Page 45 of The Christmas Cottage
“I’d love that.” She smiled at him, and they both got up, going over to let Mabel know that they were going to take a break to enjoy the festivities.
“You two have fun.” Mabel waved a hand. “I think you’ve talked to practically all the kids at this point. They’re running off to play games and build snowmen. By all means, join in.”
Vanessa retreated to the bathroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a soft red sweater. When she emerged, she saw that Jackson’s change of clothes was jeans and a dark green henley, and she laughed, coming to stand next to him.
“We look like Christmas,” she said, still laughing as she took in the two of them, and Jackson grinned too.
“We sure do.” He linked his fingers with hers. “Let’s go play some Christmas games.”
A few weeks ago, Vanessa thought, she could never have imagined herself doing something so festive and frivolous. But now that she’d let herself relax, now that she wasn’t thinking only about work and deadlines and what she could take off of her boss’s plate and put onto her own, she found that it was fun being silly.
It was fun just letting go, and letting Jackson blindfold her while she tried to pin a fluffy tail on a cartoon drawing of a reindeer, before doing the same to him so that he could try. It was fun trying to decorate Christmas cookies blind, only to whip off the blindfold at the end and see what an absolute mess she’d made of the cookie in front of her.
Instead of thinking it was a waste of time because it wasn’t perfect, she looked at the cookie and couldn’t help but think that it was both the worst and best thing she’d ever made in her life. The worst, obviously, because it was objectively a terrible cookie-decorating job—but also the best, because she’d done itfor fun. She’d done it just because it was a game, because it made her grandmother happy and brought her and Jackson closer, and because she loved the way Jackson grinned at her when he looked from the cookie back to her, and brushed a bit of icing off of her nose.
“You’ve got a little something there,” he said with a grin, and Vanessa waved him off.
“I just needed a little sweetener.”
“You’re plenty sweet enough for me.” He gave her a look that said he was thinking about kissing her, and Vanessa had half a mind to tell him she needed help getting something from the back room, just so that he could steal that kiss. But before she could, she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket.
She silenced the call. There was no way that she was going to interrupt the festival by having to dart off to take a call. But her phone almost immediately went off again, and Vanessa sighed, looking at Jackson as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“I need to take this, or he won’t stop. I’ll just go to the back. I think the apple cider stand needs a few more jugs, if you can come grab them?” It wasn’t her plan for getting Jackson to the back, but at least a task would get handled, and maybe she could get Russell to leave her alone for the rest of the day. She knew it was him—no one else would call her on repeat like that.
Jackson nodded, following her as Vanessa answered her still-buzzing phone.
“Hello?”
“Vanessa.” Russell sounded as frazzled as always, and Vanessa felt a wave of irritation.Couldn’t he handle things himself for just one day?“Look, we need to talk.”
“Russell.” She did her best to keep her voice even. “Can it wait? I told you, I’m spending time with my family, and today isn’t a good time. I told you I’d let you know?—”
“I hired someone to fill in for you while you were away.” Russell interrupted her, speaking quickly. “Since you said you needed time away from regular work hours, someone had to fill in the gaps. But she’s not doing as good a job as you’ve always done. You just always know what needs to be done, Vanessa, and how to keep others on task too. This place doesn’t run the same without you.”
“I appreciate that, but?—”
“I need you back.” His voice was firm, and resolute. “Whatever it takes to make that happen, Vanessa, I’m willing to do. I’ve got a promotion lined up for you, and it comes with a raise. I can send you the paperwork to sign before you even fly back. I just need you back in the office as soon as you can manage it.”
A promotion. More money. He’d never offered any of that to her before this, Vanessa thought. She looked over at Jackson, who was standing motionless next to the fridge. She couldn’t read his expression—she thought he was probably trying not to let her see what he was thinking. But she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, ever so briefly, that quickly flitted away. At the thought of her leaving, maybe?
She knew he had feelings for her, whether or not those led anywhere serious. She had feelings for him too. And more than that—she’d developed feelings for this town. For her grandmother, who was the only family she had left. For Imogen, who was the first real, close friend she’d had since college. For all of the people that she’d met since coming to Fir Tree Grove, who had made her feel warmer and happier and more at home than she had in all her years of living in San Francisco.
She paused for a moment, but she knew what her answer would be when she spoke again.
“I’m sorry, Russell. But you’re just going to have to train the new employee to do things the way you need them to. I’m notcoming back.” She took a deep breath. “I’m staying here in Fir Tree Grove. And… I quit.”
Before she could take it back or let him start to argue with her about why that was a terrible idea, she hung up the phone, quickly turning it off so that Russell couldn’t call her back and shoving it into her back pocket. When Vanessa looked up to meet Jackson’s eyes, she could see that he was utterly shocked.
For a moment, there was only silence in the back room, the sounds of the ongoing festival a low din outside.
“Did you really mean that?” Jackson asked finally, swallowing hard.
Vanessa nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I did,” she said, crossing the room to stand in front of him. “I quit. And I’m staying.”
Jackson’s face lit up, and he leaned in, his arms wrapping around her as he gave her a deep, joyful kiss. He held her for a long moment, before breaking apart, his expression almost giddy with happiness.
“I need to tell Mabel,” Vanessa said, linking her fingers through his. “She’s going to be so happy. I know she’s been hoping I might stay, even though she hasn’t wanted to say it.”
