(advent) Monday, December 16

“Just snow flurries,” Drew assured Molly as he stopped into the bookstore on his way to the Station. “Nothing like the storm last week.”

 

“Good,” Molly said, holding up an empty tea mug in suggestion. “Or don’t you have time?”

 

“I always have time for you,” he told her, shedding his coat and hanging it up on one of the hangers. “Besides, how often do I get your undivided attention here? I’m not going to miss this.”

 

Molly laughed and filled the mug up. “Caffeinated or no?”

 

“Yes, please. I’m on until almost midnight.” Drew stretched. “With the Snow Queen’s ball on Saturday, we’re all pulling long shifts this week.” He accepted the mug, warming his hands on the ceramic as she dropped one of the raspberry black tea bags he preferred into it. “Still not going to tell me about your dress?”

 

“Nope,” Molly said, grinning. “You can know that the color is emerald. That’s all you need to know.”

 

“Emerald.” He sipped his tea and eyed her. “You are going to look stunning in emerald.”

 

Molly preened a little. The dress WAS stunning, and she had Lai to thank for it. She’d spotted it when she was shopping in Bangor and had texted the photo to Molly, who had begged her to buy it. She couldn’t wait until Saturday night to wear it. “Flattery will get you food, but not more information,” she told him.

 

“It was worth a try.” Drew grinned. “But I’ll take a sandwich before I go.”

 

She pulled two slices of the herb bread she’d made a few days before, and buttered both sides before she put them on the cast iron griddle pan. “I’ve got roast beef and cheddar today,” she told him. “How does that sound?”

 

“Divine.” As she made the sandwich, Drew looked over at the Advent Calendar on the wall. “So, how’s the calendar working out?”

 

“Like a charm.” Molly felt just a bit smug about that. “Not only has it worked on Zoey and Lily, but you didn’t see what happened yesterday after you left.” She layered cheese and roast beef on one of the toasted slices of bread, and flipped the other slice on top, then pressed the sandwich down. “Corinne managed to get Donna to talk to Santa.”

 

“No way!” Drew gaped at her. “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously.” Molly pulled the sandwich off the grill and put it on a plate, then cut it and handed it to him. “And she thought the decorations we left were amazing, by the way. I forgot to tell you that yesterday.”

 

“Good.” Drew dug into the sandwich. “So, what’s on the schedule for today?”

 

“I’ve got to start working on gingerbread houses.” Molly indicated the pile of order forms on the island. “They aren’t going to make themselves.”

 

“How many do you have to do this year?”

 

She picked up the forms and counted. “Forty-five,” she said. “Not too bad. It’s definitely doable.”

 

Drew’s eyes widened. “Forty-five gingerbread houses? In how many days?”

 

Molly shrugged. “They’re due to be delivered Sunday, the day after the ball.”

 

“You are amazing,” Drew said, draining the rest of his tea and finishing his sandwich. “And unfortunately, I have to be off.”

 

“Should I wait up for you? Or are you going to stay up at the Station?” She hoped it would be the first, but knew it was a possibility that he wouldn’t.

 

“Don’t wait up,” he said, but then chuckled. “I have a key, remember?”

 

And with that, he dropped a kiss on her lips, grabbed his coat and the bag of goodies she’d had made up for him, and headed out the door.

 

Molly heaved a sigh, and refreshed her own tea cup. Then she cleaned up his dishes, promised herself that in January, they’d take a week to enjoy one another’s company, and went back to her order forms.

 

Most of the orders were simple houses, but there were a few that were going to be a bit more complicated. She pulled out Sarah’s order – the little blind girl had asked for a gingerbread sleigh this year, complete with marzipan presents in a sack. Normally, Molly wouldn’t have taken on such an intricate piece on Christmas, but it was for Sarah, who was one of her and Schrodinger’s favorites. And really, it wouldn’t be too bad, she realized, as she started sketching the piece out on the bottom of the form. More fiddly than anything, and the marzipan would take care of most of it. She went to investigate how much marzipan she had.

 

“Molly, Molly, Molly!” Zoey and Lily called out as they came into the kitchen, snowflakes melting on their hats and mittens. “It’s snowing!”

 

“So I heard!” she said, coming back out into the main kitchen from the pantry. “But Drew said it was just flurries! Was he pulling my leg?”

 

No, Schrodinger told her, shaking off the flakes. It’s flurrying in bursts, that’s all.

 

“Ah, gotcha.” Molly grinned at them. “You guys ready to work today? We’ve got gingerbread to cut out!”

 

“Absolutely!” Lily said, nodding. “But we have to do the Advent Calendar first!” She looked at the others. “Right?”

 

Right! Jack agreed, wagging his tail eagerly. Let’s find the number!

 

Lily and Zoey hurriedly shed their coats, and hung them up carefully before they all went in front of the Advent Calendar. “Where do you think it might be today?” Zoey whispered.

 

“I don’t know,” Lily said. “It could be anywhere.”

 

Molly continued to go through the orders, pulling out another two orders that were multiple houses. In all, she had five that were either multiple houses, or a little more complicated. One family had asked for a Nativity scene, and she couldn’t remember if she’d done that before.

 

“Here it is!” Lily sang out suddenly, and she touched the door of the cottage. The square of painting crumbled, and they all watched as the snowflake popped out. “What are we going to do today, snowflake?”

 

In response, the snowflake dipped in front of her, but didn’t land on her outstretched hand, or drop anything. Instead, it floated over to the door leading out into the tea room.

 

“Come on!” Zoey said, and they followed it out into the tea room. Molly, curious despite herself, followed them to the doorway and watched.

 

The snowflake danced and dipped on a breeze that none of them felt, and led them over to Mr. Dorr and Mrs. Dorr, who were at their normal table. Mrs. Dorr was still working on one of the blankets for the upcoming fire kittens, and Mr. Dorr was reading. But it was obvious they were waiting for the four who approached them. The snowflake wheeled above them, and then burst into sparkles of light.

 

You have something for us to do? Schrodinger asked politely, and then hastily introduced Zoey to them. Sorry.

 

“Hello,” Mrs. Dorr said, smiling at them. “You’re fine, Schrodinger. And yes, we do have something for you to do.” She set down her knitting and reached into the large bag they’d brought in with them. “It’s a very important thing.”

 

We’re good at important things! Jack wagged his tail excitedly.

 

“We are!” Lily and Zoey chorused, nodding. “What do you need us to do?”

 

Mrs. Dorr brought out a large wrapped box that she handed to them. “Be careful,” she said. “It’s a little heavier than it looks.”

 

Lily and Zoey each took a corner. “Who is this for?” Lily asked her.

 

“It’s a very special delivery for Molly,” Mr. Dorr said, and their eyes widened. “Do you think you can deliver it for us?”

 

“Oh yes!” Lily and Zoey nodded. Then, with Jack and Schrodinger following closely behind, they walked slowly over to Molly.

 

“What is this?” she asked.

 

“Something for you!” Lily said, and Zoey added, “You should open it now!”

 

Molly took the package, which was heavier than she’d first thought, and brought it into the kitchen. There was nothing on the outside of the box to suggest where it had come from. And knowing the Dorrs, it could have been from anywhere. And from anyone.

 

“Open it!” Lily begged. “I need to know what’s inside!”

 

Me too! Schrodinger said.

 

Molly laughed. “Okay, okay!” She slid her finger under the snowflake-patterned paper and lifted one flap, then pulled the edge and let it fall away. Inside was a plain box that she lifted the lid off of to reveal…

 

“Oooh,” she said, lifting out the pattern. “Look at this!”

 

It was a castle. A full set of pieces to create a gingerbread castle, something she’d always wanted to do but never had the time or the nerve to freehand. Taped to the first piece of the pattern was a creamy vellum envelope that she opened. Inside was a matching card that she read silently, then said, “Wow, guys, our day just got a little more interesting.”

 

“What does it say?” Zoey asked, bouncing from foot to foot. “Who sent it?”

 

Molly cleared her throat and said, “Dear Molly, I realize this is last minute, but I was hoping that you would be able to help me out. I would like to have a castle made for Thursday, so you and your young helpers can bring it out to me when you join me for tea. I will be happy to pay extra for the rush delivery, and the pattern is yours to keep. Please let Lucille and Stephen know – they will let me know. Yours, Jade”

 

“OOOOOOH!” Lily shrieked in glee, and grabbed Zoey’s hands to spin her around the kitchen.

 

“Who’s Jade?” Zoey asked, breathless.

 

“The Snow Queen!” Lily told her, before Molly could answer. “We’ve been invited to tea with the SNOW QUEEN!”

 

“Who?” Zoey asked again.

 

The Snow Queen, Schrodinger told her. One of the most powerful magic users around. She protects the Cove, and she’s really cool. He looked at Molly. Can we do it, though? Is it possible?

 

Molly looked at the pattern, and then at the pile of orders on the table. “If we’re going to get this done, it’s going to take a lot of work,” she warned them. “Are you willing to help me?”

 

Lily and Zoey stopped spinning. “We’ll help!” Lily said stoutly. “We can do a lot!” Zoey nodded. “I know we can do it, Molly!”

 

Maybe the Trio can help as well? Schrodinger suggested. I think they’d come over.

 

Molly looked from their expectant faces to the pile of orders, and then back again. “Yes, I think we can,” she said finally, putting the card down and reaching for her phone. “Go ahead and tell them yes, and I’ll see what we can do to call for some backup.”

 

Luckily for her, both Noemi and Sue agreed to come over and help, and Lai offered to help on Wednesday. “I’m booked today, sorry,” she said regretfully. “But I can come after work.”

 

“Come on over,” Molly said. “I’ll be here late tonight.”

 

“What happened?” Lai asked.

 

“We got a special rush order for a gingerbread castle from Jade,” Molly said, and Lai whistled. “Yep.”

 

“You’d better get busy. I’ll bring dinner.”

 

“You’re a peach,” Molly said, and hung up the phone. Then she looked down at the expectant faces in front of her. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.”

 

She handed out aprons to Lily and Zoey, and Sue as she walked in the door. Then she started the two girls rolling out large sheets of the gingerbread dough she’d already made.

 

“What can I do?” Sue asked. “Want me to start cutting out houses?”

 

“Actually, I want you to take Schrodinger and Jack and go look through the pattern pieces,” Molly said, indicating the pantry. She had a large box of patterns that she’d collected over the years. “I need not only the general house pieces, but I think we did a Nativity, and I know I’ve got an arch in there somewhere.” She grabbed the order forms again. “I think that’s all we need – oh, and the trees and the books. The library loved the book pile last year, and ordered it again.”

 

“Will do.” Sue led Jack and Schrodinger back into the pantry and settled herself down with them on the floor. Molly turned back to the castle pattern again, wondering if she was insane to attempt this. Then again, I have wanted to attempt this… The finished castle would be almost three feet across and almost two feet high, and she realized that the boards she usually built the houses on weren’t going to be up to this task. She picked up her phone again.

 

“Will’s Lumber, Tessa speaking! How can I help you?” The voice on the other end was light and pleasant, and Molly smiled.

 

“Hi Tessa, it’s Molly Barrett.”

 

“Molly! How are you?”

 

“Good, thanks. Hoping you guys can help me out.” She quickly explained to Tessa what she needed and then said, “Do you think you could cut it and I could have someone pick it up?”

 

“Sure, not a problem,” Tessa told her. “We’ve got that kind of wood here, and it won’t take the guys more than two minutes to cut it. When do you want to pick it up?”

 

“I’ll have Lai pick it up after work,” Molly said, and pulled out her debit card. Then, after thanking Tessa, she called Lai and asked her to stop by the lumber yard on her way over.

 

That taken care of, Molly cleared off part of the counter and took one of the rolled-out pieces of dough. She floured the counter, laid the dough out and set the first of the castle pieces down on it. Then, taking one of her trusty xacto knives, she began to trace out the pieces.

 

“Molly, I’ve got the entire Nativity, as well as the houses,” Sue said, coming out of the pantry after about thirty minutes. Molly looked up from the tower she was cutting out. “And I found a sleigh too – is this what you had in mind?” She held up the pieces.

 

“Perfect!” Molly said, happy she wouldn’t have to freehand that one as well. “Why don’t you take these and figure out how many of each piece we’ll need?” She handed over the pile of order forms. “That way, I know how many to cut out.” Then she turned back to the castle and continued to cut pieces out.

 

Schrodinger hopped up onto one of the stools to watch her. Are you sure you can do all of this without going insane? The quiet question, full of concern, touched her.

 

“Yeah, I can handle it,” she said, smiling at him. “You just might be eating takeout for a few nights, while I get things done.”

 

His ears perked up at that. Chinese food?

 

“Maybe,” she said. “Lai’s bringing something tonight – it could be Chinese.”

 

It turned out to be pizza, but he was fine with that too. By the time Lai came in with dinner and the board from Will’s, the entire castle had been cut out and gone into the oven, Zoey and Lily had rolled out all the gingerbread dough, and Sue had made a list of exactly how many pieces of each shape they needed. The Nativity was cut out and baked, as was the sleigh, and they’d started on the house pieces.

 

“Man, you guys have this down to a system!” Lai said admiringly. “What do you need me for?”

 

“Moral support and wine,” Noemi said, and Lai obliging handed over the bottle she’d brought.

 

Molly surveyed the progress. “You guys rock,” she said, accepting a piece of pizza from Sue. “Tomorrow, I’ll put the castle together. Wednesday, decorate the castle, and then start putting houses together.” She nodded to herself. “This is totally doable, because you guys really helped out. Thank you so much!”

 

“It was fun!” Lily said, and Zoey nodded. “Will we get to help decorate?”

 

“I don’t see why not,” Molly said. “I have over fifty to decorate – I’ll need the help!” She smiled at them. “But not tonight. I think you guys have done enough tonight.”

 

“Oh good,” Zoey admitted. “My arms are tired.”

 

“Mine too!” Sue said, chuckling. “We rolled out and cut a lot of dough!”

 

“Well, I’ll finish this up tonight,” Molly told them. “And then, tomorrow, I can bake up the ones that I don’t get to tonight.”

 

“Are you sure they’ll be okay?” Zoey asked her. “They won’t go bad?”

 

“Nope.” Molly grinned at her. “Trust the kitchen witch. They’ll be fine.”

Originally published at The words of Valerie Griswold-Ford. You can comment here or there.