Page 136 of Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal
“Where are your parents right now?”
“Europe. My dad surprised my mom with a trip to the Christmas markets.”
“Ah, so you’re watching the house for them?”
I wince, because yikes, this is embarrassing. “I appreciate you thinking that, but I actually moved back in with my parents a few years ago. I wanted to save up to build a house of my ownon the property. I’m just about ready to start the process. I think in the new year, I’ll start looking at plans.”
“Oh wow, that’s pretty cool. Do you want a log cabin like your parents?”
“I think so.” I finish cleaning the first stall and then move over to the next. “I’d want it to fit in with the style of the buildings on the property, not be an eyesore. There is a pumpkin farm that we went to this past Halloween, Cole’s family and I, and it’s a family farm like this, and all the houses are in the back, but they all have their own style, and I don’t know. It just looked off.”
“I think I know the farm you’re talking about, and I thought so too. Are your brothers doing the same thing?”
“Fuck, I hope not,” I say, causing her to laugh. “They have their own place in town, close to their business, and I hope it stays that way.”
“So they don’t have any interaction with the farm at all?”
“No.” I shake my head. “None. What about you? Do you have siblings?”
“No,” she answers. “Only child.”
“Oh, that’s right, you said that. And Dwight was the sibling you never had.”
“Yeah, Dwight was the closest thing to a sibling I had growing up. We’d always have holidays together. And I called him Uncle Dwight as a joke and it’s stuck, so when he came up with this idea, I almost felt like... I had to at least give it a try.”
“The pressure of family is fun, isn’t it?”
“Did you get pressure to stay and help with the farm?”
I move into the next stall, making quick work because I can see that she’s starting to get cold. “Hey, if you want to scoop some feed into their buckets, you can. The scoop is in that green bin over there.”
I see a smile cross her face, clearly happy to help.
“I wasn’t really into the farm thing growing up. I knew in high school that I’d be joining the family business, and there were times that I was resentful about that, because in a way, a job defines who you are, and I didn’t want that definition to be laid out for me. But as I started working more and more with the people in town and the tourists, seeing the smiles on their faces, it just... it made sense to me. I saw why my parents did it, and I saw the purpose behind the farm and why my parents wanted to keep it in the family.”
“That’s... that’s really sweet.” She holds out the scoop. “Is this enough?”
“Two of those,” I answer. “Did you always want to be a shop owner?”
“I majored in business, so I thought that I’d do something in that realm, and when I saw the storefront one day on a walk, I had this entire vision come to life in my head, and I just... I went for it. My parents were supportive and helped me put the whole thing together. It went great for a while, but then it just sort of crashed and burned.” She sighs. “Doesn’t feel right getting this second chance to help Dwight, because what if... what if I mess it up?”
“You will if you think that way,” I say honestly. “You need to have confidence that you will succeed, especially with the right idea, and I’m telling you right now, the best idea is not competing against an already established business in town.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Dwight didn’t think it would be a problem, not having the town behind him, but I don’t know. After being here for a while and observing the way everyone supports everyone, I just can’t see how it wouldn’t be an issue. And plus, wouldn’t you want that support? Like... it feels almost like a circle of help. You pick up a coffee at Warm Your Spirits, and Tanya tells you about a shirt that would look perfect on a person and tells them to go to Baubles and Wrappings,and they tell them to go visit Santa, and then Santa asks them if they’ve visited his reindeer, then they come here, and you say they should... I don’t know... stay another night?—”
“Eh, that’s not entirely possible. There isn’t a lot of lodging here.”
“There isn’t?” she asks.
“No, we have the inn in town, but that’s pretty much it. Because Kringle saddles up against the mountain, there isn’t much land for housing, which is why people stay outside town and then come in for the day.”
“Oh.”
I glance back at her, watching her mind start to turn. Her eyes find mine.
“What if... what if I came up with some sort of housing idea for the town? Do you think that would be stepping on the inn’s toes?”
I stand up and lean on the shovel, thinking about it. “You know, I don’t think so, as long as it’s a different type of idea than what they have. Plus, they’re overwhelmed all the time, and I know Crystal and Tim over at the Roasting Chestnut have been wanting to do renovations but have been struggling because they’re constantly booked. It might be helpful. What are you thinking?”
