Page 2 of The Christmas Cottage
The string of Christmas lights that Jackson Hayes had just finished hanging flickered to life, sending a festive glow through the mist and over the snow packed just outside of the Snowdrift Diner. He’d decided to take a break after the first of the dinner rush was over to finish hanging up the remaining Christmas decorations, and he thought he’d done a good job.
The red and green and white lights flickered with a festive twinkle, and the soft streetlight glow that illuminated the Fir Tree Grove town sign at the road entrance not far away added to the wintry feeling of the evening. He grinned, looking up at the last string of lights. He’d put up roof lights over a month ago, when the town had done all of its Christmas decorating, but he’d kept feeling that the diner just needed a little extra cheer. The additional lights, in his opinion, gave it just that.
He was strongly of the opinion that there could never be enough Christmas cheer this time of year. And that extended to decorations.
HummingJingle Bellsunder his breath, he took another step back, giving it another once-over to make sure that everything looked exactly as it should. As he scanned the edge of the roof, he heard a car rolling to a stop just behind him, and turned to see Mabel Stewart there, leaning out of the window of her old Ford sedan.
“Hey there, Jackson!” she called out, grinning as the wind blew her curly, silver-gray bob around her wrinkled face. “Merry Christmas! Trying to outdo the rest of the town with your holiday spirit this year?”
She gestured to the additional lights, and Jackson laughed, turning to walk closer to where she’d stopped. The snowcrunched under his boots, another burst of frigid wind sending a flurry of snowflakes over the parking lot.
“Now, I’ve seen some of the other businesses,” he said, chuckling as he leaned against the side of the car. “I can hardly see how that’s possible, considering how elaborate some of them are. I just thought the diner could use a little extra light.”
“You’re going to get in trouble with Henry,” Mabel teased, a mischievous gleam in her hazel eyes. “You know how he feels about folks not calling their resident electrician when it’s time to hang up all these lights.”
“If I called Henry, he’d have me on a three to five business day wait. Why bother when I can do it myself? And if it overloads anything, I’ll call him then.” Jackson grinned. “Plus, I have an outside generator. It’ll be fine. If it knocks out the power, that’ll pick it right back up.”
“He’ll tell you to fix it yourself, if you wait until there’s actually a problem. Or charge you double.” Mabel chuckled, and Jackson shook his head, that grin still lingering.
“I’ll offer him a free breakfast special, and he’ll come by without me having to ask twice. Benefit of having the best waffles in town.”
“Chocolate chip with peppermint whip on top?” Mabel asked, and Jackson nodded.
“You know it. You should come by. Just got some fresh blueberry maple sausages in too.”
“My doctor will have a heart attack if he knows I’m eating sausages,” Mabel cackled, and Jackson laughed too.
“I won’t tell. Cross my heart.”
“And hope to die. Like if Henry catches you with more of these lights going up.”
“This whole setup is too simple to waste his time.” Jackson looked back at the flickering display. “If I decide it needs an extra string, I’ll call him for that.” He turned back to Mabel,narrowing his eyes teasingly at her. “What are you doing out so late anyway? Shouldn’t you be at home with your feet up?”
“Keep talking to me like an old lady, and one will go straight up your behind.” Mabel gave him a sly smile. “But if you must know, I’ve just got a quick errand to run. I’ll be back home and in my slippers with my peppermint tea before ten.”
“Good to hear.” Jackson grinned at her as Mabel gave him a wave and put her car in reverse, backing out of the parking lot.
He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets, taking one last look at the newly hung decorations before heading to close up the diner for the evening. The Christmas season was fully upon Fir Tree Grove, and he felt the thrill of excitement that ran through him every year. He was ready for all of it: the snow, the caroling, the food and drinks and merriment. The festive feeling that came with this time of year was in the air, and it lifted his spirits, just as it always did.
No matter how many Christmases passed, he never got tired of the season.
CHAPTER TWO
Mabel was up early as always on Sunday, puttering around her kitchen as she made her morning coffee. Her small cottage smelled brightly of fir from the Christmas tree she’d put up, and the kitchen was decorated as well, with garlands hung above the cabinets and new tea towels and other accessories for the season put out as well. She’d swapped out the placemats at the breakfast nook for green ones embroidered with holly, put out the snowmen-shaped salt and pepper shakers and the Frosty cookie jar. She loved surrounding herself with the festivity of the season, and it made her already warm and welcoming home feel even more cozy.
It had snowed a little more the night prior, leaving the backyard blanketed in a thick coat of sparkling white, and she’d been looking forward to a cup of coffee at her nook before heading in to her shop, The Toy Chest, for the day. But as she took out a filter and scooped coffee grounds into it, her wrist twinged with pain. Every movement, even the simplest ones, seemed to send hot jolts shooting through it and up her arm, and it made it difficult to do even her morning tasks.
She’d had a bit of an accident during her little venture the night before—the “errand” that she’d told Jackson she wasrunning. But she’d thought that she’d only tweaked her wrist the wrong way. Looking at it as she turned on the coffee pot and wincing, she realized that it had started to swell.
It was getting increasingly painful, and Mabel wondered if she should worry. She didn’t often have to go to the doctor—she was remarkably healthy for her age, which she chalked up to all of the exercise she got running around the toy shop. She went to her yearly appointment, listened to Dr. Ellis chide her about full-fat creamer and her meat intake, and then went back to her life as usual. And while the Fir Tree Grove clinic was a perfectly nice place, she preferred to not go there any more than necessary.
But by the time she’d gotten the coffee pot percolating and water boiling to make steel-cut oats with baked apples for breakfast, it hadn’t let up. If anything, it felt like it was getting worse, and Mabel had a sneaking suspicion she should swing by the clinic.
She had work to do at the shop that morning though, so she went to the downstairs bathroom while she waited on the coffee, digging around in the first-aid kit until she found a stabilizing bandage. She wrapped it around her wrist and secured it, popping a couple of painkillers and heading back to the kitchen to enjoy her coffee and oatmeal.
It was delicious, strong and rich, with a bit of peppermint creamer in it just the way she liked this time of year. The oatmeal was thick and creamy, the baked apple topping that she had made a couple of days before and tucked away in the fridge to easily reheat perfectly spiced. She sat at the breakfast nook and sipped the coffee while looking out over her backyard, coated with a thick blanket of white snow, the world around her utterly peaceful.
Even with a sore wrist, the morning couldn’t have felt much better. She might have said that this was her favorite part of the day, but truthfully, it was hard to settle on just one part.Everything about her days in Fir Tree Grove was good, full of happiness and fulfillment, with a store that brought her and others joy, especially this time of the year. And now, everyone’s spirits were especially bright.
