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After inhaling a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, I debated which task to start next, preferably one that didn’t require a trip into town. One look out the window made it clear that winter was here to stay. The brief glimpse reminded me that the bags of salt were outside. I got dressed and headed outside to sprinkle salt along the walkway from the gate to the front door. A plow passed by as I finished. At the rate the snow continued to fall, the plows would have to operate around the clock.
“You need to go to the store,” Nana Pratt said when I reentered the house.
“I’d rather wait until the snow stops.”
“Why? You drove in the snow last night without any trouble.”
I sat on the floor to remove my boots by the door. “It isn’t the snow. It’s the mob mentality when there’s bad weather. I don’t need to see people fighting over the last packet of ground beef.”
Nana Pratt folded her arms. “Well, you’re going to starve if you don’t suck it up and get down there soon.”
I rose to my feet and walked toward the kitchen. “I won’t starve.”
“Fine, but you should know you’re almost out of toilet paper,” she said.
I stopped in my tracks. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I checked all the cupboards while you were outside.”
“You’re not supposed to be snooping.”
“I wasn’t snooping. I was helping.”
I contemplated my options. It was still early enough that the store might not be busy. “Do I need anything else?” I asked as I retrieved my handbag from the kitchen counter.
Nana Pratt seemed only too pleased to tell me. She rattled off a list of items, including a loaf of white bread.
I shot her a quizzical look. “I don’t eat white bread.”
She pressed her hands to her wispy cheeks. “Oh, silly me. Old habits die hard, don’t they?”
Ray hovered in the dining room doorway as I put on my coat. “You should pick up a small bag of mixed nuts,” he said. “The kind with the chocolate chips. That was one of my favorite snacks.”
“Oh!” Nana Pratt said. “And try the gingerbread loaf. It’s homemade, and this is the only time of year they offer it.”
I paused at the front door to slide my feet into the boots. “Are you both trying to live vicariously through me?” I asked.
“This isn’t about me,” Ray said. “I think you’ll like the nuts.”
Nana Pratt was more in touch with her feelings. “This is definitely about me. One look at that gingerbread loaf, and I bet I can trick myself into smelling it.”
“No promises.” I left the house armed with a grocery list and a scraper with a brush on the end for the truck. I swept away the newly fallen snow and drove into town.
Despite the daylight, small lights twinkled in theshopfronts and lampposts. The usual wreaths on the doors had been replaced by traditional Christmas wreaths. Fairhaven did justice to the holiday season, I couldn’t argue with that. Maybe I’d put up a tree next year, if only to placate Nana Pratt. I drew the line at tinsel, though. There’d be no shreds of silver paper masquerading as decorations on my tree.
Much to my relief, the stores weren’t too brutal, although some of the shelves looked like they’d been raided during an apocalypse. I bought almost every item on the list, including the beloved gingerbread loaf. I couldn’t wait to see the look on Nana Pratt’s face when she saw it.
As I loaded the bags into my truck, the rich aroma of coffee filled my nostrils. I shut the door and glanced at the window of Five Beans. One small coffee wouldn’t break the bank.
I locked the truck and wandered into the coffeeshop. The smells were even stronger and more aromatic inside. Rita, the owner, worked alone behind the counter. She seemed frazzled, not that I blamed her. The place was packed.
I stood in line behind a middle-aged couple.
“I heard it’s going to snow all week,” the man said. He was wrapped up warm in a plaid coat and a hat with attached earflaps.
“It better not,” his companion said. “We need to drive into the city on Thursday for your cardiologist appointment. It’ll be a madhouse.”
“It isn’t snowing in the city,” another customer interjected. “My daughter lives there and she said it’s been clear skies there.”
