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Norah pulls into a space on the street in front of her flower shop, and the three of us make our way in.
A young lady with plump cheeks and a long braid in her hair, wearing a cute corduroy dress, greets us from behind the counter, “Good morning.”
“Hi, Steph. This is my cousin, Hannah. She’s in from Vegas and spending the month with us. Hannah, this is Steph, my new full-time employee and a godsend,” Norah introduces.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Steph.”
“You too,” she returns.
“We’re here to pick up the crate for the school,” Norah informs her.
“It’s ready. And the truck just delivered another load of poinsettias and mini spruce trees.”
“Oh, perfect. Let’s pull a couple of those for the window display. I have a box in the supply room with decorations, and I’ll pick up some candy canes from the mercantile this afternoon. We can set it up before closing today,” Norah says.
Norah looks to me and inclines her head. “Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the shop.”
I follow her into the back room. One wall is covered with large-doored coolers, full of colorful blooms. Another wall is lined with shelves, holding wooden boxes, filled with ribbons, bows, and small ornamental accoutrements. The opposite wall holds vases of all shapes, sizes, and colors, cellophane rolls, and decorative tissue paper. In the center stands a fifteen-foot-long granite island and workstation with all the trimmers needed for clipping blooms and grooming potted plants and trees, a hot glue gun, and all the tools of the trade.
Norah opens a set of antique double doors that opens to a storage area, which is packed to the brim with poinsettias and tiny trees.
The scent of spruce floats out and envelops me. I close my eyes and inhale deeply.
“It smells like Christmas,” I whisper.
“I know. Isn’t it wonderful?” Norah says.
I open my eyes and smile to her in agreement.
She disappears for a moment and reemerges with a wooden crate of evergreen branches and sets them on the island.
My eyes fall on the two large picture windows that look out behind her shop.
“What’s that?” I ask as I nod toward the glass structure outside.
“That’s my greenhouse. I grow my own herbs and a few vegetable plants out there from seedlings. Not much, just some tomatoes and a few peppers. We sell them in the spring.”
“And the herbs?”
“Lemon balm, lavender, several varieties of mint, citronella, catnip, basil, and oregano. Did you know that peppermint is a natural relaxant?” she asks.
“I did not.”
“It is. I’ve been studying natural remedies for headaches and stress. I dabble in making my own tinctures and teas. I enjoy making homemade essential oil lip balms and ointments as well.”
“Do you sell those too?” I ask.
“Oh, no. I make them for myself and a few friends and family. It’s just a hobby,” she says.
“And they are amazing!”
We turn to see Willa enter from the front.
“She makes them for my guest baskets at the inn.”
“Like the one you left in my bathroom?” I ask.
She nods.
