Felix

"Yes!" Felix threw his fist into the air. Just before lunch, he'd sent over the final version of the hotel booking system project to his client, and he'd just received a response back.

Looks great. We'll complete our final review after New Year's. Talk soon.

That was exactly what Felix wanted to hear. He was officially done—no more work until the new year. He leaned back on his chair, his hands behind his head. It was a familiar, freeing feeling, like getting out of school on the last day before winter break. Now he had nothing to look forward to but Christmas—

He caught himself. Am I actually looking forward to Christmas? he thought. What's becoming of me? He shook his head. It had been a while since he'd looked forward to the holidays...

What had changed?

Before he got a chance to ponder it for too long, Felix heard the back door open and close and the stamping of feet. Soon enough, his mother stepped through the back kitchen door, her cheeks rosy from the cold and her silver hair stuck to her head from being under a hat all morning.

"Don't mind me," his mother said, walking past into the kitchen. She grabbed the Santa hat kettle from the stove and went to fill it under the sink tap. "I'm just here to get another cup of coffee. You can go back to your work."

"Don't need to," Felix said, snapping the lid of his laptop shut. "Just finished for the rest of the year. I'm free as a bird." He grinned.

His mother didn't look quite so happy. "Oh, really?"

Felix's smile faded. "What's the matter?"

"Well, I hate to ruin your good mood," his mother said, "but I have some bad news."

His mother pulled her cell phone out of her sweater pocket. It was an ancient little brick of a phone, but for whatever reason, it got the best reception out of anything they'd ever used on the farm. "Just got a call from the realtor," Sue said, waving it at him. "Apparently both of the parties interested in the farm have backed out."

"Both of them?" Felix groaned. That was a mood killer.

"Looks like people lose interest in Christmas trees just as quickly as they do with the holiday," his mother said, returning to the stove and plunking down the kettle on the hot top. It was well known that his mother hated how quickly everyone packed up their decorations and lights as soon as Christmas was over. She thought they were all too eager to give up on the season's cheer and settle in for the dark and gloom of winter for the next four months. If it was up to her, they'd still celebrate the full twelve days of Christmas starting on the 24th.

"We'll find someone," Felix said.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sue said. "They did say that this was just too much space for one family. Plus, the task of caring for all the trees can be daunting."

"Regardless of the trees, this is good land," Felix said, trying to be positive. "It doesn't have to be a Christmas tree farm."

His mom turned to him, looking aghast. "Not a Christmas tree farm?" she spat, but her indignation quickly faded. "Maybe you're right. I know that once we sell it, we won't have a say in what happens to it, but I have such a hard time imagining this place being anything else than what it is."

"You'll have to let it go sometime," Felix said. He tried to be as gentle as he could, but the words still sounded harsh. "Sorry, I don't mean to be..."

"You're being realistic," Sue sighed, hovering over the kettle, waiting for it to boil. "I know, I know. That's why you and your dad butted heads all the time. You were always grounded here on earth, but your dad was always in the clouds. He was a dreamer. He dreamed that he'd be able to pass this place onto you..."

Not this again, Felix thought. "I know. But it's hard to make a living on just Christmas trees these days. To make this place work, you'd have to diversify and... Well, I don't have it in me. I'm happy doing what I do now." He patted the top of his computer.

"Yes, but you chose that job so you could work anywhere. So why couldn't you just work here, like you are now?"

Felix didn't want to admit that he'd thought about it. In fact, that was the whole reason he'd chosen this line of work in the first place. He hadn't admitted it to anyone—except for that one late-night discussion with Georgia—but he had planned on coming back eventually. He wanted to show his dad that he could do both, that he didn't have to live his life exactly like his father to make it work.

But it was too late now.

"Because I don't want to," Felix said. "I don't want to run this place on my own."

"It doesn't have to be on your own," his mother grumbled, and, for some reason, her gaze drifted over to the door to the hall, like she was staring down to the other side of the house. She shook her head and went back to the now whistling kettle, pulling it off the stove.

It seemed that his mother had let it go, at least for now. He knew it wasn't the end of it, but he'd take it. He didn't know how to make it any clearer that this wasn't where he belonged, no matter how familiar it was. He didn't want to be reminded of his father's disappointment every day of his life.

"How's Georgia faring in the gift shop?" Felix asked, wanting to change the topic.

His mother glanced over at him as she poured the hot water into the teapot with a Christmas tree painted on the side. "Just fine. It's been a slow day," she said.

Felix looked outside. For the time being, there were no customers wandering the rows of mostly stumps, now. He knew that they'd only get a few last-minute stragglers by this time in the month, mostly people who only just decided to decorate at all or people who'd forgotten to water the tree they'd gotten earlier in the month and now needed to replace it. It didn't help that the road was out for one of their biggest customer bases.

"Why do you ask?" his mother chirped.

"Wondering if she needed help or something," Felix said with a shrug.

"Oh, there's plenty of things to do without the need for customers," his mother said. "The back room needs to be cleaned out."

Felix eyed his mother. "The back room has had to be cleaned out for years," he said.

"And it will need to be cleaned out sooner rather than later if we sell this place," his mother retorted. "So why not sooner?"

Felix stared and heaved a sigh. "Yeah, you're right." The room was full of junk. It had been his father's dumping ground for anything that had to do with the farm. Old bills, invoices, advertising... Anything that wasn't suited to go in the barn went in there. His mom had moved a bunch of the things from his office in there, too, after he had passed.

It would be an emotional minefield, but it was unavoidable.

Besides, he could go and pester Georgia. At least that would be a little fun.

🎄

When Felix found Georgia, she was sitting on a stool behind the till at the counter. She had braided her hair and pulled it into a twist, and she was wearing a blue sweater that looked very familiar...

"Nice sweater," he said as he walked over to the customer side of the counter.

"Your mom loaned it to me," Georgia said, taking another sip from her cup of hot chocolate.

"It's very on-theme. You look like you're warming up to all the Christmas stuff."

"I'm just cold, is all," Georgia said, blushing a little, but she pulled the sweater tighter and took another sip of the hot chocolate.

It was cold. He was wearing a thick flannel shirt, and even it wasn't enough to keep out the chill. But he figured he'd be fine once he started working up a sweat from moving boxes around.

"And, anyway," Georgia continued, "so what if I am? It's hard not to, being around all this stuff." She pointed to the area next to the till where she had gathered the last few bits of merchandise.

He looked the pile over. It was all very nice, if you liked Christmas, that was. His parents had found the best artisans in the area to stock their shelves. Georgia had arranged the ornaments on an old wire tree and added the other pieces of decor around it. As his gaze roved over the items, he noticed one off to the side. It, too, looked familiar.

"What's that?" Felix said, pointing at the wooden reindeer.

"Oh, that?" Georgia said. "I found it in the corner of one of the top shelves. I don't think anyone could see it up there, except maybe you." She picked up the figure, handling it delicately like it was made of glass and not wood. "Isn't it nice?"

"Yeah," Felix said, but his throat felt thick. He had an idea of where it had come from. "Can I see it?"

"Sure," Georgia said. She handed it over, still treating it carefully.

Felix took the figurine and turned it over. Just as he had suspected, it had been signed by G.N.

"It's so beautifully crafted," Georgia said, admiring it in his hands. "Do you know who made it?"

"I do," Felix said. "My father—Gareth Nissen."

"Your father made that?" Georgia cried, her eyes going wide with surprise. "Wow! He was talented."

"He was," Felix said, turning it over in his hand. His dad used to carve things out of wood to keep himself busy during the off-season. He carved all sorts of things: Santa Clauses and elves and trees and wreaths and reindeer...

Of course, the one she had found had been a white reindeer.

Felix had wanted to laugh when his mother told him the tale of how Georgia had ended up at their farm. He had known she'd been run off the road, but not by a supposed reindeer... A white reindeer, at that.

What a coincidence.

Of course, his father, if he was here, wouldn't think so.

"I heard this isn't the first white reindeer you've had a run in with," Felix said, handing the figure back to Georgia.

Georgia's face flared pink, and Felix couldn't help but smile. He enjoyed how easily she blushed. That's what made her so fun to tease.

"I suppose your mom told you," she said.

"She did," Felix agreed. "So much for luck, huh?" He laughed, but not too much. He could already tell it was a sensitive subject.

"Right?" she said, carefully putting the reindeer down again, just out of the way. "Everyone keeps going on and on about luck! Your mom said seeing it was supposed to bring good luck, and yet..." She threw her hands up into the air. "Here I am. Stuck."

"Well, my mom wasn't quite right about that. Seeing the reindeer isn't supposed to bring luck. Not exactly."

Georgia turned to him, one eyebrow raised. Her curiosity had been piqued. "It's not?"

"According to the story my bestemor—sorry, grandmother—used to tell us on Christmas eve, a white reindeer is supposed to guide you to where you need to go."

"Oh, really?" Georgia asked. "What was the story?"

The first instinct Felix had was to tell Georgia to forget about it. Thinking about those things brought up a lot of happy but painful memories. But there was something warm in the way she looked at him, leaning across the counter like she was so interested she could barely contain it, that pushed him on...

"I don't remember it super well," Felix admitted. "Neither does my mom because she married into the family. My sister Astrid would, she's got a sharp memory, but she's far away in... Well, that's not important."

"Please," Georgia said. She rested her chin on her hands as she leaned against the countertop. "Tell me what you do remember."

Felix cleared his throat. For some reason, despite the chill of the shop, his face felt hot. "Okay, so. It was told to us like this was a story passed down from our family in the old country. One Christmas eve, a hundred years ago, my great-great-great—well, a lot of greats—grandfather, his wife and his children were all set to go visit his brother's family at his neighboring farm. It was cold and snowy and dark, as December often is, especially so far North. Well, just as they set out, a freak snowstorm blows in..."

Georgia just nodded, her attention fixed on him. That intense look in her eyes was back, and it made something in his chest flutter. His face got hotter.

"And with the snowstorm, my great-great-something-grandfather and his family quickly lost their way. Back then, being lost in a storm like that was pretty much a death sentence. They were sure they were going to die, lost in the snow.

"But then, out of nowhere, a white reindeer appears. It's very cool and calm like it's not even bothered by the raging storm. And it seems to want them to follow... So, they do. They all trudge after this reindeer, who walks nice and slow so they can keep up.

"And before they know it, the white reindeer is gone... But they've made it to his brother's house. His brother is so surprised and happy to see them, and the family is just grateful they survived. If it wasn't for that white reindeer, they were sure they would have perished."

"Wow..." Georgia breathed. Her bright hazel eyes seemed to deepen, and Felix thought he might fall right in...

He caught himself before he did. "My grandpa used to finish grandma's story that if it weren't for that white reindeer that none of us would be here now."

"That's an incredible story," Georgia said, turning to look at the white figurine. "Thank you for sharing."

Felix shrugged like it wasn't a big deal... But it was. "No problem."

Georgia sighed. "I guess that means I should probably give it to your mother... She'd probably want it as a keepsake. Now I feel bad about wanting to keep the reindeer for myself."

"You wanted to keep it?" Felix said.

"Yeah. It's just so beautiful. I know I'm not really the Christmas-type but..."

Felix grinned. "Yeah, you're practically glowing with Christmas cheer!"

"Glowing?" Georgia echoed, going pink again.

"Uh, you know what I mean," Felix said quickly, averting his eyes before changing the subject. "But, anyway, I'm here to help."

Georgia peered at him. "I thought you were busy working."

"Just finished my last project for the year, so now I'm free," he said. "Or at least I was until my mom decided to put me to work over here, too."

Georgia just stared at him. "What are you going to do? The place is dead quiet today. There's barely enough work for me, let alone you."

"Oh, I'm not going to be working out here," he said. "Mom wants me to start clearing out the back room."

"The back room?" Georgia said. Her eyes brightened for some reason.

"Yeah, it's just a storage area back there," he said, motioning to the door that led through to the kitchens and storage beyond.

"I know where it is," Georgia said. "I was in there looking for the last few ornaments to put out for sale and I found something cool. Can I show it to you?"

"I guess," Felix said, his brow folding together as he wondered what she could've found amongst his dad's old paperwork.

Georgia hopped off her stool and hurried for the door that led to the kitchens. He went after her but at a slower pace, not in such a hurry to get to work. He followed her through the kitchens and to the storage room, which somehow seemed even much fuller than he remembered. He suppressed a groan.

But Georgia had already pushed her way in, past the stacks of boxes. She dug through one of the open ones, returning with a small sheet of green paper. "I found this," she said, offering it to Felix.

Felix took the sheath of paper. As he studied it, his brows shot up into the swoop of auburn hair that fell across his forehead. It was an old flyer for the farm, but by the looks of it, it looked like it was from when his grandparents had run the place, back when his own father had been a kid.

"Where did you find this?" Felix asked.

"There's a whole stack of them," Georgia said, motioning to the box she had retrieved them from. "I thought it was cool, I didn't realize this place used to be an inn."

An inn? he thought. He studied the flyer again and saw it listed at the bottom. Ah, right. He had vague memories of his father mentioning that his grandparents had run a B&B in addition to the diner, but a B&B wasn't exactly an inn—

He froze. An inn. Of course. That might be the perfect angle he needed to sell the place. The buyers that had backed out had said that it was too big for one family, and maybe they were right. People were wary of holiday things year-round, but someone could easily transform this big old house into some kind of inn, especially with the history attached.

And he thought he knew someone who would be interested.

"I have to go," Felix said, taking the flyer with him as he rushed out of the back room.

"Huh?" Georgia said, but he was already gone.

Felix dug his phone out of his pocket and searched for a spot with decent reception. He found it in the living room and sat down on the couch to write an email to his client—the same one who he had just finished the hotel booking system for. The client was a hotelier who specialized in remodeling historic properties and turning them into boutique hotels and inns. This was the kind of property that was right up his alley—unique, antique, and priced to sell.

He wrote a quick email. I know this is out of the blue, but I've come across a property that I couldn't help but think that you'd be interested in. It's a large farmhouse with good bones that's nearly a century old—right up your alley. It even used to be an inn. Can I send you more information? He sent it off and reclined back on the couch. He knew it was a long shot—he was a web developer, not a realtor—but it was worth a try. And besides—

His phone began to ring. The call was from a blocked number, but he knew it was his client. For his client to call so soon, he knew that had to be a good sign. Felix smiled and swiped to answer.

"Hi Hugo," he said.

🎄

Who guessed that Felix's client was also Georgia's boss? 😱