Sheila Roberts - The Lodge on Holly Road

“I’m sure you don’t,” she agreed.

“Come on, Thelma,” he snapped at his wife, and made for the front door.

“Bah, humbug,” Olivia muttered as she walked through the door marked Private into her family’s living quarters.

Right now the only family living there was Eric and her and Muffin the cat. They could easily make room for a wife. And children. Or remodel.

Three bedrooms were at the back. The rest of the family quarters was like any other small home, entered through a front door with a window of etched glass. Once inside, visitors found a great-room-style layout with a small but state-of-the-art kitchen, a dining area and a cozy living room, complete with an electric fireplace, where she could hang Christmas stockings.

Three stockings hung there now. One was marked Olivia, and her boys usually slipped in a couple of stocking-stuffer-size boxes of Sweet Dreams chocolates. The next stocking in line had Eric’s name on it. That she would fill with nuts and candy bars and his favorite hot sauces and jellies from Local Yokels, which specialized in Northwest products. The last stocking belonged to her younger son, Brandon, who was currently in Wyoming but who managed to get home for Christmas every year. Brandon was her wandering boy, trying to find himself. But his internal compass always brought him home for important holidays. His stocking would get filled with Snickers bars and Corn Nuts, his all-time favorite snack.

Normally the sight of her decorations cheered her. The ceramic nativity set on the mantel had been a gift from her mother-in-law years ago, and she cherished it. Her little tree was loaded with ornaments she’d collected over the years. And she’d hung mistletoe in the archway between the kitchen and dining room. She frowned at it. Why did she put that up every year?

Her frown deepened. All right. This was a very bad attitude she had brewing. She’d been perfectly happy until her encounter with her grumpy guest.

“Mr. Braxton, I am not going to let you ruin my day.” She picked up her knitting (a scarf she was finishing for her friend Muriel Sterling-Wittman for Christmas) and got to work. Knitting always made her feel good. She imagined herself poking Mr. Braxton in the bottom with one of her knitting needles, and that made her feel even better.

She’d barely gotten started when the doorbell rang. Oh, she knew who that was, and the mere thought of what she’d find when she opened the door was enough to drive the memory of Ebenezer Braxton from her mind. Yup, there stood Kevin from Lupine Floral, looking like a fashion model in his trendy jeans and gray wool coat. And he was wearing the red scarf she’d knit for him the Christmas before.

“I have something for my favorite innkeeper,” he sang, holding out a huge holiday floral arrangement.

“You’d better not let Ann Marie or Gerhardt Geissel hear you say that,” Olivia cautioned with a smile. Although, knowing Kevin, he said the same thing when he delivered floral arrangements to them.

He grinned and winked. “I can see you’re all ready for Christmas here at the lodge.”

“Of course we are. It’s my favorite time of year.”

“This place could be a movie set,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “Olivia, you are the queen of Christmas.”

“Well, if I’m the queen, then you and Heinrich are my princes. I look forward to your lovely arrangements every year. Please tell him that.”

After a few more pleasantries, Kevin was on his way to flatter more of the residents of Icicle Falls, and Olivia took the arrangement over to the kitchen counter and removed it from its box. As she’d expected, it was a feast for the eyes with red and white roses, delicate ferns and baby’s breath. Candy canes bloomed inside the big red ribbon bow wrapped around the vase. Gorgeous.

She didn’t have to read the card to know it was from Eric but did, anyway, just so she could delight in the message. “Merry Christmas to the world’s best mom. Love, Eric.”

She pulled a tissue from her sweater pocket and dabbed at eyes that had suddenly grown misty. She had such a wonderful son. She was so lucky that he’d opted to stay in Icicle Falls and help her run the lodge. As if that wasn’t enough, every year he sent her a Christmas bouquet. He’d been doing it for fourteen years, ever since George died. At first the arrangements were small and simple, fitting a young man’s budget, but as he’d gotten older they’d gotten more elaborate. And more expensive.

The door from the reception area opened and he walked in.

“Look what came,” she greeted him.

“Well, whaddya know. I guess Santa came through again.”

“Santa Son,” she said with a smile. “They’re lovely. I wish you wouldn’t be so extravagant, though.”

“You’re worth it,” he said, stopping to kiss her on the cheek before going to the refrigerator to forage for lunch.

“There’s leftover potpie,” she said. As if he didn’t know; as if that wasn’t what he was looking for. It was one of his favorite meals and she made it for him on a regular basis.

“Got it,” he said, pulling out the casserole dish. “So, has everyone checked out?”

“All but our last guests. I haven’t seen them yet.”

“The couple with the baby? They just left.”

“Well, then, that’s it until our Christmas guests start arriving. I’ll get their room and the Braxtons’ cleaned after lunch.”

He shook his head. “Why you gave Morgan time off the day before Christmas Eve I’ll never understand.”

“Because we don’t usually have that many rooms to clean. She can have a break and we can save some money.”

“We don’t need to save money anymore. And it would be nice if you didn’t kill yourself right before the Christmas rush.”

“Cleaning two rooms isn’t going to kill me. I’m not that old yet.”

Her son wisely didn’t argue the point.

She fingered a red rose. “I’m glad we’ve got so many people staying with us for the holidays.” Having other people to think about made it so much easier.

“Yeah, we’ve got plenty this year.”

“It’s going to be wonderful,” Olivia predicted.

“As long as we don’t get any more Braxtons,” Eric said. “I hope you didn’t give him a refund.”

“Did he ask you for one?”

Eric nodded. “Ran into me in the upstairs hall. Please tell me you didn’t give in to that jerk.”

Olivia shrugged. “Fifty percent off.”

Eric shook his head. “You’re too soft, Mom.”

“Well, it’s Christmas.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to humor jerks like Braxton.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to be as small as him, not at Christmas. Anyway, he’ll get what’s coming to him. We all do at some point.” And sometimes people got what they didn’t deserve, like losing a spouse. Olivia shooed that thought away. “Heat me up a little of that potpie, will you? Then I’m going to get those rooms cleaned and finish my shopping before the day gets away from me,” she said, forcing cheer into her voice. “Can I pick you up anything?”

“Nah, I’m fine. And I’ll clean the rooms. I’ve done all my outside work for the day and I need something to do.”

He was always working, but she decided to let him have his way.

“All right, then, you’re in charge,” she said when lunch was done and she was ready to leave for the store. Actually, he was pretty much in charge even when she was at the lodge, which left Olivia free to enjoy cooking for their guests. What would she do without him?

It was a question she asked herself a lot lately. She wanted her son to find a nice woman and settle down, but so far no one in Icicle Falls had fit the bill. What if Ms. Right lived somewhere far away and didn’t want to move to Icicle Falls? Olivia wasn’t sure she could run the lodge alone, wasn’t sure she wanted to. But she hated the idea of closing it. It had meant so much to George. And to her.