Page 15 of Tinsel & Tools

“You’re late,” Mom chastised as I stepped into the mudroom.

“By ten minutes.” I tugged off my boots and lined them up so she wouldn’t remind me.

“Ten minutes is still late. Your sister’s been helping since eight.”

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if Mom didn’t clock me the second I walked in. It wasn’t that I was “late” but more that she was stressed about everything it took to make our dinner perfect.

In the kitchen, my sister Lauren had her sleeves pushed to her elbows and flour on her cheek. Eliza, her daughter, stood on a stool beside her, apparently more interested in baking than playing with her twin cousins who were in the backyard.

“Uncle Cole!” She lifted the spoon high. “Taste this.”

I leaned against the counter. “What’ve you got there?”

“It’s for the pumpkin pie.”

I took a small taste. “Not bad.”

Eliza lit up. “It’s so yummy.”

Lauren shook her head, though the corner of her mouth tugged up into a grin. “She’s supposed to be helping, not eating half the bowl.”

“Tasting counts as helping,” Eliza tried.

I wiped the dot of filling off her tiny nose with a dish towel. “It does. Now back to work, Chef.”

From the living room, Dad barked at the TV. “That’s holding.”

Mark came in right behind with, “Throw the flag,” like the referees could hear him through the screen.

Mom checked a pan on the stove that looked like some sort of cheese mixture. “The dining table needs an extra leaf. Help me for a second so I can set the table before you watch football?”

“Of course.”

We walked over to the table and stood at opposite ends. After we pulled the tabletop apart, I grabbed the leaf from the hall closet and then placed it into the gap. We slid the sides in and my mom draped a festive runner with rustic looking pumpkins on it down the middle.

“I already heard what your father thought about the inn yesterday,” she remarked. “What about you?”

“Rough.” I latched the underside of the leaf to the other pieces of the table. “But not hopeless.”

“And you think you can take some of it on?”

“Small things, yeah. I can handle the electrical too, but they’ll probably need a new roof, and maybe some plumbing work too.”

“You liked the new owner?”

“He seemed nice and asked good questions.”

She adjusted the runner. “At least he’s curious enough to see what needs to be done. It’s more than Mr. Price ever did, and having a vacation destination again will be good for our small town.”

“Yeah, but that also means more people at the lake.”

“True.” She started for the kitchen. “But that could also mean some pretty girls for you to meet.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Grab some more chairs, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”