2 Yule Be the Death of Me

by J. D. Shaw

  “Well, the parade route covers all of Main Street so we’ll have a great view from outside the bakery.” Vivienne smiled. “As we sell cups of hot cocoa and cookies from the table we’ve set up on the sidewalk.”

  Joshua stopped on the sports channel that was showing a football game. “Sell things?”

  “Yes.” She replied. “It’s going to be a busy day and I’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.”

  “I thought this was going to be our day to watch the parade, grab something for lunch, and maybe do a little shopping at the Waterloo Premium Outlets?”

  “It still will be.” Vivienne did her best to sell him on the concept. “We’re only going to have the bakery open from eight in the morning until eleven.”

  Joshua propped his feet up on the coffee table. “I guess that will be okay.”

  “Stephanie and I will handle the crowds. All you need to do is keep the thermal pots filled with coffee and cocoa and bring out trays of cookies when we get low.” Vivienne explained calmly. “It’ll be hardly any effort at all.”

  “I hope so.” Joshua flipped through the channels a few more times before stopping on a rerun of a popular sitcom. “We deserve some quality time before the chaos of the season kicks full into gear.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Vivienne replied. “Besides, I need to work on the finishing touches on our entry for the Gingerbread Dream House contest on Sunday afternoon.”

  “How is that coming along?”

  “Stephanie finished making the sugar stained glass windows for the upstairs turrets.” Vivienne was especially proud of her entry in the town’s contest. A few weeks beforehand, she and Stephanie had gone around the town and photographed several of the stately old homes around town for inspiration. After some debate, they chose the Edgar Rothwell mansion, named for the railroad tycoon who built the largest home in Cayuga Cove back in 1864.

  Today, it housed the local historical society and their collection of relics and documents sealed up in dusty little display cases scattered throughout the fifteen rooms.

  “Can you imagine living in a place like that?” Joshua wondered.

  “Not without an army of servants to keep it up.” Vivienne laughed. “And even then, who the heck needs fifteen rooms?”

  * * *

  The morning of the holiday parade proved to be every bit as busy as Vivienne had anticipated. She and Stephanie Bridgeman watched as the little metal cash box filled up with fives and tens thanks to eager parade attendees who guzzled down cups of coffee and cocoa and snacked on iced butter cookies cut out in festive shapes.

  Joshua remained inside the store looking complete overwhelmed while standing behind the cash register. Most of the crowd had stayed outside and lined the sidewalk for the best views of the floats, but a few curious shoppers stepped into the bakery and browsed the selections of baked goods from inside the display cases.

  “I don’t normally work here.” Joshua explained to each and every customer the moment they stepped inside the Sweet Dreams Bakery. “But if you want to buy something you can pay for it at the table out front.”

  Lucky for him, everyone just browsed and then left before the sound of the high school marching band echoed out on the street signaling the start of the parade. Abandoning his post behind the counter, he knocked on the window glass at Vivienne who motioned for him to come outside and watch the festivities.

  “This was a great idea, Vivienne.” Stephanie remarked as Joshua joined them at the table in front of the display window. “We’ve made a small fortune in cocoa sales alone.”

  Vivienne nodded. “Your idea for printing up order sheets with goodies available for parties and holiday gatherings was brilliant. We’re almost completely out of them.”

  “We had almost two hundred.” Stephanie grinned. “I hope they come back with orders.”

  “They will.” Vivienne smiled as the high school band approached carrying a red and green decorated banner lettered with ‘Cayuga Cove Holiday Parade: 110th anniversary’.

  Joshua, with his six foot five height, was able to see quite easily above the assembled crowds as the color guard waved their flags and marched along to ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.’ The horn section of the band was a little off key, but it didn’t really matter. The holiday spirit made the ears of the parade attendees a little more forgiving.

  Vivienne and Stephanie, both petite, were not as fortunate when it came to getting a good view. They stood on their tip toes and craned their necks in an effort to see anything.

  Joshua, now aware of their plight, pulled the two folding chairs to each side of him and shouted over the music. “Stand up on the chairs and keep your arms on my shoulders for balance.”

  Vivienne and Stephanie climbed up and at last were able to view the colorful floats and costumed characters that danced along throwing little wrapped candy canes and plastic trinkets to the kids along the parade route. Several businesses had sponsored various parade floats that were pulled along by riding lawnmowers and small pickup trucks. Colonial Bank had a float with a reproduction of their building. Lily’s Pad Day Care had a candy-themed winter wonderland float populated with Miss Lily dressed as Mrs. Claus and several of her center’s children costumed as elves. Our Lady of the Lake had a float with a live nativity scene, and the crowd roared with approval as a Chinese Dragon wiggled along the road, operated by several staff members from the Shanghai Sunset restaurant.

  The crowd swelled with excited applause as the last float, a replica of a rooftop with Santa and his sleigh perched atop, rolled slowly up Main Street. Santa addressed the crowd from a microphone as children screamed their holiday wishes to him. “Santa wants you all to be very good between now and Christmas.” He shouted above the little voices. “I’m getting some good reports from my elves.”

  As usual, Tony DiSanto from The Leaning Tower of Pizza was playing the part of Santa. His thinning black hair was hidden under a big red cap and curly white wig. His puffy cheeks framed the fake beard quite well and he required no padding to fill out the suit around the middle. “What do you want for Christmas?” He asked the children lining the streets.

  The kids squealed with delight as he acknowledged some of the toy wishes shouted out to him. Although he was careful to not make any promises, Vivienne was certain more than a few parents were surprised by what this week’s new toy request was. More than likely, they started planning a weekend of frantic holiday shopping to find the treasured item before time ran out.

  With the parade over, the crowds dispersed quickly to the designated parking areas around the town. Joshua helped Vivienne and Stephanie back down to the sidewalk so they could pack up the table and return the leftover goods back inside the bakery.

  “And so it begins.” Vivienne spoke up as she placed the remaining butter cookies back into the glass case display.

  “I can’t wait.” Stephanie counted out the money from the metal cash box. “My cousins from Georgia are coming up for a few days around Christmas. I haven’t seen them in almost five years.”

  “That’s wonderful, Stephanie. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.” Vivienne slid the door on the display case closed and turned off the lights inside it.

  “That means a few more presents to buy this year, but thanks to all these hours it won’t be a problem.” Stephanie remarked as she wrote some figures down on a yellow notepad.

  Joshua walked over to Vivienne. “Aren’t you giving her a holiday bonus?” He whispered.

  “It’s tucked into her paycheck this week.” Vivienne whispered back. “I just love giving little surprises like that.”

  Stephanie finished counting and tucked the money back into the metal box. “We made two hundred and fifteen dollars. Not bad.”

  “Don’t forget all those order sheets floating around. I’m sure we’ll start getting those back soon.”

  Stephanie handed the box to Vivienne and grabbed her coat from behind the counter. “I’m ready for them.”
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  Joshua walked over to the gingerbread reproduction of the Edgar Rothwell mansion and admired the hours of hard work that had gone into its creation. Stephanie and Vivienne had even wired battery-powered lights into the back to illuminate the stained-glass sugar windows in the turrets that flanked each end of the stately mansion. “You two are going to win first place with this.”

  “You think so?” Stephanie put her hands on her hips as she scrutinized the confection. “I’m a little worried my landscaping didn’t turn out as good as I hoped. The shredded coconut didn’t soak up the green food coloring as much as I would have liked.”

  Vivienne waved her hands at Stephanie. “The lawn looks perfect and the fondant iron fence is a work of art.” She narrowed her eyes at the roof. “But my marzipan roofing tiles could have been a little more angular.”

  Joshua shook his head at them both. “You both are crazy. It looks just like the real thing.”

  “You think so?” Vivienne and Stephanie asked in stereo and then laughed.

  He reached out with his big hand. “Let me taste.”

  Vivienne and Stephanie both squealed in protest.

  Joshua yanked his hand back with a wicked grin. “I’m just kidding.” He winked back. “I’m not an official judge or anything,” Joshua admitted, “But even if I didn’t know you both made it I’d give it my vote.”

  Vivienne looked up at Joshua. “Well, I think we can close up and head off for our day.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me.” He retrieved his jacket that was hung on the back of one of the bistro chairs and locked up the front door.

  “Where are you both off to?” Stephanie asked with a coy smile.

  “We’re heading to the outlets near Waterloo and then grabbing a bite to eat later.” Vivienne replied as she turned off the overhead spotlights leaving only the front window display illuminated.

  “Let me know if you find any good bargains.” Stephanie nodded as they walked to the back door to leave. “I just hate spending the gas money if there isn’t anything worth purchasing.”

  “I’ll give you a full report.” Vivienne held the door for everyone to leave and then locked it with her key. “See you in the morning.”

  “Bye.” Stephanie hurried to her little green Ford Focus, brushing away the huge flakes of snow that the wind hurled into her eyelashes.

  “Is it just me, or is it getting colder?” Vivienne asked.

  Joshua studied the dark clouds overhead. “Looks like those lake effect snow bands are getting stronger.” His breath condensed into steam and flew away with the wind. “It’s going to be an early winter.”

  “I hope the roads stay clear.” Vivienne shuddered and pulled the collar of her black winter coat up. “You know how bad Route 90 can get with blowing snow from all those open fields.”

  “If it gets too bad, we’ll head back early.” Joshua led her to his Jeep and opened the passenger door. “I’m sure we can find ways to pass the time

  CHAPTER 3

  Saturday, November 30th

  “I can’t believe we got eight inches of snow in November.” Joshua stared out the living room window of Vivienne’s home at the blanket of white covering the cars parked along the street. “We’ve still got a few weeks until it’s officially winter.”

  Vivienne walked over to where he was standing and admired the thick coat of wet snow that transformed the now barren trees and brown grass into something out of a snow globe. “There’s always something special about that first big snowfall.”

  Joshua reached behind and rubbed his back. He had spent the afternoon shoveling out her sidewalk and spreading some pet-safe ice melt to prevent slick spots. “I know what you mean. It has a way of reminding us we’re not kids anymore while at the same time making you want to get into a snowball fight and go sledding.”

  Vivienne brushed his hands away and took over with a quick massage across his lower back. “Well, the cleanup part I could do without.”

  Joshua let out a little moan as her fingers loosened some of the knots in his back muscles. “I used to wonder why so many older people went to Florida for the winter. Now, I get it.”

  “Christmas in Florida just wouldn’t seem right.” Vivienne reasoned as she moved her arms up his back to just below his shoulder blades. “I just can’t imagine opening presents and then going outside for a swim in the pool.”

  “Boy, I sure could.” Joshua sighed. “No more shovels or heavy bags of salt.”

  “You only have to deal with hurricane winds that blow the roof off and storm surges that pound your house walls away.” Vivienne replied with a splash of reality about living in a tropical climate. “No matter where you go, there’s always something.”

  Joshua turned around to face her. “I suppose you’re right. But it sure feels good to daydream about it.”

  She was happy to see the sunlight peeking out from the patches of pale blue where the clouds were breaking up. “We better get ready to leave for the contest. I want to get there early to see what the competition has come up with.”

  Although the contest award wasn’t going to be given out until three in the afternoon, Vivienne and Joshua arrived an hour beforehand at Loft 226 art gallery to see all of the entries.

  The gallery, located on Main Street, was sandwiched between LaGreca’s Furniture and Aunt T’s Toys. Unlike the other building interiors that had plenty of exposed brick, Loft 226 had covered their walls with plain white sheetrock to act as a neutral canvas for the artwork on display. The pine floorboards, also painted white, assured that the space itself disappeared while patrons took in what each artist had created.

  The owner of the gallery, Todd York, welcomed Vivienne and Joshua with a firm handshake as they stepped into the warm space that smelled of gingerbread and mulling spices. He was nearly six feet tall and bean pole thin. Dressed in a monochrome black suit, with his light blonde hair neatly parted to the side, he looked every bit the fashionable gallery owner. “I’m so glad you both could come.” He leaned close to Vivienne and lowered his voice. “I think you have a great chance of winning today.”

  Vivienne felt her face blush with pride. “I didn’t work solo on this. Stephanie was an equal partner.”

  Todd nodded. “Is she coming too?”

  Vivienne shook her head. “She’s finishing a paper for one of her night classes at the college today.”

  “That’s a shame, but education is important.” Todd remarked. “May I take your coats?”

  Joshua helped Vivienne out of hers to reveal one of the new outfits she had treated herself to for the upcoming holiday season of parties and business functions. The jade-green dress was dressy enough for the occasion, but still felt easy and relaxed.

  Todd’s eyes focused on her outfit. “I saw that in Kathy’s store the other day. I must say it looks fabulous on you.” He gushed. “Your red hair really sets it off.”

  “Thank you so much.” Vivienne smiled. She knew that Todd was one of only a handful of men in town who actually shopped at Trade Winds Clothier. Although the menswear section in the store was only a small corner, Kathy was more than happy to place custom orders for styles that would never sell in Cayuga Cove. Todd, along with some of the more fashionable men in town, gave her a steady supply of business.

  Vivienne often wondered what functions they wore their more modern clothing to. There certainly wasn’t any place in town that had a formal dress code, except for the Bistro Parisian, and that was merely a request not to wear jeans and tee shirts during Friday and Saturday dinner service. She assumed they must have found some more use for them in the larger cities like Rochester and Syracuse, places that actually had dance clubs and four star restaurants. She had to admit, she often wished she and Todd were closer friends so she could experience the more posh side of life every now and then.

  Like most of the heterosexual men in town, Joshua had chosen his usual non-work clothing option of a pair of dark denim jeans and a blue flannel shirt. The top two buttons he
usually left open at home were done up, which was about as fancy as he or the other men ever went when it came to dressing up for an occasion that wasn’t a wedding or funeral.

  “Feel free to browse the other entries. We broke the record with fifteen this year.” Todd said as he disappeared into a small room off to the side of the reception desk with their coats.

  Several people had gathered into the gallery for the annual contest, but Vivienne guessed they were mostly fellow participants who were doing the same thing she was; checking out what everyone else had designed. “Fifteen entries makes quite a bit of competition.” Vivienne whispered to Joshua.

  “Yes.” Joshua agreed as he offered her his right arm. They walked into the east wing of the gallery. “But don’t get worried just yet. We haven’t even seen the others.”

  The clattering of high heels announced the arrival of Kathy Saunders. “Sorry I’m late, I had to get an order in before five tonight.” She was dressed in a simple black dress that had a scattering of sequins along the low-cut top. “How’s the competition?”

  Joshua offered her his other arm. “We haven’t even started to look yet. Care to join us?”

  “You bet.” Kathy gushed and eagerly took him up on the offer. She pointed to the first entry that was displayed on a cylindrical pedestal. “Oh, look at that one. Someone made a little cathedral.”

  Vivienne nodded her approval at the creation. It was cute, but the steeple was tipped a little to the side and one of the sugar windows was coming loose under the heat of the spot lights above. “I wonder who made this one?”

  “Doesn’t it say?” Joshua looked along the base for an information card.

  Vivienne shook her head. “No, you only get a number.” She pointed to the small card that had the number one printed on it. “That way the judging panel can be completely impartial.”

  Kathy pointed to the crooked steeple. “Well, I think you can scratch this off as a winner.”