Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
As it usually did, even on a Saturday, the toy store started to slow down around one in the afternoon as tourists and town residents alike headed home or out to the diner or tavern for lunch.
Mabel had brought turkey sandwiches for them that morning, and she brought them out to the main floor as they closed for a half-hour lunch and she and Vanessa worked on organizing for the Santa and Mrs. Claus event.
“This is really good.” Vanessa looked at her turkey sandwich. “I’ve never really had that high of an opinion of turkey, since I don’t usually do the whole traditional Thanksgiving thing. But this might change my mind.”
Mabel laughed. “I still have sliced turkey in the freezer that I’m defrosting every week.
I’m just glad someone is here to help me eat it.
That’s one of my favorite ways to make a sandwich with leftovers,” she added, nodding at the ones she’d brought out.
It was mayo, mustard, pickled red onion and local lettuce and tomato on it, all on a soft brioche bun from the bakery.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a better sandwich,” Vanessa said, taking another big bite.
“That turkey comes from the local farm,” Mabel pointed out. “It’s all local, actually. We all try to shop here as much as we can, support our neighbors. It’s a good way to live. And everything tastes better, in my opinion.”
Vanessa looked at her sandwich again. “I’m not sure how I feel about eating a turkey I could have met if I went to the farm,” she said dubiously.
“There’s a… detachment that comes with going to the grocery store, you know?
Thinking about the actual livestock makes me feel a little odd,” she added, and Mabel chuckled.
“Well, you didn’t actually meet that turkey,” Mabel said with a grin, as Vanessa plucked a salt and vinegar chip off of her plate. “And you did say it was the best sandwich you’d ever had.”
“It is,” Vanessa agreed. “I’ll come around to the idea of my meals living five miles away from me.”
There were a lot of things that Mabel couldn’t help but hope her granddaughter would come around to the idea of.
She knew it was a fantasy to think that Vanessa would fall in love with Fir Tree Grove and decide never to leave, but she couldn’t help thinking about how lovely it would be if Vanessa decided to stay.
If she could have family close by again for the first time in so many years, for good.
She sighed, refocusing on the moment and the time that she was getting with her granddaughter in the here and now. Plus, they had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. She was glad Vanessa was there to help.
There were several boxes to go through. The event was a huge deal, Mabel had explained to Vanessa as they’d dragged the boxes out earlier.
There would be food and drinks for everyone, provided by a variety of vendors.
Jackson would bring appetizers from the diner, the tavern would supply lemonade and wine and beer, and the local farm would bring fresh-pressed apple cider, cheeses, and dried local meats for charcuterie boards.
Imogen would have hot cocoa and fudge, and the bakery would bring cupcakes and Christmas cookies specifically for the sugar-cookie decorating station.
“One of the games is a cookie decorating contest,” Mabel explained.
“We blindfold all the contestants and give them a timer while they decorate their cookie. After, they take the blindfold off, and the one who did the ‘best’ job gets a prize.” She grinned.
“Of course, it’s always one of the kids, and they never actually do a good job, but it’s whoever managed to really go crazy with their cookie.
And then we have a separate decorating station for anyone who doesn’t want to compete. ”
“That… actually sounds fun,” Vanessa admitted with a small smile. “What else?”
“Well, we have dunking for apples, and pin-the-tail-on-the-reindeer for the kids. A lot of fair games with a Christmas twist. And there’s always a snowman-building race outside. One year, we had a snowball fight, dodgeball-style. That was a real hit.”
“Literally.” Vanessa’s mouth twitched in the beginnings of a laugh, and Mabel could see her starting to brighten with the holiday spirit.
Vanessa was sorting out the fluffy reindeer tails now, and she saw her pick one of them up, twirling it back and forth.
“This is all really cute,” Vanessa said, a soft smile on her face. “What else?”
“Well, we always have a raffle. Proceeds go to the volunteer fire department. I haven’t decided on a prize yet though,” Mabel said thoughtfully, and she saw Vanessa brighten.
“I actually have had to do events like this for work before,” Vanessa said.
Mabel couldn’t help but wince a little, hearing Vanessa bring up work again, but she let it go.
Vanessa had an unhealthy attachment to her job, in her opinion.
She’d been genuinely shocked when her granddaughter had swept back into the shop yesterday, pulling her into the back for a moment to let her know that she’d decided to stay on longer, and keep working remotely so that she could help Mabel with the shop.
Mabel had been very touched, when Vanessa had told her.
That attachment that Vanessa had to her job that concerned Mabel had been clear to her from the start, and she knew it meant a lot that Vanessa had decided to stay.
But she also wished her granddaughter could come around to the idea of just taking some time off.
Now she was essentially working two jobs, over the holidays, no less.
But Mabel was extraordinarily glad for her help. And she was so grateful that she was getting more time with her granddaughter at long last.
“I’ve got some raffle ideas,” Vanessa said, tapping her fingers against her knee as she set down the reindeer tail.
“A box of Imogen’s chocolates or fudge would be a good prize, or a gift card to the diner.
Or one of those nutcrackers that everyone is so crazy about.
Any of those would be good options. You could even do a tiered raffle, starting with the nutcracker as the biggest prize, then the diner gift card, and then the chocolates. ”
“That’s a really good idea!” Mabel smiled at her granddaughter.
“I like that. I’m sure Jackson and Imogen will be happy to donate to the raffle.
I’ll make sure to talk to them about it soon.
” Her smile widened. “Unless you want to ask Jackson? I know you’re over there getting coffee at the diner pretty often. ”
“It’s good coffee.” Vanessa shrugged, giving nothing away. “I can if you want me to though,” she added noncommittally, smoothing her hands over her jeans.
Mabel hid a smile. She knew that kind of evasion like the back of her hand.
After all, it’s what she and George had been doing for years—flirting, having crushes, and telling the rest of the town it was nothing while they danced around each other.
She could see Vanessa starting that with Jackson.
But she was in her golden years, and she’d had a whole marriage and kids.
A little harmless flirtation was all that she needed in this time of her life.
Vanessa, on the other hand, deserved a romance, she thought.
And so did Jackson. The poor sweet man had been alone for far too long, for someone with as much to offer as he did.
And while she didn’t have any intentions of outright playing matchmaker…
she certainly wasn’t going to deter the two of them from getting closer.
“I think you should mention it to him,” Mabel said decisively. “I’ll talk to Imogen. I’ve been meaning to pop over to say hi to her little girl and get a bit of peppermint fudge anyway.”’
“I’ll talk to him when I get coffee next,” Vanessa said smoothly, still giving nothing away. “What about all of this?” She gestured to the boxes still all around them. “We should at least get a little further, right?”
Mabel nodded, taking out a pile of tablecloths for the booths that they started to shake out and make sure were still in good repair. They worked like that for a while, chatting and sorting through items, before Mabel sat back with a sigh.
“I need a break,” she said. “My wrist is starting to hurt. Let’s go to the back and have some apple cider, and then we’ll clean up and open the shop back up.”
“That sounds nice,” Vanessa agreed, getting up from the floor and walking over to help Mabel up as well. As much as she didn’t want to feel like she needed the help, Mabel was grateful for her granddaughter’s arm. Her wrist was throbbing terribly, and she knew she needed to take it easy.
They headed into the small, cozy back room, where Vanessa gestured to the table and chairs as soon as they walked in.
“Sit down,” she gently urged Mabel. “I’ll get us some cider. Cold or warmed up?”
“Warm, please,” Mabel said gratefully, sinking down into one of the chairs. “There are some snickerdoodle cookies over there too, if you want to bring those with you.”
Vanessa took the jug of apple cider out of the fridge, filling two mugs painted with Christmas scenes and putting them in the microwave one at a time. When the cider was warm, she carried it and the cookies over to the table, and sat down next to Mabel.
“I think we made some good progress today,” she said, taking a sip of her cider before reaching for the small cinnamon shaker on the table, and tapping a little of it out on top of her drink.
Mabel held out her cup, and Vanessa added some cinnamon to hers too.
“I didn’t realize there was so much involved in inviting Santa to town,” she added with a laugh.
“It’s a very important part of the season,” Mabel agreed. “Everyone in town loves it so much! Well, everyone except Nolan McCoy, Fir Tree Grove’s unofficial grinch. But that doesn’t count. He doesn’t like much about Christmas at all. But Santa’s visit really is a big deal, which is why—”
She hesitated. She’d been Mrs. Claus every year for a long time, to the point where it just felt like it was hers.
She didn’t want to give it up, even for a year.
But she didn’t see herself being able to play the part as well as she always had, greeting the children, handing out cookies, taking letters for Santa.
Not with her wrist needing so much rest and plaguing her whenever she overtaxed it even slightly.
She turned to Vanessa, who was nibbling at a cookie.
“As much as I want to be Mrs. Claus this year, like I usually do… I don’t think I can do it,” Mabel admitted.
Even she could hear the disappointment in her own voice.
“I think it’s just going to be too much.
Look at today. Just getting out decorations and things for the party made me need to sit down and take a break. ”
“You need to be careful,” Vanessa agreed. She glanced at Mabel’s wrist brace, frowning slightly. “Have you had a follow-up checkup at the clinic?”
“I will in a couple of days.” Mabel wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. She felt sure that Dr. Ellis would be able to tell that she’d been doing the opposite of resting. He’d probably already been told anyway.
“How did you hurt it again?” Vanessa pursed her lips, looking confused, and Mabel hesitated. She didn’t like fibbing to her granddaughter, but she also wasn’t about to ‘fess up to the actual reason it was hurt. She’d never live it down.
“It’s silly.” She waved her good hand, shaking her head. “I just twisted it picking up a box that was too heavy, that’s all. I should have been more careful. And now look at me. Stuck on the sidelines this year while someone else plays Mrs. Claus for the big event.”
Vanessa frowned. “I thought you told George you were reaching for something and it twisted when the box slipped?”
Mabel tried to hide her wince. “Y-yes. I was getting a box down. It was when I picked it up off the shelf that my wrist was actually hurt. The whole thing was just a mess. I should have asked for help. But you know me, it’s so hard for me to admit when I need it—”
She trailed off, searching for a way to change the subject. Vanessa was looking at her quizzically, and she could tell that her story hadn’t been quite as convincing as she’d hoped it would be.
“I’m going to have to tell George we need to find another Mrs. Claus,” she said, quickly veering back to the topic of the party. Vanessa nodded.
“Surely there are plenty of people who would have fun with it,” she said and Mabel nodded too, letting out a small sigh.
“Of course,” she said, and she was sure Vanessa was right. But she couldn’t help feeling sad that she was going to have to bow out.
She’d never admit it to anyone, but she’d been looking forward to getting to spend more time with George.