Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
“Now be careful with this,” Mabel cautioned the woman standing at her register as she finished carefully wrapping the porcelain doll that the woman had just purchased, complete with a fur-trimmed red velvet dress, small leather boots embroidered with a holiday pattern, and a little red and white-trimmed cape.
“The dolls I sell are made a bit sturdier than other collectibles, but she’s still fragile. ”
“Of course,” the woman said, and Mabel managed a smile as she slid the doll into one of the green matte bags that she’d ordered for the holiday, tucking in the rustic brown tissue printed with small sketches of trees, sleighs, snowmen and reindeer.
Packaging was just as important as presentation, in her opinion, and part of the charm of the season.
But her wrist throbbed as she arranged it all, and it was an effort to keep the smile on her face.
It hurt very badly, and just as Dr. Ellis had warned, continuing her usual schedule at the shop had only made it more tender.
Despite resting it at night, alternating hot and cold compresses, and taking painkillers, it was still bothering her.
Silently, she chided herself for hurting it over something so foolish.
She was a grown woman, and she should be acting her age.
She knew better than to put herself in harm’s way in order to get someone’s attention, especially when harm’s way was so easy to come by in one’s golden years.
But even with her wrist throbbing, a small smile quirked the corners of her lips at the thought of George Lowery.
He was just so fun to get one over on, she couldn’t help it.
It almost made the sprained wrist seem worth it—almost, considering the pinch it put her in this time of year.
The customer with the porcelain doll gathered up her bag and left with a thanks and a “Merry Christmas!” that Mabel returned, and then the shop was empty.
It was a little after noon, which was always a quieter time, since a lot of the town was at work and the tourists were starting to drift off to lunch.
She had a new shipment of nutcrackers to organize, including a few of the special edition lumberjacks, and a train to set up on the table she’d arranged for it.
Taking it slow, she started to take out the nutcrackers one by one and set them out on the counter, trying not to strain her wrist as she started to unwrap them.
She was so caught up in the task that she didn’t see the shop door open, until the bell over it chimed and she turned around to see who had just walked in.
She would recognize the auburn haired, green-eyed young woman hauling the suitcase behind her anywhere, even if she hadn’t seen her granddaughter since Vanessa was little.
Her heart leapt with joy, and she set the nutcracker in her hand down, opening her arms wide for a hug as she hurried over to greet Vanessa.
Setting the suitcase and her bag down, Vanessa hugged her back, but Mabel could feel the hesitation in her granddaughter’s embrace.
She tried not to let it bother her. Vanessa was an adult now, and understandably more reserved, but she couldn’t help but feel an ache in her chest. She remembered how, as a child, Vanessa used to throw herself into her grandmother’s arms, and never want to leave her side, and she missed that.
She didn’t often feel lonely, but just then, with that reminder, she did.
Mabel stepped back, still smiling as she looked her granddaughter up and down. “I’m so happy you’re here,” she said sincerely, the emotion suffusing every word. And she was. It meant the world to her to have her only remaining family standing there in her little shop, home for the holidays at last.
Vanessa managed a small smile, and Mabel could see that she was at a loss for words. Vanessa looked around the shop, taking it in, as if buying herself some time to decide what to say.
“The invitation was… a surprise,” she admitted, finally looking back at Mabel.
“I hadn’t thought about coming back here for Christmas.
” She gave the shop another sweeping look.
“The couple of times we came back to visit when I was a kid, I guess it was always in the warmer months. I forgot how decked out Fir Tree Grove gets at Christmastime.”
Mabel beamed. “Isn’t it the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen?”
Vanessa glanced toward the windows, and out toward the main street beyond. “It certainly is… something,” she said finally.
Mabel could tell that she wasn’t crazy about Christmas, and that the festive enthusiasm of the town seemed strange to her.
She felt that ache again, sadness sweeping over her as she realized just how detached her granddaughter had become, and how long Vanessa had been on her own, alone without anything to brighten her spirits or make her feel a part of something.
She should have given her a direct invite sooner, she thought, rather than just hinting at wanting to see Vanessa.
“There’s always a bit of friendly competition among all the businesses. Nothing official, of course, but we all go all out with the decorations,” Mabel chirped, determined to get Vanessa to see just how fun it really was. “Jackson—he owns the Snowdrift Diner, I’m sure you’ll meet him—”
“Actually, we’ve met,” Vanessa said with a small smile.
“I was a bit hungry when I got in, and tired from the flight, so I went to go get some coffee and something to eat. He was there and introduced himself. Promised me unlimited coffee while I’m here,” she added with a chuckle. “I might go there to get my work done.”
That caught Mabel off guard. She’d been under the impression that Vanessa was taking some time off to come to Fir Tree Grove, and it worried her that her granddaughter couldn’t seem to get away from work for even a brief time.
Besides that, she had a feeling that Vanessa’s jaunt over to the diner had been more to buy time to become acclimated to the idea of seeing her family again, rather than anything else.
But she could understand how difficult it might be to come back, after all this time.
And she hoped that, after a little time back in town, Vanessa would set her work aside and tell her boss that she needed a holiday break. Everyone was entitled to that.
“Let me show you the rest of the store,” Mabel invited, gesturing toward the back. “I don’t think it’s changed all that much since you were small, but I imagine you don’t remember it all that well.”
She led Vanessa around the counter and back to the small lounge room, which she had decorated to be warm and cozy.
There was a blue and green plaid armchair next to the back window, with a corner counter that had a coffeepot, a small wooden stand filled with various pods of flavored coffee and hot cocoa, a retro-style fridge that had snacks and creamer in it, and a round table with chairs.
Mabel had put up a smaller version of her Christmas tree in one corner, and decorated the table with a plaid runner and greenery in the center. There was a garland around the window too, and the small tree twinkled merrily.
No one saw it except for her, until today, but Mabel liked to have it decorated all the same.
It was just as important to do things for herself, that brought her cheer and joy, even if only she knew about it.
And now, Vanessa was getting to share in it as well, which brought her even more happiness.
“Go ahead and have a seat,” she encouraged, before going over to the counter to retrieve the platter of pumpkin scones that she’d baked herself last night.
Sprained wrist or no, she’d planned to welcome her granddaughter home in the best way she could.
Anyway, that new electric mixer that she’d gotten last year made it practically a breeze to bake.
She popped out one of the pumpkin spice coffee pods, set the coffeemaker to brew and brought the scones over to the table.
“Here we go,” she said with a smile, setting out two of the plaid paper plates she’d bought at the Holly & Ivy Market last week.
“These are just about fresh, I made them last night. I’ve got a bit of clotted cream in the fridge to go with them, as well.
And—here we are!” She took the first cup of coffee and set it at Vanessa’s elbow, busying herself with getting out pumpkin and cinnamon creamers, and the clotted cream out of the fridge as her cup brewed.
“This is all lovely,” Vanessa said politely, taking one of the scones and setting it on her plate, although Mabel saw her looking at the coffee with considerably more interest. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, honestly.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Mabel assured her. “Not in the slightest, especially not when it’s my granddaughter visiting after so long.”
Vanessa spooned a little of the cream onto her plate along with the scone, and added some creamer to her coffee. Mabel could tell that she wasn’t sure what to say, so she jumped in again instead.
“You mentioned work. How is that? What else have you been up to, all the way out there in California?”
“Pretty much just work,” Vanessa admitted, a tiny bit sheepishly.
“My job keeps me busy. It’s nothing exciting, just an administrative job, but my boss has a lot that he needs me to oversee.
I’m really in charge of making sure the office runs correctly all the time. Which means he always needs me there.”
She shrugged as she said it, and it seemed clear to Mabel that while Vanessa was obviously dedicated to her job, she certainly wasn’t attached to it.
There was an almost clinical way she spoke about it that made it seem obvious that there was no passion there.
Which, given the sort of job Vanessa said she did, made sense to Mabel.
She couldn’t imagine being passionate about sending emails.