Page 16 of The Christmas Cottage
“George!” Her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”
“Brought you something,” George said gruffly, hoisting a small basket that Mabel just realized he was holding. “Heard you hurt your wrist. So I put together a little care package for you.” He held it out toward her. “There’s one of those hot wraps you can wrap around it and just leave, some of those truffles you like from Imogen’s place, and a few packets of that special chamomile blend they sell at the bookstore. Oh, and while I was there, I asked, and Christy said you had a few books on a wish list there. So I grabbed you one of them.”
“Oh, that’s so thoughtful.” Mabel’s cheeks dusted with pink as she took the basket out of George’s hands. “It’s so nice of you to stop by too.”
She was happy to see him. She hadn’t talked to him in a few days, and it was nice to have someone drop in and be worried about her. She knew plenty of her friends in town were, but everyone was busy with the holidays, and she hadn’t had time to see many people.
“Come on in,” she added, holding the door open a bit wider, and George stepped into the cottage, kicking the snow off his boots before he did.
She set the basket down on the coffee table before he could mention something about straining her wrist holding it, and smiled at him.
“This really was such a nice surprise,” she said. “Thank you so much.”
He smiled at her from behind his beard. “You just take care of yourself, okay? Don’t put too much trouble on that wrist until it heals.”
“I’m doing my best,” she assured him. “My granddaughter helped me out today, while she’s here in town. And once she’s gone back to San Francisco, I’ll figure something else out.”
“How did you hurt it anyway?” George peered at the brace, and Mabel felt a small leap of alarm.
“Oh, you know.” She waved her good hand carelessly. “I was straining to reach something on a top shelf at the store, and slipped. Just a little accident.”
She caught sight of Vanessa coming back into the living room just then, as did George. He nodded to Vanessa, and smiled once more at Mabel.
“I’ll get out of your hair,” he said, nodding toward them both. “Just wanted to drop that off. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Mabel returned cheerfully, as George headed back out the front door to where his truck was parked in the driveway.
“You should probably get a taller ladder,” Vanessa commented, and Mabel frowned.
“What?”
“A taller ladder for the shop,” Vanessa repeated. “So you don’t hurt your wrist again.”
“Oh.” Mabel nodded quickly. “My wrist. Yes, I’ll definitely think about that. That’s a good idea.” She patted Vanessa’s hand, gesturing back toward the kitchen. “Let’s go finish our dinner.”
That was all she planned to say about how, exactly, her wrist had ended up getting sprained.
CHAPTER NINE
Vanessa woke up at eight sharp, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sat up in the darkened room. She got up, sliding her feet into her fluffy slippers, and opened the curtains, smiling at the view of the sugary-white snow outside.
It was her last day in Fir Tree Grove, and she had the thought that she would miss this view. She hadn’t missed the foggy harbor view from her apartment window as much as she would have thought. She hadn’t missed the balmy air either, or the constant bustle around her that helped her stay distracted and keep from getting lost in her thoughts.
Those thoughts had come back while she was in Fir Tree Grove, memories from when she was a kid and time spent with her parents, but it hadn’t been as difficult as she had thought it would be. If anything, it had been nice to remember it in a place where the memories felt less like loss, and more like reminders of happy times.
She threw on a pair of jeans and a camel-colored cashmere sweater, heading downstairs to get some coffee and breakfast. On the main floor of the bed and breakfast, it smelled like fir and coffee and cooking food, the garlands were lit and the large tree near the fireplace was twinkling. There was an antique silvertray near the front desk that always had fresh, decorated sugar cookies on it, no matter the time, and she saw that Christopher was behind the counter scribbling away at something in a ledger.
“Morning,” she called out, and he looked up, smiling as he waved to her.
He’d been wonderful, a kind and attentive host, and very friendly. She supposed that was all part of his job, but still, it had all felt very genuine. He’d been happy to answer any of her questions about the town, and had offered to have her breakfast sent up to her in the mornings if she wanted to pre-select her menu, since he’d noticed she hadn’t stayed down to eat with the other guests.
She’d considered it, but ultimately decided not to. She couldn’t tell if he ran the place by himself or not, but if he did, she didn’t want to create more work for him. And she had decided that while she was in Fir Tree Grove, she would try to not automate her life as much as she always did back home. She would slow down a little, while she had the opportunity to, and see if she really disliked it as much as she thought she would. Picking out her breakfast every morning, instead of pre-selecting it and letting it show up, felt like a way to do that.
She decided to splurge on breakfast a little that morning, and ordered eggs over-medium with blueberry maple sausages and a side of cut-up fruit. It wasn’t the healthiest breakfast, but she’d enjoyed going out of her comfort zone with things like the meatloaf she’d had at her grandmother’s for dinner. And soon enough she’d be back in San Francisco, and back to her usual habits again.
When her breakfast was ready, she took it back up to her room, along with her coffee and a small, insulated carafe with a second cup in it. Her laptop was sitting on the desk, waiting for her, and she felt an unfamiliar clench in her stomach as she looked at it.
She’d never had the urge to put off work before, but right then, she didn’t want to open her laptop. She didn’t want to half-enjoy her coffee and breakfast while she stared at spreadsheets and invoices. She took a deep breath, sitting down at the desk, and nudged her laptop aside as she put her plate in front of her.
