The next morning after doing some work at the bakery, Grant stopped by Peggy’s Victorian house at the end of Main Street. She had lived there as long as he could remember. The first floor had been converted into her store, with a sitting room and office in the back. She made her home in the upper two floors.
He found Sugar in the kitchen going through orders. He handed her a small pink box from the bakery. “Thought you might be hungry.”
“Oh, that’s nice of you. I try not to eat sugar. Or bread. I was hoping to get a green smoothie this morning. Where might I find one?”
“Uh,” he stammered. “I have no idea. Your mom makes fruit smoothies, but only in the summer.”
“They’re at all the coffee shops where I live. You should add them to your menu at the bakery.”
Grant's brows arched. “I’ve never had anyone ask for one, but I’ll keep it in mind.” He looked at the order sheets on the counter. “Are you getting a handle on everything here?”
“I’m not sure how Mom does this all by herself.” She pointed at the papers. “I remember the festival from when I was growing up here, but I never dreamed she would have this many orders.”
“I know with the accident you don’t have a delivery van. I’m happy to deliver your orders when I’m doing mine each day.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, that would be terrific. That would solve one problem.”
“We get our supplies delivered once a week here. If you need to place an order, you need to do it by three o’clock tomorrow. Thanksgiving has the schedule messed up this week, so the truck will come on Tuesday.”
“Oh, that’s good to know. I hate to call Mom with a bunch of questions and have her worry about me handling things. I’ll see if I can find her past invoices for this time of year and try to duplicate what she normally requests.”
“Good idea. You’ll probably need to increase quantities for this year. They added another event this year during the festival. There’s a fundraiser for the Silver Falls Arts Center at the old schoolhouse. There was talk of it being a multi-day event. Your mom actually volunteered to coordinate it. It’s the week before Christmas with a huge party on Christmas Eve.”
“They’re going to have to find someone else for that.” Tears filled her eyes, and the pitch of her voice rose. “There’s no way I can do one more thing.”
Grant put his hand on her arm. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure it out.”
She pulled her arm away from him and shook her head. “This is a disaster.” She perused her mother’s files and found the one related to the annual festival. “To say the festival has grown over the years would be an understatement.” Her eyes widened as she read the recap of sales. “When I was a kid, I don’t remember it being such a big deal.”
“It seems like every few years we add new activities. We get more out-of-town visitors now. I think the merchant association started posting a few things online in an effort to entice tourists. I’m always slammed with the cookie exchange, not to mention all the other events. It can be overwhelming.”
She flipped through the pages in the file and nodded. “I’m beginning to feel that way already.”
“From what I know, your mom doesn’t get that much walk-in traffic until the festival starts the weekend after Thanksgiving. You could probably keep the storefront closed this week and work on getting orders ready. Folks will understand. Just leave a note on the door and have them call and leave you a message if they need something.”
She nodded in agreement. “Makes sense. Then I’ll have to figure out what to do for the next four weeks of the festival.”
“And, you’ll have to get this place decorated for Christmas. Your mom always has this place looking like a gingerbread house during the holidays.”
“She’s got plastic tubs full of decorations and lights in the storeroom. I’m not sure I’m going to have time to worry about all that. It’s more Mom’s thing.”
“How’s she doing today? Have you talked to her?” asked Grant.
“They’re getting her ready to be moved tomorrow. She’s going to the rehabilitation center. She’s convinced she’ll be home by Christmas. I’m going to go visit once she’s settled there and bring her a few things from home.” Her cell phone rang. “At least it’s working now. I wasn’t getting a signal earlier.” She let out a long sigh. “It’s work. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Cell service can be spotty here.” Grant gave her a wave and headed for his house. He retrieved his dogs and set out for his mother’s house and Sunday dinner. He found Dottie and Hope in the kitchen.
Grant slid into a chair at the granite-topped island. He nicked a few bites of apple from the cutting board Dottie was using. She waved her knife at him. “That’s a good way to lose a finger, young man.”
“What have you been up to today?” asked Hope.
“Just a little work. Stopped by Peggy’s place to check on Sugar.” He slipped another piece of apple into his mouth. “She’s trying to do her own work and handle Peggy’s orders. I’m not sure she’s up to it. Not to mention she doesn’t even decorate for Christmas.”
Drew and Jake trudged into the kitchen with the empty bowl of snacks they had enjoyed while watching football. “Who doesn’t decorate for Christmas?” asked Drew.
Dottie looked up from her pie. “Grant was telling us he stopped and saw Sugar. She’s a bit overwhelmed with all the tasks at hand.”
Drew wiggled his brows. “Maybe we should help her. We could handle the decorating.” He gave Dottie a grin. “After all, we had the best teacher.”
She smiled at him. “That’s a wonderful idea. Why don’t you boys go over there and get that done this afternoon while the weather is nice? Bring Sugar back here for dinner when you’re done.”
Jake jumped up and down. “Yay, I love to decorate.”
Grant’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Mom. Sugar isn’t the same. She’s sort of on edge. I told her about the fundraiser, and she almost had a meltdown. She thinks they’ll have to find someone else to coordinate it.”
“I’m happy to help with it,” offered Hope. “I know how important the arts center is to the town.”
Bundled up in coats and hats, Drew and Jake came into the kitchen. “Let’s get going so we can get this done before dark,” said Drew.
Dottie held up a finger. “Just make sure you do Peggy proud. She’s always been very particular about her decorations.”
The two brothers and Jake set off in Drew’s truck with ladders and a few supplies, promising to be home for dinner.
Drew and Jake went about setting up the ladders while Grant went inside to let Sugar know what they were doing. He found her on the same chair in the kitchen, finalizing her order for supplies, bundled in a scarf and coat, with a blanket around her. “Hey, Sugar. Are you okay?”
Her mouth was covered with the scarf, and she pulled it down to talk. “I’m freezing. I can’t seem to get warm.”
Grant shrugged. “It feels warm enough. Probably just not used to our weather. You could bump up the thermostat.”
“I did that. It didn’t seem to make much difference.”
“Well, we had some spare time this afternoon and thought we’d come over and put up your outdoor decorations and lights.”
“Really? That’s nice of you. It’s not at all necessary. I’m sure we could forgo one year.”
“Mom said it’s important to Peggy, and we know how finicky she is about the decorations. She likes it to look the same each year. We know how she does it. She usually gets one of the guys from the hardware store to hang them, and she supervises.” He laughed and added, “Jake is super excited to help.”
She shrugged. “If you guys want to do it, I won’t stop you.” She stood and led the way to the storeroom. “All the decorations are in here.”
He started gathering the plastic bins. “Mom said to bring you back for dinner tonight. She and Hope are cooking up a storm.”
She shook her head. “Oh, I can eat something here. I need to run to the market anyway. I can grab something there. A salad or some soup.” She mentioned a grocery chain that included a salad bar and prepared foods.
“You won’t find one of those yuppified places here. We’ve only got the Silver Falls Market, and they close early on Sundays. All the restaurants are closed by noon.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m reminded of why I left this place. Don’t they know how inconvenient that is? You would think they could have stepped into the current century by now. I don’t know how you live here.”
Grant bit his tongue and carried a stack of totes outside. He left Sugar rambling on to herself about all the reasons she was glad she didn’t live in Silver Falls.
After sorting through the bins, he found the lights. He and Drew worked together to string them around the porch, roofline, and all the windows, with Jake supervising from the ground. Next, they wrapped the columns on the porch with wide red ribbon, making them look like candy canes. As the light faded from the sky, they tackled the bushes and trees, putting Jake in charge of all the work that didn’t require ladders.
It was dark when they finished. Drew connected the timer and turned on the lights. “Wow, it looks so cool,” yelled Jake. The two brothers joined Jake and stood on the front walkway. A huge grin filled the boy’s face, and colorful lights reflected in his excited eyes.
“We do good work,” said Drew. He snapped a photo with his phone. “We’ll send this to Peggy, and it should make her smile.”
Grant carried the empty bins back inside. He heard Sugar on her cell phone. “Just email me the presentations, and we can set up a call to discuss them tomorrow. I’m going to have to stay here and take care of my mom’s business while she’s recuperating.” With an exasperated sigh, she added, “I don’t think I can stand it here for a whole month. I’ll have to see how it goes.”
He shut the storeroom door and walked into the kitchen as she disconnected the call. “We’re going to head back to dinner. Mom will be disappointed if you don’t come.”
Grant heard the clomp of Jake’s boots as he came through the door. “Let’s go, Grant. Drew’s waiting.”
Sugar grabbed her purse and followed them outside. “Wow, I can’t believe you guys did all this,” she said, taking in the house from the sidewalk. “It looks wonderful. Just like when I was growing up here.”
“Wait until you see the Festival of Lights. Maybe you’ll get a spark of your Christmas spirit back,” said Grant.
Jake grinned and pointed out the bushes he had decorated to Sugar. “Let’s go big-guy,” said Drew, hefting him into the truck.
“I’ll follow you guys,” said Sugar, shivering as she climbed behind the wheel of her rental.
Over a delicious meal and the promise of fresh apple pie, the Fisher clan regaled Sugar with their plans for the upcoming Festival of Lights. Jake’s eyes sparkled with excitement when he described the tree lighting ceremony and the torchlight parade. Grant bemoaned how busy he was at the bakery with all the cookie orders for the town’s cookie exchange and festival events.
Sugar’s phone pinged every few minutes. “Sorry,” she said for the umpteenth time. “It’s work.” After picking at her plate, eating only the veggies and a few bites of meat, she excused herself from the table and sat by the fire to answer her texts.
Grant helped clear the table, stacking the dishes by the sink where Dottie was scrubbing and Hope was loading the dishwasher. He shook his head and said, “See what I mean, Mom. She’s nothing like the Sugar I remember.”
“Well, dear, not everything stays the same. People change.” said Dottie. “Give her some time to adjust.”
“Maybe spending time here at the festival will remind her of Christmas in Silver Falls and soften her,” said Hope, pushing the buttons on the dishwasher to start it.
“I wouldn’t hold my breath. I think she’s been big-cityfied. Any trace of the sweet girl she was in Silver Falls has been erased.” Grant sliced the pie and added six plates to a tray. He rolled his eyes and said, “I bet you a bear claw, she won’t eat dessert.”
Hope chuckled and carried a tray of tea and coffee, along with a hot chocolate, to the living room. Jake and Drew were chatting and petting the dogs while Sugar’s fingers flew across the tiny keyboard on her phone.
“How about some pie?” Grant offered a plate to Drew and left one by his mom’s chair. Jake took one and sat on the couch next to Drew.
Sugar looked up from her phone and shook her head. “It looks wonderful, but none for me, thanks.”
Hope handed her husband a cup of tea and said, “I brewed some tea. Would you like a cup, Sugar?”
She set her phone down and smiled. “That sounds great. I can’t seem to stay warm.”
Dottie sat and took a bite of pie. “How many orders do you have to fill this week, Sugar?”
“This week, just over a hundred. It increases a bit each week, but the killer is going to be that week before Christmas. Mom has over two hundred boxes planned for the fundraising event, and that’s in addition to her regular orders for Christmas.”
Sugar’s shoulders slumped. “She has a shipment of boxes arriving tomorrow. I’ve got to get those assembled and make several batches of fudge and caramels between now and Wednesday afternoon.” She took another long swallow from her cup. “Speaking of which, I best get home and get started on it.”
Hope raised her brows. “I do some work around here for Dottie when we’re busy, but I’d be happy to help. I don’t know much about making candy, but I’m a quick study.”
“That would be terrific. To be honest, I don’t know much about it either. Mom always put me to work helping, but I’m not sure how much of it stuck with me. I’d be grateful for anything you can do.”
She and Hope made arrangements to meet on Monday morning. Sugar stood and retrieved her coat. “Thank you so much for dinner, Dottie.” She met Grant’s eyes and then took in Drew and Jake. “And for all your help. I appreciate it. Mom will be so pleased to have the house decorated.”
“I hope she does well at the rehab center. I’ll try to find a day when I can make a trip to visit her,” said Dottie.
“She’d like that. I’m going to run down tomorrow afternoon, but with all the work here, I’m not going to be able to visit often.” She wished them all a good evening before opening the door.
Grant followed Sugar outside and made sure she made it down the sidewalk to her Jeep. “Tell Peggy hello for me.” She returned his wave as she steered the car out of the driveway.