JOE
Visitors from the town’s craft fair kept the Snowda Shoppe hopping all day. Joe thanked his lucky stars because it meant he couldn’t wallow in his thoughts. He made more White Clauses in one day than he had in the past month since debuting his newest flavor.
The Snowda Shoppe blended a few different café type businesses. With Carols and Crepes serving as the town’s diner and the Mistledough Bakery providing all the dessert needs for the town, the Snowda Shoppe had its own little niche with its specialty drinks.
Basically, it was an old-fashioned soda shop combined with a coffeehouse. Sort of.
Joe chuckled as he scooped some vanilla ice cream into the mixer and added the flavored creamer that made up a White Claus. The little girl waiting for her special drink bounced in excitement as the blender whirled.
After pouring it into one of their themed mugs, Joe topped the creamy treat with a sprinkle of peppermint crumbles and handed it over. Her parents each ordered a gingerbread chai latte, so he made those next.
“Thanks for stopping in!” Joe grinned as they made their way to one of the booths and sat down to enjoy their drinks.
His grin slipped when he noticed a shadow in the window.
Javier.
Before he could even brace himself for a confrontation, a group of ladies swarmed around Javier and somehow managed to get him away from the shop. From the corner booth, Tate chuckled.
“What did you do?” Joe asked.
He dragged a chair over to the booth and plopped down into it. They’d reached the afternoon lull, so Joe should have at least a couple minutes of downtime.
“Me? Not a thing,” Tate said, his eyes never leaving his laptop.
“Sure. But you know who did?”
“Nope.”
Joe sighed. “Yes, you do.”
“I have my suspicions, but I don’tknow,” Tate clarified. “Also, Colby asked me to speak to you about the restraining order. If you’d like him to see what he can do, just let me know.”
“That’s very nice of him.”
Tate stopped typing and turned to stare at him. “I think it’s time you and I had a little talk.”
Joe gulped. “O-okay.”
“When I decided to sign the lease for this building, I had no intention of keeping the Snowda Shoppe open. My mate, however, had other ideas. Eldon insisted that it be restored to its former glory, and the more time I spent in Mistletoe Falls, the more I came to agree with him.”
Joe nodded. “Makes sense. Eldon is very dedicated to the town.”
“Yes, he is. Which is why he handled hiring you. He knew what it took to not only be a member of this community, but also what it takes to successfully run a shop in this town.”
Joe nodded again.
“You have exceeded our wildest expectations, Joe. I know you worry about Eldon, but you have nothing to be concerned about. I thought we’d made it clear, but I’m not sure we have. We want you to stay, and more than that, we want you towantto stay. We want you to be happy here. So when some jackass shows up, I have no problem intervening to make sure you stay happy.”
Joe didn’t know what to say.
“Joe, can you imagine me running the Snowda Shoppe?”
An unexpected laugh burst out of him at the thought. Eyes wide, Joe smacked his hand over his mouth.
“Exactly,” Tate said. “So I’m going to continue sitting here to make sure that soap opera villain of an ex of yours doesn’t step one foot in my building. And Eldon has enlisted an army of elves to assist as well.”
Joe’s shoulders relaxed for the first time since the morning encounter with Javier. “I don’t know what to say.”
