DID YOU KNOW?
In 1970, Pleasant Sands’ year-round population was 414. Today, the year-round population hovers around 2,800, making it one of the most populated beach towns along the Outer Banks.
With Black Friday behind her, Angela decided to get an early start cleaning up and restocking before the others got to work.
As Angela put her key in the lock, Emma opened the door. “Good morning, my dear friend.”
Angela stumbled back. “You scared me to death. What are you doing here so early?”
“I wanted to help, not give you a heart attack. Sorry.”
Angela let a nervous giggle escape. “I’m fine.”
“I remember you telling me how you and your grandmother would come extra early to the store in the mornings and the two of you would drink chocolate coffee.”
“We did. Momma Grace made the best chocolate coffee.”
Emma counted off the ingredients. “A scoop of cocoa, a splash of vanilla, a teaspoon of sugar and black coffee? Did I remember that correctly?”
“You did. What was Momma Grace thinking? I bet I was a maniac on those days. Chocolate and coffee. Talk about winding a kid up.”
“But you loved it.” Emma walked inside toward the counter, and Angela followed.
“I did,” Angela said. “More than anything.”
“I made you some.” Emma turned and picked up two dainty bone china cups.
Angela’s eyes teared. “In the pretty dishes?”
“Yes. I thought you might need some cheering up this morning.”
“This is really thoughtful. Thank you so much.” She raised the teacup to her lips.
“I know this is hard, but you should think of this as a shift in your life, not an end to the store. We’re best friends. I know you are so much more than this store. Let this be an opportunity to spread your wings and try something new. Let it be a blessing.”
Angela took a sip of the chocolate coffee. “It tastes just like Momma Grace used to make. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Emma approached the table set with fine china, and a Christmas bear in each chair. She moved one of the bears and sat down. “Come sit.”
Angela took her cup and set it down on the table. She lowered herself onto the chair, and put her folded hands between her knees. “This is nice.”
“Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Some.” Angela ran her fingers under her eyes. Did she look that tired? “I kept thinking about how I flat turned down that offer from Sheetz to build a gas station and restaurant here last year. That almost-too-good-to-turn-down offer. I didn’t even consider it. Did you know that my sister didn’t speak to me for a week after that?”
“Why was she so mad?”
“She said I was living my life by my heart instead of using my business sense.”
“Well, there’s really nothing wrong with going with your heart.”
Angela wasn’t so sure about that anymore. “You know, my great-great-grandmother bought this place and the land for less than we’d pay for a car these days.”
Emma nodded. “That was still a lot of money back then.”
“True. I should’ve at least considered that offer last year. I was thinking about the memories this place holds for Momma Grace and me, but I’ll always have those memories. I wouldn’t be worrying about what I was going to do for a job next year if I’d made a different decision back then.”
“That’s easy to say now, Angela. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Besides, would you really want a gas station right in front of your house?”
“You’ve got a point.”
“Exactly, and closing the business is one thing, but the lighthouse is still yours. You could do something else with it. Rent it out for office space, maybe?”
She’d never really thought of doing something else here. “It’s only ever been Heart of Christmas for as long as I’ve lived.”
“But it was a lighthouse first. So it’s not like you’d be doing anything different than what your great-great-grandmother did. You told me yourself she started Heart of Christmas to make ends meet.”
“True.” Angela hadn’t really considered that. “After she bought the lighthouse, she had all this junk that had been stored in it. Wicks and lanterns. That’s what became the first ornaments and decorations she sold. It hadn’t been out of artistry or a big love for the holiday. It had been out of necessity.”
“She was smart.”
“Very. Momma Grace used to say she wished she’d been crafty like that. She wasn’t, but she loved this town as much as she loved Christmas. That’s how I learned so much about it. Marie used to hate it when Momma Grace started one of her stories. Kind of like on The Golden Girls when Blanche and Dorothy cringe when Rose starts one of those ‘back in St. Olaf’ stories. Only it was always here in Pleasant Sands…” Angela loved hearing those stories. “It was like story hour at the library for me. I didn’t even care that I’d heard them all a hundred times.”
“I love it when I hear you telling our customers stories about the old photos in the store. You come alive. It’s like you were there.”
“Hearing my grandmother tell those stories was just like being there. She was a wonderful storyteller.” Angela sipped her chocolate coffee. “Thank you for doing this.”
“It was nothing really.” Emma smiled gently. “It was the best thing I could think of.”
“It’s perfect.” Angela took the last sip from her cup. “I’m going to tell the others that I’ll be closing the store. I figure I should do it this morning. Any closer to Christmas just seems wrong.”
“Let me know how I can help.”
“I think we’ll start with an extra thirty percent off this week. Then we’ll work on putting together an exclusive, by-invitation-only shopping day for our regular customers. They should be rewarded for being so dedicated all of these years.”
“That’s a great idea.”
* * *
“Enough reminiscing. Let’s get these shelves restocked.” Stephanie and Jeremy would be there in about an hour, but she and Emma worked well together. Emma moved things that had been laid around in random spots back to their places while Angela pulled stock from the back room.
By the time Jeremy and Stephanie got there, things were in pretty good shape.
“Did y’all ever leave last night?” Jeremy asked.
“We did,” Angela said. “But I do have something I need to discuss with you both before we get our day started.”
Jeremy looked worried.
“Look, I’ve been putting this off. Hoping something would change, but it hasn’t and I don’t want to leave you hanging.” Angela’s hands unconsciously twisted together. “I’m going to have to close the store after Christmas.”
“No.” Jeremy slumped and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I love working here.”
“I’m sorry.” Not only was she failing Momma Grace, and dropping the ball on generations of hard work, but she was letting down three dedicated employees.
Stephanie tsked. “This is because of Christmas Galore, isn’t it?”
Jeremy cracked his knuckles. “You can’t tell me that billboard a block up the road wasn’t a deliberate attempt to steal our customers. People new to town will think Christmas Galore is the local Christmas shop.”
“Their Christmas stuff is cheap. My mom went. She said everything she picked up was made overseas, and will probably break before it makes it home,” Stephanie said. “Totally different from us.”
“Completely,” agreed Emma.
“They have crazy deals, though,” Stephanie said. “Appliqued stockings two for five bucks. Mom bought enough for all the ladies in her book club. I hope Christmas Galore lost money on them.”
Angela glanced at the mantel that displayed intricately cross-stitched stockings, some adorned with Swarovski crystals, and even a Western-themed boot made from real cowhide. Not a one was under forty dollars. She was determined to take the high road. “We sell quality. They sell quantity.”
“They discount,” Jeremy said. “For a hundred bucks you can get a whole lighted winter town scene, and people. Here, you can’t even get one building for that.”
“Not true,” Angela said. “You can get the carolers, and they are quality heirloom pieces. They even have legible sheet music in their hands.”
Emma added, “The Christmas carol booklets are affordable, and we have a lot of ornaments under ten dollars.”
Angela understood how they felt. She’d rather be in bed with the covers over her head right now, but that was just not how a good Carson girl behaved. “Quality products are what we sell, and top-notch service is our way.”
“I don’t know what other job I’ll like as much as this one,” Jeremy said, sounding a bit beaten.
“I’ll give you all glowing recommendations elsewhere. I hope you’ll be able to work through the season with me. Jeremy, I wouldn’t be surprised if the ski lodge wants to hire you, the way you have that snow machine mastered.”
“That would be amazing. Summer at the beach. Winter in the mountains.” Jeremy looked delighted at the prospect. Little did he know she had the contacts to make that happen, especially with her recommendation.
“After we close there will be a few weeks of work to shut down everything.”
Emma piped up. “You know, we could move excess inventory over the internet. I know you were against it as a business model, but it’s a good way to get our products into the right hands. People that appreciate quality and art.”
“I wish I’d explored your idea sooner,” Angela said quietly. “But yes, your help on that would be great.”
“Count me in,” Jeremy said. “I’ll be here with you as long as you need me.”
“I’m in until the end too,” Stephanie said.
Emma placed her hand on Angela’s shoulder. “I’m in too.”
“Thank you.” Angela clapped her hands together. “Now, there will be no pouting. We’re proud of the work we do here. We have no apologies to make. We will do this with style and grace.”
“Right,” they said.
“Great. Emma, how many people do we have signed up for the reindeer cork ornament session this afternoon?”
Emma opened the scheduling book. “We had a couple of cancellations earlier in the week. That leaves the Madison twins, and Reva is bringing her daughter. Janice Johnson is down for three.”
“Six,” Angela said, trying not to show her disappointment. “Okay, well, we’ll be able to give lots of hands-on attention, then. A good thing.”
“Right!” Emma exclaimed. “I’ll get everything set up for you in the craft room.”
“Great. Well, it’s time to open the doors. Are we ready for a wonderful day?” Angela raised her hands in the air. “Let’s do this.”
Angela unlocked the front door and turned the sign to OPEN.
Emma turned on the twinkle lights and Jeremy started the train as Stephanie straightened the money in the till and turned on the credit card machine, before hitting the button for the music.
Angela turned around, taking in the store as if she were a stranger coming in for the first time. The old building had charm. Every display sparkled, and the cheerful colors of Christmas brought warmth to the place.
Jeremy grabbed his jacket. “Off to get the fresh snow going.”
“Thanks, Jeremy!” Angela went to the back and grabbed a stack of eight-inch starburst sale signs that had been sitting on a shelf in the storage room for years and a fat marker and carried them to the front counter. She took the cap off of the marker and the strong odor flooded the room. She’d better be quick about it before the smell drowned out the cinnamon and pine they were known for. The marker squeaked against the shiny cardboard stock as she printed 30 % OFF on each one. Great. Now her store was going to look just like Christmas Galore, with all these sale signs.
By the time the craft class was to begin, only the Madison twins had shown up.
She wondered if something was going on in town. Was the triathlon this weekend? The Christmas parade wasn’t until next Thursday night. That always impacted store traffic for a while, but today was unusually slow.
Emma joined Angela at the front counter. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a class with just two people in it.”
“Can I teach it?” Stephanie had made the cork ornaments before. “Please?”
“Sure.” That was the least Angela could do. “Everything is already set up in the craft room. If anyone else shows up, we’ll send them back.”
“Awesome! I’m going to get them started.”
“Have fun.”
Jeremy came up front—a wisp of cool air following him from Snow Valley. “I love that snow machine. It’s cold as heck, but it’s a blast.” He grabbed his coffee mug and went back into the break room, and returned with hot chocolate.
“I love Snow Valley,” Angela said. “It’s more fun than I’d ever imagined.” Unfortunately, it was a little too late to make a difference.
He slurped his hot chocolate as he read the newspaper over Emma’s shoulder. “What the heck? No way!”
“What?” Emma turned around.
“Right there.” He pointed a finger to the bottom of the page.
“Oh dear.” Emma’s voice held concern.
“What is it?” Angela moved in closer.
Christmas Galore had a large ad inviting families to come play in the snow in their parking lot.
“Snow is our gig!” Jeremy muttered under his breath. “They are copying us.”
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” But the words caught in Angela’s throat. Who was she kidding? This was flat-out wrong. She smiled through clenched teeth. “Excuse me, I just remembered I need to check on something.” She excused herself.
Safely behind closed doors she flopped into the chair behind her desk.
Putting on a brave face didn’t make it any easier to take a hit like this. She slipped out the back door and got in her car.
At this point, she didn’t even care if anyone saw her. Christmas Galore had already done her in; now they were just stealing customers and her ideas … for sport.
Was there any way humanly possible that Christmas Galore could have snow even half as good as what they’d perfected for Snow Valley? They’d worked a solid month on it.
And why was she feeling so competitive about it?
She pressed her foot on the accelerator. She drove over to Christmas Galore with the intention of seeing firsthand what the fuss was all about, but when she got to the block where the store was located there were cars backed up out to the street. The place was packed.
It seemed so unfair that her store would be so empty, only to have practically everyone in town, and their out-of-town neighbors, spending time at the new store in town.
She parked around the corner and walked over, shoving her hands in her pockets, trying to blend in with the other shoppers. One of her neighbors was just in front of her, so Angela slowed down and ducked behind a man and his family, putting some space between them.
There was as much foot traffic heading toward Christmas Galore as there was at the county fair. It was crazy.
Finally, she rounded the front of the building. What she saw was in no way, shape or form like her Snow Valley.
Christmas Galore definitely had snow, but they didn’t have snowflakes from a snow machine like Jeremy had perfected for Heart of Christmas. Nor was it a place at all. There wasn’t a pile of fresh snow where families could make a snowman together, or build a snow sculpture.
What they had was an arsenal of pre-formed snowballs.
An all-out snow war.
Complete chaos right there in the parking lot. Red paper sno-cone cups littered the man-made snow like little dead soldiers.
The sight made her feel a little sick, because no matter how appalled she was, people were having fun. Lots of it.
Across the way the guy from the coffee shop stood off to the side, laughing.
Her heart betrayed her, doing a flip when his eyes met hers. He wore a suit and a very nice smile, but that didn’t make him a nice guy. Looks could be deceiving.