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“I’ll handle the staging,” Janet said, scribbling down some notes. “And if there’s any furniture you want to leave, you’ve always had good taste. It’ll add to that homey feeling that so many families love.”

Nicole nodded, although she felt a pang of sadness looking at the dining room set she and Carl had saved up to buy during their first year of marriage, now no longer covered with a tablecloth and set with her nice dishes, the way she usually kept it. She’d planned on leaving it, since she didn’t really want the memories that came with it any longer, and it was still in great condition if future buyers wanted to keep it. But it had once meant a lot to her, and it made her sad to think that it was no longer a source of happiness.

They went over a few final things, and Nicole walked Janet out to her car. Janet paused as she opened the door, giving Nicole one final, concerned look.

“I know you’re sure about all of this. But I hope this turns out to be a good decision. I can’t help but worry, you know that.”

“I know,” Nicole said, forcing a brave smile onto her face despite her own nerves. “Don’t be worried. I know what I’m doing.”

As Janet drove away and Nicole waved goodbye, she could only hope that what she’d said was true. That there was no reason to be worried about the decision that she’d so impulsively made.

CHAPTER FOUR

The morning rush at The Toy Chest had been steady since the moment they’d opened their doors, with parents ducking in between other errands to cross items off their Christmas lists before the real shopping chaos of the following weekend.

Now that there was a lull, Mabel Stewart went about making sure the displays were all just as they’d been that morning before small children had been in the shop to poke at them. She was fully in a Christmas mood that morning, ready for the holiday season to begin. She’d picked her favorite Christmas sweater to wear that morning, the one with dancing reindeer on it, and put a sparkly red headband in her silver bob to add to the festive feeling.

A grunt from the doorway of the back room startled her, and she looked around to see her granddaughter emerging with a box of inventory in her arms. Vanessa was walking carefully, her eight-month-pregnant frame closer to waddling than walking at this stage. Mabel beamed at the sight of her, hurrying over to help Vanessa with the box.

“I’ve got it… okay, maybe not.” Vanessa gratefully relinquished the box to Mabel, looking a little frustrated at her newer, lessened range of movement.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Mabel assured her, and she meant it. She was over the moon at the prospect of a great-grandchild, something that she’d once upon a time never thought she’d have. Vanessa had been mostly estranged from her for many years, having withdrawn from any family connections that might remind her of the loss of her parents—Mabel’s son and his wife—shortly after her graduation in a terrible car accident. Vanessa had lived in San Francisco, throwing herself into work and shutting everything else out, including family, friends, and the possibility of romance.

Then, three years ago, Mabel had suffered an accident while playing a prank on her close friend, George Lowery. She’d hurt her wrist, and it had quickly become apparent that she wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the usual chaos of the toy shop at Christmastime. She’d never hired help before, but she’d managed to convince Vanessa to come out to Fir Tree Grove and help her during the holiday season.

One thing had led to another, beginning with the local diner owner, Jackson Hayes, charming Vanessa with an endless supply of eggnog lattes. A romance had bloomed between them, and a year and a half later, they’d gotten married. Now Vanessa was on the verge of having their first child, and Mabel couldn’t have been more excited.

In fact, her entire life was blossoming in ways that she never would have thought were possible for her at her age, just a year past seventy. The year after Vanessa had come home, George had finally come around to admitting that his feelings for her were more than just friendship, something they’d been dancing around for years and never admitted to each other or to themselves. They’d started dating, a novelty for Mabel after so many years assuming that her romantic life was over, and after two years, they were closer than ever. She had a key to his house, they’d seen each other through illnesses and injuries and all of the good and bad that two years of life had to offer, and she thought that she felt sure George was it for her, for the rest of their lives. It felt like such a blessing to have found something so special at this stage of her life, and she didn’t take a single second of it for granted.

“You don’t have to keep bringing out inventory,” Mabel said, setting the box down. “I can handle the heavy lifting. You should be taking it easy.”

Vanessa let out a sigh. “It’s so hard to not be moving around. I’m not used to just sitting anymore,” she added with a laugh. “I used to sit at a desk all day, but three years of helping you with the shop has made it so that I like being on my feet.” She pressed a hand against her lower back.

“You could just take off early,” Mabel suggested. “There’s really no reason for you to keep working this last month. You could be at home, getting the nursery ready and relaxing before you forget what sleep feels like. You and Jackson would be just fine without you working here.”

“I know.” Vanessa rubbed her hand in circles over her back. “But I like working. It makes me feel more like myself. And right now, I really need to remember who that is, because I don’t feel like it a lot of the time.”

Mabel smiled, shaking her head. It had been decades since she’d been in Vanessa’s position, but she clearly remembered that it hadn’t always been easy. She could see that Vanessa, although beautiful as always, was still tired. She still had her bright smile, and she was glowing from the pregnancy, but there were circles under her eyes, and she was definitely moving at a much slower pace than usual. “Of course you’re still yourself,” Mabel said gently. “You’re just yourself plus a little someone who’s very eager to meet the world.”

Vanessa’s expression crumpled slightly, and she leaned back against the doorjamb, looking more tired than before. “I know that, rationally,” she said with a sigh. “But none of my clothes fit right anymore, and I can’t sleep comfortably, and yesterday I cried because Jackson brought me the wrong flavor of ice cream. I don’t feel like the person Jackson married, and I’m scared that by the time this baby comes, I won’t remember how to be anyone other than someone’s mother. I don’t recognize myself anymore like this.”

Hearing her say that made Mabel’s heart ache. She remembered that feeling, and she knew that the struggles of being pregnant were often emotional as much as physical. The fear of losing yourself in motherhood was universal, she thought, even when becoming a mother was everything you’d dreamed of.

“Sweetheart,” Mabel said, moving closer to wrap Vanessa in a careful hug, “what you’re feeling is completely normal. Your body is doing something miraculous, and that takes an enormous amount of energy and resources. But you’re still you—you’re just you with a few more responsibilities and a lot more hormones.”

Vanessa laughed, sniffing back the beginning of tears and leaning into Mabel’s embrace. “Jackson keeps saying the same thing, but he’s required to think I’m beautiful even when I feel like a whale.”

“You have that beautiful pregnancy glow everyone talks about,” Mabel assured her, pulling back to look into Vanessa’s face. “And you’ll feel like yourself again soon enough. This is just one stage of your life, and it won’t last forever. The discomfort is temporary, I promise. And Jackson is a wonderful husband and will be a wonderful father, he’ll make sure you have the time to do things for yourself to bounce back.”

The bell above the front door chimed, interrupting their moment, and both women turned to see Imogen walk in with Katie in tow. Mabel had watched Katie grow from a newborn, to a shy toddler, to the bright, curious child she was now, full of energy and questions about everything. She’d always been proud of Imogen for the incredible job she’d done raising Katie on her own. When her husband had left shortly after Katie was born, she’d struggled like anyone would have, but she hadn’t fallen apart or given up. She’d created her own business from scratch, starting out making desserts and candies from home before she’d saved enough to rent her own storefront—what was now Artisan Chocolates. She’d made it through with sheer determination, while still being an amazing mother and staying as positive and sunny as everyone in town had always known her to be.

And over the past year, Mabel had gotten to see her finally find love again with Lincoln Blackwell, the owner of the ice rink in town. She took some credit for that, Mabel thought, since her and Vanessa’s meddling last Christmas had helped to push the two former high school sweethearts back together. To be fair, it had also almost ruined the fragile budding romance between them. But in the end it had all worked out, and Mabel had loved getting to see Imogen finally embrace the same possibility of love that had made Vanessa and Mabel’s lives so much richer. Katie loved having Lincoln around too, and he was wonderful with her.

“Be careful of the displays!” Imogen warned Katie as she tore toward the new display of dolls that had just come in for the holidays. She was smiling as she said it, and Mabel thought she could tell that Imogen was on cloud nine today. She was always cheerful, but there was something exceptionally light about her, and she looked as if she couldn’t stop smiling.

“How are things going?” Mabel asked Imogen as she came over to stand next to the register. “You look like you’re on top of the world.”

“Everything is great,” Imogen said with that same bright smile. “I couldn’t ask for more, honestly. Everything is wonderful.”