Page 23 of Magic in Mistletoe
“Morning,” Sadie replied, then pulled out the Santa hat from her bag and pulled it on, causing Rosie to laugh. “Don’t laugh. A promise is a promise.”
“I’m sorry, but you look so darn cute. And boy oh boy, can you believe all this snow?” Rosie asked, gesturing towards the window where fat snowflakes began falling, adding to the already impressive accumulation.
“I used to live in Miami, remember, so no, I can’t,” Sadie said, her gaze fixed on the cleared sidewalk outside. “Hey, Rosie, did you shovel the walk this morning?”
“Me? No. Maybe it was one of our neighbors?” Rosie suggested, her optimism shining through as always. “You know, a little gesture of goodwill during this terrible storm. And it’s not only our shop. The sidewalk for the entire square has been shoveled.”
“Interesting,” Sadie said, pretty certain it was Martin’s crew. “Anyway,” she continued, changing the subject. “I spent the storm with Martin Kringle and his family.” She tried to sound nonchalant, but her cheeks burned a little at the admission.
“Really?” Rosie’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “No wonder you’re glowing today. How was it?”
“Oh, you know, fine, I guess,” Sadie said with a coy laugh as Rosie rolled her eyes.
Sadie was about to say more, but when she reached for the switch to turn on the twinkling fairy lights that lined the shelves, they remained dark. She then tried the main lights. Still nothing.
“Rosie, did you come back to the store and turn off the power before the storm?” Sadie asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“No, I didn’t,” Rosie replied, concern now etching her features. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“The power’s off,” Sadie said, flicking the switch back and forth in frustration. “And it’s freezing in here. I wonder how long it’s been off for?”
“I’ll check the water,” Rosie called out, heading to the sink. “If the pipes have frozen, we’re in trouble.” She attempted to turn the faucets on. “Son of a gumdrop, they’re frozen. This is bad, very bad. I guess the generator stopped working.”
“Generator?” Sadie asked.
There was a pause, the silence as cold as the room. Sadie’s stomach knotted.
“Rosie, what generator?” she asked again.
“The one beside the back door. Outside in the alley. We always switch to generator power during a storm.”
“Well, I didn’t know that.” Sadie’s voice rose an octave as she began to panic. “Our supplies. Our candy. Martin’s order.”
“The worst thing to do is panic,” Rosie said.
“I know, but it’s the only thing I can think of doing right now. Martin’s counting on us for his order,” Sadie said, her voice filled with worry. “Christmas is a huge deal to his family. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“Well, the candy we’ve already made should be fine. I don’t think being frozen will hurt it. My mom’s frozen truffles before and eaten them at a later date. So, it’s really the new candy that’s the issue since we can’t work here. I don’t even know if I should turn on the generator because if any pipes have burst and they thaw, we’ll have an even bigger mess,” Rosie said.
Sadie sighed, trying to tamp down her rising dread. “Alright. But let me call Martin.” Sadie reached for her phone. “He needs to know we might not get everything finished.” She opened the screen and immediately noticed a text notification from him she had missed earlier. Opening it, she quickly scanned it and then read aloud, “Sadie, I’m sorry for the short notice, but I had to go out of town for a day or two. I won’t be reachable until I return.”
“Out of town?” Rosie echoed, a worried frown on her face. “Now what?”
“We’re on our own, then.” Sadie removed her Santa hat and tossed it on the counter.
“Maybe not entirely,” Rosie suggested. “We could call Caleb. He’s always been good at fixing things.”
“Right, yes, great idea,” Sadie agreed, dialing Caleb’s number before she even realized it. He picked up after two rings.
“Hey, Sadie,” Caleb greeted, his cheerful voice providing a small comfort amid the chaos. “What can I do for you?”
“Hi, Caleb,” Sadie replied, trying to sound calm. “We have a bit of a situation here at the store. The power’s out, the pipes are frozen, and we have a huge candy order to finish for Martin Kringle. Do you think you could come over and help us?”
“Of course, Sadie,” Caleb assured her without hesitation. “I’m not sure what I can do, but I’ll be there with my toolbox. Hang tight.”
“Thanks, Caleb,” Sadie said, relief flooding through her. “See you soon.” She hung up the phone and turned to Rosie. “Caleb’s on his way with some equipment. Hopefully, that will get us up and running again.”
“What a relief,” Rosie sighed, pulling her coat tighter. “I don’t know how much longer I can stand this cold.”
