“When does the store close today?” Julie asked Ivy.
“Five o’clock.”
“And the shelter?”
“Before then,” Myrtle answered.
“Then, say, five thirty or so?”
Both women nodded. Lucy bustled closer with a white paper bag, which she handed to Myrtle. “There you are, my dear. Did you want anything else?”
“Not today, Lucy, but thank you.”
As Myrtle paused to chat with Lucy, Julie wondered whether she should pick up something more than mac and cheese to serve to the two women tonight. They would be coming over close to dinner.
A thread of conversation caught her attention from one table over.
“Storm’s going to be a doozy, I hear.”
“I sure hope it passes us by!”
“Storm?” Julie asked, surprising herself at her rudeness at interrupting a table of strangers.
“Didn’t you hear?” the man asked, not at all taken aback by Julie’s question. Julie was surprised at how easily folks chatted between tables here in Pinecone Falls. That never happened in Boston, and it threw her off a bit. “The weatherman is calling for the snowstorm of a century! But don’t worry. I hear it’s supposed to be south of us.”
“South. As in… Boston?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, ’round about there, I’d say.”
Julie’s stomach plummeted. Her parents were flying in through Boston and meeting Gram there for the drive to Vermont. What would they do if the storm of the century kept Gram away from her last Christmas at Pinecone Falls?
Chapter 27
“Don’t worry about us,” Mom said through the slight crackle of static on the line. Julie was in the kitchen, but she kept stepping in and out of the best pocket of cell phone signal due to her pacing.
“Easier said than done. What if the airport is shut down?”
Dad called over the speaker on her mother’s phone, “I’m on hold with the airline now on my phone. We’re trying to switch our flight to come into Manchester, New Hampshire instead. It’ll be fine.”
“Right. And Gram?”
“We’re switching her flight too,” Mom assured. “Trust me, we’re not missing this party.”
If anything, that made Julie worry even more. Yes, she’d put a lot of hard work into making sure this party would be one to remember. But if her parents and Gram took chances on the road so they could be here in time…
“Stop fussing,” her mom said, even though she hadn’t spoken another word. “I swear, you’re just like your grandmother.”
Julie took that as a compliment. She chewed on her thumbnail. “You have time if there is a storm. You’re flying in tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan,” Dad called. Apparently, the airline still hadn’t picked up his call.
“And the party’s only the day after that. So, if it’s too bad tomorrow…”
“We’ll be there,” Mom assured. “Now, don’t you have other things to do?”
Julie had a pile of shopping bags filled with decorations. Too many, if she was honest. She’d only meant to pick up a couple finishing touches, but she’d been anxious, and when anxious she always managed to spend more than she meant to. At least it would give Ivy and Myrtle plenty to do while they were here. Julie opened her mouth, probably—yes—to fuss, but a beep in her ear informed her of a call coming in on the other line.
“You’re right, Mom. Sorry. Keep me updated.”
