“Okay…so it’s a thing,” Holly said with a frown.
“Oh, you’d be surprised.” The cleaner looked amused. “We had two couples who booked both rooms for a whole week. They switched places every night.” She glanced up at the wall. “I like what you’ve done with the wall art. I’ve seen some interesting things here, but that’s a first. Creativity is definitely appreciated. Makes it way less creepy somehow.”
“We improvised. I hope Maude doesn’t mind.”
“Of course not.” The cleaner put down the box. “Are you sure you don’t want me to decorate while you’re out? I assume you’ll go for breakfast?” She held up a hand when Mack was about to protest. “I know, I know. You’re hoping to get out of here, but myshift finishes at ten and I’d hate for you to miss out on Christmas decorations in case you don’t manage to get a car.”
Mack hesitated for a beat, then gave in. “Sure. Thank you. Just give us some time to get ready and the room is all yours.” She didn’t care for Christmas decorations, and she had no intention of staying if she could help it, but the cleaner was clearly passionate about it, like everyone else in this establishment, it seemed.
“Great.” The cleaner beamed and saluted her on her way out. “I think you’ll be pleased to see how even the dreariest of rooms can be transformed.”
Mack put on her coat and shoes, and glanced at Holly, who gave her an encouraging smile. “Good luck with the car rentals,” she said.
“Thanks.” She braced herself and opened the door to a gust of icy wind. The snow was deep, and each step was an effort, but she made her way to the reception.
Inside, Maude greeted her with a cheery smile and an interesting Christmas sweater with a frontal view of a reindeer, its eyes made of big, golden baubles. “Morning, dear! How did you sleep?”
Mack forced a smile. “Good morning, Maude. I slept well, thank you. The cleaner told me the airport will remain closed today, but we really need to get to Minneapolis. She said you have a list of local car rentals? I can’t get a decent enough signal on my phone to look them up.”
“I certainly do.” Maude handed her a short, handwritten list. “But I have to warn you, many of the cars were rented out yesterday afternoon after the first flights were canceled.” She pushed the phone in Mack’s direction. “Here, use this one.”
Mack’s heart sank a little, but she thanked Maude and started making calls. There were five car rentals in and around Watertown, and each conversation was the same: nocars available, everything rented out, and the roads were too dangerous to drive on anyway, so what was she even thinking?
Holly joined her just as she hung up from the last call. “Any luck?” she asked, though her hopeful expression faltered when she saw Mack’s face.
“None at all,” Mack said, her voice heavy with disappointment. “I don’t know what else to try.”
Holly sighed. “Well, all we can do is make the best of it, I suppose.” She turned to Maude. “Is the room free for another night?”
“Already done,” Maude said with a wink. “I’ve been through enough blizzards to predict the aftermath, so I took the liberty of reserving it for you.”
“Thank you.” Holly gave her a half-hearted smile. “I’ll call my parents. Let them know I’m stuck here for Christmas Eve.”
“I’ll do the same. And then we should probably get some decent food,” Mack said. “Anywhere we can get breakfast around here, Maude?”
“Oh, yes! My brother’s diner does the best pancakes. And it will be open tonight too. He’s serving traditional Christmas food. You’ll also have better luck with the Wi-Fi there. It’s usually pretty stable.”
“Thanks. What’s your brother’s diner called?”
“It’s the Mistletoe Diner,” Maude said. “We’re an entrepreneurial family, us Mistletoes.”
Mack stared at Maude as she processed the information. It sounded like a joke, but she suspected it wasn’t. “Wait… Is Mistletoe your real surname?”
Maude chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “It sure is. I’m Maude Mistletoe, the eldest sister. My brother, Marty, runs the Mistletoe Diner, and our younger sister, Millie, runs the gas station. It’s only a five-minute walk from here. She sells great gifts.”
Holly exchanged an incredulous glance with Mack. “Well, that’s certainly memorable. We’d better check it out. Oh, and thank you for the room decorations. That’s very kind.”
“You’re welcome, girls. No one escapes Christmas in Watertown, stranded or not.”
Chapter 8
Holly
The plate clinked in front of Holly, and she looked down to see a stack of blueberry pancakes arranged to resemble Santa’s face. His beard was made of whipped cream, his eyes were blueberries, and his hat was made of pre-molded red Jell-O. “Thank you. This looks…”
“Weird?” the waitress finished her sentence, then lowered her voice as she glanced over her shoulder. “I know. My boss insists we do this every year. It’s a pain in the ass. Santa’s eyes keep rolling off and the cream melts all over the plate.”
Mack, seated across from Holly, couldn’t stop laughing. “Looks like Santa’s been having some skin issues,” she joked, pointing to the blue-tinged pancakes.
