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Mabel couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight. “Vanessa” she called out, laughing so hard she could barely speak for a moment, “that outfit is quite the combination.”

Vanessa looked down at herself with apparent satisfaction, smoothing the sweater over her rounded stomach. “I think it’s perfectly on point with the season,” she said with mock seriousness. “Not over the top at all.”

“Of course not,” Mabel agreed, still chuckling. “Very subtle and understated.”

“That’s what I was going for,” Vanessa said with a grin, unwinding her scarf as she headed toward the kitchen. “I’m just going to grab some hot chocolate. I’ve been craving it constantly lately. I think the baby has developed a serious cocoa addiction, and Imogen is closed for lunch right now.”

As Vanessa disappeared into the kitchen in search of her craving, Mabel found herself smiling genuinely for the first time all day. Vanessa’s outfit was ridiculous, but it had seemed to make her happy, and it had certainly cheered Mabel up.

Jackson emerged from the kitchen a few moments later, and Mabel noticed that he looked more pensive than before. He glanced toward the door through which Vanessa had disappeared, then back at Mabel with a look she couldn’t quite interpret.

When he walked by her booth this time, she grabbed his elbow, tugging him back toward the seat he’d occupied before.

“Okay, Jackson,” she said, setting down her spoon and fixing him with a knowing look. “Now you need to spill the beans. What’s got you looking so worried all of a sudden?”

Jackson hesitated for a moment, clearly debating whether to share whatever was on his mind. Then he sighed and leaned against the back of the booth.

“It’s probably nothing,” he began, echoing Mabel’s earlier words. “I’m probably overthinking or reading too much into things too…”

“But?” Mabel prompted when he trailed off.

“I don’t know,” Jackson said, running a hand through his hair. “Vanessa seems happy enough, and that Christmas outfit certainly suggests she’s in good spirits. But there’s something about her lately that makes me think she might be struggling with something. Nothing dramatic or obvious, just… I don’t know. A feeling. Don’t you think all the over-the-top Christmas clothes are a little weird? That’s not how she dresses at all. She’s really gotten into the Christmas spirit over the years, but she’s still the woman who wore all designer clothes when she showed up here. She’s reined it in for comfort, but she’s always been stylish. Vanessa last year wouldn’t have been caught dead in a sweater like that.” He frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s just trying to… have fun, and I’m worrying for nothing. It’s just a feeling.”

Mabel considered his words carefully. If he was picking up on something with Vanessa, it was worth paying attention to. “What kind of feeling?” she asked.

“Like she’s got something on her mind that she’s not talking about,” Jackson said slowly. “She laughs and jokes and acts like everything is fine, but sometimes I catch her with this look on her face, like she’s worried about something she can’t quite put her finger on, or doesn’t want to talk about.”

Mabel felt a familiar flutter of concern in her chest. Pregnancy was a time of enormous physical and emotional changes, she knew, and she’d worried too that Vanessa might be dealing with things she wasn’t talking about. The transition into motherhood was never easy, she knew, even when circumstances were as perfect as they could be, as they were for Vanessa and Jackson.

“The only way for you to know for sure is to talk to her,” Mabel said gently. “But try not to worry too much. Women go through a lot physically and emotionally during pregnancy. Mood swings, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed—it’s all completely normal. If I had to guess, she’s just coping with how being so pregnant is making her feel. We all do some crazy stuff trying to adjust,” she added with a laugh. “It’s a big step.”

Jackson nodded, although he still looked concerned. “I know you’re right. I just love her, you know? I want to make sure she knows she can talk to me if she needs to.”

“She knows,” Mabel assured him. “And she’s lucky to have someone like you looking out for her. But sometimes the best thing we can do is just be present and supportive without trying to fix everything.”

As she said it, Mabel knew she needed to take her own advice to heart. She’d been so focused on analyzing the interaction between George and Eda, so busy fretting over whether or not they’d talked again or if Eda was pursuing him while Mabel wasn’t around, making up scenarios in her head, that she’d forgotten her own wisdom.

George had done nothing wrong. He had been polite to a guest at the B&B, nothing more. The fact that Eda had chosen to interpret that politeness as encouragement was her problem, not George’s. And certainly not Mabel’s.

If she continued down the path of suspicion and jealousy, she knew she would end up creating the very problems she was trying to prevent. She would push George away with her doubts and insecurities, would poison the beautiful thing they had built together with fears that had no basis in reality.

“You know what?” she said, more to herself than to Jackson, “I think I need to take my own advice. Don’t go searching for trouble. That’s what I always told my kids, and it’s just as true now as it was then.”

Jackson chuckled, his worried expression easing slightly. “Good philosophy to live by,” he agreed. “Most of the time, trouble will find us soon enough without any help from us.”

Mabel laughed, feeling the last of her anxiety finally beginning to dissipate. “Exactly. And in the meantime, I’m going to focus on enjoying what I have rather than worrying about what I might lose.”

The sound of footsteps announced Vanessa’s return from the kitchen, and Mabel looked up to see her granddaughter carrying a steaming mug topped with what appeared to be enough whipped cream to constitute a meal in itself.

“Don’t judge me,” Vanessa said, noticing Mabel’s amused expression as she slid into the booth beside her. “The baby wants what the baby wants, and apparently what the baby wants is enough sugar to power a small aircraft.”

“I’m not judging,” Mabel said, although she couldn’t help but smile. “I’m just impressed by your commitment to giving that baby everything it desires.”

“It’s all about priorities,” Vanessa said with mock seriousness, taking a sip that left her with a whipped cream mustache. “And right now, my priorities are chocolate, more chocolate, and then maybe some actual food.”

As they sat together in the comfortable warmth of the diner, surrounded by the gentle buzz of conversation and the familiar sounds of Jackson’s diner, Mabel felt a wave of contentment settle over her. She had everything she needed. Everything else—the worries about Eda, the fears about threats to her relationship that probably didn’t exist, the temptation to create problems where none were necessary… all of that was just noise. It prevented her from appreciating the good things that were right in front of her.

She looked at Vanessa, ridiculous in her Christmas outfit and blissfully happy with her sugar-laden hot chocolate, and felt a surge of pure love and gratitude. Then she thought about George, probably back at the tree lot by now, helping families find their perfect Christmas trees.