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“Well, of course she does. This is Noelle, the owner of Twinkle Twinkle Little Treasures!” Felix grinned. “She’s famous!”
“Oh, yeah?” Annie asked.
“I don’t want to boast,” the woman started.
“You must!” Annie encouraged, more curious than ever about what this woman could be famous for.
“My store is the largest exclusively Christmas snow globe collection shop in New England,” Noelle said proudly, her cheeks looking like two bright, gleaming, red apples.
“Wow,” Annie said, her face locked into a forced smile that couldn’t reach her eyes.
“That’s exciting,” Nick told her, kindly. “We walked by the shop yesterday and things seemed very busy.”
“I’ve been blessed with the best customers in this beautiful town,” Noelle said, putting a hand to her heart.
“So are you two … together? A couple?” Annie asked playfully, wiggling her eyebrows. Nick shot her a look of surprise, which Annie returned with an air of fiery mischief. Why not try and throw a little spice into the conversation and see what happens?
“A couple of cronies,” Noelle said with a tight-lipped smile aimed at the table.
“Cronies?” Annie asked. “You look pretty cozy to me,” she encouraged.
“Felix has been a wonderful friend to me for many years. After I lost my husband, he was a great beacon of support,” Noelle continued.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband,” Annie told Noelle more softly. “I’m sure it’s not easy around the holidays.” Nick stared at Annie again with a look of surprise, but this one was different, and she couldn’t put a finger on why. “What?” Annie snapped at him.
“Nothing!” Nick said quickly. “I’m also sorry for your loss, Noelle. But it’s wonderful you’ve found a friend in Felix.”
“We have a lot of fun,” Felix chimed in.
“Oh yeah? What kind of trouble do you two crazy kids get into together?” Annie asked.
“We like to take a nice long drive every Sunday after church to the loveliest little bakery,” Felix said, a faraway look of contentment in his eyes.
“Now we’re talking,” Annie encouraged. “Go on.”
“They have the most outstanding oatmeal cookies,” Felix continued.
“And?” Annie prompted and when Felix didn’t elaborate, she asked, “You take a long drive for oatmeal cookies? On purpose?”
“They’re oatmeal raisin cookies, dear,” Noelle explained as if this would explain everything.
“Raisin …? That’s somehow even worse,” Annie murmured to herself as she shuddered in horror. She could think of nothing more terrible than all of the times she had bitten into an oatmeal raisin cookie thinking it was a chocolate chip and the cruel disappointment that morphed into rage upon that discovery.
“Sounds like someone is getting hungry,” Felix knowingly smiled at Nick. Grant waltzed back to the table, his black dress shoes squeaking with each step, and dropped off two mugs of hot chocolate in front of Annie and Nick.
“Your aunt would be so proud of you,” Felix said, his eyes glistening. “Stepping up and continuing her legacy.” Felix stopped himself to take a long slow slip of his own hot chocolate and gaze off into space.
“I miss her dearly,” Grant said after a beat of pointed silence.
“We all do,” Noelle added. “This inn has been a Simsbury staple, especially during the holiday season.” The three settled into the heaviness of the moment, hypnotized by its spell, and each in a fog of their own creation.
“Has it?” Annie asked, eager to break whatever weird emotional trance enveloped the table. This was certainly news to her.
“Of course, dear girl! Haven’t you ever attended the annual Christmas Ball?” Noelle asked, snapping back to stare at Annie.
“Can’t say that I have,” Annie replied.
“Oh, Felix, isn’t that the saddest thing you’ve ever heard? What a travesty! You big-city people can get so lost in the hustle and bustle of it all, always on the go, staring at a screen, you forget to look up at all the joy and happiness right in front of you!” Noelle exclaimed, adjusting her glasses.
