“Cynthia, hi. The bakery looks so festive this year.”
“Thank you, Marg, what can I get you?” her mother said in the sweet cheery voice she saved for the customers.
There was a long pause, and Nora imagined Mrs. Conroy’s stout frame peering over all the goodies tucked away behind the glass cases in the front of the shop.
“I think I’ll take a half dozen of the ginger snaps and two scones.” She heard her mother bagging up the cookies and scones when the dreaded question came.
“How is Nora doing these days?”
“Good, she is getting ready to take this place over.”
Nora swallowed hard at her mom’s reply, knowing she was about to break those plans and guilt began to bubble up.
“I heard she was engaged to some boy from the city.”
Nora’s heart sank into her stomach at the mention of Sam, and the guilt she had felt just a moment ago turned into a building anxiety.
“Oh, sadly, it didn’t work out between them. That will be $15.65,” her mother said, in a tone a little less sweet, as if to tell Mrs. Conroy to mind her own business.
She smiled at her mom’s sharp retort, which left Mrs. Conroy speechless. After Nora and Sam’s relationship ended, her mother had told her she had been married once before, something she had kept from Nora until then. Her mother’s experiences mirrored Nora’s in some ways, and they found common ground in their shared heartbreak and betrayal. It was a strange twist of fate that the turmoil of Nora’s relationship with Sam had brought her closer to her mother, perhaps the only silver lining behind the whole ordeal.
The sound of the chimes over the front door let Nora know it was safe to step out from her hiding spot, and she appeared in the doorway overlooking the cash register where her mother stood.
“Thanks for not getting into the details with her,” Nora said.
“Oh, Nora, of course. I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
“No, it’s fine. Why don’t you go and have a coffee with Dad out back, and I will take over here,” she told her, scooting her aside and forcing her toward the door.
“Okay, but please make sure you use the new wax paper and not the tongs for the peanut butter cookies, they will fall apart if you don’t.”
“I got this, go,” Nora said, rolling her eyes as her mother walked into the back of the bakery.
After that, the morning flew by. The tour bus departed, and there was only a brief lull before the lunch crowd arrived. Nora rejoined her father in the back so they could catch up with the demand. Nora was putting a tray of peanut butter cookies in the oven when her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She shut the oven door, then pulled out her phone. She had received a text message from Eve that read,Everything okay? You’re never late.
“Crap,” she muttered to herself and quickly texted her back.
Sorry. The shop has been crazy busy this morning. I hate to do this, but I have to cancel. I can’t leave while it’s so busy. Let’s reschedule. Pizza at my place tomorrow?She hit Send and watched as the little blue check mark appeared, letting her know it had gone through. If Nora were being honest with herself, she hadn’t really wanted to go to lunch with Eve today anyway. After the mistake of watching the Christmas rom-com last night, her heart was feeling rather tender, and she wasn’t sure she could take listening to Eve talk about how nice her new boyfriend was.
She tucked the phone back into her pocket and went back to rolling out the dough for one of her mother’s famous apple crisp pies.
Nora spent the rest of the day lost in contemplation, wrestling with the stark contrasts between herself, her mother, and her grandmother. Both her mother and Gram were pillars of strength and independence. Growing up under their influence, she had thought she would inherit at least a fraction of their confidence and drive. After all, shouldn’t those qualities have been ingrained in her, passed down through her genes, or nurtured by their example? Despite her best efforts to mirror them, she always found herself gripped by fear and anxiety whenever she tried to step out of her comfort zone. Each attempt to forge her own path seemed to end in disappointment or disaster, and Sam was the perfect example of that. So, instead of stepping up to the plate and pushing forward, she had let her mother steer her direction straight into taking over the bakery.
Lost in her own thoughts while she made and froze cookie dough, it had grown dark outside. Her parents had long ago closed up shop and headed home, but it wasn’t until Nora received a ping on her phone that she realized just how late it was. Her screen showed 8:15 p.m. She had gotten so lost in thought that time had slipped away from her.
She set the last batch of dough in the freezer and washed her hands before checking everything was prepped and ready for the next day. Untying her apron, she slung it on the hook before replacing it with her jacket and winter hat. She glanced around the room one final time to make sure that everything was turned off before she walked over to switch off the lights and lock up. There was a sticky note attached to the light that read,Make sure you let your car heat up before you take off. Drive safe on your way home, love Dad. Nora rolled her eyes as she crumpled the note before tossing it into the trash.
When she opened the back door to leave, she was surprised to see it snowing heavily again. The forecast hadn’t predicted any incoming weather. But that was Vermont, and the weather was unpredictable at best. She zipped up her jacket and pushed against the wind to get to her car. Forgetting to grab her snow brush from her parents’ backseat, she found herself cleaning off her car with her sleeve once again.
After completing the chilly task, she settled into her car, patiently awaiting the warmth of the heater to defrost her windows. As she watched the heat slowly dissolve the frost on her windshield, her thoughts circled back to her grandmother.
As Nora watched the snowflakes pirouette in the wintry breeze, she couldn’t help but think about the tales her gram had spun about her winters spent in Scotland. According to her, Vermont held a special allure that reminded her of Scotland, especially in the early winter months. It was one of the reasons she and Nora’s grandfather had decided to settle here. It had made him feel more at home even though he was an ocean away from where he had grown up.
Nora’s childhood had been peppered with bedtime stories infused with the magic of her grandmother’s Scottish adventures.She often described it as a land of enchantment and wonder, painting a picture straight out of a fairy tale. Her grandmother’s time spent there had been some of the happiest of her life, as it was the place where she met and fell in love with Nora’s grandfather. Her grandmother had always expressed her desire for Nora to visit Scotland one day and experience her roots, but Nora hadn’t even managed to make it to Florida on spring break with her friends back in college.
Tonight the sky glimmered with the same snowy enchantment her grandmother had often spoken of, and it caused a shiver to chase down her spine. It was as if she could feel her gram’s presence, and she glanced around the car. Finding nothing but frost-bitten windows, she laughed away the feeling, then put the car in drive and pulled out onto the road.
The snow came down in a thick white haze, and even with the windshield wipers on the fastest setting, she struggled to see more than a few feet in front of her. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white with tension, and she leaned forward as if it might give her a better vantage point. Coming around a bend in the road, the back of the car slid to the side, and she slowed down. The roads, still unplowed, were like a slip-n-slide and were a challenge even with studded winter tires.
