Page 10 of Christmas Wish

“Ah, Holly. How are you this morning, dear?” he asked, smiling.

Holly loved how gentlemanly he was. He was part of the dying group of men who still heavily believed in chivalry. Every morning, he took a walk around their street to pick flowers for his wife. He still carried a white handkerchief that he passed to his wife or the women around him. Two days ago, for instance, her friend Rosey had a difficult day, causing her to burn the apple pie she had been making, and Mr. Brown passed her a clean handkerchief to her. Sometimes, Holly teased her husband for not being entirely like him, even though she loved him exactly like he was.

“I’m doing rather well, today,” Holly replied. She went straight to work, pulling out the old sheets and replacing them with the new ones.

"What a beautiful morning it is," Mrs. Brown said, walking up to her husband. Mr. Brown kissed his wife's hand as they gazed outside. Holly swooned happily. She loved what they had and wanted it. She wished that she and Charles would be like that when they grew older.

"Snowfall in Mistletoe is the most beautiful thing ever," Mrs. Brown commented. Holly gazed out of the window and agreed. It had been the first thing she fell in love with when she came to Mistletoe; all the tourists that stayed in Mrs. Dalenger’s B&B said the same thing, too. Mistletoe offered hope and peace to those who needed it. Many people had been first-timers who ended up staying. There was something about the town that held back everyone who came in contact with it. Rosey told Holly that the first day she came to Mistletoe, she knew that she would become a resident here. Meeting the love of her life had sealed that decision.

“It really is,” she said.

"Peter and I have been curious about what what it would be like in summer. Could you keep a room for us during that season? We'd definitely love to return," Mrs. Brown uttered.

Holly smiled happily. "Why, yes, of course, Mrs. Brown! I will certainly do that." Summers in Mistletoe were usually fun. The number of tourists may be small because there were no beaches in town, but it also meant that you could visit the creek every day and stay there without getting disturbed by anyone. The sun, just like the snow, made everything shine.

"Thank you, Holly," Mrs. Brown uttered.

Holly packed up the old sheets, which were headed straight for the washing machine. “I’d bring up breakfast soon," she said on her way out. She heard thanking her as she shut their door.

The hallway was busy with children running around. The Robbins family had very rowdy boys who loved to make a lot of noise. Holly didn't particularly care for them; she thought that Mrs. Robbins was a bit stuck-up, especially when she said that Mrs. Dalenger’s B&B was substandard. She never failed to seize an opportunity to complain about a service. Holly had learned how to deal with troublesome clients like her, but she still couldn't resist the urge to hit her across her surgically beautified nose.

“Don’t knock down the vases!” she called out to the boys, but they ignored her and continued playing. Shaking her head, Holly walked into the kitchen, tired. Rosey was busy preparing the breakfast of the day.

“Is it almost ready? Uh, this smells nice,” Holly said. She stirred the soup on the stove, inhaling deeply. The kitchen was Rosey’s strong forte; it was her comfort zone. Holly was truly happy and grateful to have Rosey by her side.

“It’s nearly done,” Rosey replied.

“Good.”

Just then, Ruth walked into the kitchen, bearing a tray of food. “That woman annoys me to no ends, I swear to God,” she said through gritted teeth.

Holly didn’t need to be told who she was talking about. "Mrs. Robbins, right?" she asked.

Ruth dumped the tray into the sink angrily. "Does she, like, ever stop complaining? The food Rosey made last night was good. Why would she complain about the garlic?" Her ranting started, making Rosey laugh. At first, Mrs. Robbins' complaints hurt her, but as the days went by, she understood that the woman was simply troublesome.

“She’s never going to be pleased. I can’t wait for them to leave at the end of the season,” Ruth concluded angrily.

Holly wanted to hug her and apologize for Mrs. Robbins’ stinking attitude. “Imagine what I go through every day with her. She’s insatiable. You give her bread; she wants cake. You give her roses; she wants peonies. She is so irritating.” Holly lowered her voice towards the end as the Robbins’ boys were running around in the hallway and could easily hear them.

“She made me cry, that woman. She told me that I should drop my cooking spoons and look for another career because cooking clearly isn’t for me,” Rosey confided. She dropped the stirring spoon; her eyes were slightly misty as she remembered that incident.

“You don’t have to cry, Rosey. We all know how exceptionally talented you are. Mrs. Robbins just has a very high taste, which is really unfortunate since we don't have any five-star hotels and restaurants in Mistletoe," Ruth said, patting Rosey's shoulders reassuringly.

“I don’t let her get to me. I just don’t know how anyone would be so unkind and how her husband puts up with it,” Rosey said.

Holly chuckled. “In cases like that, one always chooses and stays with spouses that are a reflection of who truly are. Don’t you see how her genes had passed on to their children? The boys are terrible and so uncontrollable,” she said. As if on cue, something crashed in the hallway.

Her mother ran over there to check it out. “How many times have I told you to be quiet and stay in your rooms?” she yelled. Ruth eventually reappeared in the kitchen, holding the boys on their collars. They didn’t look sorry for what they had done.

“They broke your flower vase, Holly,” her mother said. Holly handed her a broom to sweep up the vase. She left the kitchen, still grumbling loudly.

Holly nearly laughed at her mother's frustrations. There was no way she could run Mrs. Dalenger’s B&B without throwing Mrs. Robbins out. Apparently, Holly inherited her grandmother's business acumen, patience, and high level of tolerance.

Facing the two boys, she said, “James and John, you are really beginning to test my patience. Do you know that your parents refuse to pay for the things you damage in this place? You really ought to stop, or I’ll punish you. Now, go to your room and stay quiet.”

The boys ran out of the room quickly. Rosey seemed impressed when Holly turned back to her.

“Nice! Honestly, I have no idea how you do it, but you can get almost anyone to do what you want,” she said, adjusting the chef’s hat on her head.

---