Page 8 of The Christmas Cottage
Mabel beamed. “Isn’t it the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen?”
Vanessa glanced toward the windows, and out toward the main street beyond. “It certainly is… something,” she said finally.
Mabel could tell that she wasn’t crazy about Christmas, and that the festive enthusiasm of the town seemed strange to her. She felt that ache again, sadness sweeping over her as she realized just how detached her granddaughter had become, and how long Vanessa had been on her own, alone without anything to brighten her spirits or make her feel a part of something. She should have given her a direct invite sooner, she thought, rather than just hinting at wanting to see Vanessa.
“There’s always a bit of friendly competition among all the businesses. Nothing official, of course, but we all go all out with the decorations,” Mabel chirped, determined to get Vanessa tosee just how fun it really was. “Jackson—he owns the Snowdrift Diner, I’m sure you’ll meet him?—”
“Actually, we’ve met,” Vanessa said with a small smile. “I was a bit hungry when I got in, and tired from the flight, so I went to go get some coffee and something to eat. He was there and introduced himself. Promised me unlimited coffee while I’m here,” she added with a chuckle. “I might go there to get my work done.”
That caught Mabel off guard. She’d been under the impression that Vanessa was taking some time off to come to Fir Tree Grove, and it worried her that her granddaughter couldn’t seem to get away from work for even a brief time. Besides that, she had a feeling that Vanessa’s jaunt over to the diner had been more to buy time to become acclimated to the idea of seeing her family again, rather than anything else. But she could understand how difficult it might be to come back, after all this time. And she hoped that, after a little time back in town, Vanessa would set her work aside and tell her boss that she needed a holiday break. Everyone was entitled to that.
“Let me show you the rest of the store,” Mabel invited, gesturing toward the back. “I don’t think it’s changed all that much since you were small, but I imagine you don’t remember it all that well.”
She led Vanessa around the counter and back to the small lounge room, which she had decorated to be warm and cozy. There was a blue and green plaid armchair next to the back window, with a corner counter that had a coffeepot, a small wooden stand filled with various pods of flavored coffee and hot cocoa, a retro-style fridge that had snacks and creamer in it, and a round table with chairs.
Mabel had put up a smaller version of her Christmas tree in one corner, and decorated the table with a plaid runner andgreenery in the center. There was a garland around the window too, and the small tree twinkled merrily.
No one saw it except for her, until today, but Mabel liked to have it decorated all the same. It was just as important to do things for herself, that brought her cheer and joy, even if only she knew about it. And now, Vanessa was getting to share in it as well, which brought her even more happiness.
“Go ahead and have a seat,” she encouraged, before going over to the counter to retrieve the platter of pumpkin scones that she’d baked herself last night.
Sprained wrist or no, she’d planned to welcome her granddaughter home in the best way she could. Anyway, that new electric mixer that she’d gotten last year made it practically a breeze to bake. She popped out one of the pumpkin spice coffee pods, set the coffeemaker to brew and brought the scones over to the table.
“Here we go,” she said with a smile, setting out two of the plaid paper plates she’d bought at the Holly & Ivy Market last week. “These are just about fresh, I made them last night. I’ve got a bit of clotted cream in the fridge to go with them, as well. And—here we are!” She took the first cup of coffee and set it at Vanessa’s elbow, busying herself with getting out pumpkin and cinnamon creamers, and the clotted cream out of the fridge as her cup brewed.
“This is all lovely,” Vanessa said politely, taking one of the scones and setting it on her plate, although Mabel saw her looking at the coffee with considerably more interest. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, honestly.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Mabel assured her. “Not in the slightest, especially not when it’s my granddaughter visiting after so long.”
Vanessa spooned a little of the cream onto her plate along with the scone, and added some creamer to her coffee. Mabelcould tell that she wasn’t sure what to say, so she jumped in again instead.
“You mentioned work. How is that? What else have you been up to, all the way out there in California?”
“Pretty much just work,” Vanessa admitted, a tiny bit sheepishly. “My job keeps me busy. It’s nothing exciting, just an administrative job, but my boss has a lot that he needs me to oversee. I’m really in charge of making sure the office runs correctly all the time. Which means he always needs me there.”
She shrugged as she said it, and it seemed clear to Mabel that while Vanessa was obviously dedicated to her job, she certainly wasn’t attached to it. There was an almost clinical way she spoke about it that made it seem obvious that there was no passion there. Which, given the sort of job Vanessa said she did, made sense to Mabel. She couldn’t imagine being passionate about sending emails.
“What else?” Mabel asked encouragingly, taking a sip of her own coffee. “You can’t workallthe time. What do you get up to in the city? Friends? A boyfriend?” She gave Vanessa a little wink, but her granddaughter didn’t seem all that amused.
“Really—it’s just work,” Vanessa said, breaking off a corner of the scone and dabbing it in the clotted cream. “Like I said, my boss keeps me busy. There’s not really a lot of time for hobbies and such. I have an apartment near the harbor, so that’s nice. And I haven’t bothered dating in a while. I don’t really have the time.”
“Yes, you mentioned that.” Mabel felt another prick of concern, and was more than glad that Vanessa had accepted her invitation to come back home for Christmas. It was clear to her that Vanessa needed the visit as much as she herself did. “Well, it’s good that you’re here, then. You clearly could use the rest.”
“I’m not really off,” Vanessa said hesitantly. “I promised Russell I would work remotely. But I should be able to get mostof that done at night, after you’ve gone to bed. Or while you’re here at the shop. I’m sure there’s only so much I could find to keep myself entertained while—” Her gaze snagged on the brace on Mabel’s arm, and she frowned. “What happened?”
“I, ah—I had a bit of an accident,” Mabel hedged, and Vanessa frowned.
“Doesn’t that make it a bit hard around here?” Vanessa looked around, her gaze darting toward the door that led out into the shop. “I’m sure you have someone coming in to help though, especially considering the season.” Her sharp green eyes landed back on her grandmother. “Right?”
“Well…” Mabel’s voice turned slightly sheepish. “The thing is, as much as I genuinely wanted to see my granddaughter for the holidays—and Ido, no matter what—I was hoping you might be able to help me run things for a little while. Just until my wrist heals up. It is just me, and you’re right, having this little injury has made things a bit more difficult.” She paused, seeing Vanessa narrow her eyes. “I remember how you used to love to spend hours and hours here as a child. It was your favorite place, back then. You’d be perfect at it, and it would give us so much time to catch up.” Her eyes twinkled, although there was a hint of worry there. “Grandmother and granddaughter, running the local toy shop.”
Vanessa let out a slow breath, and Mabel could see her wheels turning, thinking of how to let her grandmother down gently.
“I did love it here,” she said calmly. “When I was a child. But I really didn’t plan to be gone for all that long. I’m needed back at work. I can’t stay for more than two days, maybe three. I certainly can’t stay long enough to be of any real use to you for this issue. But surely there’s someone?—”
“That’s all right,” Mabel interrupted, trying to hide her disappointment.
She’d already thought of the pros and cons of hiring someone else for the season, and she didn’t feel up to going over it all again. She’d been hopeful that Vanessa would be the answer, and that it would give them some much needed time to reconnect, on top of it all. But Vanessa was an adult, and she had her own life now, a life that had nothing to do with Fir Tree Grove.
