I am sometimes wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. - Agatha Christie

Katniss sat on the hard bus seat and pulled the business card from her coat pocket to study it again. Mellark Bakery. She turned it over. Just a name. Peeta.

"It's getting pretty damn cold. If it snows more than a couple of inches the buses will stop running."

Startled, she broke free of her thoughts to look at the driver who was speaking. Katniss was the only passenger sitting near him. Was she supposed to answer? She didn't want to talk to anyone.

The driver continued. "I hope it does snow, I'd like the time off work."

"Right," she mumbled, his offhand comment condemning her.

She never expected to be unemployed this long. It had been over a year now. She'd exhausted every last physical resource she once had. She had no apartment, no furniture, no car, no savings. She didn't even have a cell phone. The people she'd once called friends had abandoned her. She was living completely on the generosity of her sister Prim and her brother-in-law Rory.

Six weeks ago, she'd reached the end of her mental resources as well. She'd finally accepted Prim's offer to pay for counseling, and had begun to see Dr. Aurelius. Even though Katniss had only seen him a handful of times since, the act of telling an impartial party her Job-like tale of woe had lifted her spirits more than she ever thought.

After every visit, Dr. Aurelius had given her homework. Shower. Get dressed. Eat. Exercise. Leave the house.

It was that last piece of advice that had ultimately led to this early morning bus ride. Yesterday she'd agreed to take her niece Wren to visit Santa Claus at a nearby mall, just a short walk away. Katniss figured the outing would knock off most all of the items on Aurelius' daily list in a single shot.

She'd waited at the side when the five-year-old had climbed up onto Santa's lap. The man looked authentic in his red fur suit, with a real white beard, a merry face, and blue eyes that twinkled when he smiled.

"What do you want for Christmas?" Santa asked.

"A doctor's kit, so I can be just like my mommy and daddy."

"Is that all?"

Wren shook her head. "No, my Auntie Katniss needs a job, and a boyfriend would be nice, too."

Katniss scowled as Santa turned to stare at her. There was no way a five-year-old had come up with that request. Wren must have heard her parents talking.

"I'll see what I can do," Santa said. He whispered something into the child's ear.

Then Wren had climbed down from his lap and hurried toward Katniss.

"Santa wants to talk to you."

Already another child was making his way to Santa's lap.

"Your turn is over," Katniss reminded her niece.

But Santa was motioning for the next child to wait, and for Katniss to step forward.

"Are you Katniss?" Santa asked, when she walked up, holding Wren's hand.

"Yes, I'm sorry…"

But the man stopped her. He pulled a card from his pocket. "My son's looking for someone to help him during the Christmas rush. I can't make any promises about the boyfriend part, but he's single."

He handed her the business card she was now fiddling with. Peeta must be his son's name.

She'd meant to throw the card away. She wasn't looking for a job at a bakery. She had a college education. Besides she didn't even know if she could work in her current mental state. But when Wren had told her parents about Santa giving Auntie Katniss the business card, she didn't have much choice.

Both Prim and Rory had pounced on the idea of Katniss working, even if it was only a temporary position.

"Please," Prim pleaded. "You need to rebuild your confidence."

"I'll think about it," Katniss had said. But after overhearing Rory argue with Prim later, threatening to drive Katniss to a homeless shelter if she didn't do something, Katniss decided to follow up on Santa's recommendation. For Prim.

Mellark Bakery was located in downtown Panem, a thirty-minute bus ride from the suburbs where Prim and Rory lived.

Although it was eight o'clock in the morning, the colored lights that decorated the main street of town were already on, giving the shopping area a cozy glow.

The sidewalks were still empty though; most of the businesses didn't open until ten. Katniss shoved her hands in her pockets to keep warm as she made her way to the bakery, stopping at the large display window in front to admire the frosted cakes and gather her courage before entering.

The tinkle of a bell announced her arrival. Immediately she was overcome by the smell of sugar and cinnamon, and embraced by warm air that surrounded her like a generous hug.

The strangest sensation came over her, a kind of nervous tingling and somewhere in the recesses of her mind a soft voice whispered, "You're home." She breathed a little easier.

There was a man behind the counter ringing up a customer's purchase. He was of average height and had a stocky build. His hair was ash blond, and when he smiled and wished the customer "a good day," his blue eyes twinkled. Yes, this was definitely Santa's son.

"Can I help you?" he called to Katniss as the customer left.

Katniss pulled the card from her pocket.

"Are you Peeta?"

"Yes."

"Your father gave me this card yesterday. He said you were looking for help in the bakery."

Peeta blanched. "That's impossible. My dad's dead."

Instinctively Katniss put a hand to her forehead rubbing it. What the hell?

"I'm sorry, I must have misunderstood him then." She dropped her hand to fiddle with the braid that hung over her shoulder, and took a deep breath before continuing in a shaky voice. "Santa gave me this card and said you were looking for help."

"Santa?"

"Yes, the one at Capitol Mall. I took my niece to see him yesterday." She sighed assuming Peeta must think her to be an idiot.

Peeta shook his head. "I don't know anyone playing Santa at the mall, but I am looking for help. My assistant Rue left town for a family emergency and with the holidays…."

He didn't finish speaking; instead he walked around the counter toward her. He tripped, and for a moment Katniss thought he would fall at her feet. But he caught himself.

"Sorry about that," he murmured, his cheeks turning pink. It made his eyes look even bluer. He stretched out his hand. She shoved the card into her pocket and put her hand out to shake his.

His hand was warm and large, and dwarfed hers.

"So you know that I'm Peeta, but I don't know your name."

"Katniss, er, Katniss Everdeen."

"Nice to meet you Katniss. He paused for a moment. "Your hands are so cold; you must have a warm heart."

She hastily dismissed the compliment. "It's freezing outside."

"Let me get you something hot to drink. Have a seat." He pointed to his right where there were two small booths set into the wall.

A couple of customers came in while Katniss sat. She waited patiently for Peeta as he helped them, taking careful note of his friendly demeanor.

She studied the bakeshop with its gleaming display counters filled with mouth-watering treats. The walls were painted a cheerful yellow and framed paintings of scenes from nature were hung.

A small tabletop Christmas tree, decorated with white lights and candy canes, sat on the counter near to the cash register. Holiday music played softly in the background. The atmosphere was one of a warm, inviting home, not a business.

When the customers had left, Peeta came to the table with a mug of hot chocolate topped with whip cream and a fruit pastry.

"Here."

Katniss eyed the treat. "You didn't have to do all that."

Peeta smiled. "I want my employees well-fed."

"What?" Was he going to hire her just like that?

"You're looking for a job, aren't you?"

Katniss nodded.

"And you've saved me the trouble of having to advertise for the position. Although I'd love to know who that Santa was."

"He had the same eyes as you. Blue."

Peeta grinned at her and Katniss remembered Santa's words that Peeta was single. A giddy feeling came over her for just a moment. It was as if she'd won the lottery, being offered a job in this warm inviting place and working with such an attractive and generous man. There had to be a catch somewhere.

"It's only temporary, of course," Peeta said. "Until Rue can come back."

That was the catch. "When do you think that will be?"

"A couple of weeks, at least. Likely after New Year's."

Katniss nodded. Well at least she'd have some money in her pocket for the holidays. It was humiliating to be asking her little sister for cash.

She took a bite of the pastry, unintentionally moaning as the sweet buttery dough melted across her tongue. It was the first food in a long time that tasted good.

Peeta smiled at her reaction and her cheeks grew red.

"Can you start now? When you finish eating? "

"All right."

It hardly seemed fair that she was getting paid because Peeta spent most of the morning training her on the cash register. The bakery also sold hot drinks and bottled water and soda. Peeta showed her how to operate the coffee maker, and where he kept extra napkins and cups and plastic silverware.

He gave her a tour of the kitchen. "You won't be doing any baking. I do most of it before the shop opens."

In between his instructions, customers came in. Katniss bagged up their purchases at first, but by the afternoon she was ringing them up on the register.

Peeta let her go at five with a sack of unsold cookies and a request to be back by eight o'clock in the morning.

Prim was all over Katniss with questions when she arrived home. "Where have you been? Why didn't you call? I've been so worried."

But her sister's complaints disappeared when Katniss told her about the bakery and her boss Peeta and how she was expected to be at work by eight the following morning. And it cheered Katniss to give Wren the cookies, even if they really were from Peeta. It was nice to be the giver and not the taker for a change.

Prim's over-the-top response to the good news and her triumphant, almost braggart-like announcement to Rory when he arrived home made Katniss uncomfortable. It made her realize the effect her personal problems were having on her sister's marriage.

Katniss' good mood was long gone when she lay on the couch trying to fall asleep. Her head was filled with loathing. How could she have fallen so low as to be happy to work the counter in a bakery? A job that she would have scorned only a year earlier.

She almost convinced herself not to go back the next day when it dawned on her that the entire time she'd spent with Peeta, she'd never once given thought to the mess in her life. Maybe that's why she felt so awful tonight, the jarring transition from light-heartedness to outright despair was too much.

A technique that Dr. Aurelius suggested came to mind. He'd told her to make a list of her good memories when she was feeling low. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the smells in the bakery, the taste of the buttery pastry and the other treats Peeta had encouraged her to try over the course of the day, the holiday music, which she usually detested, the twinkling lights of the counter-top tree, even the friendly banter between the customers and Peeta, who had always found a way to bring her into the conversation. All of these thoughts relaxed her. She fell asleep dreaming of blue eyes.

Prim shook her awake the next morning. "The weatherman's predicting snow. You might want to leave early."

Katniss remembered the bus driver's warning the previous day.

"If the buses stop running, I can swing by and pick you up after the clinic closes," Prim promised.

Katniss dressed quickly, layering her clothing and putting on her warmest coat, bundling herself with a scarf, and donning a hat and gloves.

The ride to the bakery took longer than the previous morning and Katniss was glad she'd left early. It was 7:30 a.m. when she stepped off the bus. She knocked on the glass window, hoping Peeta wouldn't mind her early arrival, but she didn't feel like walking around to kill time. Big flakes had begun to fall, and the sidewalk was icy.

Through the glass she saw Peeta coming out of the doorway from the kitchen. He seemed intent in thought, but when he looked toward the window and saw her, his face erupted into a big smile.

Suddenly he stumbled, but he reached for the counter to steady himself.

The action surprised Katniss but she chalked it up to simple clumsiness.

"You're early," he greeted her, once the door was unlocked.

"I wanted to beat the snow."

Flakes were already stuck to her hat, scarf, and coat after walking the short distance from the bus stop to the bakery.

"Sit down and I'll get you some hot chocolate. Or would you rather have coffee?"

"Chocolate is fine, thanks."

While Peeta prepared her drink, Katniss took off her damp coat and accessories and hung them on the hooks in the warm kitchen where the aprons were stored. She put on the white apron she'd worn the day before. It was too big, but she wrapped the tie around her waist two extra times and tied a knot.

She sat down at the same booth in the bakery where Peeta had fed her breakfast yesterday. He already had a cup of hot chocolate and a roll with melted cheese on top waiting for her.

"I'm glad to see you," Peeta said, sitting down across from her. "I wasn't sure if you'd make it today because of the storm."

"I didn't want to lose my job."

Peeta smiled. "I wouldn't let you go that easily, Katniss."

Unexpected warmth flooded her cheeks as she wondered if there was another layer to Peeta's words. Was he flirting with her? Of course that was silly. Why would a good-looking guy like Peeta who owned a business and had it all together ever be interested in someone like her?

Peeta turned the sign on the door over to "Open" at eight. He put on the radio station with its holiday music and left Katniss in front to handle the customers.

It was busy as other shop owners stopped by to grab coffee and pastries before opening their stores. Peeta came out to talk with a few. Everyone was worried that the snow would hurt business.

And it did just that. As it continued to fall, fewer customers entered the bakery. During a break in the music around noon, the radio announcer told of multiple accidents on the roads. "Stay home if you want to be safe."

An hour later, the phone rang. Peeta picked it up in the back and then he called out, "it's for you, pick up the line in front."

Katniss picked up the phone attached to the wall behind the register. Who would be calling her here?

"Katniss," Prim spoke quickly, "Rory and I can't make it home tonight. There was a seven-car pile up on the highway. All of the injured people were sent to Capitol General. Rory has a few surgeries to do and they need extra docs so I'm heading over. Wren's school is closing early because of the weather and canceling the after-school daycare but I convinced the mother of one of her friends to drop her by the bakery. Could you take her home on the bus for me?"

"Yes, but can you hold a minute."

She covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "Peeta," she called.

He poked his head around the doorframe.

"Would it be all right if my niece stayed here until I get off work? My sister and brother-in-law are stuck at the hospital."

"That would be fine."

"It wouldn't be an inconvenience, then?"

Peeta laughed. "We have no customers. It'll be fine Katniss."

"Thanks."

She uncovered the mouthpiece. "Okay Prim. I'll be looking for her."

Wren was dropped off by an apologetic mother who was in a hurry, but not too much of a hurry to accept a bag of cookies from Peeta.

"You didn't have to do that," Katniss said after the woman left.

"They'll go stale. We have no customers."

Meanwhile, Wren walked down the length of the glass case in amazement.

"This is where you work Auntie Katniss?" The awe was evident in her voice.

"Yes," Katniss murmured, self-conscious because after all she'd only worked at the shop for two days.

"Can I work here someday, too?" the little girl asked.

Peeta chuckled at the comment. "Would you like something to eat, and maybe some hot chocolate?"

Wren looked to Katniss as if to ask permission.

"All right," Katniss said, but she turned to Peeta. "But not too much whip cream on top."

"Not like your chocolate then," Peeta teased.

"No, she's a little girl."

Peeta chuckled. But when he came back to the table, Katniss saw he'd put her drink in a child-sized cup used for expresso.

"You should take off for home when she's finished eating," Peeta said. "Not much happening here."

"All right," Katniss agreed.

"And if it continues to snow through the night, stay home tomorrow. Don't risk your safety trying to get here."

As soon as Wren finished the last crumb of her sugar cookie, Katniss had the girl's coat and hat ready for her to put on. "Come on Little Bird, we need to get home."

Reluctantly Katniss accepted a bag of cheese buns and more cookies from Peeta before she left.

"Take them. I'll just end up throwing them away," he told her.

She and Wren waited at the bus stop for nearly thirty minutes as snow fell upon them until a woman trudging down the street stopped to talk to them. "Haven't you heard? The city shut down the bus service because of the snow."

Panicked, Katniss pulled Wren close. They needed to find shelter and call Prim immediately. It would be getting dark soon.

Holding tightly to Wren's hand, the pair plodded back to the bakery.

Katniss hoped Peeta was still there. What would she do if he'd already left? Fortunately the sign was still turned to "Open," and the door unlocked.

"Peeta," Katniss called out as soon as she and Wren got inside. "Can I use your phone?"

Peeta came out from the kitchen. "Is something wrong?"

"The buses stopped running. I need to call my sister. She'll have to find someone to pick us up."

"Okay," Peeta said, pausing to add, "I'd offer to drive you, but my car doesn't do well in snow."

Katniss walked behind the counter and made the call. But all she could do was leave a message, first on Prim's cell, and then at the hospital.

She began to panic, wondering what she was supposed to do, when Peeta made a suggestion. "Why don't you and Wren come home with me? There's an extra bedroom."

"I thought you said you couldn't drive your car."

Peeta laughed. "I live upstairs." He pointed to the ceiling.

Katniss bit her lip. It was a kind offer, but she hated imposing on him. He'd already been too generous with all the food he'd given her and letting her use his phone.

The loud ring of the phone interrupted her thoughts. "That must be my sister," Katniss said, immediately relieved from having to make a decision about accepting Peeta's offer.

She picked up the receiver.

"Hello, can I speak to Peeta Mellark?"

"I'll get him."

She turned to Peeta. "It's for you." Her hand shook as she handed him the phone because she knew the voice on the other end of the line. It was the low, melodious voice of Dr. Aurelius. She walked to the front of the shop and toward Wren to give Peeta a semblance of privacy.

"Hello," Peeta spoke into the phone. He was quiet for a few seconds. "No problem. I understand. My car slides all over the place in this weather, too." He stopped speaking and listened. "It's been a great few days. I can't wait to tell you about it. Okay, same time next week."

He hung up the phone and came out from behind the counter.

"What do you say about my offer Katniss?"

His question startled her because she was still grappling with the fact that Peeta was seeing her counselor. Whatever for? What problem could this successful, good-looking, generous man possibly have? To her eyes, his life looked too good to be true.

Her head ached as she tried to make up her mind. She hated being so ambivalent. She'd always prided herself on her ability to make snap decisions, but over the past year every decision she'd made had turned out to be wrong.

Wren solved the problem for her. "I'm cold," she whimpered. "Can we stay here?"

Katniss sighed. "All right, we'll accept your offer Peeta. Let me call my sister to let her know."

While Katniss left another message for Prim, Peeta locked the front door and turned the sign over to say "Closed."

Katniss walked over to Wren and noticed that the floor was wet with melting snow. Both she and Wren had dripped snow all over the bakery floor.

"Sorry Peeta. I'll clean it up." She pointed to the trail of water that seemed to be everywhere.

Peeta shook his head. "Don't worry, it's only water. It'll dry overnight cause I'm keeping the heat on down here. Don't want any pipes to burst. Be careful though that you don't slip."

Katniss reached for her niece's hand and led her into the kitchen to hang up their coats.

When their outerwear was off, Peeta opened a door on the far end of the kitchen. "Ladies first," he said, switching on the light. A steep, carpeted staircase led up to a landing. Two sturdy metal handrails lined the stairwell on both sides. Wren raced ahead.

"She's got a lot of energy," Peeta commented.

Katniss turned back to smile at Peeta, noticing his arms were stretched out so that each hand was clutched firmly to the handrail. It made Katniss wonder if he'd ever fallen down the stairs because his grip was so tight.

Wren pushed open the unlocked door at the top and rushed into the dark apartment, causing Katniss to take off after her.

"Wren, stop."

The child had run past the sofa and long coffee table to stand in front of the big window that overlooked the street. The scene was one from a Christmas card. Snow was falling and the colored lights gave everything a soft glow.

Katniss heard the door close behind her and Peeta's loud walk across the hardwood floor.

"You have a lovely view," Katniss said, turning toward him.

"It's easy to take for granted when you see it everyday," Peeta said. "But you're right. It is nice, especially with the snow." He stood there for a minute or two with them to appreciate the sight before offering to make them dinner.

"I have some canned soup and I can go downstairs and get some bread."

Katniss handed him the bag of cheese buns and the second bag filled with cookies he'd insisted they take. "We can eat these."

Peeta took the bags and walked to the tiny kitchenette in the corner of the room, flipping on a light when he got there.

While he prepared the meal, Katniss took Wren to the tiny bathroom they'd passed while entering the apartment.

By the time the two of them had washed their hands, Peeta had set out three bowls of tomato soup on the coffee table, along with mugs of hot cider, a plate of reheated cheese buns, and the sugar cookies.

He left the light on in the kitchen and with the colored lights from the street; the shadows on the walls gave the room a cozy, almost dream-like glow.

They sat on the couch and ate quickly. Afterwards Wren leaned up against Katniss and closed her eyes falling asleep.

"She's a cute little girl," Peeta said as he sat back on the sofa to face Katniss. He sipped at the mug of cider. "Do you spend a lot of time together?"

"Yes, we live together." She'd never explained her situation to Peeta because he'd never asked and for that she'd been grateful.

"With your sister too?"

"And my brother-in-law. I've been out-of-work for a while…" Katniss' voice trailed off.

Peeta nodded. "I understand how that goes. I used to be an artist." He pointed to a large canvas that hung across the room. It was a painting of a meadow filled with wildflowers, yellow and orange.

"You did that?" Katniss' eyes widened. She would have like to stand up and study it closer, but Wren was nestled across her lap and she didn't want to wake her. "Did you do the ones in the bakery as well?"

Peeta nodded.

"They're beautiful."

Peeta grinned, obviously pleased at the compliment.

"Why did you give it up?"

"I couldn't earn a living at it." The disappointment was evident in his voice. "And then my Dad died and some other stuff happened and I took over the bakery and just didn't have it in me to make any more art."

Katniss wondered about the "other stuff" Peeta referred to. Was it a failed relationship?

"It's been a rough year," Peeta continued. "But things are turning around. In fact the last couple of days have been great."

The smile he gave her made her think for a moment he was talking about her. But of course that couldn't be true. He must be referring to something else.

Katniss picked up her mug and took a swallow of cider.

Both were silent for minute when Peeta began to speak.

"I should probably explain about my leg since we're working together. I'm sure you saw me trip a couple of times."

An uncomfortable feeling came over Katniss as she waited to hear what Peeta would say, but she nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"I have a prosthetic leg," he said, raising the hem of his pants to show her the silver limb.

Unconsciously she raised her hand to cover her gaping mouth.

"I've had it for a little over a year now, but I still trip up occasionally, usually when I get nervous."

Did she make him nervous? "What happened?"

Peeta rubbed his hand across his jaw. "I'd like to tell you it was something cool, like I was in a motorcycle race or running with the bulls in Spain. But it was just dumb luck. A cut on my calf got infected. It took awhile until the doctors found an antibiotic that I wasn't allergic to but by then it was too late. The poison had spread and it had to come off."

"How much?"

"Just below the knee.

"I'm sorry," Katniss said. "I didn't know."

"Did you think I was clumsy? He sounded ashamed.

"Something like that," Katniss admitted.

"So tell me something about yourself," Peeta changed the subject. "I've told you everything about me."

Katniss doubted that Peeta had told her everything, but she had to admit he'd shared a lot more than she had.

Trying to think of something to say she blurt out the thing that had been on her mind ever since she'd answered the phone in the bakery. "We're seeing the same therapist, Dr. Aurelius."

A multitude of emotions crossed Peeta's face before he composed himself. "Wow. Well that's a weird coincidence." He rubbed the back of his neck. "How did you know?"

"I recognized his voice when I answered the phone."

"Oh."

Katniss bit her lip wishing she could take back her words. She liked Peeta. A lot. Why had she felt the need to mention his therapy? It was none of her damn business.

Tears came to her eyes and she blinked a few times, hoping he didn't notice.

"He's a good doctor," Peeta finally said. He stared at the dirty dishes on the table, before lifting his face to meet her eyes. "He's helped me a lot in adjusting to the new leg. It was dark going for a long while."

"He is good," Katniss agreed. She wasn't ready to tell Peeta all her problems yet, confess just how low she'd sunk into the pit of depression. But it was nice to have a friend who understood.

"I don't have a television, but we could watch a movie on my laptop," Peeta said suddenly. "I have a lot of DVDs, even some Christmas ones."

"All right," Katniss agreed.

When they'd decided on the movie, Peeta set the laptop onto the table and inserted the disc into its side. Katniss moved Wren off of her lap and laid the child's head on the arm of the couch before moving to the center.

As she lost herself in the holiday classic about a despairing man who, with the help of an angel in training, is finally, miraculously, able to accept help from others, it occurred to Katniss that maybe she was experiencing a Christmas miracle of her own. A mysterious Santa with a business card, an inner voice telling her that she was home, a curious coincidence revealed.

Maybe they were all signs that her life was heading in a new and better direction.

She turned to glance at Peeta who had moved closer to her and awkwardly stretched his arm out along the back of the sofa behind her. She blinked for a moment and took a deep breath.

Yes, the world was looking a little more hopeful already.