Winter Falls (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 6

six

We'd been working steadily for hours, and of course we had lots of visitors to the Chamber and that took up a lot of time as well. But I wasn't complaining. We needed the visitors and their inquiries. Even a local real estate agent had scheduled hours in the Chamber in case of potential buyers. He'd had to call in another agent to handle the inquiries.

It was all clicking along perfectly and it was time to take a break.

"Do you want to go over to the Powder Room and grab some lunch?" I asked Pauline, glancing at the clock. "It's well past lunch, and I'm famished."

Paulie looked around. “Are you going to close the Chamber or..." she paused?

"No, Joanne is coming in for a couple hours to help out and the real estate agents are here as well. They can mind the place. We'll only be gone for an hour or so. Plus, I want to check with Chef Shane. I've ordered canapés for the Chamber's Christmas Eve open house."

"I forgot about that. That goes from noon till two, right?"

"Yes, I wanted to keep the evenings free for other Christmas Eve celebrations.”

"You're still coming to our place, right?" Paulie and her family had invited me over every Christmas Eve for years and I was definitely going. Their large family was a joy to be around, especially during the holidays.

"I wouldn't miss it," I assured her.

"Excellent, because I don't think you'd be able to live it down if you do. Shall we walk or drive? My car is out back and yours is up the road."

"I'm game for a walk. The fresh air will do us good even if it is a bit nippy." I pulled on my coat, wrapped my scarf around my face, and stuck my hands in my gloves. Paulie did the same, and just as we were about to leave the Chamber, Joanne came in.

"Perfect timing," she said as she took her own coat and hat off.

"We won't be long. Just going to the Powder Room for a bite, and to check the order for Christmas Eve. Can we bring you anything?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "No thanks, I just had a lovely tuna sandwich at Hanson's." She smiled and pulled out the binder she'd been working on.

"Right, see you soon, and thanks."

"It's my pleasure. Enjoy and don't worry about a thing," Joanne said.

"Fat chance of that." Paulie said and laughed.

The sidewalks were clear of snow and ice, so there was no chance of slipping, but the wind coming off the lake was bitter and strong. Snow devils rushed up the street and I leaned into the wind.

"That wind is something."

Paulie turned so she was walking with her back to the wind. "It certainly is. You’re my eyes right now so don't let me bump into anything. I wish I'd had a hat and scarf." She covered her ears with her hands in the fluffy mittens.

I took off my hat and put it on her head. "Here, I have a hood."

We pushed on, crossed Fair Road, and took a shortcut between the Reindeer Hole, a local pub, and Evergreen Pet Rescue. The buildings offered some relief from the cutting cold. We ran across Lakeshore Drive and finally pushed open the door to The Powder Room.

It was the original name of the building for many years and the new owner decided to honor the historical element and kept it, with a plaque in the front foyer giving a brief history about the building. A powder room was where dynamite was stored in mines and also at this location which at the time was a distance from the downtown. You know, just in case something went wrong and the place blew up.

I thought it was a nice call back to the town’s history by keeping the name for the restaurant.

I made a mental note to put Evergreen Lake historical building plaques as an agenda item at the next Board of Directors meeting.

"Oh, this looks nice," Pauline said "Remember how we hung out here as kids, looking for old dynamite sticks?"

"A damn good thing we never found any," I replied.

"No kidding. I still can’t get over the transformation from what it was to this.” She waved her hand at the room.

The state of this building had been rough, nobody had done anything with it for years, and it had been threatened for demolition. When we heard it had sold, the town held its breath to see what would become of it. Would it be torn down and a new building put in its place, or completely overhauled? I was hoping for the latter and as I stood here gazing around, I was in awe. The transformation was incredible.

We were greeted and led to a table by the window overlooking the lake.

"Wow, what a view." I sat taking in the vista before us.

Most of the tables were occupied, which I was thrilled to see.

We both fell quiet and studied the menu. We'd made it just in time because they closed for lunch at 2:30 in order to prep for dinner.

"So many choices. What are you going to get?” Pauline asked.

"I don't know, it all looks yummy. But I heard the fries are crazy good. And you know me and fries. I'm going to get cowboy poutine." It sounded delish, rich gravy with chunks of steak and cheese.

"I've never had it. Maybe I'll get the grilled chicken with pear and aioli on the bun, and fries of course. This menu doesn't really exude Michelin star, though does it?" Pauline observed.

I shushed her. "Don't say that too loud. This is a lunch menu and he may have a Michelin star but that doesn't mean he has to constantly cook like that unless he wants to. Remember he got away from the rat race and maybe he just loves good solid down-home food. I know I do."

"Yeah, you're probably right." She put the menu down and clasped her fingers, leaning over the table. "I have to tell you, I'm getting wonderful feedback about the Festival. It's been a true hit, and some are already talking about next year."

"You have no idea how good that makes me feel. We've all worked so hard to bring it to fruition. Honestly, though, I can't even think about next year yet." I puffed out a breath.

"I hear you.”

The waitress arrived and we ordered.

"It's been such a big job to bring the idea to life and to the level the Board wanted it." The challenge was to get everyone on the same page and working together. It had been somewhat hit and miss in previous years and my goal was to streamline the planning. Gentle cajoling, a firm stance, and all done with a smile and understanding eventually won merchants over.

I knew how difficult change could be and this was a huge change. It was heartwarming to hear the positive feedback. There was still a week left with the New Year’s Eve outdoor bash.

It was exhausting thinking about it.

"Look how nicely the restaurant is done up for Christmas too." I noted. Holiday music came from hidden speakers. A big, live Christmas tree was in the center of the room, beautifully decorated in a Western theme, cowboy boots, and hats, multicolored lights. Leather decorations, balls in red and black buffalo check and bows in black and white buffalo check, along with a multitude of sparkly glass ornaments reflecting in the light adorned the tree.

"The tree is gorgeous." It all made me feel so Christmassy and long for my own family celebration.

Paulie turned around. "It is. I wonder where he got it from."

She looked at me and winked.

"What? He probably got it from a tree farm." I knew where she was going with that but I wasn't going to fall into her trap.

"Winter Tree Farm perhaps?" she said slowly with her eyebrows arched. Some of the water spilled onto the table from when I put my glass down so I dipped my finger in the little puddle and flicked some drops at her. "Enough."

She laughed and wiped off the drip.

"Do you recognize anyone or are they all tourists?" I asked. We loved tourists as they brought in business, but it was also important locals came to the restaurant as well.

"Some, and I know what you're thinking. Local folk need to support it."

"That's right." I dropped my chin into my palm and looked out the window. It was wintry out there. Branches on the pine trees ringing the lake shook and swayed in the wind, and I was glad the snow seemed to have eased up.

"I hope it isn't as cold when we leave. Just looking at it out there chills my bones," Paulie commented.

"It’ll be behind us and help to push us back to work.”

"And here we are." The cheery waitress set our plates on the table.

Pauline leaned over. "Wow, that, it really is... Something."

"Have a taste. See what you think before you judge." I edged my plate toward her little bit and she took a stab at the cheesy, gravy covered fries. "Don't forget to take some meat with that."

She used her knife to push a piece of meat onto the fork. It was comical to watch her shovel that huge mound of food into her mouth.

But when she did and started to chew, her eyes widened and she made delightful groaning sounds.

"Good, huh?” I said to her as I pulled the plate back to take my own stab. "I told you.”

She nodded, still chewing.

I grabbed a mouthful and it was good. Delicious in fact. We both finished chewing at the same time.

"Oh, my God. That was incredible." She looked down at her chicken sandwich on the plate. "This seems really pathetic in comparison."

"It looks good--that's a fresh brioche bun, nice hunk of crispy chicken, and it’s very nicely plated. I think it will be tasty. And you have the same fries as me only they're not covered in ooey gooey goodness."

"I know. Next time I'm getting what you have." She picked up her sandwich and took a bite. The reaction wasn't quite as intense, but she nodded her head and closed her eyes. I knew she was happy with her choice as well.

"This is good." She talked around her food and then grabbed her napkin to wipe off a drip of sauce.

We ate in silence, enjoying our meal and not really paying attention to anything around us. It was nice to zone out and just chill, eat good food, because we'd be back in the thick of it as soon as we got back to the office.

Amos crossed my mind. I wondered if he ever came here to eat. Was he a restaurant kinda guy? I had no idea.