Felix

This is it, Felix thought. It was all coming together at last.

Hugo Beaumont, the famous hotelier, seemed genuinely interested in the prospect of buying the farm. From what he had said, it seemed that Hugo had been on the search for this exact sort of property, a place that would suit his vision for a remote, rustic lodge. And Felix had to say, the Nissen farm fit that description pretty darn well.

He could only hope that Hugo agreed.

But, despite his excitement, there was something else lingering at the back of his mind. The prospect of having the farm no longer in his hands felt strange, like he was giving away a crucial part of his childhood, of himself. But he reminded himself that his memories weren't in these walls, these things. And it was his memories that haunted him the most.

There was no time to worry about it. He had things to do, many things before Hugo arrived. He had told Felix that he would come sometime around noon. That was just under an hour away now. Felix and his mother had already cleaned the rooms on the upper floor. Now his mother was off scrubbing down the kitchen while he went to the gift shop to tidy it up as best he could. As he pictured the shop in his mind, his stomach was in knots. He doubted there was enough time to conquer the mess that was in the storage room.

But as he entered the shop, his anxiety eased. In the day and a half that Georgia had been let loose in here, she had made many improvements. Now not only was it tidy and organized, but it was pretty, too. She had taken what little was left in the area and made it actually look good—she hung more decorations and got all the clutter out of the way. In particular, she had taken the scattered leftover merchandise and arranged them just so as to draw the last few eyes that would pass through. He reached out and touched the ornaments that sat beside the till, thinking of the pretty things that hung in the tree that Georgia had arranged for his mother...

In such a little amount of time, Georgia had done a lot for this place.

Amongst the artful display of ornaments, there was a pretty beaded star made out of gold and silver and wire. Felix picked it up, watching as it twisted in his hand, sparkling in the light. Something about it made him think of Georgia—may be the shade of silver, like the bright gray in her hazel eyes. Maybe he'd give it to her as a parting gift, as a way for her to remember her own time at the farm... Or maybe the reindeer she'd admired.

But the reindeer was gone.

Maybe she'd already taken it with her. That made Felix sad. He wished he'd been the one to give it to her.

His ear perked at the sound of a strange fluttering. It grew louder by the second until Felix realized it was the beat of a helicopter rotor.

Hugo was here—early, no less.

He pocketed the star and headed out to meet him.

On the porch, Felix could see the helicopter in the distance, flying low over the hills. He ran along the porch, ignoring the cold. He ran past Georgia's car, parked off the side of the house, and headed for the best place on the farm for the helicopter to land. There was a spot by the barn that was good and clear and flat. He stood in the center of it, waving to the helicopter so the pilot would know where to go. As the helicopter neared, he backed away, giving the spinning blades a good breadth.

Soon the helicopter touched down, and the blades began to slow. The side of the helicopter slid open, and out stepped Hugo, followed by a small army of assistants and other hangers-on.

Didn't these people have families to see for the holidays? Felix wondered.

Hugo was dressed in a sleek navy suit and wore expensive tinted shades despite the thin clouds in the sky. As he neared Felix, he pulled them off.

"Felix," Hugo said, reaching out his hand.

Felix took it and gave it a strong squeeze and a shake. "Hugo," he said. "I am so glad you could come to see the property on such short notice."

"I must say, it looks pretty good from the sky," Hugo said, scanning the grounds as they walked along. "But a closer look will be the true test." His scan stopped as he caught sight of something moving over by the house.

Felix's mother was stepping out the back door, her steely gaze fixed on the small crowd of people that were now advancing towards her farm like she was set to defend it against predators. Felix knew she wasn't one hundred percent on board with the idea of selling off the farm, but this was the reality of their situation. They couldn't keep the farm open on its own unless they wanted to keep eating into her retirement fund.

"This is my mother and owner of the farm, Sue Nissen," Felix said, pulling his mother into the fold as she got close.

Hugo studied her, hesitating before finally offering her his hand.

Sue shook it and gave it a good grip, too—tighter than Felix's, judging by the way Hugo winced and shook out his hand after.

"Welcome," Sue said, her voice almost as icy as the weather.

Felix shot his mother a look. This is how it has to go, he thought at her.

She stared defiantly back but said nothing.

"Well, let's get out of the cold," Felix said. "And I can start showing you around."

The group continued moving towards the house. As they did, another figure emerged from inside. Georgia appeared with her bags, wrestling them across the porch towards her car.

"Georgia!"

Her head snapped up.

Felix turned to Hugo—it had been him who had called out her name.

How does Hugo know Georgia...? Felix wondered.

"So, this where you've been holed up?" Hugo asked as they got closer.

​​"Yeah, like I said, I got stranded here because of bad weather," Georgia explained. Her eyes darted between Felix and Hugo, and beneath the pink in her cheeks from the cold, her face went ashen.

Ah, Felix realized. Hugo was Georgia's boss. Suddenly her story about working a thankless job in hopes of opening her own inn one day made sense—Hugo Beaumont knew hotels, and despite his sour personality, he had a wealth of expertise to pass along.

"If all goes well today," Hugo continued, passing his gaze around the property. "You may not need to present those listings, after all."

"Oh?" Georgia asked. Her expression brightened. "Does that mean I might be able to take a few more days to–"

"Of course not," Hugo snapped, cutting her off with a haughty sniff. "I still expect you in the office first thing on the 26th."

"I see," Georgia said, dropping her eyes.

"Sir?" said one of his assistants. He handed him a phone that was currently buzzing furiously. "It's the Aspen investors."

Hugo rolled his eyes and took the phone. "Pardon me, Felix, I have to take this. And Georgia, I need to stay for a moment, there's something I need to speak with you about."

"Yes, sir," Georgia agreed, even though Hugo hadn't waited for her answer before walking off with his entourage to take this call.

Felix stared after Hugo, frowning. He wasn't impressed by that exchange with Georgia. But what right did he have to get mad on her behalf? Georgia was an adult, and she could do with her life as she wanted. And even if her boss was a jerk... well, Felix didn't have to like the guy to take his money.

His mom stared after Hugo and then glanced back at her son. She shook her head and disappeared into the house. He knew she was not impressed. He wished he could go after her instead of waiting on the cold porch for Hugo to finish his call. Hugo was yelling at whoever was on the other end, so Felix imagined the call wouldn't last much longer. He wondered who the 'Aspen investor' was and why they didn't have anything better to do on Christmas Eve than call Hugo.

But then again, he was here, on Christmas eve, showing Hugo around...

"Felix."

Georgia had grabbed him by the arm. He looked at her. There was something strange in her hazel eyes—they were pulled wide with what looked like a kind of desperation, almost fear.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Georgia whispered, gently pulling him back on the porch—further from Hugo's group.

"A moment? Sure," Felix whispered back. "I've got to go if Hugo needs me, so I can't be too long. What's the matter? Are you having more car troubles?"

"No, the car is fine," Georgia said, shaking her head. "This isn't about the car. This is about Hugo..."

"What about Hugo?"

"Are you sure about selling the farm to someone like him?"

Felix frowned. "I'd be happy to sell the farm to anyone at all. But what's wrong with someone like him?"

"I don't know if you're familiar with his projects," Georgia said, the words coming out very quick and low. "But he has a penchant for renovation..."

Felix just stared back at her. "Why would that be a problem?" he asked. "The farmhouse has some good bones but it definitely needed some repairs and updating, too, plus—"

"No," Georgia interrupted. "By 'renovation' I mean completely gutting the place. He'll rip out every ounce of charm from the place and replace it with glass, chrome, and marble," she explained. "There will be no recognizable part of the farm left once he's through. Is that really what you want?"

Her description did send something cold rippling through him like a door had dropped out underneath his stomach. Imagining the house being ripped apart like that felt like something would be ripping him apart, too.

But they weren't in the position to make demands.

"It's not up to me what the new owner does with the place," he said. "Why should I care?"

"Why shouldn't you?" Georgia asked, her voice sharpening.

Felix was taken aback. "Why do you?" he asked. "Why does it matter to you what happens to our farm?"

Georgia froze as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have. She blinked like she just came to her senses and shook her head. "Y-You're right, I shouldn't care. I don't c—... It doesn't matter to me. It's your farm, it's your decision. I have nothing to do with it." She backed away from him.

Felix felt bad. He didn't mean to snap at her, especially when she was just sharing her concerns. "Wait, Georgia, I'm s—"

Georgia's phone cut him off with a ring. She turned away from him and answered. "Lena? Oh, Joe," she said. "Hi, how are—What? She has? Oh my god!"

For a moment, the sound of worry in Georgia's voice made Felix want to reach out to touch her. But then a smile broke wide across her face. It had been a good worry. Good news.

"I'll try to get there as soon as I can," Georgia sputtered, "but I don't know if the roads are clear yet and—"

"Georgia!" his mother cried as she burst out of the back door. She had her own little phone in her hand. "Georgia! I just got word from my friend—the roads are clear! The roads are clear!"

"They are?" Georgia squealed, dropping the phone from her ear. "What perfect timing! My brother-in-law just called, Lena has just gone into labor!" She spoke into her phone again. "Did you hear that, Joe? The roads are clear so I can head out right now. Tell her I'm coming—I'll be there!"

"Wait just a second!" his mother said, darting back into the house. In just a few moments, she returned, carrying a wide, flat gift wrapped in peppermint-striped paper and tied off with shiny green ribbon. "You can't forget your gift!"

Georgia's eyes began to glisten at the sight of it. "Oh, Sue..."

"Don't open it until Christmas!" his mother warned, handing it over.

"I won't," Georgia said, taking it and carefully tucking it under her arm. "Don't forget your own gift, under the tree. I really hope you like it." She leaned in and wrapped Sue into a hug. "Thank you, for everything."

"You are very welcome," Sue said, hugging her back. "But go on now, get going! You've got a new niece or nephew waiting for you!"

"Right," Georgia said, blinking rapidly. "Thank you again. Good luck with everything." Her gaze travelled back to Felix. She stared at him for a moment, like she wanted to say something, but decided against it and turned away.

Felix was frozen where he stood. His hands twisted at his side. He wanted to go after her, to grab her arm and pull her back and say something of his own... He stepped forward—

"Georgia."

They all spun around to look.

Hugo had appeared again, assistants in tow. His call had finished, and the assistant was tucking the phone away. "It appears to be good fortune that you're already here. I am going to need you to stay."

"What?" she asked, her eyes going wide. "Why?"

Hugo scowled like he wasn't used to being asked why. "You'll be part of the presentation on the 26th, so you need to familiarize yourself with the aspects of the property and as well as take note of all our intended changes."

Georgia bristled at that last word. She flashed a look at Felix, and he immediately understood what that meant—the changes, the renovations, the gutting. It still gave him a sick feeling in his stomach, but he couldn't argue with Hugo, not unless he wanted to lose the deal.

"I can't stay," Georgia said. "My sister just went into labor. I need to go see her."

"Surely you don't need to be present for that," Hugo said, raising an eyebrow like the request was absurd. "You can go after. It won't be long."

Georgia just stared at him. She pressed her lips together, and she glanced between them—between Hugo, Felix, and Sue. Hugo was waiting impatiently, his lips pressed together. Sue looked shocked like she couldn't comprehend having to choose between your family and your work. And Felix? He had no idea what expression was on his face, but whatever it was, Georgia didn't seem to like it.

Georgia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before her eyes snapped open again. They had taken on that intensity again—sharp and powerful. Even Hugo seemed taken aback.

"No," she said.

"Excuse me?" Hugo said. "I am your boss. You will do as I say and stay."

Georgia shook her head. "I can't do that."

"If you don't," Hugo hissed, "then you can forget about your job with Beaumont Hotels."

Georgia seemed to shrink after that threat. But she swallowed hard, steeled herself, and held fast. "Understood."

"Georgia!" Hugo snapped, shocked by the idea that someone might actually refuse him. "You've shown great promise. Why do you think I gave you that project in the first place? You're really willing to throw it all away, your whole career before it even started, for what, a few hours delay?"

"Don't you get it, Hugo?" Georgia said, looking at him now like she pitied him. "Some things are more important than work."

Hugo huffed and stormed back into the house, the glass-fronted door rattling behind him.

"What are you just standing here for?" his mother said, giving Felix a gentle shove back. "You're the one who invited them, so he's your problem. Go and deal with him."

Felix stopped. He turned towards the house, but he couldn't make himself take a step. He couldn't just leave it this way with Georgia. He turned back—

But Georgia wasn't waiting for him to pull his thoughts together, she was already climbing into her car. After she shut the door, she paused to give his mother one last wave... Then her gaze settled on Felix, and again it lingered there like she was going to say something...

Then it was like she gave up. Instead, she flashed him a small, sad smile and shifted away to turn the key in the ignition.

Her car started with a little rumble,  and she pulled out, driving off into the snowy landscape and away from the farm.

🎄

Have you ever dramatically quit a job?