Claus for Alarm

by Gretchen Allen

  “Who is it?” Stewart called, same as last time.

  Again, Charlotte announced herself.

  “No, thanks,” Stewart repeated himself. This was getting to be a bit of a habit.

  “Stewart. I have something for you,” Charlotte called.

  This time, similar to the last, an annoyed man opened the door. Stewart had a small box in hand, a frozen meal. Charlotte grinned at the sight, glad she’d made it there before he started his dinner.

  “What is it this time? You’re actually interrupting my dinner now,” Stewart huffed, waving the box.

  “That’s why I’m here!” Charlotte held out the bowl to Stewart. “I wanted to give you this.”

  “What is it?” He looked down at the bowl as though he was angry with it for some reason.

  “Just a little something I threw together. You mentioned you hadn’t eaten when I was here earlier, and I hadn’t eaten yet myself. So, I went home and whipped something up. I had extra, and now, here I am,” Charlotte said, simply.

  “I don’t take food from strangers,” Stewart replied, still looking at the bowl. His bushy eyebrows furrowed, and what looked to be like a permanent scowl remained on his face.

  Charlotte hadn’t pegged him for that type of guy, but she couldn’t blame him. There were weirdos all over the place in this world, and she could see how she might come off as one of them, every now and then.

  “Would it help if I took the first bite?” she suggested.

  “That would involve you coming inside. Unless, of course, you brought your own utensil.” Stewart smirked, thinking he’d gotten one over on her.

  “Hmm,” she said. “Can you hold on to this for a minute? I might have something.”

  Stewart took the bowl, eyeing Charlotte. She knew it would take him off guard if he thought she might have a spoon in her pocket. She patted around a couple of times, even opened her coat up to check the inside pockets.

  “Darn,” she said, faltering. “I could have sworn I had something on me from my travels today. It was just a spork from a fast-food place I stopped at on the way here, but it would have gotten the job done.”

  Stewart watched her, not saying a word. This was the second person from Partridge Point that Charlotte had rendered speechless, and it was only her first day in town.

  “Take your soup back before my TV dinner defrosts.” He tried handing her the bowl.

  Stewart was a blunt man, but no match for Charlotte.

  “Would you mind terribly if I used your restroom?” she asked.

  “What?! No. You are two houses down. Do I look like the sort of man who has a public restroom on property?”

  Charlotte stifled her laughter. She rarely enjoyed people that were so short with others, but she got the feeling that Stewart had more of a dry sense of humor than anything else. Excited about her plan, she’d finally had him worked up enough to execute it.

  “You’re right. That isn’t polite at all. Like you said, I’m only two houses away.” Charlotte turned. “I’ll talk to you soon. Gotta go!”

  “Wait!” Stewart shouted.

  Charlotte picked up her pace, patting her silver curls as she went.

  “I know what you did. Don’t think you fooled me!” Stewart yelled louder this time.

  Far enough away, Charlotte could finally let her laughter out. She had more tricks up her sleeve than anyone in Partridge Point. At least Stewart, anyway. She’d use every single one of them if she needed to. The bah-humbug town would get a glimpse of everything that Charlotte embodied. Starting with the incomparable feeling of Christmas Magic. This was the time of year when people embraced kindness and generosity, and the people of Partridge Point seemed as though they could use a little bit of that in their lives.

  Chapter 3

  “Oh, my,” Charlotte gasped, looking at the woman in front of her.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, flustered.

  “I came over to introduce myself, but it looks like you are preoccupied. Is everything okay?” Charlotte asked, looking the woman over. She’d been so excited to meet the mayor of Partridge Point and was surprised by what she saw.

  “Sorry about that. It’s been a long morning,” the woman said, brushing hair out of her eyes with her arm, likely trying to avoid getting whatever it was that was all over her hands onto her face. Not that it mattered since her face was already covered in something that resembled blood, but that Charlotte hoped was jelly.

  “I won’t stick around to bother you. I’m house-sitting for your neighbor and wanted to introduce myself. Charlotte,” she said, with a bright smile.

  “Hi, Charlotte. I’m Hannah Sutton. Thanks for stopping by. Ian has always been such a help. Any time I need something, he’s more than willing to offer his assistance. Are you a relative?” she asked.

  It was clear to Charlotte that Hannah was just being polite. Not because of anything the woman had said or done, but that it was just the sort of person she was. Whatever Hannah was up to, it was clearly keeping her busy, yet she was intent on being patient and kind to the stranger that stood in front of her.

  “Just a friend of the family. It’s nice to meet you. I hate to ask again, but is everything okay?” Charlotte had a look of concern on her face.

  Hannah grimaced. “Since you asked, and it would be rude not to answer, not really. I’ve gotten myself caught up in this year’s Christmas cookie exchange, and let’s just say, baking isn’t my strong suit.”

  As if on cue, the smoke alarm inside Hannah’s began to wail.

  “I have to go, I’m sorry,” Hannah said, rushing back into the house, leaving Charlotte behind and the door wide open. “You can come in if you want,” she called. “Pull the door shut behind you if you don’t mind, but don’t bother locking it.”

  “Sure thing.” Charlotte followed Hannah into the kitchen. She was positive there was something she could do to make the woman’s life easier or at least a little cleaner. Not only was Hannah covered in cookie ingredients, but her kitchen was, too.

  “Sorry again. I’m not very good at this sort of thing. I’ve never been very domestic.” Hannah was frantically waving a potholder back and forth in front of the still beeping smoke alarm.

  “What exactly is it that you are trying to accomplish here?” Charlotte asked, looking around at the disaster in Hannah’s kitchen. Aside from the burnt cookies and the smoky air, there were balls of raw cookie dough dropped on the floor, dry ingredients sprinkled everywhere but where they belonged, and some sort of liquid lying in puddles on the counter.

  Hannah sighed, letting out a defeated laugh. She sat down on one of the stools at her breakfast nook, leaving the alarm going.

  “The woman who usually runs the cookie exchange, Emmy, backed out because her son is coming to town.” The look of contempt on Hannah’s face wasn’t quite what Charlotte had expected. They obviously took this cookie exchange pretty seriously around here.

  “I see. So, now, you’re in charge?” Charlotte went over to the nearest window and opened it up.

  “Why didn’t I think to open the window?” Hannah put her head down on the counter.

  Charlotte knew a meltdown when she saw one.

  “Does being in charge mean you have to do all the baking?” Charlotte observed her surroundings, seeing several batches of cookies, most of them burnt or severely disfigured.

  “Not all of it, but Emmy always did a ton. Now that she’s not going to be around, I have to run the exchange, bake the cookies, herd the cats, and somehow still keep the town running,” Hannah explained, looking up.

  “There are cats involved?” Charlotte asked, trying to lighten the situation.

  Hannah laughed. “Ugghhh. What am I even doing? I have no idea why I’m bothering you with all of this mess. You came here to say hello, and now you’re in my kitchen listening to my sob story. I’m a professional. I have no idea why I can’t seem to get my act together and in front of a stranger no less.”

  “Let’s start over,”
Charlotte offered, walking closer to Hannah. “Hi! I’m Charlotte. I’m in town house-sitting for your neighbor, Ian.”

  Hannah brightened and stood up. “Hi! I’m Hannah Sutton. I’m the mayor of Partridge Point. It’s great to meet you!” She matched Charlotte’s tone.

  “Great to meet you, Hannah,” Charlotte replied, enjoying their interaction. “I can’t help but notice you’re doing some baking. I love to bake, would you mind terribly if I helped?”

  “What? Really?!” Hannah exclaimed. “Are you a baker?”

  “Not quite, but my husband does love cookies.” Charlotte winked.

  “I couldn’t dream of asking you to help. What am I thinking? You don’t even live here, and I’m certain you didn’t offer to help Ian so you could come here and work.” Hannah shook her head, pacing the room.

  “It wouldn’t be any trouble at all. I like helping. I like baking, and…”

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.” Hannah frowned. “I hate to get you wrapped up in the mess, too.”

  “I’m actually a very clean worker.” Charlotte looked around the kitchen.

  Hannah chuckled. “Good to know, but that’s not quite what I meant. The reason I decided to take over wasn’t because I love to bake, because truthfully, I’m horrible. It’s because Emmy has been in charge of the exchange for years, decades even. Now that she’s not, even if it’s only for a single year, there are hordes of women after the job. In order to avoid any drama that was likely to occur, and still probably will, I took the job myself.”

  “Because no one will argue with the mayor,” Charlotte said, understanding.

  “Oh, no. They definitely will. It’s just less of a chance that anyone gets their feelings hurt if I’m the one in charge.”

  Charlotte nodded. She began cleaning up some of the mess Hannah had created.

  “I don’t mind a bit,” she said, continuing on even after noticing the odd look Hannah had given her. Charlotte never wanted to be pushy. She just liked to think that she knew what people needed before they realized they needed it. It was evident that Hannah could use a little help, and Charlotte had nothing but time.

  “Please, stop cleaning. You seem like a very kind woman, but it just wouldn’t be fair to ask you for help.” Hannah held out her hand, trying to take a baking pan from Charlotte.

  “That works out well because you didn’t ask. I offered.” Charlotte yanked the pan back as politely as possible.

  Hannah paused, clearly giving thought to the idea. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I got you involved, and something bad happened.”

  “Nonsense. You make it sound like these cookie women are monsters. Don’t underestimate the power of a Claus,” Charlotte boasted, patting her perfectly curled silver hair.

  “The what now?” Hannah raised a brow.

  “Let’s just say, I have a way of making things work out just how they are supposed to. Please consider letting me help. I can do all the baking you need.”

  “Well, I could use some help in that department. Plus, Franco will be thrilled to know that he won’t have to work overtime to help me bake.”

  Charlotte hoped she was on her way to winning Hannah over. She didn’t know who Franco was, but if he was anything like Hannah, it was probably better off that he wasn’t the one helping her.

  “Is that a yes?” Charlotte clasped her hands.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Hannah asked, hesitating once again. “We could always have you do the baking, and I’ll keep things running.”

  “We can try whatever you’d like, but please know that I don’t mind one bit. I’ll clean up, I’ll bake, and I’ll even help you herd the cats that I presume are the women involved in the exchange. I’m not afraid of a little challenge.”

  “You won’t be singing the same tune when you meet Gabby Raye and Kira,” Hannah warned.

  “Gabby Raye Snow?” Charlotte beamed.

  “The one and only? You know her?”

  “She’s such a dear. I don’t think there will be a problem at all,” Charlotte explained.

  “If you think Gabby Raye is a dear, or anything less than terrifying, she either has you fooled, or you are the exception to the rule.” Hannah drew in a breath. “How about I put you in touch with Emmy, so that you can get the idea behind the exchange from her? She’ll be much better at explaining things than I will. If you’re still interested, then we can go from there.”

  “I don’t mind listening to what you have to say. You mentioned Emmy’s son is in town. I’d hate to interrupt.” Charlotte continued cleaning up Hannah’s kitchen, wiping everything off the counters onto the floor, and thinking about how bad she felt for Gabby Raye. She’d liked her and was surprised to hear all the things people had to say about her. Usually, Charlotte was a pretty decent judge of character. “Do you have a broom?”

  “I’m sure a quick meeting with Emmy would be fine. I have to ask again, are you sure about this?”

  “More than ever. I’d love nothing more than to help. Maybe I can start by getting things cleaned up in here, and we can go meet with Emmy now?” Charlotte suggested. “Unless you’re busy of course,”

  “How about I give you her contact information, and I’ll clean up while you talk with her?” Hannah countered.

  “You aren’t coming? Is there something I need to know about Emmy?” Charlotte felt a wave of concern.

  “Emmy is lovely,” Hannah said, simply.

  “Ahhh. Now I understand. It’s her son that you don’t want to see?” Charlotte asked.

  Hannah tilted her head. “How did you know?”

  “I’ve been around the block a time or two. Is there a history between you and….?” Charlotte asked, pausing.

  “Teddy.” Hannah nodded. “Yes. You could call it that. We started dating in our senior year of high school. We even stayed together while we were away at different colleges. Things were going great. I thought he was going to propose, but then he just up and left. He moved out of Partridge Point and hasn’t been back to visit since. He never told me why he left, or even that he was leaving. We had a date planned one night, and he never showed up. I haven’t spoken a word to him in over a year.”

  “Oh, my. I’m so sorry. No wonder you’re stressed. On top of all this cookie stuff, you have him to worry about as well.”

  “I’ve droned on and on about myself for much too long now. Let me get you Emmy’s information.” Hannah held out a finger, looking embarrassed, and dashed out of the kitchen, returning a moment later with a piece of paper.

  “Here you go. Feel free to call or stop by after you talk with Emmy. My door is always open.”

  “Will do. I’m looking forward to being part of something so important to the town. I’m certain it will all work out just fine.”

  Chapter 4

  “I think I can manage that,” Hannah nodded, holding out a strand of lights for Charlotte.

  “I told Emmy when we met yesterday that I thought I would be able to manage everything on my own, but she assured me that it would be helpful if there was someone on my side.” Charlotte took one end of the lights and began to walk in a circle around the lamp post in Ian’s yard.

  Hannah nodded. “Emmy knows what she’s talking about. We might not have a lot of folks bubbling over with Christmas spirit, but when it comes to the cookie exchange, we don’t mess around. Plus, it’s always good to have someone in your corner. No matter the situation.”

  “So, how about I do as much of the baking as possible, and you can…” Charlotte began.

  “I can do some baking, too. I have a little time on nights and weekends,” Hannah offered. “You shouldn’t have to do all the work.”

  “I’m not going to. I figured that if you were interested, I could help teach you how to bake. That way, you can learn, we’ll have an extra set of hands to bake more cookies, and if this ever happens again, you’ll be prepared.”

  “That actually sounds like
fun. I wouldn’t mind learning how to get around in the kitchen, even if it is just cookies. Are you sure you have the time to teach me?” Hannah asked. “I know how crazy this exchange can get.”

  “I have nothing but time. I don’t have any responsibilities aside from watching this house all day. I have no friends and no place to go.” Charlotte plugged the lights in. “What do you think?”

  “Yes, to both. I love the idea of learning, and your decorations look great. Keep an eye on Stewart, though.” Hannah put her back toward Stewart’s house and pointed, trying to get Charlotte to look. “Have you had the pleasure of meeting him yet?”

  Stewart was standing on his porch, watching the women with a look on his face that made Charlotte chuckle. She’d known right away that the display she was working on was going to annoy him. Of course, annoying people wasn’t something she was hoping for, but when it came to Christmas, she didn’t hold back. She couldn’t do anything about the fact that the town itself had no decorations lining Main Street, that there were no holiday parades or any other events that celebrated the holiday. The road Ian lived on looked dreary and blah. She couldn’t fix the entire town or even the street, but she could do her best to make the house she was staying in look festive and inviting.

  “I did. He’s not so bad,” Charlotte answered, not wanting to share their encounter with Hannah quite yet. “Do you think I should add something more to the yard?”

  Hannah turned, looking. “I don’t know about the yard, but I’m glad you think so highly of Stewart because he’s coming this way.”

  Charlotte shrugged, carrying on with her job. She’d strung lights along the porch and the lamp post, hung a wreath on the door, and had a few more ideas brewing in her mind, but had to wait for the packages to be delivered. Hopefully, since she’d ordered quite a bit, Ian wouldn’t mind decorating next year. If he didn’t want to, he was more than welcome to donate everything to someone in need. All Charlotte knew was that she couldn’t fathom Christmas without a little light, a lot of love, and a whole lot of decorations.