She gives me a big hug, before shooting a glance at Niko. “Hmm. I heard your man was here helping. Very nice, girlfriend. Very nice.”
“How’d you hear that?”
“Well, Ted called his wife and told her he was at work. That the shirt shop got a rush order and that you and your man took over putting up the lights. She peeked in when she was taking her kids to the sitter on her way to work. She called her sister who works with me at the coffee shop and said you were in town and your man was a hottie. The cook at the coffee shop overheard and is so excited the kids will have Christmas that he sent me with lunch for the two of you.”
I hear a snort and look up.
Nico’s trying to hide his laughter behind a hand. He clears his throat. “Omorfiá mou, I need two more sets of lights, and we’re done with the ceilings. Let’s finish these and we’ll take a break.”
Sall gives me a hug. “I’ll be by after work to help.”
Before we eat I have him sign the waiver for the shirts and send it off to Ed. He immediately replies with a sample photo of how thee shirts turned out. “Look Niko, they are amazing.”
“They really are. You’ve got vision. And you’re right, they’re fun for all ages.” He clears his throat. “I…ah asked a couplemore friends, a female skater and a snowboarder, and sent them the waiver. I’ve gotten photos and signatures from both. You interested?”
“Yes! Absolutely yes! Show me.”
Both photos are perfect. I forward them instantly, and within minutes my phone is blowing up with heart emojis and thank-you’s.
“You, Nico are making this happen.”
He shrugs. “You are. I’m just the wing man.”
He finishes his sandwich. “I like your little town. Think we could take a twenty-minute walk and stretch our legs? Show me this place you love so much.”
“We’ve earned a break.”
He takes my hand as we cross the street and doesn’t let go. I point out all my favorite places. The farther we go the more the empty storefronts tell their story.
“It’s a vicious cycle. People sold their homes to cash in on vacationers. Then closed the businesses that made people want to come here in the first place.”
We walk past one of the larger restaurants that’s now closed.
“What was this,” he asked.
“A five-star chef’s place. He used to bring his family to ski at Witt Lodge. This restaurant alone brought people to town. Then it closed. Not long after the lodge lost their big-name ski instructor when he retired. They haven’t found a decent replacement that has stayed for more than half a season.”
“When was that?”
“Two years ago. Last one left right after last season.”
“And the town hasn’t recovered since?”
“No. Everything in our area has taken a hit. Our economic downhill really started when they elected the braggadocios mayor two years ago. He has done nothing to bring in new businesses when that’s what he campaigned on.”
CHAPTER 6
Niko
“I hadn’t heard the lodge was looking for an instructor. Don’t get me wrong, the lodge is nice and the athletic accommodations for the athletes are great. But you can only eat at the lodge restaurants so many times before you start craving real variety. The twenty-minute drive here is scenic and easy, and with the team practicing more on Witt Mountain, you should have a solid base for at least seasonal business. But you’re right, you need a few more things to draw people in. A big-name restaurant would help.”
“That’s our problem,” I sigh. “No one is doinganything. When asked what businesses have been recruited or contacted the mayor always says ‘we’re working on it’. If the mayor with all his ‘connections’, can’t be bothered to chase down new businesses, who will?
“He hasn’t even taken care of what we already had. The town use to have an ice-skating rink. The kid’s hockey teams played against other nearby towns. Now that’s gone. We could have snowmobile and ski rentals. Maybe a trendy bar with live music. And that creepy old mansion outside of town would be perfect for escape rooms.
“The issue is not the people. Everyone who lives here works hard. The issue is there’s no vision in the current mayor or town council. They don’t know how to work or inspire or entice businesses to open here.
“And you won’t see any of them helping with the Christmas event either. They don’t have small children anymore. Not one of them have offered to look for donors for the event expenses. They have their money. They don’t care about anyone else.”
