casual. "Some Christmas shopping? Only fourteen shopping days left, you know." Oh, brother, Christy, do you know how stupid that sounds?

"Actually, I was on my way home from college for the weekend, and I remembered that you work on Fridays. I stopped by to see if you were here."

"Well, here I am!" Christy realized how nervous and ridiculous she sounded. But how was she supposed to interpret Rick's sudden appearance, as if silence and tension hadn't existed between them ever since they'd quit dating?

Rick smiled at her as he held the door open, and she slid past him. She didn't dare look up into his chocolate-brown eyes. She even held her breath so she couldn't smell his familiar aftershave and be whisked back into a swirl of memories. She would be strong. She would resist him.

The pet store was only a few yards away, and Christy walked quickly. It was as if once she hit the doorway she would be in the safe zone, and he couldn't confuse her anymore.

This is crazy! What am I thinking? For weeks I've been telling Katie how much I wish I could sit down and talk with Rick to resolve everything. Yet, now that he's only inches from me, I'm running from him, just like I have since the day we met With sudden boldness, Christy turned to Rick. "I have to get to work now, but I have a break around six. Can you rneet me back here then?"

Rick grinned, but he was visibly surprised at her boldness. "Thanks for the invitation, but I already have plans for the evening. I'd like to get together sometime. To talk."

"I'd like that too," Christy answered softly.

"Okay." Rick nodded. "That's what we'll do then. We'll get together sometime and talk."

"Is that why you stopped by to see if I was here? Were you thinking we could set up a time to talk?"

"Actually, I told Doug I'd remind you about those cookies you promised to bake for us." Rick stuck his hands in his pockets and looked a little sheepish. "Doug is, wellahe's a cookie freak, you know. I've even seen him go into Oreo withdrawals."

Christy smiled at his joke. Doug was a great guy. She had hoped that when Rick and Doug became roommates, Doug would have a good influence on Rick. It looked as though maybe he had.

"Doug also wanted me to see if you could come down to our G.o.d-Lovers Bible study Sunday night. It's from six to nine. I'll draw you a map if you want to come."

Christy wasn't sure how to interpret the invitation. Was Doug inviting her? Or Rick? She knew her parents wouldn't be in favor of her making the forty-five-minute drive to San Diego by herself.

"I'm not sure I can come," she said, quickly adding, "but I'd like to! Ever since Doug first mentioned your group, I've wanted to come, but I'm not sure my parents would let me drive down by myself."

Christy hoped Rick would pick up on the hint and offer to take her. It would be the perfect opportunity for them to talk. "Oh, right. Those strict parents of yours. I almost forgot," Rick said. "You could invite Rudolph the red-haired elf to come with you."

Pulling a sc.r.a.p of paper from his pocket, Rick offered it to Christy. "Here's our number. Doug wanted me to give it to you. He'll be there all weekend. Call him if you decide you can come down. I have to go. I'll see you later."

"And we'll get together and talk sometime, right?" Christy hoped she wasn't appearing too eager.

"Right," Rick said, taking small steps backward, as if being sucked into some great mall vacuum. "We'll do that. We'll get together and talk sometime."

He lifted his right hand like a quarterback winding up for a pa.s.s and waved at her over the heads of the Christmas shoppers. Then he was gone.

Christy sighed and headed for her safe haven behind the cash register at the pet store, where Jon, her boss, stood helping a customer. Two more were in line.

"So glad you could join us, Miss Miller," Jon said without looking at her. Then to the customer he said, "That will be $l7-53" please."

Christy forced herself to look at the clock and grimaced when she saw she was fifteen minutes late. Her boss, Jon, was usually easygoing. He wore his hair in a ponytail and had more than once done nice things for Christy. He did like all his employees to be prompt though.

"I'm sorry, Jon. Do you want me to do that?"

"Sure," he answered as he stepped back to let Christy accept the twenty-dollar-bill from the customer. Christy counted back the customer's change. By then three more people had stepped in line.

Christy had a feeling she wouldn't get her usual six o'clock break. Maybe Katie would pop in during hers, and Christy could hear how the elf business was going.

But Katie didn't appear at the pet store until closing time. Her face glowed.

"Congratulate me," she said. "I earned a IO percent bonus tonight!"

"That's great! How did you do it?"

"They said they'd give me a bonus if we sold a certain number of photo packages," Katie explained. "My job is to get the kids to sit on Santa's lap and smile. Of course, the parents are watching, and when they see their kids laughing and looking so cute, they buy more pictures. We did a record-setting amount of business tonight."

"The world's most successful elf," Christy praised her s.p.u.n.ky friend. "And to think I knew her when she was merely a high school student."