Читать книгу Christmas In Icicle Falls - Sheila Roberts - Страница 9

Chapter Two

Giving is one of the joys of the season. Be enthusiastic whether you’re on the giving or the receiving end of the gift.

—Muriel Sterling, A Guide to Happy Holidays

Muriel Sterling-Wittman often met her old friend Arnie Amundsen for breakfast at Pancake Haus. If Olivia and James Claussen weren’t busy, they’d usually join them. Dot Morrison, the owner of the restaurant, frequently sat in on the conversation for a while, too.

A flood of tourists was in town for the long holiday weekend and the snow, and the restaurant was packed this Saturday morning with people enjoying German waffles, pancakes and eggs. The smell of coffee and sugary treats greeted Muriel as she stepped inside. Voices and laughter came at her from all sides, telling her this was, indeed, the place to be.

“He’s back there,” Dot said with a nod toward a back booth as she hurried past Muriel to pour coffee for a table of young women.

Yes, Muriel could see him. All by himself, he stood out in the mob of families and couples.

She’d known Arnie most of her life and he hadn’t changed much since high school. He was still as thin as he’d been back then and still wearing the same style of glasses. About the only change was a few more wrinkles and a heavy salting of gray in what was left of his once-sandy-colored hair.

Of course, Muriel’s hair was now heavily salted as well, but she wasn’t letting anyone know that. Thank heaven for her stylist at Sleeping Lady Salon.

He’d been watching for her and waved discreetly when they made eye contact. Her late husband would have stood and called her over, but that had been Waldo, larger-than-life. Arnie was...well, Arnie. Quiet, soft-spoken, unremarkable. But solid, steady and sweet.

And a terrible dresser. She took in the Christmas-red sweater he was wearing over his shirt and the red bow tie. She’d bought him neckties for Christmas the last few years as a subtle hint and he’d worn them to please her, but in the end, he always reverted to his bow tie addiction. The red sweater didn’t do much for him, either. He’d look so much better in blue. It would show off his blue eyes. Maybe she’d give him a blue sweater for Christmas this year.

He greeted her with a smile as she slid into the booth, seating herself opposite him, and informed her that he’d taken the liberty of ordering her usual cheese-and-mushroom omelet.

“No James and Olivia today, I figured,” he said as he took a sip of his coffee.

“You’re right. She’s busy at the lodge. How was your Thanksgiving?”

“All right,” he said with a shrug. “At my sister’s again this year.”

Sometimes Muriel felt downright guilty about Arnie’s lackluster life. He’d loved her since they were teenagers. Sadly, she just hadn’t felt the same about him. Other men had come along to steal her heart. Still, Arnie had remained her steadfast friend, seeing her through the loss of two husbands. Arnie was a dear.

“How was the gathering of the Sterling clan?” he asked.

“Chaotic, noisy as always.”

“In other words, a good time was had by all.”

“Yes, that sums it up,” she said with a smile.

Dot appeared with her coffee carafe. “I hope you two aren’t in a hurry today,” she said as she filled Muriel’s mug. “As you can see, we’re slammed.”

“That’s okay, we’re not in a hurry,” Muriel assured her. “Unless... Arnie?”

“I can stay as long as you want me to,” he said.

What a sweetie. It was a shame to see such a nice man single.

“Good,” Dot said and hurried off.

They filled in the time with small talk as they waited for their orders. Arnie wanted to know how Muriel’s book signing had gone. “Sorry I missed it,” he added.

“You’ve attended more than your share of signings,” she said.

“Yeah, but I like to support you.”

“You’re the most supportive friend I have,” she told him, and it made him beam with pleasure.

Talk turned to plans for the holidays. “I’ve booked a cruise,” he announced.

“Really? Where are you going?”

“To Germany.”

“Germany, how lovely.”

She’d always dreamed of going there. That had yet to happen. With her first husband, Stephen, she’d been busy raising a family, keeping things together on the home front while he ran the family chocolate business. She and her second husband had talked about taking a trip but then Waldo had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, and that had been that. She couldn’t help feeling a little wistful. She would’ve loved to have seen some of those German towns after which Icicle Falls had been modeled.

“It’s a river cruise and we’ll be stopping at all the famous Christmas markets—Nuremberg, Bamberg, Heidelberg.”

Heidelberg. She’d always wanted to see the castle ruins.

He pulled out the brochure with its glossy pictures of outdoor markets, smiling couples leaning on the railing of the river barge, lit-up cities. It all looked so romantic.

“Joe, from the Yakima branch of Cascade Mutual, invited me. He had a group from the bank going and a couple of them had to cancel at the last minute. I was able to book their staterooms.”

“How fun! Good for you,” Muriel said, impressed. Arnie was rarely spontaneous and always careful with his money. It was nice to see him taking a step toward living large.

“Actually, I’d like you to go with me. You’d be back in time for Christmas with the family,” he hurried to add.

“With you?” she repeated. Like a couple? But they weren’t a couple. They were simply friends. Good friends, dear friends. But that was all. She’d never thought of Arnie as anything else. Besides, at this point in her life, after being widowed twice, she had no intention of starting anything with anyone. “Oh, Arnie, I couldn’t.”

His smile flipped upside down.

“It’s a lot of money,” she explained, trying to soften the blow of her refusal.

“Muriel, you don’t think I’d ask you and then expect you to pay,” he said, shocked.

She couldn’t let him spend that kind of money on her even though she knew he had it to spend. “It’s sweet of you, but...I can’t.” She’d feel like she was using him. He’d get his hopes up. It would get awkward.

Dot had returned with more coffee to tide them over as they waited for their food. “Can’t what?” she asked, having caught the tail end of Muriel’s rejection. “Arnie, you look like you’ve got indigestion and your food hasn’t even come yet. What’s going on here, you two?”

“Arnie’s taking a river cruise in Germany,” Muriel explained.

“Go, Arnie,” Dot said encouragingly.

“I wanted Muriel to come with me,” he said, and Muriel felt the weight of his disappointment settling over her. Their waitress arrived with their breakfasts and he moved his plate away.

Oh, dear. Muriel felt awful about upsetting him. “Arnie, I’m sorry.”

“I know how much you always wanted to see Germany,” he said, his expression wistful.

“I do.” But not with you. She bit her lip.

“Seriously, you don’t want to go?” Dot asked, and she and Arnie exchanged glances. Muriel, the ingrate.

“I have too much going on. The new book and everything,” Muriel added feebly. It was a flimsy excuse and they all knew it.

“I guess I should have checked with you before I bought the tickets, but I needed to act fast,” Arnie said. Then he added, “I was sure you’d be all over something like this.”

“You should still go,” Muriel said, not wanting to be responsible for spoiling her old friend’s good time, not to mention being responsible for him losing money. At such a late date, he’d never be able to get a refund.

Maybe she should go, if only not to have his money go to waste. She’d make it clear that they were going only as friends...

“Yeah, Arnie,” put in Dot. “That’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip.” She shook her head at Muriel. “You’re crazy not to go, Muriel. I’d be all over that like white on rice.”

Now there was an idea. “Maybe you should go,” Muriel suggested. Dot was single, Arnie was single—they could become travel buddies.

Except now she’d just put Arnie on the spot. She looked to see how he was taking her suggestion.

He did blink in surprise, but before he could say anything, Dot settled herself next to Muriel and set down her carafe. “What do you say, Arnie? Would you like some company?”

“Well,” he said slowly, the gears turning as he worked to keep up with this sudden change in his plans.

Now Muriel regretted her impulsive suggestion. How could poor Arnie be honest about whether or not he wanted to bring Dot along with her sitting right there?

“How much did that extra stateroom cost? I’ll write you a check today,” Dot said.

“So you’re serious?” Arnie asked.

“Sure. Why not?”

“Well,” he said, hesitating. He was probably looking for a polite way to get out of this, the same as Muriel had just tried to do with him.

“We’ll have fun,” Dot assured him. “Unlike Muriel, I can get away for a couple of weeks.

“We can do our Christmas shopping over there. Talk about ringing in the holidays. This is a great idea, Arnie!”

Yes, it was, wasn’t it? Muriel looked at the excitement in Dot’s eyes and suddenly felt the stirrings of regret. Maybe she should have said yes...

“I thought so,” he said. The look he gave Muriel showed how disappointed he was that she hadn’t taken him up on his offer.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to see Germany,” said Dot.

“Same here,” Arnie said.

“Well, then, let’s do it. You only live once. Anyway, I bet you can’t get your money back at this point, so you may as well go and let me pick up the tab for the other half.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Good point.”

“So, what do you say? Shall we see how the other half lives?”

Her last argument about saving some money seemed to have tipped the scale and he gave a decided nod. “Why not?”

Arnie’s smile returned and suddenly he was digging into his pancakes, and he and Dot were deep in discussion about their upcoming adventure. How much currency to convert into euros, flight departures, how early they needed to get to the airport. Did either of them have a window seat on the plane?

“There’s a whole group of people going,” Arnie told Dot, “so we’ll be partying our way across Germany.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said.

The discussion continued. What should they pack? What was the weather doing over in Germany? They’d have to try a real German schnitzel so they could see how the schnitzel served at Schwangau measured up. In all their excitement, neither urged Muriel to change her mind and come along.

Arnie chuckled as Dot demonstrated what little German she knew, holding up two fingers and saying, “Zwei bier, bitte.” Oh, yes, Dot would be the life of the party. In fact, it looked like the party was already starting right here in Pancake Haus.

Muriel smiled and nodded as the two continued their conversation. Of course, she was happy for them. Arnie would have a companion on his trip and Dot would enjoy a well-deserved vacation. She hadn’t taken one in years. They’d both have a lovely time together and Muriel could be relieved that she hadn’t spoiled his vacation by turning him down. Yes, she’d been positively inspired to suggest Dot go in her place.

Arnie certainly hadn’t mourned being turned down for long. Muriel’s omelet suddenly tasted a little off. She set down her fork.

“Something wrong with your breakfast?” Dot asked, pointing to the half-consumed meal.

“No, I guess I’m not very hungry,” Muriel said. She looked at her watch. “You know, I should get going. My new Christmas tree is due to arrive this morning.”

“Oh, okay,” Arnie said. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you to go, Muriel.”

“Yeah. This is exactly the kind of trip you’d love,” Dot said.

It was true—this was her dream vacation, and she’d been so quick to set boundaries with Arnie she hadn’t taken much time to think of the experience she’d be missing. Maybe she should reconsider and come along.

“But oh, well. We’ll be thinking of you,” Dot said.

Would they? Muriel wanted to say, “Wait, I’ve changed my mind. I’m coming!” Now it seemed too late, as if she’d be crashing the party.

Maybe Dot had more than a friendly interest in Arnie and wanted him all to herself. She certainly managed to find time to join them whenever Muriel and Arnie came in for breakfast. Now here she was, with the restaurant packed and her waitresses running in circles, sitting around happily making plans for an international getaway with him.

Well, if that was the case, good for Dot. She’d worked hard, running her business and raising her daughter single-handedly. Arnie had been thrifty all his life and spent very little money on himself. It was time they both got out and had some fun. Good for them.

She said her goodbyes and made her way home to her little cottage next to Ed and Pat York’s vineyard feeling a little less cheerful than she had an hour ago.

She’d always wanted to see the vineyards in Germany.

You had your chance. Reminding herself didn’t exactly restore her cheery mood.

But then she pulled up in front of the cottage and was cheered by the sight of a big box sitting on her front porch. Wonderful! Her new artificial tree had arrived. Arnie and Dot were off to Germany but she would enjoy life here in Icicle Falls as the holidays approached. And she had a new tree. A woman could always find something to be happy about, she told herself as she hauled it into the house.

When she’d seen the tree on an online site, she’d hardly been able to believe her eyes. It was beautiful, with lots of full branches. And so realistic looking. A perfect replacement for her old, tired tree, which she’d taken to the Kindness Cupboard. On sale and with free shipping, too. Of course she’d purchased it immediately. It would be the perfect centerpiece at her annual holiday tea party.

Filled with anticipation, she opened the box and lifted out...a sad, bald poor excuse for a tree. What on earth? She looked inside the box, hoping to find, what? A note that said “Ha, ha. Your real tree is coming”?

“I’ve been had,” she muttered. She stood the tree up against the living room wall, feeling cranky. This was not going to work. No way could she display this pitiful excuse for a tree. It was an insult to Christmas, not to mention an insult to trees.

It served her right. She should have purchased her new tree from Ivy Bohn over at Christmas Haus. Well, it wasn’t too late. She dialed Ivy’s shop.

Ivy answered, sounding almost breathless. Hardly surprising considering how busy the shop got this time of year.

“Ivy, I won’t keep you long,” Muriel promised. “But I’m wondering if you have any artificial trees left.”

“Gee, I’m sorry, Muriel. Our last one just walked out the door.”

“Already?”

“I know. Go figure.”

Muriel looked at her ugly tree and frowned. “Will you be getting more in?”

“I hope so, but I’m not sure. We’ve been having some problems with our supplier.”

Muriel had experienced a problem with her supplier, too.

“I’m sorry. If you’d told me you wanted a tree, I’d have set one aside for you. But you’re usually all set for Christmas so far ahead of time—I’m surprised to hear you don’t already have one.”

Ivy was right. This was definitely unlike her. Christmas was hands down her favorite holiday. She’d pull out all her favorite cookie recipes and bake up a storm, putting together gift boxes of cookies for all the Sweet Dreams employees, always making sure to bake Arnie’s favorite fruitcake cookies for him. She loved to entertain and always threw herself into decorating. In her mind, setting a festive backdrop for gatherings was a must. She was sure that beautiful surroundings sent a subliminal message that life was beautiful and being together was worth rejoicing in.

“That’s okay,” she told Ivy. “I’ll work something out.”

“You can always get a live tree.”

Yes, she could but, much as she loved that wonderful fragrance, she preferred an artificial tree that she could put up right after Thanksgiving and leave up until after New Year’s Day. Besides, getting a live tree home and set up wasn’t a job she liked to tackle alone, and she hated to bother the kids.

She thanked Ivy and ended the call and returned her attention to her ugly tree. “Someone didn’t spend much time or love on you,” she informed it. Poor Ugly Tree.

What to do now? She absently ran a finger along one of its branches. Maybe, with enough ornaments... She had three boxes of silver balls that she’d purchased on sale the year before and some silver garlands. And she could pull out those pinecone-shaped lights, buy a few red cardinals at Christmas Haus. Maybe she could fix up her ugly little tree and make it into something pretty. Maybe it was salvageable. It was worth a try.

Always make the most of what you have, even if it isn’t much. She’d said that in one of her books. It was time to take her own advice.

“We have a week to get you gorgeous,” she told her ugly tree. “Let’s see what we can do.”

She could almost hear the poor thing saying, “Yes, please. Don’t give up on me.”

She’d barely determined her course of action when one of her grandmother’s favorite sayings came to mind. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Maybe her grandmother was wrong. Maybe you could. She certainly hoped so.

Her daughter Samantha wasn’t so sure she’d succeed. She dropped by later with Muriel’s three-year-old granddaughter, Rose. “That’s the most pitiful tree I’ve ever seen,” Samantha said.

“Did you go to the woods, Grammy?” Rose asked, cocking her head and staring at the tree.

“No, sweetie. This is a pretend tree,” Muriel explained.

The child wrinkled her nose. “It’s ugly.”

“It’s not pretending very well,” Samantha agreed. “Is that the one you found online?”

Muriel sighed and nodded. “The picture looked much better.”

“Ivy’s probably got some.”

“I called. She’s sold-out already.”

“Wow, not even December 1 and there’s a run on trees. Do you want us to cut you one when we go to the tree farm?”

Freshly cut, the tree would last. Her son-in-law would set it up for her. The whole house would smell woodsy.

Except Samantha and Blake weren’t going to put up their tree for another two weeks and Muriel wanted hers up for her party. “No, that’s okay. I think I can make this little tree look good. Anyway, it doesn’t seem right to toss the poor thing without at least giving it a chance.”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s got feelings, Mom.”

Yes, it was silly, but somehow Muriel felt like there was a principle at stake here. “I can dress it up.”

“Well, if anyone can do it, you can,” Samantha said. “If you change your mind, though, the offer still stands.”

“I won’t, but thanks.” It was game on now. Somehow, she was going to make that tree lovely.

And maybe if she stayed busy with the tree and all the other Christmas preparations she loved, she wouldn’t have time to think about Arnie and Dot having fun in Germany without her. Maybe.