Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
On Saturday afternoon, everything was a flurry of activity as they got ready for the Santa and Mrs. Claus event to start. Vanessa waited to slip into her costume until she got to The Toy Chest, although she did her hair and makeup before she left Hearthside.
She’d gotten halfway through curling her hair before she remembered that she’d be wearing a wig as Mrs. Claus, and then felt her face flush as she realized that she’d been thinking more about seeing Jackson than the role she’d be playing.
After that, she’d put on a bit of light makeup, and hurried downstairs to head over to the toy shop.
Mabel was a flurry of activity as they got ready, and Vanessa had to remind her, more than once, to go easy on her wrist. “I’m playing Mrs. Claus so that you don’t overwork it,” she reminded her, and Mabel sighed, nodding.
“I’ll just go get the tables decorated,” she said, and while she did that, Vanessa started setting out the prizes on the table allocated for those.
Imogen showed up shortly after, getting her hot chocolate stand ready, and Vanessa went to change into her Mrs. Claus costume.
She had to admit, the red dress with the white fur edging was adorable, and with the addition of the curly white wig, she thought she made a passable—if a bit young—Mrs. Claus.
The kids would believe it, she thought, and that was the important part.
She stepped into her black boots, adjusted the wig once more, and stepped back out into the back room. To her surprise, Jackson was standing there waiting for her, in full Santa get-up… including the fake beard.
The moment she saw him, she started to laugh, and he joined in. “You clean up nice, Mrs. Claus,” Jackson said with a chuckle, and Vanessa rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help blushing.
“This outfit is ridiculous, and you know it.”
“I can see this is going to be another version of the great cat ornament debate.” He leaned in before she could protest, stealing a kiss, and Vanessa couldn’t help herself.
She leaned into it, reaching up to brace herself with one hand against his chest, and she felt a warm happiness flood her as Jackson backed away, his eyes bright with happiness.
“Someone might have seen!” Vanessa chided him, looking around to see if anyone had shown up early for the event, or if any customers had wandered in.
She’d been just as into the kiss, but she couldn’t help herself.
She wasn’t used to public affection of any kind, let alone from someone as handsome as Jackson, who flustered her as much as he did.
“Just getting into character.” He winked at her, and she blushed deeper.
“The event will be starting any minute.” Vanessa peered out of the back room to see if everything was set up.
The prize table was inside, along with the table for the cookie-decorating contest, with stations for each competitor and a stack of blindfolds waiting.
The huge drawing of a cartoon reindeer was inside as well, waiting for kids to line up to attempt to pin a tail on him.
Another table had the raffle prizes lined up—the nutcracker, the gift card to the diner, and the box of Imogen’s chocolates, along with the tickets to purchase and a glass bowl.
There was a gorgeous snowy forest backdrop for photos, and another set up to look like a cozy Christmas interior.
The chairs for Jackson and Vanessa were there, where anyone could come and take a picture with them.
There was also a long table set up with the food donated from the local farm and the tavern—fresh-pressed apple cider, cheeses, and dried local meats for charcuterie boards, hot appetizers from the Snowdrift Diner, including buffalo chicken dip, steak crudites with mustard and horseradish sauces, stuffed mushrooms with brie and balsamic, and venison bites with local cheddar fondue.
There was a table with cupcakes, as well as fudge from Imogen’s shop, and another table for cookie decorating for those who didn’t want the stress of competing blind while they decorated their Christmas cookies.
Outside, the station for apple bobbing was set up, along with Imogen’s hot chocolate bar, and a station with lemonade, beer, hot apple cider, and wine from the tavern.
The lines for the snowman-building race were set up outside, as well as an area roped off for snowball dodgeball fights.
It was festive and elaborate, and Vanessa was truly blown away to see how much effort her grandmother had put into all of it.
She’d heard it all described to her, of course, as they were getting ready for the event and planning, but seeing it all in action was something else.
“I’ve honestly never been to a festival like this before,” she confessed to Jackson. “This is almost as exciting as the market in the square that Imogen took me to.”
“I think your grandmother is trying to compete with that event, honestly,” Jackson said with a laugh. “It’s a toss-up as to which one is more popular, I think, with the adults. For the kids, this one is definitely way out front.”
Vanessa laughed, and then peered out of the door again as she heard the chime of the bell that meant Mabel was opening up for the event to start. “It’s almost our cue,” she said with a nervous laugh, and Jackson grabbed her hand and squeezed.
“This is going to be fun,” he said, his beard moving as he smiled, and Vanessa stifled another laugh as she heard the first of the festivalgoers start to filter into the shop.
There was an excited cheer from the kids already crowding the store as she and Jackson walked out, and she felt that flood of warmth in her chest again.
She’d never pictured herself doing anything like this, but she was suddenly thrilled that she’d agreed.
The happiness and excitement on all of the children’s faces made her smile in return, and she waved to them as she and Jackson headed to their spot of honor in front of the Christmas living-room setup.
Immediately, there was a line to take pictures with them.
Vanessa couldn’t stop smiling as the kids asked Jackson if they were getting what they’d requested for Christmas, and if he’d gotten their letters.
Jackson played along fully, deepening his voice and adding the occasional ‘ho, ho, ho’ and ‘Merry Christmas’ to go along with his answers.
She snuck a glance at Mabel as she and Jackson greeted and laughed with the children, and she could see that her grandmother was beaming.
It was clear that the event was going just as she’d hoped, and Vanessa felt a swell of happiness at the thought that they’d managed to pull it off and make her grandmother happy, despite Mabel’s disappointment at not being able to play Mrs. Claus.
After a couple of hours of talking to what Vanessa thought must be every child in Fir Tree Grove, Jackson reached over and squeezed her hand when they had a moment where it seemed like no one was looking.
“What do you say we join in on some of the games?” he asked, leaning over to murmur the question in her ear, and Vanessa nodded eagerly.
“I’d love that.” She smiled at him, and they both got up, going over to let Mabel know that they were going to take a break to enjoy the festivities.
“You two have fun.” Mabel waved a hand. “I think you’ve talked to practically all the kids at this point. They’re running off to play games and build snowmen. By all means, join in.”
Vanessa retreated to the bathroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a soft red sweater. When she emerged, she saw that Jackson’s change of clothes was jeans and a dark green henley, and she laughed, coming to stand next to him.
“We look like Christmas,” she said, still laughing as she took in the two of them, and Jackson grinned too.
“We sure do.” He linked his fingers with hers. “Let’s go play some Christmas games.”
A few weeks ago, Vanessa thought, she could never have imagined herself doing something so festive and frivolous.
But now that she’d let herself relax, now that she wasn’t thinking only about work and deadlines and what she could take off of her boss’s plate and put onto her own, she found that it was fun being silly.
It was fun just letting go, and letting Jackson blindfold her while she tried to pin a fluffy tail on a cartoon drawing of a reindeer, before doing the same to him so that he could try.
It was fun trying to decorate Christmas cookies blind, only to whip off the blindfold at the end and see what an absolute mess she’d made of the cookie in front of her.
Instead of thinking it was a waste of time because it wasn’t perfect, she looked at the cookie and couldn’t help but think that it was both the worst and best thing she’d ever made in her life.
The worst, obviously, because it was objectively a terrible cookie-decorating job—but also the best, because she’d done it for fun.
She’d done it just because it was a game, because it made her grandmother happy and brought her and Jackson closer, and because she loved the way Jackson grinned at her when he looked from the cookie back to her, and brushed a bit of icing off of her nose.
“You’ve got a little something there,” he said with a grin, and Vanessa waved him off.
“I just needed a little sweetener.”
“You’re plenty sweet enough for me.” He gave her a look that said he was thinking about kissing her, and Vanessa had half a mind to tell him she needed help getting something from the back room, just so that he could steal that kiss. But before she could, she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket.
She silenced the call. There was no way that she was going to interrupt the festival by having to dart off to take a call. But her phone almost immediately went off again, and Vanessa sighed, looking at Jackson as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“I need to take this, or he won’t stop. I’ll just go to the back.
I think the apple cider stand needs a few more jugs, if you can come grab them?
” It wasn’t her plan for getting Jackson to the back, but at least a task would get handled, and maybe she could get Russell to leave her alone for the rest of the day.
She knew it was him—no one else would call her on repeat like that.
Jackson nodded, following her as Vanessa answered her still-buzzing phone.
“Hello?”
“Vanessa.” Russell sounded as frazzled as always, and Vanessa felt a wave of irritation. Couldn’t he handle things himself for just one day? “Look, we need to talk.”
“Russell.” She did her best to keep her voice even. “Can it wait? I told you, I’m spending time with my family, and today isn’t a good time. I told you I’d let you know—”
“I hired someone to fill in for you while you were away.” Russell interrupted her, speaking quickly.
“Since you said you needed time away from regular work hours, someone had to fill in the gaps. But she’s not doing as good a job as you’ve always done.
You just always know what needs to be done, Vanessa, and how to keep others on task too.
This place doesn’t run the same without you. ”
“I appreciate that, but—”
“I need you back.” His voice was firm, and resolute.
“Whatever it takes to make that happen, Vanessa, I’m willing to do.
I’ve got a promotion lined up for you, and it comes with a raise.
I can send you the paperwork to sign before you even fly back.
I just need you back in the office as soon as you can manage it. ”
A promotion. More money. He’d never offered any of that to her before this, Vanessa thought.
She looked over at Jackson, who was standing motionless next to the fridge.
She couldn’t read his expression—she thought he was probably trying not to let her see what he was thinking.
But she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, ever so briefly, that quickly flitted away. At the thought of her leaving, maybe?
She knew he had feelings for her, whether or not those led anywhere serious.
She had feelings for him too. And more than that—she’d developed feelings for this town.
For her grandmother, who was the only family she had left.
For Imogen, who was the first real, close friend she’d had since college.
For all of the people that she’d met since coming to Fir Tree Grove, who had made her feel warmer and happier and more at home than she had in all her years of living in San Francisco.
She paused for a moment, but she knew what her answer would be when she spoke again.
“I’m sorry, Russell. But you’re just going to have to train the new employee to do things the way you need them to. I’m not coming back.” She took a deep breath. “I’m staying here in Fir Tree Grove. And… I quit.”
Before she could take it back or let him start to argue with her about why that was a terrible idea, she hung up the phone, quickly turning it off so that Russell couldn’t call her back and shoving it into her back pocket.
When Vanessa looked up to meet Jackson’s eyes, she could see that he was utterly shocked.
For a moment, there was only silence in the back room, the sounds of the ongoing festival a low din outside.
“Did you really mean that?” Jackson asked finally, swallowing hard.
Vanessa nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I did,” she said, crossing the room to stand in front of him. “I quit. And I’m staying.”
Jackson’s face lit up, and he leaned in, his arms wrapping around her as he gave her a deep, joyful kiss. He held her for a long moment, before breaking apart, his expression almost giddy with happiness.
“I need to tell Mabel,” Vanessa said, linking her fingers through his. “She’s going to be so happy. I know she’s been hoping I might stay, even though she hasn’t wanted to say it.”
They stepped out of the back room, intent on making a beeline to Mabel—but a moment later saw that she was standing next to the prize table, deep in conversation and laughing with George.
Vanessa and Jackson looked at each other, sharing a conspiratorial look before both breaking into giggles.
“What do you say we try that cookie decorating again, first?” Jackson asked with a grin, tapping Vanessa on the nose, right where the frosting had been a little while ago. “Let’s see if you can top the creation you made last time.”
“That was an abomination of a cookie,” she said with a laugh. “But you’re right. Let’s go. We’ll play a few more games and then go tell my grandmother.”
Together, hand in hand, they headed back to the cookie-decorating station. And Vanessa thought that she had never, in her entire life, been happier.