Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
Liam
November
“I’m so proud of the contributions that each and every one of you has made to bring this day to fruition.
The way you’ve rolled up your sleeves and jumped into the mess to not only get things on track but ahead of the curve is admirable,” I say, slowly scanning the faces of the Pure Fur All employees in the room.
“But there’s one person who’s responsible for this day more than anyone else, so I’d like to invite Beau Olson forward to cut the ceremonial ribbon. ”
Although the new freeze-dried food production equipment has technically already been used for small test runs and training, today will be the first official day of production.
Beau holds the giant scissors over the ribbon for a promotional photo alongside Emily, the town mayor.
When he clips the ribbon, a massive cheer rises from the crowd of plant employees.
Beau and I have worked a lot of overtime together over the past month to make today happen, but it’s all worth it when I see the elated faces of everyone here. Faces that are sure of their town’s future. Sure of their job security. Sure of themselves.
As I walk back to my office, I text a photo of the ribbon-cutting to Cal. He immediately calls me.
“Great stuff there, Liam. Everyone at Pure Fur All is happy with the developments. And everyone at Holden is happy with the projected profitability of this new line. Well done,” he says, and I can’t help but stand a little straighter.
As confident as I am in my own capabilities, it always feels good to have solid work recognized.
“Thanks, Cal. It really was a team effort here. And I do want to have a serious conversation about promoting Beau Olson to the plant manager position. I think he’s proved that he could hack it,” I say.
“Good—the sooner we can finally get you out of there and on to the next job, the better. The messes have been piling up with you being out for so long,” Cal says.
Phone still to my ear, I swing my office door closed and start pacing the length of the room. “I need to talk to you about that, Cal. I never would have expected it, but this town has grown on me. And I’ve decided I want to move here permanently.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Cal asks. The only reasonable follow-up question to my statement.
“Maybe I have,” I admit. “But it’s what I want to do. I don’t want to travel for such huge chunks of time moving forward. I think I’d like to feel like I have some roots somewhere—not be such a nomad anymore.”
“Well, I suppose I can understand that,” Cal says. “But I don’t know what to tell you, Liam. I’m not sure we have any remote positions that wouldn’t require travel. Not for your skill set. What do you expect me to do?”
Massaging my temples, I say, “I don’t know, Cal. Maybe nothing. I know you can’t magically create a new job position for me. But maybe you could give me a positive reference if I decide to pursue something new?”
“You know I would, Liam. You’ve been one of the best employees I’ve worked with.
Will you at least think about this a little longer before you make the final decision?
I really don’t want to lose you—I can talk with the right people and see if we can offer you a raise or a better bonus structure,” Cal says.
Even though he can’t see me, I shake my head.
“It’s not about money, Cal, although I appreciate that.
It’s about wanting to have a place that actually feels like home.
And as much as it came as a shock, Noel feels like that place.
I’ll think about it, but I want to be honest that my mind is pretty much made up. ”
Cal sighs. “That shouldn’t surprise me. You’ve always been one to make decisions quickly and plow ahead. Which has served us well here at Holden. I’ll still keep my fingers crossed that you change your mind, but I’ll also give my highest recommendation to anyone who calls asking about you.”
“Thanks, Cal,” I say. “Thanks for being a good boss and pushing me to be my best. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t get all sentimental on me,” Cal says. “Now get back to work.”
He hangs up without further comment, and I smile to myself. I pull up Madison’s name to text her.
ME
It’s official. Well, kinda official. I told my boss I want to stay here in Noel.
I know she and Clara are working with Sydney and Becky on some final diagrams of the layout for Christmas Fest, so I’m not surprised when she doesn’t answer.
It’s the third week of November, so the town is transforming into a twinkly wonderland of holiday cheer.
Any decorations that don’t depend on the temporary booth structures have already been hung, portable toilets have been delivered, and shipment after shipment of supplies have arrived, according to Madison’s nightly recaps.
The town truly took our innovation brainstorm to heart and added some key new elements this year.
They’re going to have live reindeer on site, including two babies that families can pay to pet.
They’re elevating the food options from a handful of food trucks to multiple booths serving a variety of entrées and snacks.
In addition to the big musical performance on Saturday nights, there will be a stage where smaller musical artists will perform twice a day.
The additions I’m most excited about are the collectible ceramic mugs that Becky’s coffee drinks will be served in (probably because it was my suggestion based on my experience at European Christmas markets).
They were specially designed with the Noel Christmas Fest logo along with the year, so they can become a collector’s item designed to lure people back annually.
If anyone doesn’t want the mug keepsake—or needs multiple rounds of coffee—they can return the mug for a two-dollar refund.
I don’t think they ordered nearly enough mugs, but what do I know?
“Wow.” It’s the only word I can say as Madison and I walk through the doors to the Deer River Bar.
Ornaments, candy canes, and glittery decorations hang from every square inch of the ceiling.
Multicolor Christmas lights are tacked along the booths and outline the windows.
Giant statues of Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty the Snowman greet you as you walk past the host stand.
“This is what you’ve been up to the past two days, isn’t it?” I ask Madison, who smiles smugly.
“I knew that Ben would cave as soon as I laid out Clara’s vision for the pop-up bar concept,” she says. I narrow my eyes at her. “Okay, as soon as I laid out the financial projections of the increased foot traffic and publicity from tags on social media,” she amends.
We make our way to the two tables pushed together, joining Clark and Clara, Davis and Sydney, James and Becky, and Beau and Abby. As we walk, I notice that the notoriously sticky floors aren’t suctioning to my shoes. “What magic potion did you clean the floors with?” I ask Madison.
“You don’t want to know. I don’t think it was FDA-approved for commercial use,” she says, grimacing.
“I’m surprised by you, Miss Environmentally Conscious Everything,” I chide with mock disapproval.
Madison punches my arm. “You try arguing with Clara about anything related to this festival’s success.”
These Tuesday dinners have become a highlight of my week for the past few months.
They’re certainly a heavy contributor to the “stay in Noel” decision.
We’re carving out one final group dinner of the year before the chaos of the holidays and Christmas Fest hits next week.
I’m driving to Conway to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents, and Madison is going to Nebraska.
But we’ll both be back the Friday after Thanksgiving in time for the Christmas Fest kickoff parade that evening.
“Ben is testing out his pop-up bar menu this week,” Clara says cheerfully, handing us the bright, festive menus.
I make a quick scan of the options, and Madison vocalizes my first thought. “These are all the exact same things he normally serves. They just have Christmas-movie-coded names now.” She gives Clara a sassy side eye.
“Sometimes we have to take what we can get,” Clara sing-songs. “There’s always time to butter him up for next year to try some new dishes.”
Conversation is lively as we eat our food—I order the “Uncle Frank, You’re a Cheap Steak,” which is exactly the same as their regular mediocre steak, but I don’t bother pointing that out to Clara.
As people exchange stories about funny holiday traditions, I even share some childhood memories without any arm-twisting from Madison.
“I had seen the concept of Thanksgiving in movies, and my mom talked about it, but I don’t think anything can prepare you for the blob of cream of mushroom soup getting dumped onto canned green beans when you’ve never had green bean casserole before,” I say, laughing along with the group.
I sit back in my chair, one arm casually draped behind Madison, and observe the easy friendships around the group.
As I mindlessly stroke Madison’s shoulder with my thumb, I’m struck by a sense of peace.
Although most of this crew has spent the majority of their lives together, they’ve also heartily welcomed first Clara, then Madison, and even me into the group.
Made us feel like we belong, like we fit in seamlessly with them.
Yes, I have always loved and will always love my family. But outside of my blood relatives, I’ve never experienced that phenomenon of “finding your village.” Your people. I thought it was a myth that never happened in reality the way it does in movies.
The faces around this table feel like my people.
“I’ve decided to stay in Noel permanently,” I suddenly announce. All eyes look to me with varying degrees of surprise. There’s a short moment of shocked silence before all of the voices are clamoring with demands for more information.
Beau finally holds up a hand to quiet the cacophony of questions. “What are your plans, exactly? Are you going to stay on as the plant manager at Pure Fur All?”
I answer as honestly and directly as I can.
“I haven’t one hundred percent decided what I’m going to do job wise.
I can’t continue in the specific position with Holden that I’ve had for the past several years—not unless I’m based in Houston and willing to travel the majority of the year.
Which I’m not willing to do anymore. I like the community here, so I’ll figure something out in order to stay.
That might be with Pure Fur All, but I honestly don’t think so.
I’m leaning toward starting my own fractional business coaching or operations consulting business. ”
Madison’s eyebrows shoot up in a “this is news to me” expression. I haven’t told her anything about it because the idea only germinated this afternoon. It may not be a full-grown plan yet, but it’s where my gut is pointing.
Davis suddenly pounds the table, making all of the women jump. “This is fantastic news. I’m so glad you’re sticking around, man.”
There’s a chorus of agreement around the table. Clara caps things off with, “I think this calls for a toast. A round of ‘He’s an Angry Elf’ drinks for everyone?”
When the bright red drinks arrive, we clink glasses in the middle as Sydney declares, “To Liam and Madison both becoming official Noel residents!”