The Season for Ginger Snaps

by Katie Carver

  Jake propped the front door open and went to grab the sandwich board with the luncheon specials. He was getting tired of lugging it in and out of the restaurant. He’d have to find a better way. Maybe a window sign would be easier. He picked up the board, but the ringing of his cell phone distracted him. He put the board down in front of the hostess stand. He checked the number, it was his best friend Phil. They’d been playing phone tag for a week.

  “Hey, stranger. What took you so long to get back to me?” Jake joked.

  “Get back to you? I’ve been calling you all week. The new restaurant owner must be way too busy to talk to old friends,” Phil said and laughed. “So, tell me how it’s going. You an overnight success?”

  “Hardly. It’s going okay for what I’ve got to work with here. Business is steady right now and I have no real complaints. Remember me telling you about how lucky I was I found that waitress? I was right. She’s great and I’d be lost without her. Nothing has fallen apart yet and nothing has caught on fire. Those are pretty much the highlights.”

  “I promise, I will get there one of these days. It’s just been busy at work and the kids are in every sport known to man. I’m sure I’ll get some time to sneak away, but with the holidays coming up it’ll be difficult. The in-laws will be coming in the week of Christmas. If I could get away then, I would, but I’m sure I’d never hear the end of it,” Phil said.

  Phil owned a small printing business in the city where they’d grown up. He did exceptionally well for himself and even gave Jake some much-needed pointers about starting up his own business. Even when it wasn’t the holidays, Phil had a hard time getting away to visit.

  “I understand. It would be nice to have you here, but I’m not sure you are missing anything by not coming. There is absolutely nothing to do here. I don’t know how they all handle it. I think nightlife around here consists of town meetings. I miss the city and even the noise, which I never thought would be possible. If the restaurant wasn’t keeping me so busy, I’d probably go out of my mind with boredom.”

  “It can’t be that bad. It’s a small town, Jake. Give yourself some time to adapt. You didn’t grow up in the city. You’ll be fine,” Phil said encouragingly.

  “It’s not like home, Phil. This place doesn’t even have a movie theatre or a gym. I have to drive a half-hour to go work out. I may take up running again, just for the convenience,” Jake explained. “I liked the fact that I’d be the only restaurant in town, but there isn’t much of anything here, so it’s not like that was a hard thing to do.”

  “As I said before, this is going to be the best thing for you. You were becoming a miserable old man. You needed a change. I was afraid you were beginning to forget what else in life was important. You were overworked and too wrapped up in making things perfect. It wasn’t a good situation. You were well on your way to a nervous breakdown,” Phil said.

  “I’m not old, but I admit that I was becoming miserable. I hope you’re right, but I’m never going to be interested in the raccoon population and the people here are a bit peculiar.”

  “The raccoon population?” Phil asked confused.

  “You don’t even want to know.” Jake laughed and then heard Phil’s office phone ringing.

  “I’ve got to get that. I promise that I will make it out there after the holidays and you can fill me in on the raccoons. Hang in there, buddy.”

  “Thanks, Phil.”

  He hung up the phone and smiled. Phil’s calls always made him feel a bit better no matter what was going on in his life. They’d known each other since they were kids and they’d been through a lot with one another. He was the only reason that Jake didn’t completely fall into a downward spiral after his divorce. Phil was always the guy in his corner without question. He did hope he’d come to visit. That would give him at least something to look forward to for next year.

  Jake picked the sandwich board back up to take outside but was startled by the person standing in the doorway. She had on a winter hat, but even so, her bright red hair didn’t seem to want to be hidden and wisps of hair escaped from the bottom of the cap. He found it oddly attractive.

  “Ginger? I didn’t realize you were there,” Jake said.

  “Obviously not,” Ginger said dryly.

  How much had she heard he wondered? From the expression on her face, it was probably a lot. He knew he wasn’t kind about the town but he was almost sure he didn’t say anything too completely awful. “What can I do for you?” Jake asked as he sidled the doorway past Ginger and put the sandwich board down. She had only moved slightly to allow him to pass.

  “You need to decorate,” Ginger said evenly.

  “Decorate? Like, hang pictures?” Jake asked. He was sure she’d never even fully been inside the restaurant and it looked fine to him.

  Ginger shook her head. “Christmas decorations. The businesses on Main Street decorate their businesses for the holidays. Mayor Curtis has me going around making sure everyone does. You don’t have to do anything exciting, buy a wreath or something, but get it done soon so I don’t have to remind you again.”

  “Nope,” Jake said simply. He wasn’t going to be bullied by her into decorating. He didn’t decorate for the holidays and he wasn’t going to start simply because other people in town didn’t have anything else better to do.

  “I’m sorry? Nope? Afraid you’re going to get those dress pants dirty?” Ginger asked incredulously.

  “I don’t decorate for Christmas. In fact, I’m not actually a huge fan of Christmas. There is nothing in the bylaws that force me into decorating. So, my answer is nope.” Jake said. He could see the irritation on Ginger’s face. Good, he thought. After the debacle at the town hall, there was no need for false pleasantries. She’d already made up her mind about him and he knew it wasn’t going to be changed by his pretending to care about the town customs.

  Ginger took a deep breath. “Listen, I personally don’t care what you do, but the town will. If you don’t go along with the decorating, you’ll get a bad reputation. My advice is to just do it.”

  “I don’t need your advice. I’ve done well here without any decorations. I’m sure that people aren’t all that concerned about it. I’ll go ahead and take my chances,” Jake said dismissively.

  “I’m just letting you know how it is, Jake.” Ginger walked to her shop next door and opened her door.

  “I appreciate it, but if I were you, I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about how I conduct myself and my restaurant. I’ll be just fine,” he sniped.

  “And if I were you, I wouldn’t underestimate the peculiar townsfolk. Especially the ones who have nothing to do because they live in a boring little town.” Ginger let the door slam behind her as she walked into her shop.

  Jake knew she had heard most of his conversation from her comments. It didn’t matter, she had already chastised him about his view of the town and he was sure he wasn’t going to ever convince her that he was in love with it. Ginger was entirely too bossy, and he didn’t appreciate her insistence that he decorate for Christmas. He didn’t hate Christmas, in fact, there was a time when it was his favorite holiday. Now, it was just another holiday in the long line of holidays that he hoped passed quickly so everyone else in the world could move on from their celebrations. He wasn’t a Grinch, he just didn’t have much reason to celebrate. Maybe one day he’d feel differently, but until then, his spirited redheaded neighbor would have to mind her own business and keep out of his. She’d made it clear she wanted none of his advice about business and he didn’t see why he had to heed hers. He’d just take his chances with how the town would react to his lack of decorations. He was already getting fed up with the tiresome town. He might have a restaurant in Spruce Valley but he’d never become one of them. He was sure of that. People here were a bit odd. He didn’t care if Ginger knew he thought that. On some level, she had to realize it, too. He didn’t lump her into that category. She was something else entirely. What that was, he wasn’t yet
quite sure. If she hadn’t been so difficult, he might actually enjoy finding out what that something was.

  Chapter Seven

  Ginger stretched her arms to the top corner of her shop window. Just a few more inches and she’d be able to reach. Her stepstool teetered on the sidewalk and she cursed the tiny contraption. It was useful in her kitchen, but it wasn’t very helpful when it came to decorating. If she didn’t get the lights strung soon, she was going to give up. She stepped back down and took stock of what she had to work with this year. She didn’t have as much time to get everything together as she had hoped, but a few odds and ends from previous years should make it seem like she put at least some effort into it. She reached down into the bottom of the box and produced a tattered looking wreath. This one might not make the cut, Ginger thought miserably. How did she ever find time before? She knew her past decorating productions weren’t fancy but they’d been enough to suffice. She usually just put one large item out front and dressed up the windows and Mayor Curtis was pleased with the result. This year, she’d have to put forth more effort if she wanted to stand a chance to be in the running for the first booth. Maybe she could take a break and start again fresh later. She sighed. That wouldn’t work. She had to get it done so no one pointed out her bare window when she made the rounds telling people to decorate theirs. She looked down the street and only a few businesses had anything up yet. The tree lighting was Saturday and if they weren’t finished, Mayor Curtis would hold her accountable. As she was looking down the street, she saw Spencer exit the door to her right. Spencer had been in the restaurant. She found that odd since he had the benefit of having Thelma as his Inn’s cook and unless he was doing reconnaissance work for her, Ginger couldn’t fathom why he’d visit Jake’s Place.

  “Spencer, what are you doing in town?” Ginger asked, catching Spencer’s attention.

  “Hey, Ginger.” He looked at the mess she had created on the sidewalk and smirked. “The decorating going well?”

  Ginger rolled her eyes. Spencer’s teasing wasn’t anything new, but she was in no mood for it today. “Lay off me. I’m just getting started.”

  He rifled through her box and picked up an item. “What is this even supposed to be?”

  “It’s an ornament,” she said grabbing it from him.

  “Aren’t they supposed to be round?” he asked and chuckled. “I guess anything is better than that weird Turkey thing you had out for Thanksgiving.”

  “You leave my Turkey out of this. It did its job. Mayor Curtis loved it,” she said indignantly.

  Spencer narrowed his eyes. “Since when do you care what Mayor Curtis thinks?”

  “Since I want to win the Festival. I need to stay on his good side to get the best booth location and if it means ugly Turkeys and misshapen ornaments, so be it.”

  “Come on, Ginger. No one wins the Festival. It’s a charity event. If you want a tree that badly, I know a guy,” Spencer said and smiled.

  “I don’t need a tree. It’s not for the prizes. It’s for the bragging rights or more specifically taking the bragging rights from someone else. Every year Franklin raises the most money and the rest of us have to listen to that sniveling little, health-nut brown-noser gloat about it.”

  “I never thought I’d see the day you were intimidated by Franklin. Heck, I never thought I’d see the day you were intimidated by anyone.”

  “I’m not intimidated by him. I just want him to take him down a few notches. Say whatever you want, but you don’t know what it’s like. You are nice and safe with your tree farm on the outskirts of town and you don’t have to deal with all the Main Street drama.”

  “Main Street drama, huh?”

  “Yes, Spencer. Main Street drama.” Ginger eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you even here?”

  “Can’t a guy come say hello to his friend without having accusations hurled at him?”

  “What were you doing at the restaurant? I know it wasn’t to have an overpriced meal from that jerk,” Ginger said cynically.

  “Yikes. Not a fan?”

  “Not even close. Seriously, what were you doing?”

  “He’s been staying at the Inn. He asked me to stop by when I was in town, so I stopped by when I was in town. Nothing sinister is going on, Ginger,” Spencer said innocently.

  “That’s your opinion, mine, however, is somewhat different.”

  “He just asked me about sending him referrals from the Inn. If someone is asking about a place to eat outside of the Inn, he asked if I could suggest his restaurant. It’s not hard to do since he’s the only restaurant in town. Unless, of course, you count the ice cream parlor. He wants the place to do well, which is a good thing for the town. He’s not such a bad guy.”

  “Why are you defending him?” Ginger questioned him.

  “I’m not defending him, I’m just suggesting that maybe you give him a chance. Annie likes him, too.”

  “Annie likes everyone. She’s too sweet to ever say anything bad about anyone,” Ginger said dismissively. “How’s she doing by the way?”

  “She’s great. When I left, she and my mom were working on a new quilt. It was adorable.”

  Ginger cocked her head and eyed Spencer. “Since when do you use the word adorable?”

  Spencer grinned widely showing his dimple. “I think I’ll be using it a lot from now on. Annie’s pregnant.”

  All of Ginger’s negativity left her and she gave her friend a big hug. “Spencer, that’s amazing news!”

  “I know, we’re thrilled. You should see her, Ginger. She’s in full Annie mode and I’m pretty sure the entire cabin will be redone by the time the baby is born.”

  “How many people know?”

  “You are the first person outside of family I’ve told. We were waiting until after her parents came in for Thanksgiving. We wanted to have our parents together when we told them.”

  “You are going to be a great father, Spencer,” Ginger said.

  “We’ll see about that. It’s kind of terrifying. I don’t know a thing about babies, but I’ll do my absolute best to figure it all out.”

  “You will and you’ll be fine. You have all the tools to be one, even if you are a bit of a doofus sometimes. That might even come in handy, who knows?” Ginger chuckled.

  She knew he’d be great. He grew up in such a loving home, he already had a head start in figuring it all out. Ginger could remember visiting the Murphy Farm when she was younger. If it hadn’t been for the Murphys, Ginger might have never known what it was to have a family with both parents. She was never jealous. She was grateful for the opportunity they gave her to peek inside their happy home. Ginger knew he’d build off that and would be phenomenal.

  “Thanks for your support. I’m touched,” Spencer said sarcastically.

  “I’m touched you told me first.”

  Spencer laughed. “Well, if I tell you, I really don’t have to tell anyone else.”

  Ginger knew she had a reputation for being a bit of a gossip. It was completely unfounded in her opinion. She once ruined a surprise party for someone and she’s never been able to live it down since. She gave him a dirty look. “I don’t find you amusing.”

  “Yes, you do,” he said and grinned.

  She needed to change the subject. Spencer had known her long enough to know what buttons to push. “How’s the farm doing? I see people from the Inn walking around a lot more these days, so I assume it’s going well.”

  “It’s busy. Thelma finally hired Tru Allen on full-time and she’s even thinking about adding another. Annie is going overboard with the weddings and I keep having to remind her that it’s okay to slow down a little. She won’t, but I can at least try. Her public relations business is booming, too. I don’t know where she finds the energy or the time.”

  “I don’t think there isn’t anything your wife can’t do if she puts her mind to it. I’m still not entirely sure why she chose someone like you.”

  Spencer smiled. “I’m not either. B
ut I’m thankful every single day that she did.”

  “Ugh. I think I liked you better before when you were grumpy and miserable. Now you are all blissful and content and using words like adorable.”

  “You’ll see, one day it’ll happen to you, too. You’ll find someone and fall in love and your whole world will change.”

  “That’s extremely doubtful.” She never gave falling in love much thought. If it happened, great, if not, she was fine with that, too. There were other things in life that could be fulfilling. She had her bakery and that was enough. “Besides, the options in town are limited and I don’t have much free time to get out and see what else is out there.”

  “I think Franklin is still single.”

  Ginger gave Spencer a little shove. “Don’t think I won’t beat you up right here on the street. I’ve done it before.”

  “We were five, Ginger.”

  “And you cried like a little baby,” Ginger smirked.

  “Fine. I take back my Franklin remark. Okay?”

  Ginger eyed him cautiously. “Okay.”

  “I’m just saying, Ginger. I really do believe there is someone out there for you.”