The Christmas Plan

by Samantha Chase

  Which reminded her that she had to seriously do some thinking about what she was going to do once she got back to Atlanta. She had been so busy with orders and then getting away with Gabe that she hadn’t made any final decision about her future.

  “Hey, Aspen!” someone called out and even though she waved, she wasn’t sure who she was waving at and as crazy as that was, it made her smile. In a short time she suddenly felt like part of a community–a great community.

  So what am I even thinking about? She wondered. All signs pointed to Silver Bell Falls being where she needed to be. But it wasn’t just as simple as making the decision. She also had to consider living arrangements and a job to tide her over while she tried to figure out how to start her own business.

  But now wasn’t the time to focus on that. She was going to help Nikki figure out where she went wrong with her chocolates and then hopefully get a free ice cream cone for her efforts.

  “Ugh…I think about food way too much…”

  Aspen stepped into the ice cream shop and was greeted by several familiar faces who were all enjoying a sweet treat, and Nikki waved from behind the counter. “Hey, Aspen! Thanks so much for coming by!”

  “My pleasure.” She made her way over to the counter and Nikki told her to come around to the back. Once they walked through the door that led to the back room, Aspen stopped in her tracks. “Holy cow…”

  Nikki turned and gave her an odd look. “What? What’s the matter?”

  “It’s huge back here!”

  Laughing softly, Nikki nodded. “Yeah, it’s a lot more space than what we realistically need, but it’s nice to have it.” Then she laughed again. “Except when it’s time to clean up. Then I curse about having so much space.”

  “I’ll be honest with you; I have no idea what goes into making ice cream, but I imagine having elbow room like this definitely comes in handy.”

  “We used to make all of it ourselves. But over the last few years I’ve had to cut back and order from a distributor for some of it. I hurt my shoulder and had to have surgery and my girls…well…they don’t mind helping, but they certainly don’t have the same passion for this that I do. They’re both more business-minded–not so into getting their hands dirty.”

  There were several large machines around the perimeter of the room and Aspen was fascinated by it all, but now wasn’t the time to focus on that.

  “Anything food related will definitely get your hands dirty,” Aspen said, smiling. “So let’s see your chocolates. I’m sure they’re not as bad as you think.”

  Two minutes later, Aspen stared down at the large tray and wasn’t sure what to say.

  It was worse than what she thought.

  “Don’t hold back,” Nikki said. “You’re not going to hurt my feelings.”

  “Um…”

  “Maybe I’m crazy to even try to learn a new craft. It’s hard enough getting creative with the ice cream and trying to get the customers excited about it. I thought if I added something else sweet to the menu that it would help. Maybe I should find a bakery and offer to sell some of their stuff here rather than try to do it myself.” She shook her head. “I’m exhausted as it is. This was a terrible idea. Let’s just throw this out and…”

  “Nikki,” Aspen said gently. “First, take a breath. You’re starting to spiral.”

  With a nod, Nikki let out a long breath.

  “Second, sometimes it’s the quality of the ingredients. Or not letting them melt and cook long enough at the right temperature. There are a lot of reasons why something like this happens and trust me, it happens a lot more than you think.”

  “Somehow I doubt you make anything that looks and tastes this bad.”

  “Well, not so much anymore, but in the beginning?” She shuddered dramatically. “Let’s just say I threw away more than I salvaged. There’s a huge learning curve.”

  “I think you’re just trying to be nice.”

  With a soft laugh of her own, Aspen shook her head. “I have the pictures to prove it.”

  And that seemed to make Nikki relax.

  “Walk me through everything you did–what ingredients you used and where you got them–and we’ll figure it all out.”

  An hour later, Aspen’s head was spinning, and it was clear that Nikki didn’t read directions very carefully. There were multiple steps she missed and had misread the time on some parts, and overall, there were just a lot of reasons why her chocolates turned out the way they did.

  And that’s when she finally allowed her to throw them all away.

  Relaxing on the stool Nikki had put out for her, Aspen took in the kitchen and sighed. There was so much space, so many surfaces to work on. It was like being back at the restaurants she’d worked at in the past, only better–less clutter and fewer people vying for space to work. If she could find a shop that had a kitchen like this, she’d be able to produce so much.

  In her mind, she moved equipment around and thought about what she’d add to make the space more productive. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear Nikki come back into the kitchen until there was an ice cream cone in front of her face.

  “Oh!”

  “You looked a little zoned out. Sorry! I thought you might want a little snack.”

  Smiling, Aspen gladly accepted the cone. “I was hoping to have one of these today.”

  “We’re open year-round, so whenever you’re here…” Pausing, she considered Aspen for a moment. “Do you think you’ll be coming back with Gabe next year?”

  It took a minute for Aspen to think about whether or not she should talk to Nikki about what she was hoping to do. It wasn’t like they were close friends, but maybe that would work in her favor–someone who didn’t have a close, emotional connection to the situation.

  “Can I ask you something?” she began.

  “Of course!” Taking the stool beside Aspen, Nikki sat.

  Then Aspen proceeded to explain her current situation and why she was able to come to Silver Bell Falls with Gabe–the whole ugly truth about her job and her perv of an ex-boss and how she was supposed to move back in with her parents.

  All while enjoying her ice cream.

  “Oh, Aspen, that’s horrible! You poor thing!”

  Letting out a long breath, Aspen poured out the rest of the story–including how much she wanted to start her own business here in town. Popping the last of her cone in her mouth, she said, “I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but…I know it’s what I want more than anything.”

  Nikki’s eyes lit up and she excitedly reached for Aspen’s hand. “Um, I have a bit of a confession to make.”

  “O-kay…”

  “I have been dying to try something new here with the shop. Like I said earlier, my girls don’t have the same interest in it as I do, but I know there is a lot of potential here.” She paused. “I think I can help you, Aspen. I know you said you want to start a business of your own, but would you consider maybe becoming a partner in this one and selling your chocolate creations here?”

  Aspen was fairly certain that the room started to spin even as her heart began to race. “Are you serious?”

  “Very,” Nikki said firmly. “That’s why I was so excited to talk with you and why I tried learning how to make chocolate! I thought it was something I could do myself, but clearly that was a mistake.”

  “I told you–it’s a difficult skill to learn. With practice…”

  But Nikki waved her off. “Trust me, no amount of practice is going to help. I know what I’m good at and I’d much rather focus on that. My customers deserve the best, Aspen, and I think they’d get that if you joined me.”

  “Oh, Nikki…you have no idea how much I want to say yes…”

  Reaching for her hands, Nikki took Aspen’s in hers. “No. I don’t want you to be impulsive and say yes right now. You need to think about it. I can provide you with any financial information that you need so you can see how profitable the shop is and then…”

>   Now it was Aspen’s turn to stop her. “That’s the problem, Nikki, I don’t have the money to invest. I did okay at the restaurant, but I don’t have a lot of money in savings. I’d have to go to the bank for a loan and…”

  “We can totally work that out, Aspen! I can help you with all of it! I’ll invest the money for the equipment and whatever you need to get started and then you can pay it off over say…the next five years. We can work all that out.”

  It couldn’t possibly be this easy, Aspen thought. Before she could comment on it, Nikki was talking again.

  “Go home and take a few days to think about it. If you’re interested, great! And if not, no hard feelings, I swear. If you would rather have a place of your own, I will be your biggest fan and promote the heck out of you. Just…promise me you’ll think about it.”

  With a small laugh, Aspen shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to think about anything else.”

  “Nikki?” someone called from out front. “Can you come give me a hand?”

  Smiling, Nikki stood. “I need to go and help out. Thank you so much for coming over and talking to me about my lack of candy-making skills.” She winked. “And please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions about…you know.”

  “Thanks, Nikki.” Following her out of the back room, Aspen made her way around the counter and through the small crowd lined up for ice cream. She took a long look around and smiled before heading out the door.

  Her first instinct when she stepped out onto the sidewalk was to go over to the tree lot and tell Gabe about Nikki’s offer. Unfortunately, she knew they were extremely busy clearing out the lot and breaking things down since they sold their last tree earlier today. Talking to him would have to wait until tonight.

  Not feeling like heading back to the house just yet, Aspen walked down Main Street like she loved to do and just enjoyed the sites and the smells. There was so much that she had come to love about this little town, and she couldn’t believe that it was now well within her reach to make the move here and start her business.

  Walking by the park, she cursed the fact that she didn’t have a sled with her. With the way she felt, Aspen would have loved to take a ride down the massive snowy hill and just shout with glee. She made a mental note to see if Gabe wanted to maybe grab a few runs down the hill before dinner and continued her walk.

  A partnership with Nikki–or anyone–wasn’t something she considered, but now that it was out there, Aspen realized it was a great opportunity. Maybe at some point down the road she could branch out on her own, but for now this was a way for her to ease into the business without having to do it all on her own.

  So why am I even hesitating? This is exactly what you need! You should…

  The sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted her thoughts and when she pulled the phone out and looked at the screen, she froze.

  “Hello?”

  “Aspen! Hey, it’s Joy! Listen, you are not going to believe what just went down here at Angelo’s. Any chance you’re free to work tonight?”

  “I know when we first got here–to the town, not the inn–this was all supposed to be a little like a pretend relationship and just while we were here in Silver Bell Falls. But I just want you to know that you’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had. And I mean ever. And if it were up to me, we’d stay like this forever.”

  “Gabriel!” his father called out with a tone that told him it wasn’t the first time he’d called out to his son.

  “Um…yeah? I got this, Dad! Go ahead!” He was holding one end of the long wooden fence that lined one side of the tree lot. They were taking it down in sections and it was a long and monotonous task, which was why Gabe was lost in his own thoughts.

  Liar.

  Okay, yeah, Aspen’s words were playing on a constant loop in his mind all day. He hadn’t been able to focus on much of anything because he wasn’t sure what her words meant. After all, she was half asleep when she said it, so maybe she hadn’t realized she was even saying it. And when they woke up and went to breakfast, she gave no indication that she had admitted such a thing to him.

  Not that he did anything to remind her.

  No, he knew Aspen and was fairly certain she was just talking in her sleep and didn’t realize what she was saying. The night had been all about romance and stepping out of their current reality for a little while–getting away from their everyday lives. Maybe she just got caught up in the fantasy. If she were serious about a relationship with him, she would have said something sooner. As it was, they barely had a week before she was leaving which meant…this was all coming to an end.

  “If it were up to me, we’d stay like this forever.”

  Or not.

  And he was a little afraid to hope that she were serious.

  And he was also a little afraid to ask if she were serious, so…where did that leave him?

  “Screwed,” he muttered. “I’m totally screwed.”

  For the next hour, Gabe helped his father and their crew take down the rest of the lot. Trailers were loaded and soon there was nothing left but some random branches and pine needles. His father walked over and stood beside him.

  “Hard to believe this could be our last year,” he said solemnly. “I always thought I’d go out with a bit more of a bang or that I’d simply retire and watch it carry on.” Pausing, he looked at Gabe. “And no, I’m not saying that to throw any guilt at you. We’ve had this conversation dozens of time and I’m not trying to pressure you into moving back and taking over the lot.”

  There wasn’t anything he could say to that, so Gabe simply nodded.

  “Maybe I should have made a little more of a big deal about it, but…” He shrugged. “I guess I still haven’t come to grips with it all. Nothing’s written in stone, so maybe I’ve got another year or two in me.”

  “Dad, there’s nothing wrong with retiring. You’ve worked hard your whole life. It’s okay to walk away and enjoy your life.”

  “You may not believe this, but I’ve always enjoyed my life. Hell, I’m still enjoying my life. I love what I do. And all the hard work maintaining the farm throughout the year and then seeing the joy on hundreds of people’s faces when they come and find their perfect tree?” His face was one of pure joy. “There’s nothing like it. I’ve been incredibly blessed and even though it’s a lot of hard work, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Then he turned and smiled at Gabe. “That’s probably how you feel about making a movie, huh?”

  Was it?

  “There is something very satisfying about it, but there’s also a lot of stress,” Gabe admitted.

  “What are you going to be working on next?”

  Gabe thought about the project Aspen had pitched to him and how he had sent a proposal to the production company and hadn’t heard anything back from them yet. “Not sure. Once I get back to Atlanta, I’m sure something will be waiting for me.”

  They stood in companionable silence for several minutes. “Anything else waiting for you back in Atlanta?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Shrugging, his father continued looking around the lot from his spot. “I know it’s none of my business, but…it seems like Aspen’s still moving. You okay with that?”

  “She’s doing what she needs to do,” he said miserably. “Although if she had her choice, she’d start a business here.”

  “So why doesn’t she?”

  “It’s not that easy, Dad. This wasn’t something she planned on. She’s not financially prepared to just jump in and do it.”

  Beside him, his father’s low chuckle drew his attention.

  “What? What’s so funny?”

  “The last time I saw someone come in and have the whole town rally around them was when Josiah’s wife Melanie came to Silver Bell Falls,” he explained. “Of course, she didn’t want to be here and couldn’t wait to go back to North Carolina. But she fell in love with Josiah and the town and…the town fell in love with her.”
r />   “I’m not following…”

  “Aspen showed up here all wide-eyed and excited to be here even though her life was kind of a mess. Everywhere she went, she made friends.”

  “That’s partially because Mom went and told everyone about her and that we were dating.”

  “I don’t think that made that much of a difference. Aspen is just the kind of person people gravitate toward. You add that sweet personality to the sweet treats she makes, and that’s one heck of a girl.”

  Tell me about it.

  “She fits here,” his father went on. “I think her staying here would be fantastic and I think she’d be very successful.”

  All Gabe could do was nod.

  “That still means she’d be here and you’d be there. You okay with that?”

  “It’s a better option than her going back to San Diego.”

  “True. Very true.”

  “But…?”

  “The two of you have obviously grown…closer,” he went on carefully. “Are you sure you’re ready to let her go?”

  No.

  Only…he couldn’t make himself admit it out loud, and after a minute, his father took the hint.

  “Come on. Let’s get all this stuff back to the farm. It’s almost dinner time and it will be nice to know that when I go to bed tonight, I won’t have to set the alarm for tomorrow.”

  That made Gabe chuckle. “Dad, we both know you get up early with or without the alarm.”

  “Yeah, but it’s nice knowing that I have the option.”

  Gabe wouldn’t know because right now, he felt like he had none.

  Fourteen

  Aspen was careful not to say anything about Nikki’s offer or the phone call she got from her former co-worker until she and Gabe were alone after dinner. Once they said goodnight to his parents and walked out to the tiny house, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  “You are not going to believe what happened to me today,” she blurted out as soon as the door was closed.

  His eyes went wide as he slid his coat off. “Judging by the smile on your face, I’m going to guess it’s good news.”