Chris #3
"It sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow!
I'll be decorating the square later to make sure everything's ready for the Kringle Comet. Please try to hype it up—and if you can, post on social media.Remember it’s free!
I'm gonna have my famous hot cocoa there.
It's going to be a great thing for the community, and hopefully everyone will be able to show up for at least a few minutes, even if they have midnight mass or something like that!” I babbled.
Molly nodded as she placed her apron on the counter. “What you’ve built here and all the events you’ve created for the community has been amazing. You’re mother would be proud.”
My mouth twitched before I hugged her. "I just want to give the community something fun, something free, something with a little bit of hope. That's what the Kringle Comet should represent for everyone—it should represent hope. I know my mom would do this if she was here.”
Molly patted my shoulder. “You’re right. Your mother was the best and maybe that’s why I went into public service. Which, you know, I need to go to, now.”
Nodding, I walked her to the front of the B & B.
"Yeah, I know. I’m afraid I’m about to lose everything.
And I don't know… I love this town, and I love this vibe.
I just want to give a little bit of help to everybody, because it's been a rough few years.
But maybe this will be the turning point.
I can feel it in the air. I can feel it everywhere.
It's gotta happen, right? Things have to start getting easier eventually, right? "
Molly paused at the door and winced. "I'm not sure about that—but I'll pray for your hope, and everything like that."
Frowning at her words, the door shut as she slipped away, and then a male voice interrupted my thoughts. "Who is that?"
"That was Molly. She makes breakfast in the morning, and she goes to her real job. This B&B was actually Molly and Lou's mom's dream, but things happened. Life got in the way, and now she just helps out by making the pastries in the morning."
"It does smell really good here. Lead me to these infamous pastries by the infamous. What did you say her name was?"
"Molly." I looked away from him because if he was who I thought he was, he'd find out who Molly was soon enough.
I turned and walked towards the kitchen where the pastries were left. I grabbed one and tossed it over my shoulder. "Catch!"
"That's not very polite!"
Rolling my eyes, I slipped onto the stool by the kitchen island. "I hope you have some warm clothes. It's a bit nippy outside."
He picked at his sweater. "What's wrong with this?"
I laughed. "Fine. Suffer. I do have a pile of lost and found you can hunt through."
"While I am out helping you, what if more people check in?" he asked as he ripped his scone in half.
"Uh," I said as I looked at my phone. "I usually leave a number on the rare occasions I leave it like this. I think there is a couple coming in at five. I also have notifications on my phone in the rare chance someone will come. But we should be done by three. I have other things to do anyway."
"Don't think you will have random check-ins for your event?"
I widened my eyes and pulled up my shoulders as I sucked in a breath. "I really hope so. I increased my ad spend last night."
"Is there money troubles with the B&B? Where's Lou in all of this?" he asked.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed another scone before putting the rest under glass and turned away from him. "We've got to go. I'm going to load up my car."
As I weaved through the halls of the B&B, I grabbed bags and boxes I had stashed around the building for the Kringle Night.
A few moments later, his steps followed me and he pulled a box that I had perched on my hip.
The drastic change in my load caused me to topple to the floor with the bags and other boxes crashing around me.
I winced as the bag of tinsel dug into my hip and rolled onto my knees.
"Could have warned me that you were doing that! "
"I didn't realize you were that klutzy."
"You're an ass."
"Didn't you call me a dillweed earlier?"
"Potato, potahto," I muttered as I mushed myself up in the most unglamorous way possible. Before I straightened up, I paused as my slouchy beanie fell off my head and noticed between my legs that his head was tilted, either looking at my ass or the ungainly way I was getting up. "Stop staring."
He smirked. "It's just funny watching you get up. Like a tripod, but you still haven't gotten up."
I made a face and straightened up by pushing myself off the floor.
"Sorry, not all of us are gymnasts that can rise from the floor gracefully," I said as I started to clean up the mess.
One of the boxes broke and I had to walk to another closet and dumped out some cleaning products to replace the box.
I tossed the box over my shoulder and he grunted behind me.
I turned around and he was holding his eye and the box.
"You hit me."
"Oh, I actually didn't mean that. I broke my box when I fell."
Shaking his head, he turned around and placed the decorations into the box. "You didn't have to do that," I said as I walked back to him.
"It looks like you need help around here."
Frowning, I leaned against the doorframe and waited to go to my car. "I feel like you are insulting the B&B and I don't like it."
"You act like this is important."
"It's my job. Of course it is. Hello, small town. Do you see jobs opening?"
"There will be if they take the land to develop."
I groaned and stormed out the door. "Dillweed!"
A few moments later, he came out with the rest of the decorations. "Development helps communities."
"Not at the expense of this land! It's Christmas! Have a heart!" I stormed to my side of the car and before he stepped in, I shook my finger over the top as I stood on my tiptoes. "I know you must work for the firm interested in the land. You may think I'm a small town idiot, but I'm not."
I plopped into the front seat and angrily jammed my keys into the car. I shouldn't even bring him and I wasn't sure why I was. Under his breath, he whispered, "I never thought you were."
Chris
Lulu scrunched up her mouth on the side of her face as she stared out of the windshield.
"I like this town. I don't want all the greenery to go and we are left with parking lots.
You'll see what makes this town magical after Kringle Night," she said before she hit the gas.
We lurched forward and she pressed the buttons of her steering wheel.
"I hope your boss has this much fight in 'em," I said.
Maybe it had been all the years of buying out small towns like this, but the way she didn't let me make comments was thrilling.
Everyone around me were 'yes men,' but she wasn't. As she drove down the winding road, I started to text my co-workers.
Eventually, my assistant replied back. I told him to get in touch with anyone that needed or wanted a place to stay that I would pay for it and sent the address of the B&B.
I wasn't sure how many people would come, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.
Maybe if I could get a meeting with Lou, we could figure out a plan that would avoid the closing of the B&B.
"My boss is fine," she said as she stopped the car in a parking lot.
"I want to talk to them about the upcoming zoning."
Lulu waved her phone. "Don't worry. I have it. I'm hoping the community will speak out. The B&B does a lot of good in the community."
"The land can be split," I said as I pulled out boxes as she met a woman bundled up in gloves and a parka.
"I don't know if you know it, but green spaces are good, Mr. Grinch.
Britt, this is Chris. He's a mole that happened to break down in the same place he was supposed to tear down by his greedy company or whatever.
I haven't asked for the details and I rather don't care. He offered to help—'cause he's bored."
Britt's blonde curls shifted in the wind underneath her parka as she looked at me. "What?"
"He's part of the company that wants to buy the forest."
Britt's mouth pursed into a fine line. "Oh, buddy, you might regret this, but okay. Lu—"
"Yes, Lulu, that's me!" Lulu said as she shoved a box into her hands.
Lulu whispered a few things into Britt's ear.
Britt giggled before Lulu cleared her throat.
"That fence near the playground would be great for the green streamers.
At the bottom of the box, there are some LED tea lights you can put on the top of the stumps. "
Britt and Lulu parted ways as Lulu faced me once again. "Britt's the only one that could help today. I've got to finish all the other plans tomorrow. I should have a package at the community center that we can use tomorrow. Grab that other box, see that large tree? We're going to decorate it."
I turned around and there was a wobbly but thick pine tree on the outside of the fenced area. "How will we do that?"
"Got a ladder in the back of my car. It's one of those foldable ones that should be big enough. I picked it up the other day."
"Looks like you need an SUV if you are doing all the work."
She paused at her car door and cocked her hip as she bit her bottom lip.
"You gonna pay for it? SUVs cost money and my lil car has served me well for years.
Plus, the ladder fit. You didn't even notice it was in there!
" Lulu opened the car door and waved to it.
"Now, show me, hot stuff, that you can carry it to the tree and I'll bring the ornaments. "
"How much did you have stuffed into your car?"
Lulu laughed as she pranced behind me as I lugged the surprisingly heavy ladder. "I'm very good at Tetris."
"How'd you get this in here?"