Carrolls and Firrs: A Christmas Novella

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Any hope Doug held out deflated. He looked at the ramshackle room. Before, all he saw was the potential the building held. Now there were dollar signs and doubt hiding in every corner.

  “Did you already buy it?” Aspen held her gloved hand over her mouth and nose.

  Doug shook his head. “No.”

  Janie spun to face him. “Why the heck not?”

  Doug looked at Aspen, then back at his mom. Then back at Aspen. Her pale eyebrows were drawn close together in confusion. “What do you mean why not?” His sister moved the hand still covering her nose. “This place is a mess.” She put the hand back. “And it stinks.”

  Janie crossed the room and took Doug’s hands in hers. “Buy it.” She nodded at Aspen who was slowly backing out of the room. “We don’t see things the same way you do.” His mom laughed. “I never would have thought to turn that old building into a restaurant.” She tipped her head to one side, her eyes soft and warm on his. “But you did.” She let his hands go and followed Aspen down the stairs, pausing to call over her shoulder. “Buy the building son.”

  Blowing out a breath, Doug took an appraising look around the room he was so certain would make the perfect living room to a higher-end apartment. Now he had doubts.

  Doug grabbed the banister at the top of the stairs. The worn wood bar came off in his hand, the metal brackets pulling free from the aged plaster and lathe. “Crap.”

  He set the bar down, letting it rest on the top stair tread. Maybe it was a sign. It was a sign he didn’t need. This place might just not be in the cards. No matter how much he wanted it, it may not be worth the risk.

  Doug met his mom and Aspen in the front room. His sister was tapping on her phone, a scowl on her face. “Looks like Ricky can’t come in today.”

  Janie looked over her daughter’s shoulder, slipping on her reading glasses. “Oh. If he has the flu we don’t want him anywhere near us.” She tapped on one side of the cherry red frames, her lips twisted to one side as her eyes wandered the room. “What about David?”

  Aspen shook her head. “David’s still in school. He won’t be able to make it until the afternoon.”

  “Then Doug will have to make the coffee until then. He needs to start practicing anyway.” Janie dropped her glasses, the frames bouncing against her coat covered chest as the chain caught their weight. His mom patted him as she walked to the door. “Buy the building son.”

  Doug locked the door as his mom and sister waited, hands tucked into pockets, breath fogging as the women chatted. He tucked the key into his pocket. After he dropped the two of them off at The Grove he could take the key back to the owner and tell the old man he would have to get back with him.

  The threesome walked along the sidewalk back to the truck. The old pharmacy was one of the few buildings in town that wasn’t occupied and on-street parking was scarce. He could have parked in the small lot just past the building but he didn’t. Instead Doug snagged a free spot two blocks up the street.

  His mother looped her arm through his and smiled up at him. “We should bring your dad down here when it warms up. He would love to see how much it’s changed.”

  Doug glanced up at the row of buildings lining the last stretch of their walk. “Some of it’s still exactly the same.”

  A slight hesitation in his mother’s step pulled Doug’s attention to the shop doorway a few steps in front of them. Struggling to juggle a file folder thick with paper, a white paper bag, and an insulated paper cup while opening the door to his failing business was Dale Carroll. Not the face he’d hoped to sneak a peek of when he parked the truck this morning.

  Dale looked up and froze, his dark eyes widening, nearly hidden under graying, bushy eyebrows.

  Doug smiled. “Morning Dale.”

  Dale nodded, feet still planted. “Doug.”

  “It’s a beautiful morning isn’t it?” Janie squeezed Doug’s arm and gave Dale a smile.

  Aspen snorted beside him.

  “Yup.” The skin peeking out the top of Dale’s thick salt and pepper beard barely tinged with a pink flush. He twisted the key stuffed into the lock and nearly toppled in his haste to get inside.

  Doug’s mom blew out a sigh and shook her head.

  “For a man who can say what he does behind your back, he’s awfully quiet to your face.” Aspen glared at the recently vacated doorway to Carroll’s Christmas Shop.

  Doug cleared his throat. “There’s something I need to talk to you two about.”

  His mother paused as she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and raised an eyebrow at him.

  “It’s about the Carrolls.”

  ***

  “I don’t like it.” Aspen crossed her arms and leaned against the counter.

  Janie tipped her head Aspen’s way and gave her a stern look. “I think what your sister is trying to say is that she’s concerned this could cause more problems.”

  He’d expected this reaction. Just maybe a few hours ago. His mother and sister sat silently the whole way home after he told them about his plans to help Ellie. Even once they got to The Grove, neither said a word.

  Not until a few minutes before Ellie was supposed to show up did they finally decide to put their two cents in.

  Doug snuck another look at the front doors. “She doesn’t want them to know I’m helping her any more than I do.” When he didn’t see any sign of Ellie, Doug turned his attention back to his mother and sister. “She isn’t oblivious to the way her parents are.”

  “Poor thing.” His mother rested her hand on her chest. “Do you think that’s why she moved away?”

  “I sure as heck would move away from those two.” Aspen pushed off the counter and straightened the apron tied over her athletic pants and long sleeved t-shirt. “I’d still watch my back if I were you.” Aspen eyed the front of the room. “Speak of the devil.”

  Doug looked up to find Ellie holding the door open for an elderly couple. He looked back at his sister, confused.

  Aspen rolled her eyes at him. “Come on. Did you seriously think you could have dinner here with a pretty girl and no one would notice?” She nodded to the table where he and Ellie sat the night she came to ask for his help. “I did the math.”

  “There’s no reason for anyone to notice anything.” He watched as Ellie made her way through the dining room, her dark hair standing out against the pale cream color of her coat, heading in his direction. “It’s business.”

  Aspen looked over just as Ellie smiled at him.

  His sister laughed. “Yeah. You keep telling yourself that.” Aspen turned, shaking her head, and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Ellie cleared the row of tables but instead of turning his way, she stopped right beside him and turned that sweet smile his mother’s way. “Hi Mrs. Firr. It’s nice to see you again.” Her hands twisted at the leather strap of the purse slung across her chest. “I just…” She took a deep breath and her smile changed from sweet and soft to solid and sure. “I’m sorry for the things my parents have said about your family.”

  “Oh honey.” His mother reached out and wrapped her arms around Ellie, pulling her in for a long hug. “Don’t you worry about it.” When Janie finally let Ellie go, the younger woman’s shoulders were noticeably more relaxed.

  Doug shifted, uncomfortable with the way it made him feel to watch his mother and Ellie together.

  Janie gave him a quick glance. “Well, I’ll leave you two to get to it.” She patted Ellie’s shoulder as she started to leave. “If anyone can help you Doug can.”

  Ellie turned as his mother walked away. “I hope she’s right.”

  He shrugged off his mother’s praise and Ellie’s doubt. One was significantly easier than the other to dismiss. “I’ll do my best.”

  Ellie looked side to side. “From the looks of it your best is pretty darn impressive.” She began to unbutton her coat revealing a deep blue sweater that looked as soft as the smooth skin of her cheeks, still barely pink from the cold outside.
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  Doug blinked hard as if it could force away the thought of how that skin would feel under his fingertips. “Are you ready to start working?”

  She was here for business. He was not in the market for a companion. Especially one like Ellie. As smart and sweet and pretty as she was, the woman was not the kind who would want someone like him.

  History made that perfectly clear. And he wasn’t the kind of man who liked to go around beating his head against a wall hoping it won’t hurt this time.

  “Would you show me around here?” Ellie slipped off her coat. “It would be helpful to know how you have this place set up.”

  She was right. It was a good place to start. Go over the basics. Make sure she understood health codes and the laws that would affect her. “Sure.”

  Ellie smiled, back to her sweet and soft natural self. “Is it true this place was just an old farm building?”

  “Yeah.” Doug shoved his hands in his pockets. Usually he loved to talk about what it took to make the old equipment barn into what it was now, but today he held back. It felt too much like selling himself. Trying to convince Ellie just how successful he was. Just how hard he worked and how much he was able to accomplish. And that felt a lot like he was trying to step into a place he didn’t want to go.

  Because at the end of the day none of what he did here would matter. Because when it came right down to it he was still a high school dropout. Uneducated. Lesser.

  Far beneath the woman following close enough behind him that her sweet vanilla scent tickled his nose. She might be impressed with him now, but once she found out the truth Ellie would think the same thing Marcy did.

  That a city boy was more her type. One who wore suits and shined shoes.

  One who had a degree.

  Or at least a diploma.

  “Are you in charge of the employees?” Ellie broke into his thoughts. Her eyes sharp on the staff as they milled around, dropping plates of food and glasses of lemon water on tables full of people ready for dinner.

  “I do the scheduling. My mom does the training with the waitstaff and Aspen trains the kitchen.”

  Ellie stepped back as one of the waitresses stepped from the kitchen, her arms laden with plates. She gently pushed the still swinging door. “Can we go in the kitchen?”

  Doug held out one arm toward the kitchen. “It’s probably the most important part.”

  Ellie stepped in and followed him through a basic tour of the space, asking questions and taking notes on a small pad of paper she fished from her purse. Her coat slipped for the third time as she tried to make a note about the supplier they use for their fresh produce.

  He felt like a jerk for not noticing until now how much she was juggling. “We can go drop off your coat and purse in the office.” Doug pointed to the door off the kitchen that led to the back hall.

  Ellie adjusted her armload again. “That would be great. Thank you.”

  Doug unlocked the door and pulled out his desk chair. “You can set it all right here.”

  She set her pad down and let the rest fall into the seat. As she picked back up her pen and paper she paused. “Is this your family?” Ellie gently picked up the wood framed photo, smiling back at the faces looking out.

  “Yeah.” He pointed to his mom. “You know my mom and Aspen.” He moved his finger to his dad. “That’s my dad.”

  Ellie looked over her shoulder, her eyes moving slowly over his face. “He must be very proud.”

  He wanted to keep looking at her, looking at him, but he couldn’t. Doug dropped his eyes. “I hope so.”

  Ellie carefully set the picture down. “I don’t see how he couldn’t be. What you’ve done here is impressive.”

  Doug tried to ignore the compliment but darned if Ellie calling his business impressive didn’t make him stand a little taller. Make his chest puff up a little.

  It was too bad she wouldn’t feel the same way if she knew the whole truth.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “THERE IS NOTHING for rent around here.” Ellie tossed her phone down on the couch beside her. She bounced a little on the overstuffed cushions. “You probably shouldn’t let me sit on your couch too long. I might argue squatters rights.”

  Betsy came in from the kitchen, a large plate in one hand, the other pointing at her belly. “I would consider it in exchange for being the one who stays up all night with this thing.”

  Ellie sunk down into the upholstery. “No deal.”

  She thought on it a little more. “I don’t know who would make me want to pull my hair out more. A screaming baby at three in the morning or my parents following me around every second of the day.”

  Betsy sat the plate down on the coffee table in front of the couch. “My money’s on Cris and Dale.”

  The smell coming from the table was enough to make Ellie forget what they were talking about. She sat up straight. “Bets. Are those scones?”

  Betsy nodded, an almost embarrassed smile trying to sneak onto her lips. “I figured you could help me eat them. I just can’t get enough of this stuff.” She adjusted the ribbed shirt sitting tight across her swollen middle. “Darn baby’s going to be the death of my waistline.”

  Ellie decided pointing out Betsy’s waistline was already long gone risked losing sharing rights to the scones. She leaned in and breathed deep. “You better not have gotten these in the freezer section.”

  Betsy’s head jerked back and her nose wrinkled. “What? No. Gross.” She scooted between the table and the couch and angled herself onto the couch beside Ellie. “I made these.” She gave Ellie a look out of the side of her eye. “If nothing else, I’m going to be one heck of a baker by the time I push this linebacker out.”

  Ellie kicked herself. The minute she set foot back in Bradbury every waking second was spent figuring out how to deal with her parents and their business and get the heck back out before she lost her mind. It made her act like a terrible, selfish friend. That stopped now. She smiled at Betsy. “What are you and Josh going to name the little guy?”

  Betsy bit into one of the scones, her baby blues rolling back into her head. She chewed for a minute, eyes closed then let out a satisfied sigh. “Emma.”

  Ellie’s hand froze, hovering above Betsy’s pregnant belly. “Uh. What?”

  Betsy opened her eyes, giving Ellie a confused look. “Emma. It was my great-grandmother’s name.”

  Ellie returned her friend’s confusion. “It’s a girl?”

  Betsy snorted. “Of course it’s a girl. What kind of sadistic mother would name a boy Emma?” She wiggled deeper into the sofa and bit off another chunk of scone, chewing quietly. She suddenly started laughing. “The linebacker thing. I get it now.”

  “I was wondering if you’d considered how that name would sound over the loudspeaker at his games.” Ellie leaned down and picked up a still warm scone, taking a bite. The delicately flaked layers of the tender pastry all but melted on her tongue, bathing her taste buds in a buttery vanilla flavor that rivaled anything she’d had in New York. “Bets. This is the best scone I’ve ever had.”

  Betsy waved her off. “Yeah right. I invited you over here to take up some of the calories. You don’t have to blow my skirt up to get me to share with you.” She grabbed another off the tray and looked at it, her brows drawn together in thought. “I don’t think I like these as much as the lemon blueberry ones.” She took a bite. “Those are Josh’s favorite too.”

  “You’re Josh’s favorite.” Ellie thought Betsy being married to the most popular guy in the class three years ahead of them would take some getting used to but Josh was hilarious and disgustingly in love with his wife. Not that Ellie could blame him. “You could serve him scones from my parent’s bakery and he would eat them with a smile on his face.”

  A thought started to brew around in Ellie’s mind. “How many kinds of these do you make?”

  Betsy shrugged. “I just use whatever I have around. With Josh the only one working and the baby coming I’m trying to lear
n not to be wasteful. That’s why I started making these. Too expensive to buy them.” She took another bite. “Plus I had to drive all the way to the mall to get them.”

  Ellie hesitated, not wanting to make Betsy feel guilty, but decided her friend’s opinion would be too helpful not to get it. “You didn’t go to my parent’s bakery?”

  Betsy cringed a little, avoiding Ellie’s eyes. “No.”

  Ellie bumped her shoulder to Betsy’s. “It’s nothing to feel bad about. I’ve had the food so I understand completely. I was just wondering if that was why.”

  Betsy relaxed a little and gave Ellie a tight smile. “I should have at least tried them before I made up my mind I guess.” She set the uneaten portion of her scone back on the plate. “I heard they really went downhill and was worried if I went in once and never came back it would hurt their feelings and your parents were always so nice to me.”

  “My mom loves you.” Ellie paused, shifting in her seat to face her friend. “I’m going to ask you a hypothetical question and I want you to answer me honestly.”

  Betsy raised her eyebrows. “Okay.” The word came out slow and uncertain.

  “Promise you’ll be honest?”

  Betsy nodded. “Promise.”

  “If my parents are open to making some changes at the bakery would you be interested in a job there?” The initial idea bloomed as Ellie spoke. “You could work whatever hours you wanted.” She looked down at Betsy’s belly. “You could even bring the baby.”

  Betsy rubbed her middle. “You think your mom would be okay with that?”

  Ellie laughed out loud. “She’d probably require it.”

  Betsy’s hand made slow circles around her belly button, what was left of it. She stared across the room deep in thought. Ellie held her breath a little, trying not to show how excited she was by the possibility of both Betsy getting to show off her baking talents and her parents putting all their current inventory where it belonged. In the garbage can.

  “Would I only make scones?” Betsy was still staring but the circles around her tummy were moving a little faster.