Christmas In Icicle Falls. Sheila Roberts

a very short-lived sickness.

      “She says it’s helping settle her stomach.”

      Whatever. Olivia didn’t say anything, just smiled and took another sip of her coffee.

      Soon Meadow joined them, sitting down next to Olivia and facing her. “Okay, the kitchen’s all clean.”

      “That was fast,” Olivia said.

      “James had most of it done already,” Meadow admitted. “What else can I do?”

      “Well...”

      “I don’t want to just sit around and eat muffins and get fat.”

      Two muffins still sat on Olivia’s plate. She frowned.

      “So, tell me what to do.”

      “We need to put out silverware and napkins for breakfast tomorrow,” Olivia said.

      “Okay.” Meadow jumped up.

      “And replace any stained tablecloths.”

      “I can do that.”

      “I’ll help you,” Brooke said and got up.

      “No.” Meadow waved her back down. “You’ve been working all morning. I can do it.”

      Meadow was certainly on her best behavior now. Olivia let her go at it, knowing James was still around and could answer any questions she had.

      “I guess I’ll run back to the apartment and throw in a load of laundry,” Brooke said to Olivia.

      Olivia, too, got up and returned her cup and her uneaten muffins to the kitchen. “See you later,” Meadow called as she walked by, bearing a bundle of dirty tablecloths.

      Brandon was manning the front desk when Olivia got there. “How’d Meadow do?” he greeted her.

      “Fine.” Of course, he wanted to hear more than that. He wanted to hear approval. “She’s working hard.”

      He beamed and that made Olivia feel good.

      “I can take over here now,” she said.

      “Thanks. I need to get out and help Eric shovel the walkways.”

      Yes, it was nice to have her boy back home. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left, and she settled in behind the front desk, feeling happy with her life and the world in general. She had just finished checking out a young family when Meadow joined her.

      “Dining room’s all ready for tomorrow,” she reported.

      “Good. Thank you.”

      “Stuff sure starts early around here,” Meadow said and leaned on the desk.

      “That’s how it is in the hospitality business,” Olivia said.

      Meadow wrinkled her nose. “Who the hell wants to eat at seven in the morning when they’re on vacation?”

      “A lot of people like to eat early.”

      “I don’t see why. Nothing much opens up around this town until ten. We should wait until eight to serve breakfast.”

      In some ways that sounded perfectly logical, but Olivia had been running her lodge for many years and she knew that people expected to be able to eat early if they had plans to get on the road. Or if they were just plain hungry.

      “I guess,” Meadow said dubiously after Olivia had explained. “Running a motel is kind of a pain in the butt, isn’t it?”

      “This is a lodge,” Olivia corrected her.

      Meadow was not impressed. “Lodge, motel, what’s the difference?”

      “Ambiance. This is more of a resort, a specialty kind of place with a garden and grounds around it.”

      “Oh.” Meadow thought on that a moment, then shrugged. “It’s still kind of a pain in the butt. I mean, look how hard you guys all work.”

      “Well, yes, we do. But we’re working at something worthwhile. We’re providing people with a nice place to stay, helping them make memories. We’re offering more than rooms here, Meadow. We’re offing hospitality.”

      “Hmm. Never thought of it that way. Kind of cool.”

      Yes, it was.

      “Pretty cool that Brandon will own all this someday,” she added.

      Spoken like a true gold digger. The feeling of warmth that had started in Olivia’s chest cooled.

      “So, what do you want me to do now?”

      Go away? “Oh, I can’t think of anything.”

      “There must be something. It’s a big place. Brandon says you guys all take turns working the front desk. I can do that.”

      Thank you, Brandon. About the last thing Olivia wanted was her daughter-in-law showing off her lack of social graces at the front desk. “That’s kind of you to offer, but you don’t need to.”

      “Hey, I’m family, right? Gotta pitch in. Anyway, I think it will be fun to help people check in and out.”

      “Meadow, I’m not sure that particular job would be a fit for you.”

      Meadow’s sunny expression clouded over. “Why? It can’t be that hard. And I’m not stupid,” she added. “I did two quarters at Seattle Community College.”

      “It’s not a matter of intelligence,” Olivia said. “It’s a matter of fit.”

      Olivia could hardly say she thought Meadow was uncouth. She was about to finesse the truth with a little speech about how different temperaments were suited for different jobs, but Meadow dashed in a literal direction before she could get the words out.

      “Fit for what? Oh, clothes?”

      Olivia grabbed on the flimsy excuse. “You do need a dirndl.”

      “Like what you’ve got on.” Meadow made a face.

      “This is a German-themed town. Business owners dress the part,” Olivia said firmly. And if a certain ripped-jeans wearer didn’t want to do that, it wasn’t Olivia’s fault.

      Meadow ditched the frown and shrugged. “Okay, then. I’m up for it. How about we go get one today?”

      Olivia tried a new tack. “Are you sure you want to do this? Manning the booth requires a certain amount of...” couth “...patience and diplomacy.”

      “Sure,” Meadow said. Brandon chose that moment to come inside and she called, “Hey, babe. I’m gonna learn how to work the front desk.”

      “You’ll be great,” he called back.

      Olivia sincerely doubted it. Here was proof positive that love was blind.

      She’d give the girl a chance, though. Everyone deserved a chance. But if Meadow got lippy with a customer, she’d be back to bussing tables.

      The lodge wasn’t that busy and check-in wasn’t until three. Das Dorf, which carried all manner of German items, including dirndls, was open on Tuesdays. Irmgard Schultz, the owner, would be more than happy to help Olivia outfit Meadow.

      “All right,” Olivia said. “How about we go after lunch?”

      And with that it was settled, so at one in the afternoon Olivia and Meadow walked into the German shop that sat right in the middle of Center Street, the main drag, where some of the town’s most popular shops could be found.

      “I haven’t been in here yet,” Meadow said as they entered the shop. “Whoa, look at these.” They were barely in the store when she stopped in front of a display case filled with Hummel figurines. “Look at that cute one with the umbrella—wow.” This was quickly followed by wide eyes and a muttered