Page 20 of The Christmas Cottage
“Well, you didn’t actually meet that turkey,” Mabel said with a grin, as Vanessa plucked a salt and vinegar chip off of her plate. “And you did say it was the best sandwich you’d ever had.”
“It is,” Vanessa agreed. “I’ll come around to the idea of my meals living five miles away from me.”
There were a lot of things that Mabel couldn’t help but hope her granddaughter would come around to the idea of. She knew it was a fantasy to think that Vanessa would fall in love with Fir Tree Grove and decide never to leave, but she couldn’t help thinking about how lovely it would be if Vanessa decided to stay. If she could have family close by again for the first time in so many years, for good.
She sighed, refocusing on the moment and the time that she was getting with her granddaughter in the here and now. Plus, they had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. She was glad Vanessa was there to help.
There were several boxes to go through. The event was a huge deal, Mabel had explained to Vanessa as they’d dragged the boxes out earlier. There would be food and drinks for everyone, provided by a variety of vendors. Jackson would bring appetizers from the diner, the tavern would supply lemonade and wine and beer, and the local farm would bring fresh-pressed apple cider, cheeses, and dried local meats for charcuterie boards. Imogen would have hot cocoa and fudge, and the bakery would bringcupcakes and Christmas cookies specifically for the sugar-cookie decorating station.
“One of the games is a cookie decorating contest,” Mabel explained. “We blindfold all the contestants and give them a timer while they decorate their cookie. After, they take the blindfold off, and the one who did the ‘best’ job gets a prize.” She grinned. “Of course, it’s always one of the kids, and they never actually do agoodjob, but it’s whoever managed to really go crazy with their cookie. And then we have a separate decorating station for anyone who doesn’t want to compete.”
“That… actually sounds fun,” Vanessa admitted with a small smile. “What else?”
“Well, we have dunking for apples, and pin-the-tail-on-the-reindeer for the kids. A lot of fair games with a Christmas twist. And there’s always a snowman-building race outside. One year, we had a snowball fight, dodgeball-style. That was a real hit.”
“Literally.” Vanessa’s mouth twitched in the beginnings of a laugh, and Mabel could see her starting to brighten with the holiday spirit. Vanessa was sorting out the fluffy reindeer tails now, and she saw her pick one of them up, twirling it back and forth. “This is all really cute,” Vanessa said, a soft smile on her face. “What else?”
“Well, we always have a raffle. Proceeds go to the volunteer fire department. I haven’t decided on a prize yet though,” Mabel said thoughtfully, and she saw Vanessa brighten.
“I actually have had to do events like this for work before,” Vanessa said.
Mabel couldn’t help but wince a little, hearing Vanessa bring up work again, but she let it go. Vanessa had an unhealthy attachment to her job, in her opinion. She’d been genuinely shocked when her granddaughter had swept back into the shop yesterday, pulling her into the back for a moment to let her knowthat she’d decided to stay on longer, and keep working remotely so that she could help Mabel with the shop.
Mabel had been very touched, when Vanessa had told her. That attachment that Vanessa had to her job that concerned Mabel had been clear to her from the start, and she knew it meant a lot that Vanessa had decided to stay. But she also wished her granddaughter could come around to the idea of just taking some time off. Now she was essentially working two jobs, over the holidays, no less.
But Mabel was extraordinarily glad for her help. And she was so grateful that she was getting more time with her granddaughter at long last.
“I’ve got some raffle ideas,” Vanessa said, tapping her fingers against her knee as she set down the reindeer tail. “A box of Imogen’s chocolates or fudge would be a good prize, or a gift card to the diner. Or one of those nutcrackers that everyone is so crazy about. Any of those would be good options. You could even do a tiered raffle, starting with the nutcracker as the biggest prize, then the diner gift card, and then the chocolates.”
“That’s a really good idea!” Mabel smiled at her granddaughter. “I like that. I’m sure Jackson and Imogen will be happy to donate to the raffle. I’ll make sure to talk to them about it soon.” Her smile widened. “Unless you want to ask Jackson? I know you’re over there getting coffee at the diner pretty often.”
“It’s good coffee.” Vanessa shrugged, giving nothing away. “I can if you want me to though,” she added noncommittally, smoothing her hands over her jeans.
Mabel hid a smile. She knew that kind of evasion like the back of her hand. After all, it’s what she and George had been doing for years—flirting, having crushes, and telling the rest of the town it was nothing while they danced around each other. She could see Vanessa starting that with Jackson. But she was in her golden years, and she’d had a whole marriage and kids. Alittle harmless flirtation was all that she needed in this time of her life.
Vanessa, on the other hand, deserved a romance, she thought. And so did Jackson. The poor sweet man had been alone for far too long, for someone with as much to offer as he did. And while she didn’t have any intentions of outright playing matchmaker… she certainly wasn’t going to deter the two of them from getting closer.
“I think you should mention it to him,” Mabel said decisively. “I’ll talk to Imogen. I’ve been meaning to pop over to say hi to her little girl and get a bit of peppermint fudge anyway.”’
“I’ll talk to him when I get coffee next,” Vanessa said smoothly, still giving nothing away. “What about all of this?” She gestured to the boxes still all around them. “We should at least get a little further, right?”
Mabel nodded, taking out a pile of tablecloths for the booths that they started to shake out and make sure were still in good repair. They worked like that for a while, chatting and sorting through items, before Mabel sat back with a sigh.
“I need a break,” she said. “My wrist is starting to hurt. Let’s go to the back and have some apple cider, and then we’ll clean up and open the shop back up.”
“That sounds nice,” Vanessa agreed, getting up from the floor and walking over to help Mabel up as well. As much as she didn’t want to feel like she needed the help, Mabel was grateful for her granddaughter’s arm. Her wrist was throbbing terribly, and she knew she needed to take it easy.
They headed into the small, cozy back room, where Vanessa gestured to the table and chairs as soon as they walked in.
“Sit down,” she gently urged Mabel. “I’ll get us some cider. Cold or warmed up?”
“Warm, please,” Mabel said gratefully, sinking down into one of the chairs. “There are some snickerdoodle cookies over there too, if you want to bring those with you.”
Vanessa took the jug of apple cider out of the fridge, filling two mugs painted with Christmas scenes and putting them in the microwave one at a time. When the cider was warm, she carried it and the cookies over to the table, and sat down next to Mabel.
“I think we made some good progress today,” she said, taking a sip of her cider before reaching for the small cinnamon shaker on the table, and tapping a little of it out on top of her drink. Mabel held out her cup, and Vanessa added some cinnamon to hers too. “I didn’t realize there was so much involved in inviting Santa to town,” she added with a laugh.
“It’s a very important part of the season,” Mabel agreed. “Everyone in town loves it so much! Well, everyone except Nolan McCoy, Fir Tree Grove’s unofficial grinch. But that doesn’t count. He doesn’t like much about Christmas at all. But Santa’s visit really is a big deal, which is why?—”
