Chapter 5 #2
“What else?” Mabel asked encouragingly, taking a sip of her own coffee. “You can’t work all the time. What do you get up to in the city? Friends? A boyfriend?” She gave Vanessa a little wink, but her granddaughter didn’t seem all that amused.
“Really—it’s just work,” Vanessa said, breaking off a corner of the scone and dabbing it in the clotted cream.
“Like I said, my boss keeps me busy. There’s not really a lot of time for hobbies and such.
I have an apartment near the harbor, so that’s nice.
And I haven’t bothered dating in a while. I don’t really have the time.”
“Yes, you mentioned that.” Mabel felt another prick of concern, and was more than glad that Vanessa had accepted her invitation to come back home for Christmas.
It was clear to her that Vanessa needed the visit as much as she herself did.
“Well, it’s good that you’re here, then. You clearly could use the rest.”
“I’m not really off,” Vanessa said hesitantly.
“I promised Russell I would work remotely. But I should be able to get most of that done at night, after you’ve gone to bed.
Or while you’re here at the shop. I’m sure there’s only so much I could find to keep myself entertained while—” Her gaze snagged on the brace on Mabel’s arm, and she frowned. “What happened?”
“I, ah—I had a bit of an accident,” Mabel hedged, and Vanessa frowned.
“Doesn’t that make it a bit hard around here?” Vanessa looked around, her gaze darting toward the door that led out into the shop. “I’m sure you have someone coming in to help though, especially considering the season.” Her sharp green eyes landed back on her grandmother. “Right?”
“Well…” Mabel’s voice turned slightly sheepish.
“The thing is, as much as I genuinely wanted to see my granddaughter for the holidays—and I do, no matter what—I was hoping you might be able to help me run things for a little while. Just until my wrist heals up. It is just me, and you’re right, having this little injury has made things a bit more difficult.
” She paused, seeing Vanessa narrow her eyes.
“I remember how you used to love to spend hours and hours here as a child. It was your favorite place, back then. You’d be perfect at it, and it would give us so much time to catch up.
” Her eyes twinkled, although there was a hint of worry there.
“Grandmother and granddaughter, running the local toy shop.”
Vanessa let out a slow breath, and Mabel could see her wheels turning, thinking of how to let her grandmother down gently.
“I did love it here,” she said calmly. “When I was a child. But I really didn’t plan to be gone for all that long. I’m needed back at work. I can’t stay for more than two days, maybe three. I certainly can’t stay long enough to be of any real use to you for this issue. But surely there’s someone—”
“That’s all right,” Mabel interrupted, trying to hide her disappointment.
She’d already thought of the pros and cons of hiring someone else for the season, and she didn’t feel up to going over it all again.
She’d been hopeful that Vanessa would be the answer, and that it would give them some much needed time to reconnect, on top of it all.
But Vanessa was an adult, and she had her own life now, a life that had nothing to do with Fir Tree Grove.
“I’ll cherish whatever time I can get with you,” Mabel said firmly, taking the last sip of her coffee and getting up to carry the mug and the platter of scones back to the counter. Vanessa jumped up first, taking them both before Mabel could.
“You should be more careful with that wrist,” she chided gently, and the concern warmed Mabel’s heart a bit.
“I’ll be all right,” she said, getting up. “We should get you set up at Hearthside Cottage. That’s the local B&B. I would have had you stay with me, but my spare room is set up as a little library, and I didn’t think you’d want to sleep on the couch, even if it is a pullout.”
“The B&B sounds fine,” Vanessa said with a smile. “I wouldn’t want to impose anyway.”
She said it sweetly enough, but Mabel couldn’t help but think that everything she said was so stiff. As if she was constantly worried about speaking out of turn or upsetting someone. Always so carefully detached, without any warmth.
“I’ll close up for an hour or so and we’ll get you settled,” she said decisively, pushing the thought away. She grabbed her coat and gloves and led Vanessa out of the shop, locking up behind them, and they started the walk to the Hearthside Cottage.
As they walked, she couldn’t help but notice the high-heeled boots Vanessa was wearing.
They looked new, made of soft, slick-looking leather, with pointed toes and thin, high heels.
They weren’t practical in the slightest for snow, or cobblestones, or icy sidewalks, and Mabel knew that if the rest of Vanessa’s wardrobe was anything like this, she was going to stick out like a sore thumb the entire time she was in Fir Tree Grove.
As happy as she was to see her granddaughter, she couldn’t help but wonder, for Vanessa’s sake, if maybe the trip had been a mistake. If it might just make Vanessa feel more cut off than she clearly already did.
Mabel led the way up the stairs as they arrived at the B&B, a large, rustic log structure with a wraparound porch and heavy overhanging eaves that were covered in snow.
The porch was looped with garlands and lights, a herd of gold-wire reindeer out front and other snowy woodland creatures on the other side.
There were rocking chairs out front with plaid cushions on them, and small wreaths on every window, finished off with a massive wreath on the front door.
When they walked in, Christopher Holcomb, the owner, was standing behind the front desk. He looked up as Mabel walked in and smiled broadly.
“Hello there. And who did you bring with you?” He glanced over at Vanessa, green eyes bright with interest, and Vanessa smiled politely.
Christopher was always friendly and cheerful, which Mabel thought was an impressive personality trait, considering how difficult things had been for him.
His wife had passed away some years before, and he was too young for such a tragedy, only in his mid-thirties.
No one would have blamed him for becoming sullen and withdrawn, but after the worst of his grief had passed, he’d continued to be the friendly innkeeper that Mabel knew and loved.
“My granddaughter, Vanessa,” Mabel said, stepping back a little. “I booked a room here for her. I was hoping you might be able to put her in one of the nicer rooms. You know, with a tub and fireplace and all of that.”
Christopher chuckled. “All of our rooms are nice, thank you very much.” He winked at Mabel. “But of course. I have the Poinsettia suite still available, which has a fireplace in the bedroom and a little reading room as well. I’ll put her up in that one.”
“You don’t have to—” Vanessa started to protest, but Mabel patted her arm.
“Just get settled in.” Mabel smiled at her. “We’ll catch up this evening.”
Vanessa looked as if she wanted to say something, but thought better of it. She nodded, giving her grandmother a quick hug, before getting out her ID and handing it to Christopher.
Mabel took one more look at her, and then headed back out into the crisp winter air.