Christmas In Icicle Falls

You’re going to have to make the best of it, Olivia reminded herself. Her son loved his new wife. He’d obviously seen something in her. She probably would, too. If she looked harder.

James and Eric arrived in the lobby, bearing more decorations. “You’re just in time,” Eric told his brother. “You can help me haul in the sleigh.”

Brandon nodded and followed the men back out.

Olivia pasted a smile on her face. “Well, girls, let’s get started.”

“All right. This is going to be fun,” Meadow said eagerly and opened a bin.

Eager and excited to help—that was commendable. And surely this was bound to go better than Thanksgiving dinner.

Meadow pulled out a pink ribbon ball holding a sprig of silk mistletoe and made a face. “What the hell is this?”

“It’s mistletoe,” Olivia explained.

“Mistletoe.” Meadow said it as if it were a foreign language.

“You’ve heard of mistletoe, right?” Brooke prompted and Meadow shook her head.

Both Olivia and Brooke stared at her in amazement.

“So, what is it?”

“You hang it up and then when you catch someone under it, you kiss him,” Brooke explained.

Meadow shook her head. “Why do you need a plant for that? If you want to kiss a guy, just kiss him!”

Good Lord. The child was a complete philistine.

Brooke smiled. “It’s a fun little tradition people enjoy.”

“Whatever,” Meadow said, unimpressed.

She was impressed with the sleigh, though. “Wow, that’s epic.” The minute the men had set it down, she climbed into it and tossed Brandon her cell phone. “Take my picture, babe,” she commanded and struck a rapper-girl pose, complete with the weird finger thing and the pout.

An older couple was walking through the lobby, and the husband stopped to enjoy the moment. “Now, there’s my kind of Christmas present,” he joked.

His wife, not seeing the humor, grabbed his arm and got him moving again. “Tacky,” she hissed.

Meadow flipped her off and Olivia’s cheeks heated. This girl was like a puzzle piece that had wound up in the wrong box. However were they going to get her to fit in?

Dear Santa, please bring me an extra dose of patience. I’m going to need it.

* * *

Sienna was still smiling when she went into work on Friday, remembering her fun evening of feasting, laughter and dancing. While the day had gotten off to a bad start, happily, it had ended on a positive note. And now she got to go to a job she loved. She had so much fun at Mountain Escape Books that her time there never felt like work, even when things were at their busiest.

The store was especially busy this day. In addition to shoppers enjoying Black Friday bargains, Muriel Sterling was there, signing copies of her newest book, A Guide to Happy Holidays.

Sienna took advantage of her employee discount and bought one. “I hope I can write a book someday,” she confessed to Muriel. I want to be just like you when I grow up. Gush, gush.

“We all have a story to tell,” Muriel said.

“I don’t know what mine would be.”

“You have lots of time to figure it out,” Muriel assured her. “You’re still young.”

“I keep telling Muriel to write a book about Icicle Falls,” said Pat, who was stacking more books on the table where Muriel was seated. “Maybe you’ll be the one to do that, Sienna.”

“Yeah,” put in Dot Morrison, one of Muriel’s friends who’d come in to purchase a book and offer moral support. “Or...why don’t you write a juicy novel with lots of sex? And a murder. You can set it right here in Icicle Falls.”

“If you need characters for a book, there’s your girl,” Pat teased, making Dot frown.

Known for her crazy sweatshirts, Dot was definitely a character. Today’s offering said Apologies to Anyone I Haven’t Offended. Please Be Patient. I’ll Get to You Shortly.

“Murder in Icicle Falls?” Muriel gave a mock shudder.

Dot shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t work. Who would you murder?”

“Your neighbor Mr. Cratchett?” Pat suggested to Sienna.

“Well...” Sienna regretted having told Pat about her problem neighbor. Complaining to family was one thing. Complaining to other people was plain old bad-mouthing. Although if anyone deserved to be bad-mouthed, it was Cratchett.

Dot gave a snort. “That old grump. Don’t mind him. He’s lived here forever. Comes into my restaurant every once in a while. Never leaves my gals a tip. You could bump him off in a book. Put him in my place and have someone slip poison in his coffee. The way he gripes about it, you’d think it was poisoned.”

“There’s probably more to Mr. Cratchett than what you’re seeing,” Muriel said.

“As in, you can’t judge a book by its cover,” said Pat.

“Not even in a bookstore,” Muriel added with a smile.

Sienna had seen enough of Mr. Cratchett and she didn’t want to read any further.

“We shouldn’t be too hard on the poor man. Maybe he’s got a good reason to be so grouchy. He’s a widower, after all,” Muriel said in Cratchett’s defense.

This produced another snort from Dot. “I’ve been a widow for years. You don’t see me whining about it.” She shook her head. “Men. They’re the weaker sex.”

At that moment a member of the weaker sex came into the store, needing help finding the latest Suzanne Selfors book for his daughter, and that broke up the confab as Sienna went to help him and Pat moved to ring up a sale.

Business remained brisk for the next two hours, with townspeople popping in to get signed copies of Muriel’s book. Her daughters Samantha and Cecily both came by, bringing treats from their sister Bailey’s tearoom. And Vance Fish, one of the town’s older single men, stopped in to say hi to Muriel. He owned a bookstore in Seattle but he always came by Pat’s when she had a special event going on.

“We indie booksellers have to stick together,” he said.

While he was there, two women came in looking for the latest Vanessa Valentine book. Sienna had heard a rumor that Vance Fish himself was really Vanessa Valentine. She’d worked up her nerve to ask him once. He’d laughed and replied, “Do I look like a Vanessa Valentine to you?” So much for that rumor.

Muriel’s book signing ended, but before she left the store, she handed out invitations to her ladies’ Christmas tea the next Sunday afternoon.

“It’s a tradition,” Pat told Sienna. “She does this every year for her girlfriends and daughters, so make sure you line up your cousin to watch Leo, because you won’t want to miss seeing Muriel’s place all fixed up for the holidays.”

She wouldn’t want to miss seeing Muriel’s place, period.

The rest of the day sped by and before Sienna knew it, it was quitting time. She picked up her car from Swede’s Garage, where they’d put on those snow tires she’d been postponing purchasing. Then she fetched Leo from Rita’s house, which was his home away from home when Sienna was at the bookstore. It was a good arrangement. Rita worked nights at Zelda’s, so she was home during the day and was happy to have Leo around, as he kept little Linda entertained. Plus, the price was right: free—always a good thing for a single mom who had stretched her budget to buy her house. Child support from the creep only went so far.

“How was your day?” Sienna asked, hugging her son.

“I helped Tía Rita make cookies,” he told her.

“You did?”

He nodded eagerly.

“He’s very good at stirring,” Rita confirmed.

“That’s nice to hear. You’re a good helper,” Sienna said and mussed his thick, dark hair. “Come on, handsome, let’s go home and make some hamburgers.”

“Hamburgers, yes!” Leo cheered and raced for the door.

“Why don’t you let Tito watch him tonight and you come to Zelda’s for a while?” Rita suggested. “There’s a new band playing in the bar.”

“I’m too tired,” Sienna said. “We had a busy day at the bookstore.”

“Tired,” Rita echoed in disgust. “You’re too young to be tired. You’re only thirty-five.”

“Well, tonight I feel like I’m eighty-five. And my feet hurt.”

Rita frowned. “You gotta get out, chica. You need a life. You need a man.”

“I have a life with Leo, a perfectly good life.”

Rita rolled her eyes. “All men aren’t like your ex, you know. Look at Tito.”

“Clone him and then we’ll talk,” Sienna said and followed Leo out to the car. The weather was still cold and the roads slushy from the earlier snowstorm. More snow was predicted for late that night and she was ready to go home and get tucked in before everything got icy.

It was an exciting Friday night, hamburgers followed by Leo’s favorite movie, Cars. They’d watched that movie so many times she could say every line of dialogue right along with Lightning McQueen and Strip Weathers. Yes, this was what her life boiled down to—work and Pixar movies.

And hamburgers and time with her sweet son, who still thought it was cool to snuggle on the couch with Mom and watch an animated movie. So there wasn’t a man in her life. She could live with that.

A good thing, since she was probably going to have to. Lonely after her divorce, Sienna had looked for a good man, but in the end she hadn’t found anyone worth keeping. There’d been Manny, who’d proved to be more of a child than Leo, wanting nothing more out of life than to go dancing and work on his car. He’d yelled at her son when Leo was assisting him in changing the oil and accidentally dropped the oil pan, calling him estúpido. That had been the end of Manny. Gregory had liked Leo just fine...as long as he didn’t have to hang out with him. Gregory hadn’t lasted long, either. Those had been the best of the bunch. Sadly, there weren’t a lot of men out there who wanted to take on a woman with a kid, especially a woman with a kid who had some challenges.

And Leo did have challenges. While most kids his age were reading small chapter books, he was struggling with simple words like cat and bat. He still didn’t know all his colors. Everything was either red, blue or yellow. And math completely overwhelmed him. Trying to master new information often drove him to tears and tantrums. So when the men Sienna dated got a look at life with Leo—when they realized every day wasn’t going to be smooth sailing—they bolted.

But what had she expected? Her own husband hadn’t been able to cope. “I can’t deal with this anymore,” he’d said only six months after Leo had finally been tested and diagnosed with a learning disability. She’d tried to convince Carlos that, together, they could deal with anything, but her pep talk hadn’t done any good. “I’m sorry, Sienna. I want a divorce.”

Sienna hadn’t known which had been worse, his initial harshness and impatience with Leo or the ensuing coldness to the little boy, who only wanted his love.

Well, new town, new start. She and Leo would manage fine on their own, and even though she missed her parents and brothers, she knew she’d done the right thing coming here. She was happy with her new job and her new friends. And, most important, Leo was happy with his new teacher. Really, the only fly on the frosting was her neighbor.

After Leo went to bed, she settled in with Muriel Sterling’s new book. There’s something about the holidays, Muriel wrote.

The wonderful message of redemption, the time with friends, the treats, the sights and sounds and smells.

But perhaps you’re finding it difficult to experience the joy of the holiday season. I hope my suggestions will help you find your way to a wonderful Christmas that’s not only merry but also meaningful. My wish for you is that no matter who is in your life, no matter what is going on, you’ll be able to make the days merry and bright—for yourself and others, too!

A very noble sentiment, Sienna thought. And she intended to do just that. No matter how many unpleasant encounters she had with old, cranky Cratchett, she was going to find a way to have a merry Christmas.

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.