Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
Dear Franny,
In my second letter, I would like to request that you participate in this year’s Chatham Christmas Stroll, beginning with the tree lighting. Do you remember how much fun we used to have going together when we were younger? It’s such a magical event filled with Christmas spirit and I want for you to experience that again. Victor and I made sure to go every year. Sometimes it was just the two of us, but often we went with friends and then had people over for supper or went out as a group. It’s a time to come together with friends and family and experience the joy of the season.
Lots of love,
Ella
Franny folded the letter and slid it back into its envelope. She hadn’t been to the Christmas Stroll in so many years. This was an easy enough request. She was happy to go and soak up a bit of holiday cheer. She finished dressing and headed downstairs for breakfast. It was Monday morning and Beth and Riley were sitting at their usual table eating breakfast. Franny loaded up her plate, poured herself a cup of coffee, and joined them.
Once she was settled, Beth asked, “Have you opened this week’s letter yet?”
Franny took a sip of her coffee before answering. She noticed that Beth had her laptop beside her and was finishing a bagel, while Riley was still working on a bowl of cereal. Franny had helped herself to a slice of ham-and-cheese quiche and a few pieces of cantaloupe.
“I did, just before I came down for breakfast.” She smiled. “This week’s instructions are to go to the Christmas Stroll activities this weekend, starting with the tree lighting ceremony on Friday.”
“Well, that’s fun. We’re all going to the tree lighting. You’re welcome to join us,” Beth said.
“We’re starting something new this weekend, with a chocolate turndown service and wine weekends, where we have a wine and cheese hour in the living room from five to six,” Riley told her.
“We’ll walk over to the tree lighting after that. I think it’s at six thirty,” Beth said.
“Oh, that all sounds lovely. I’d be happy to join you. Thank you,” Franny said.
“What do you have planned for your week?” Riley asked.
Franny took a bite of quiche before answering. “Relaxing. I have no plans other than to explore Main Street and maybe go on some morning beach walks and to catch up on my reading. I haven’t taken this much time off in a very long time.” Franny knew she needed the break, too. Even though she wasn’t in the office daily anymore, she still was on top of everything by email and Zoom meetings when necessary. She’d talked to her managers and they’d supported her taking the time for herself through the holidays.
“We can manage, Franny. Enjoy your time in Chatham,” they’d assured her. And so she’d stopped obsessively checking email and daily sales numbers. She had good people in charge of the department stores and it was time she trusted them to do what she knew they were capable of. From what she could see, they managed just fine without her there, which was a relief and a blessing. Since meeting with her sister’s attorney and deciding to stay in Chatham through the New Year, she’d been sleeping better. She felt more relaxed and at peace.
She still had daily moments of intense sadness as she remembered her sister, but that was easing, too, and settling into something more peaceful. She knew it was her sister’s time to go and that she hadn’t been sad about it, so Franny tried to shake those feelings when they crept over her. She instead focused on remembering her sister as the happy, carefree person that she was and Franny knew in her heart that Ella was happy now with her beloved Victor.
“I think I’ll get my morning walk in when I leave here and stop in the bookshop on the way back. I’m ready for something new to read.”
“What do you like to read?” Riley asked her.
Franny laughed. “Everything. It just depends on my mood. I love a good family-focused story but then I usually switch to something more suspenseful. I’ve been reading a lot of psychological thrillers lately.”
Beth looked intrigued. “You don’t find those too scary?”
Franny shook her head. “No. I don’t read the violent gory ones, just the domestic suspense, where it’s all about the unexpected twists. I like a good memoir, too, or biographical novel. I just read one that was based on the life of Estée Lauder that was fascinating. What do the two of you enjoy reading?”
“I read a mix, like you, but my favorite are romantic comedies,” Riley said. “I recently read The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella and laughed so much that Lily stared at me. I’m working my way through her other books now.”
“I am reading the newest Lisa Jewell,” Beth said. “I loved her women’s fiction books years ago and now am addicted to her suspense ones.”
Franny nodded. “She’s one of my favorites, along with Lisa Gardner and Freida McFadden.”
Beth smiled. “I think we have similar taste. I’ve left some of my favorite books in the living room for guests to borrow and there are few books from all of those authors. You’re welcome to take a look and borrow any you haven’t read already.”
“Thank you. I will look there before I head to the bookshop so I don’t buy any you already have. I’ll still pick up a few, though.” She grinned. “There’s no such thing as too many books.”
When she finished breakfast, Franny said goodbye and headed into the living room. There was a nice assortment of books on the shelves, but Franny had read most of them. There were a few that looked intriguing. She took two of them up to her room before heading out on her walk.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Cold but clear and sunny. Franny had added a thick knit cashmere hat and gloves before heading outside and was glad for their warmth as she walked. Main Street was quiet as it was still early, and most of the shops didn’t open for another half hour or so. So, she walked to the end of Main Street and then turned around and made her way back. By the time she reached the bookshop, it was open and she stepped inside.
Sun streamed through the big bay windows that faced Main Street, filling the shop with light. A little electric stove sat in the corner, glowing merrily and throwing a bit of heat, too. Franny stood nearby for a moment, enjoying the warmth after walking in the cold. She always felt a sense of excitement when she entered a bookshop, as she awaited the discovery of the perfect story that would transport her into another world. She gazed around the shop, at the front tables piled with new releases, and the carefully curated shelves with the many notecards with staff notes about books they especially loved.
Franny always felt drawn to the front tables where the newest books were displayed. She recognized many of the author names, as most were popular bestsellers. But sometimes there were interesting debut books there, too. She picked up a few with covers that caught her eye, then read the inside flap to learn more about the story and then if it sounded good, she would flip to the opening page. And that’s where she often held her breath in anticipation—would this be a book she would instantly fall in love with?
Franny could usually tell just by reading the first few paragraphs—sometimes just the first sentence or two—if she was going to like a book. It was hard to explain but it was just a feeling she got from the way the author put their words together—sometimes their voice spoke to her or reassured her that she was in capable hands and that she needed to go on this particular story’s journey.
When it was an author Franny already knew she loved, she just glanced at the blurb and that was enough. She found two of those books, and added a new author, and decided she was good for a few days. And then she’d want to return and go through the same process again. As she was about to head to the register, a young woman walked over to her and smiled.
“Good morning. Are you finding everything you were looking for?” The woman wore a name tag that said Sara and Franny recognized her from the last time she was in.
“Yes, thank you. Actually, you recommended a book the last time I was in here. I think it was by your sister, Hannah. It was wonderful.”
Sara’s smile widened. “Oh, I’m so glad! I’m biased, of course, because she is my sister, but I really love her books, too. She has a new one coming out tomorrow, actually. It’s a Christmas release and it’s set here in Chatham.” Hannah’s last book had been set in New York City, so Franny thought that was interesting.
“I’ll have to come back next week for that one. I love a good Christmas story.” Franny would be sure to leave that one in the library when she finished as she thought Riley might like Hannah’s writing style. Her other book had been a romantic comedy.
“She’s actually going to be doing a signing here on Saturday,” Sara said. “Hannah lives in Chatham now.”
“Oh, well, then I will make a point of stopping by.” Franny had a feeling that her sister would have approved and perhaps she was even meant to read Hannah’s Christmas book. She smiled at the thought. She was getting caught up in the magical spirit of the holidays. She’d always loved this time of year.
Sara rang her books up, ran Franny’s credit card, then handed her a pretty paper bag with her books and a complimentary bookmark. Franny had removed her gloves to handle the books and put them back on as she braced to step outside into the cold.
It wasn’t as bad as she’d feared as the wind had died down and the sun was shining even more brightly. If one didn’t know better, and was just looking out the window, it would almost look like a summer day. Except that snow was in the forecast, and as Franny began walking back to the inn, a few snowflakes appeared and whirled and danced around her on their way to the ground. It was just a light flurry, fun to watch, and as soon as the flakes hit the ground they quickly disappeared.
Out of the corner of her eye, Franny did a double take when she saw a familiar figure on the other side of the street. She caught a quick glimpse of his face and it stopped her short, like she’d seen a ghost. She hadn’t seen Joe in decades. This man’s hair was silver but in the split second she’d seen his face, he looked the same. She watched him for a moment as the snow intensified but he didn’t turn around again, so she couldn’t make sure it was him. Her phone rang, pulling her attention away. She fished it out of her purse and saw that it was an unfamiliar number and her phone identified it as a telemarketer. She didn’t need to answer that. She dropped it back into her purse and glanced back across the street, but the man was gone.
She thought her mind must have been playing tricks on her. Or the man had just been a look-alike. Joe, her high school sweetheart, couldn’t possibly be in Chatham. Last she’d heard, he’d moved to the West Coast with his family and he had no other family left in Chatham. Franny hadn’t thought of him in years. She wished him well, wherever he was.
She had nothing but fond memories of Joe. They’d dated in high school and he’d been her first love, but his family moved when Joe was a junior in high school. They’d both promised to keep in touch. There had been a few letters at first, but those had faded away. Joe’s last letter had come at the end of senior year and simply said that he was going to college in California. She had committed to going to Wellesley College, just outside of Boston. She missed Joe, but she also accepted that their lives were going in different directions and they were too far apart. And then in college, senior year, she met her husband and they fell in love. Franny had no regrets.
The snow blinded her for moment, clinging to her glasses and making it hard to see. She decided to step into the nearest shop for a break. In front of her was a cute wine and cheese shop that she’d been meaning to visit. She stepped inside and holiday bells hanging on the door jingled cheerfully as she walked in.
The shop was small but well stocked with a wide variety of wines in box shelves along all the walls. In the center of the shop was a refrigerated oval with an extensive assortment of cheeses, many that Franny had never seen or heard of before. A friendly woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties smiled when she saw Franny and welcomed her to the shop.
“Are you looking for anything in particular? I was about to slice up some samples of the Humboldt Fog aged goat cheese if you’d like to try it?”
Franny nodded and took her glasses off for a moment, to shake off the melting snowflakes. “I’d been meaning to stop in here. I’d love to try a taste. I haven’t had that one before.”
The woman unwrapped a small round cheese and sliced into it. She put a small wedge of the cheese onto a cracker and handed it to Franny. “This is one of my favorites. It reminds me of a mix between goat and brie cheese. My name is Hayley. Let me know if you’d like to try anything else.”
Franny glanced at the cheese and agreed that the textures seemed to resemble both. It had layers of firmer white goat cheese, and a surrounding layer of softer, almost runny cheese, and a black line in the middle, which almost gave it the look of cake layers.
“That black is ash and it’s edible,” Hayley explained.
Franny took a bite and experienced a rush of flavors and textures, a tangy hint of goat cheese and the smooth richness of brie. It was delicious.
“I’ll take one of those, and a box of the crackers, too, please.”
“Of course.” Hayley paused then asked, “Have you tried Saint-André? It’s a very buttery, sleek triple cream. It goes really well with those crackers, too.”
Franny agreed to try the Saint-André, too, and loved it. “I’ll take one of those and also that wedge of Manchego.” Manchego was one of her favorite cheeses. It was a little softer than a Parmesan but had a similar nutty flavor and was delicious on its own with a glass of red wine.
“Perfect. And did you need any wine to go with your cheese?” Hayley asked.
Franny smiled. “What would you suggest?”
“Daou Cabernet is nice and reasonably priced. If you want to go to higher level, you might like their sister wine, Duckhorn Cabernet. Or a nice Pinot Noir like Belle Glos. Or if you want an absolute steal of a wine, we just got a bunch of Cocobon in—it’s a red blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petit Syrah. It’s only seven ninety-nine and I swear it tastes like a thirty-dollar bottle.”
Franny was intrigued. “I love discovering a good cheap wine. I’ll take a bottle of that and one of the Daou, too, please.”
Hayley rang everything up and by the time Franny stepped outside with her bag of wines and cheeses, the flurries had stopped and the sun was shining again. She set off to walk the short distance to the inn and looked forward to making herself a cup of hot tea and settling in with one of her new books and maybe a little cheese and crackers for lunch.