Page 12 of The Christmas Cottage
That had felt nice. She couldn’t remember the last time Russell had complimented anything she’d done at work. He just always wanted her to do more. She’d thought of that as a compliment in and of itself, but now, after gettingactualappreciation, she wasn’t quite so sure any longer.
“I’m fine. It’s busy-work,” Vanessa said, smoothing out a section of extra wrapping paper. “I like busy-work. That’s pretty much my entire job back home.”
“It sounds like it’s pretty much your entire life,” Mabel said neutrally. “Is there anything else you’ve had going on? Anything interesting that’s happened since I saw you last?”
“That’s years and years,” Vanessa said, laughing, and Mabel nodded.
“Exactly. There’s a lot to catch up on. For instance, here in Fir Tree Grove, the Christmas tree farm added a little petting zoo two years ago. It’s been a favorite with all the kids. Our bookstore, Cheerful Chapters, started up the book club last year too, right around springtime. And Christopher—that’s the sweet man who runs the B&B you’re staying at—he adopted a cat. A fluffy little thing that just showed up on the porch one day.”
“I knew who Christopher was.” Vanessa laughed, but it was a bit hollow. She couldn’t really think of anything to catch her grandmother up on. It was a lot of work, and more work. “I moved into the apartment I’m in now, a few years ago. I was in a little studio before that, right out of college. But this one is on the harbor, with a nice view. And it has an actual bedroom separate from the rest of the apartment. It’s still small, but it’s plenty of space for just me. And it’s only a short walk to my office,” she added, before realizing that once again, she was bringing up work.
But what else was there to talk about, really? Most of the reason she’d picked her apartment was because of that short walk. The view and all of that had been an afterthought.
“Sounds nice. But I think I’d go stir-crazy with so little space. I love my cottage, but that sounds like it’s the size of my kitchen.” Mabel chuckled. “Can’t imagine having kids and grandkids running around in a space like that.”
“Well, I don’t exactly have to worry about that.” Vanessa took a boxed Christmas village house from a customer who had just checked out, grateful for the distraction. “I have no intention of having either of those.”
Just then, another group of customers swept into The Toy Chest, interrupting any further conversation for the time being. The shop had been busy when Vanessa arrived and hadn’tslowed down since then, and she could see why her grandmother needed help. Even without an injured wrist, the shop was a lot for one person to run all on their own. She couldn’t imagine how Mabel would keep up with it with her wrist slowing her down.
But she couldn’t stay. She could only manage a couple of days, tops. And then Mabel would have to figure something else out. Her grandmother was a grown woman, Vanessa reminded herself. She could decide what to do about keeping the shop running even without Vanessa’s help.
A little after three, the shop abruptly slowed down, the flood of customers slowing to a trickle, until it was just two people browsing the shelves. Mabel ducked under the counter, pulling out her sturdy leather purse and fishing out a ten-dollar bill, which she nudged over to Vanessa. Vanessa looked at it confusedly.
“You should take a break,” Mabel said. “Have you been to Artisan Chocolates yet? Go over there and get yourself a treat.”
Vanessa laughed. “I’m not a child anymore, you know,” she said.
“I know. But everyone has a sweet tooth,” Mabel insisted, nudging the money firmly in Vanessa’s direction.
Shecoulduse a break, she thought. She wasn’t really accustomed to taking them, but then again, a quick walk over to the chocolate shop wasn’t much different from going to the break room for a refill on coffee.
“Okay,” she relented. “I have my own money though, so don’t worry about that.”
Vanessa thought she saw a flash of disappointment in Mabel’s eyes, and she realized too late that her grandmother was trying to do something sweet for her. It wasn’t that shewantedto rebuff it—it was just that she wasn’t used to it. She didn’t have anyone to do things like that for her back home, and a small partof her was afraid that if she accepted it, she thought, she might start to like it.
She might start to miss it, when she went back to her regular life.
“I won’t be gone too long,” she promised, scooping up her purse and coat and heading out into the brisk cold.
The townwascharming, she had to admit as she walked. The greenery everywhere made it all seem brighter somehow, and the air was so incrediblyfresh. Every breath she took felt clean and invigorating. Even in the daytime, with the lights off, the strings of them added a brightness to the town too. The snowmen and reindeer were cheerful. It was alot, everywhere, but there was a rustic charm to it that was relaxing. That was the word for it, and she tried not to dwell on why it had taken her so long to come up with it.
As she walked past the Snowdrift Diner, she glanced over, and saw Jackson standing next to a table, taking an order and chatting with a family sitting in one of the booths. He was wearing a blue-and-black plaid shirt today, that same apron over it, and she paused for a moment, just watching him. He seemed so at ease, so happy to be there, just chatting with the customers who had come in for lunch. The smile on his face was genuine, and there was no tension in his shoulders. Vanessa rolled hers, feeling the same tight muscles that hadbeenwound tight for the last five years, probably.
He glanced up, catching her eye, and she realized he knew she was standing there looking at him. Heat crept up the back of her neck, and she fought back a wince when he lifted a hand in a casual wave, a smile spreading across his face.
With her face flushing, she quickly raised a hand in greeting as well, and hurried down the street toward the chocolate shop, hoping desperately that he hadn’t realized how long she’d actually been standing there.
She was just outside Artisan Chocolates when her phone buzzed. She slid it out of her pocket, biting back a sigh as she saw Russell’s name flash up on the screen.
RUSSELL: I’ve got a pile of invoices for you to reconcile on your desk. I’d rather you look at them in person. Don’t really want things to get lost emailing back and forth.
RUSSELL: Also, I need some office supplies ordered. I put a list on your desk for what we’re low on. Can’t trust the new secretary to handle it herself.
RUSSELL: With tax season coming up too, I’m going to need you to make sure we have all the necessary forms in. Better to have it all squared away well ahead of time.
Vanessa rubbed at her temples. There was no reason he couldn’t have had one of the girls scan in the invoices and send them over to her to reconcile on her laptop, except that Russell seemed to like everything to be done in the slowest, most inconvenient way possible. He said it was to avoid mistakes, but she privately thought he just liked making as much work for them as possible. The office supplies also didn’tneedto be handled by her, and he could have emailed her that list. Tax season was still four months away.
VANESSA: Don’t worry. I’ll be back Friday afternoon. Plenty of time to get all that handled. Office supplies probably won’t even be delivered until the first of the year, and the invoices that were due are already fully reconciled. I’ll handle tax stuff when I get back. Promise.
