Chapter Five
Silverwood’s town square was the very definition of Christmas. As far as the eye could see, pine garlands were draped across every available surface, lights twinkled, and ornaments of every kind shone. The buzz of activity ahead of the festival was something to behold. Holly, Nick, and Vivian watched as little stands and huts were erected while festive music drifted through the air. Holly smiled at her mother, who was clearly dazzled by the festivities.
“You ready, Mom?”
Vivian patted Holly’s arm. “Sure. Sure. Let’s go.”
Holly rubbed her hands together as the trio approached The Gingerbread House, their boots crunching on the light snow-covered sidewalk. Behind the paneled windows, a variety of Christmas-themed cupcakes greeted them. The quaint shop was filled with patrons, from customers taking pleasure in a simple cup of hot chocolate to hungry souls delving into the day’s lunch special, every one of them enjoying themselves.
“Does it look like you remember it, Mom?” Holly lifted her brows and watched her mother’s face.
“Oh, yes. Your father loved this eatery. He was particularly fond of the Bison Fudge.” Vivian turned to Nick. “Do you still make that?”
“Absolutely.” Nick propped the door open for his companions. “I can whip you up one right now if you’d like.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Vivian hooked her arm through Holly’s. “You’ll share it with me, right? I could never finish the dish on my own—something your father always counted on.”
As soon as they strode into the place, they were greeted by Viola, who’d appeared from behind the counter. Though Viola was cheerful, Holly could swear something was troubling her.
“Hey, Nick. Holly.” Viola wiped her hands on her apron. “Need a table?”
“If there’s one available,” Nick replied.
“I just cleared one. Follow me.” Viola led the way.
“This is my mom,” Holly said as they removed their coats and hung them on the chair backs. “Vivian St. Ives.”
“Nice to meet you.” Viola handed her a menu.
“You, too, dear. And I already know what I want. I used to come here years ago and am dying to have an order of Bison Fudge.”
“One of my favorites.” Viola took the menu back and gave her a nod.
“Give her extra whipped cream,” Nick said. “And I’ll have a coffee. Black.”
“A hot chocolate for me.” Holly rubbed her palms together to warm them.
“You got it,” Viola said. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
As Viola left to fulfill their orders, the three of them settled in their chairs.
“This is simply lovely,” Vivian said, looking around and taking in the familiar surroundings.
“Vivian St. Ives?” The voice came from the entrance of the shop.
Holly recognized her baking-obsessed neighbor, Mrs. Miranelli, without having to turn.
“Janice.” Vivian stood and smiled.
The robust, red-headed woman’s faux fur coat added to her girth as she waddled toward them. “Vivian, when did you get into town?” Mrs. Miranelli embraced Holly’s mother. When she released her, Mrs. Miranelli patted her ginger curls as if checking that they hadn’t come undone. “I knew you had to be coming in for the wedding, but I didn’t know when. And it’s close to impossible to find either of these two busybodies to get the scoop.” She gestured to Holly and Nick.
“I just arrived yesterday. I had plans to pop over and visit you as soon as I got settled.” Vivian gave Mrs. Miranelli a friendly pat on her shoulder. “How’s Henry?”
“Still the love of my life and a pain in the butt all rolled into one. So nothing’s changed.” Mrs. Miranelli chuckled heartily.
Viola reappeared, balancing a tray with their orders.
“Oh, this is us,” Vivian announced. “We’ll catch up later, okay?”
“It’s a date.” Mrs. Miranelli removed her scarf and shifted toward the counter. “I need to place my order before Henry files a missing person report.”
Vivian sat at the table as Viola set down their drinks and fudge.
Holly put her hands around her mug to warm her fingers. “Dig in, Mom.”
“Wow, this looks better than I remember.” She picked up her fork and let it hover over the dessert, doing a little dance in her seat before slicing a bit of fudge and scooping some whipped cream with it. One taste and Vivian emitted a “Mmm.”
“I take it it’s good?” Nick asked.
“ Masarap ,” Vivian replied. “That means delicious. Here, Holly, try some.”
Holly was about to take the fork from her mom when her melodic ringtone interrupted her. “It’s the caterer.” She turned slightly away as she answered the call. “Hello?”
“Ms. St. Ives. This is Cheryl from Montgomery Catering.”
“Yes, hello.”
“I’m afraid I’m calling with bad news. It seems our partnership with Lakeside Chateau has unexpectedly and abruptly ceased. There is a lawsuit involved, and all business between the two parties has been henceforth discontinued. Unfortunately, that means that unless you move your wedding to another venue, we are unable to cater it and must terminate the contract.”
Silence.
Is this a joke?
Holly couldn’t wrap her head around the woman’s words. “Wh-what? I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry. Montgomery Catering is no longer permitted on Lakeside Chateau’s premises because of the lawsuit. We apologize, but we have no choice. If you have another venue, we can still honor our contract. Otherwise, we have to bow out. We can send you back your deposit right away. Just let us know by the end of the week. And again, we apologize for the inconvenience.”
“But the wedding is in three weeks.” Holly stared at the phone, stunned that the woman had already hung up on her.
She felt as if her heart were lodged in her esophagus. How could this be happening? It had to be a joke. But who would play such a cruel prank? No. She had to face the facts—it was simply bad luck.
“Holly?” Nick leaned closer, searching her face. “What is it?”
“The caterer.” Her throat was so dry that she could hardly get the words out. “They canceled.”
“Canceled? What do you mean?” Holly’s mother jumped to her feet, her napkin falling to the floor.
After delivering something to another table, Viola stopped to pick up the napkin.
“Did they say why?” Nick asked, his forehead wrinkled.
“Something about a lawsuit between them and the venue owner.” Holly raked her fingers through her hair. It was as if all the air had left her lungs. “What are we going to do?”
Nick took Holly’s hand in his. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”
“They said if we booked another venue, they could still cater, but how are we supposed to do that on such short notice?” Holly looked up at Nick as if he’d surely have the answer.
“Did you have any other caterers in the running?” Viola set down her tray and placed her hands on her hips.
“They must be booked up by now.” Holly felt as if she were going to hyperventilate.
“What’s this I hear?” Mrs. Miranelli hurried over to them. “Your caterer dropped out?” She clicked her tongue. “I mean, that’s awful. That’s a real shame. And I hope you find a replacement. But, honey, I just wanted to say—and I don’t mean to be too presumptuous—I would love to make your wedding cake.”
“Oh, um, well …” Holly stood. No, no, no. My guests will never forgive me for subjecting them to Mrs. Miranelli’s baking. She couldn’t seem to get her mouth working properly to respond. She felt as if her eyes were bulging out of her head.
Nick shifted from one foot to the other, looking frazzled. He, too, knew the story of Holly’s mad rush to the drugstore after Mrs. Miranelli’s generous batch of tainted cookies.
Viola stepped forward, facing Mrs. Miranelli. “Actually, they’ve, uh, already asked me to do it.”
Holly blanched and grabbed Nick’s hand.
“You?” Mrs. Miranelli blinked, shaking her head at Viola. “When could they have possibly asked you? They just now got the cancellation.”
Holly squeezed Nick’s hand with both of hers. The situation seemed to be spiraling out of control, and she had no idea how to get a hold of it. Nick looked deeply into her eyes as if trying to convince her everything would be fine.
“They, uh, asked me to be the backup. Like, months ago.” Viola visibly swallowed. “Because I went to culinary school. Now that the first caterer backed out, I’m catering the wedding.”
“You are?” Holly could only stare at her, unsure of how she felt.
Viola widened her eyes for a second, her jaw clenched. It was apparent she was aiming to send Holly a signal. I’m here to save you , Viola’s look seemed to relay.
“You are ,” Holly finally said. “Yes, um, right.” She turned to Mrs. Miranelli. “Yeah, it totally slipped my mind that we asked Viola to be our backup. She, uh, went to culinary school.”
Holly glanced at Nick, who nodded.
“Absolutely. She was at the top of her class.” Nick patted Viola on the back. “We’re lucky to have such a skilled chef catering our wedding. You’ve tasted her delicious pecan sticky cookies and her lemon bars. If you think about it, it all worked out for the best.”
Mrs. Miranelli’s eyes darted between them, her shoulders hunching slightly. “True, true. She does make an excellent lemon bar. Oh, all right. As long as you’ve got things squared away. But if you need any assistance, dear, I’m available.”
Vivian placed a hand on Mrs. Miranelli’s wrist. “That’s so kind of you to offer, Janice. I’m certain these kids have got it all under control.”
Mrs. Miranelli put on a smile so big Holly wondered if it was genuine. “Of course, you’re right. They’re all grown up, after all.”
“So, Viola.” Nick scratched the back of his neck. “Can we speak to you for a moment in the back?”
“Of course.” Viola wrung her hands as she marched into the back room.
Holly whispered to her mother that they would be back shortly. Her heart was thumping so hard she believed everyone in the shop could hear it.
Once they were all out of earshot, Nick, Holly, and Viola spoke in hushed voices.
“What just happened?” Holly held the sides of her face.
“I don’t know.” Viola shook her head. “I panicked. It’s like the words just flew out of my mouth.”
“That’s understandable.” Nick paced the length of the small back room. “It was a good call not to allow Mrs. Miranelli to bake or cook anything for the wedding.”
“Viola, can you really cater the event?” Holly asked. “I don’t want to underestimate your skills, but I also don’t want you to be overwhelmed.”
Viola’s eyes darted between Nick and Holly. Her breaths were shallow, and she was still wringing her hands. Holly and Nick kept silent as they waited.
“Definitely,” Viola finally said. “I can do it. I’ve drawn up catering plans in culinary school. I worked a few jobs, and theoretically, I know what has to be done. I just have to find a crew to help in the kitchen and some catering waiters who can be available on New Year’s Eve. Piece of cake, right?”
“Piece of wedding cake, if we’re lucky.” Nick snickered, but he sobered when the others kept straight faces. “Sorry.”
“And as long as I can be more flexible with my hours here—” Viola began.
“Sure, of course.” Nick waved a dismissive hand. “Anything you need, you’ve got it.”
“Okay.” Holly couldn’t stop nodding. It was as if every nod would convince her more and more that it would all work out. “Okay. We can pull this off. Yes. Let’s do it. We can give you the deposit when we get the refund from the first caterer.”
“No, no. I can pay you upfront,” Nick insisted. “I want you to be able to get everything you need sooner rather than later.”
Viola visibly swallowed. “Great. Thank you.”
“Thank you , Viola. We’ll send you all the information you need. And you can come with me to the venue to get acquainted with the kitchen.” Holly put a hand on Nick’s arm. “We better get back to my mom before she thinks we eloped.”