of us slowly turning into spinsters?” Maddie replied. Then, realizing her misstep, she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, Cora. You know you’ll find someone eventually. There’s always Bart. Oh, and you know, there was a guy in the bakery the other day—”
She stopped when she saw Cora give her the long, warning look she always did when Maddie started to get too interested in her love life.
“Bart is a friend,” she clarified. “And as for some guy in your bakery, I’m not exactly looking to be set up at the moment. Besides, this is my peak season. I don’t have time to think about romance.”
It wasn’t true. She’d spent entirely too much time during her walk over here thinking of Phil and the fact that he would be staying in town through Christmas.
“You know what Mom always used to say,” Amelia chimed in as she joined them through the dining room entrance and picked up her platter of leftover Thanksgiving sandwiches. “First comes mistletoe!”
They all said it in unison, and Cora laughed, despite her earlier annoyance.
It was true, that above all traditions that their mother loved about this holiday, the part she loved the most was the love. The magic. The way the snow and the lights and the music and the feels all made everything feel more special and romantic.
And that was one tradition that Cora hadn’t exactly experienced firsthand. Until now.
4
Unlike her sisters Amelia and Maddie, who closed their establishments on Mondays, Cora remained open seven days a week during the holiday season, knowing that her downtime would come from January through to the spring, when tourists started flocking to the lakefront town again. She was happy for the business, especially from Maddie and Cole, who stopped by as promised. Cora had watched them with a funny feeling in her stomach as they walked around the shop, picking out decorations that were clearly the start of a life together, even if it was the early days in their relationship. She wasn’t jealous of her sister—no, that wasn’t it. It was longing, she realized, for what they had. To find it for herself.
But after waiting all day to see if Phil and Georgie would come in for decorations for their tree, she’d finally turned the sign on the door with a sigh, flicked off the lights, and treated herself to two Christmas movies in her favorite flannel pajamas, and a bowl of cereal for dinner.
Up until now, that kind of night had been something to look forward to after a long day on her feet. But now, after meeting Phil, Cora suddenly itched to get out a little more.
On Tuesday morning, she stopped by Buttercream Bakery for some much-needed coffee. She was pleased to see that the new spot in town was busy on a weekday morning.
She was even more pleased to see how festive Maddie’s menu was.
“You might have beaten me when it comes to who has more Christmas in their store,” she laughed when Maddie finished up with the customer ahead of her. Cora let her gaze linger on all the treats, most of which had eggnog, candy cane, or spice in their ingredients.
Maddie snorted. “Please, like anyone could top you when it comes to the holidays.” She paused, her expression turning momentarily sad. “Well, other than Mom, of course.”
Cora gave a wistful smile. Memories of her mother happily hanging a wreath from the front door and putting her candles in each window still made her heart ache nearly as much as it filled it. “She knew how to do it, that was for sure.”
“From the roast to the potatoes to the color-coordinated wrapping paper.”
“Hey, I thought Santa brought the paper!” Cora teased, but it was true, and she was pleased that Maddie, being the youngest, still remembered that. Each year, their mother picked a few rolls of paper in coordinating prints, and each girl knew whose gifts were for who based on the paper.
It was a tradition she still carried on, wrapping each of her family member’s gifts in a different print that suited their personality.
“Maybe that’s something you can do with your kids someday,” she said. “Now that you and Cole are—”
Maddie pursed her lips, but there was no doubt that she was pleased. “Just dating,” she said firmly.
“For now.” Cora couldn’t deny that it felt good to give Maddie a taste of her own medicine. She’d poked Amelia forever about her romantic life, which had spared Cora until Matt returned to town