Drew loosened his scarf.
“Oh, no.” Natasha laughed as if he’d said the silliest thing on earth. “We make toys here, not sell them.”
“And that’s why you call this place Santa’s Workshop.” Drew crossed his arms, obviously convinced he’d solved the mystery. “Makes total sense … a little cliché.”
“Well, we’ve had that name for quite a while.” She reached out and offered to take their coats. “We open Santa’s Workshop on October first every year. Visitors from all around stop in and help us make toys for kids in need. All the toys we make are then donated to charities up and down the East Coast.”
“Do you charge an admissions fee?”
Lauren pulled off her gloves and slapped Drew with one. Typical Ebenezer Drew always looking for ways to turn a profit. “How many toys do you make?”
“Thousands.” Natasha grabbed a green bowl full of candy canes and offered them both one. “Many of our town residents help out, too.”
“How wonderful.” Lauren could stay there forever soaking in all the Christmas merriment, or at least the rest of the day. She highly doubted her partner in crime felt the same way and was kind of surprised—given his aversion to Christmas—he hadn’t bolted for the door.
Drew watched the train set circling overhead for a few seconds, then turned to Natasha. “We should probably get started. Can you show us the room the wedding reception will be in?”
Natasha’s eyebrows burrowed. “We don’t hold wedding events here.” She laughed at the thought. “Goodness, no.”
“You don’t?” Lauren asked, taking her eyes off the trees.
Drew didn’t wait for Natasha’s answer. “There must be a mistake. My brother sent us here to look at a space for his wedding. Is there another place with the initials S.W.? A hotel, maybe?”
Natasha motioned for them to follow her. “The only hotel in town is the Snow Frost Inn. We did speak to your brother and arranged for you both to visit this morning. I don’t know anything about your seeing a reception venue, but this morning you’ll be making toys.”
“What!” Drew shook his head and Lauren could tell her ex was going to lose it any second. She’d been around him enough to know what it looked like when one twin pushed the other over the edge, and Drew was just about to plummet.
Lauren linked her arm through his. “Come on. We’re not going to blow our first assignment.”
An hour later, Drew plopped down next to Lauren. Their workbench was full of toy trains they’d assembled and painted. Additional visitors sat throughout the room, working on their toys, enjoying complimentary Christmas cookies and hot cocoa, and listening to holiday music.
Lauren waved her paintbrush in the air. She’d just finished the tiny white trim to her red wooden train. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Yeah, a blast.” Drew had been quiet for most of the hour but, to Lauren’s delight, had finally picked up a paintbrush. Maybe there was help for him yet. If there was a place for Drew to finally let Christmas into his heart, this was it.
“Come on. It’s therapeutic, and just think how excited some kid is going to be to get this train set.”
He nodded, but lowered his voice. “What they do is wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But how is our wasting time in this place going to help us accomplish the job we came here to do? I thought we were planning Luke’s wedding, not on some Christmas version of
The Amazing Race
.”
“I love that show.”
“Lauren, not the point.”
“I know.” She dipped her paintbrush into the bright red paint and grabbed another unpainted wooden train. “Do you trust your brother?”
“Not on your life.” He pushed off his chair. “I’m calling him now and ending this.”
Lauren sighed. Not even being in a town saturated in Christmas cheer could defrost Drew’s cold heart. Her own broke watching him pace back and forth.
He did have a point that they were probably wasting precious time
“Oh, no.” Natasha laughed as if he’d said the silliest thing on earth. “We make toys here, not sell them.”
“And that’s why you call this place Santa’s Workshop.” Drew crossed his arms, obviously convinced he’d solved the mystery. “Makes total sense … a little cliché.”
“Well, we’ve had that name for quite a while.” She reached out and offered to take their coats. “We open Santa’s Workshop on October first every year. Visitors from all around stop in and help us make toys for kids in need. All the toys we make are then donated to charities up and down the East Coast.”
“Do you charge an admissions fee?”
Lauren pulled off her gloves and slapped Drew with one. Typical Ebenezer Drew always looking for ways to turn a profit. “How many toys do you make?”
“Thousands.” Natasha grabbed a green bowl full of candy canes and offered them both one. “Many of our town residents help out, too.”
“How wonderful.” Lauren could stay there forever soaking in all the Christmas merriment, or at least the rest of the day. She highly doubted her partner in crime felt the same way and was kind of surprised—given his aversion to Christmas—he hadn’t bolted for the door.
Drew watched the train set circling overhead for a few seconds, then turned to Natasha. “We should probably get started. Can you show us the room the wedding reception will be in?”
Natasha’s eyebrows burrowed. “We don’t hold wedding events here.” She laughed at the thought. “Goodness, no.”
“You don’t?” Lauren asked, taking her eyes off the trees.
Drew didn’t wait for Natasha’s answer. “There must be a mistake. My brother sent us here to look at a space for his wedding. Is there another place with the initials S.W.? A hotel, maybe?”
Natasha motioned for them to follow her. “The only hotel in town is the Snow Frost Inn. We did speak to your brother and arranged for you both to visit this morning. I don’t know anything about your seeing a reception venue, but this morning you’ll be making toys.”
“What!” Drew shook his head and Lauren could tell her ex was going to lose it any second. She’d been around him enough to know what it looked like when one twin pushed the other over the edge, and Drew was just about to plummet.
Lauren linked her arm through his. “Come on. We’re not going to blow our first assignment.”
An hour later, Drew plopped down next to Lauren. Their workbench was full of toy trains they’d assembled and painted. Additional visitors sat throughout the room, working on their toys, enjoying complimentary Christmas cookies and hot cocoa, and listening to holiday music.
Lauren waved her paintbrush in the air. She’d just finished the tiny white trim to her red wooden train. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Yeah, a blast.” Drew had been quiet for most of the hour but, to Lauren’s delight, had finally picked up a paintbrush. Maybe there was help for him yet. If there was a place for Drew to finally let Christmas into his heart, this was it.
“Come on. It’s therapeutic, and just think how excited some kid is going to be to get this train set.”
He nodded, but lowered his voice. “What they do is wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But how is our wasting time in this place going to help us accomplish the job we came here to do? I thought we were planning Luke’s wedding, not on some Christmas version of
The Amazing Race
.”
“I love that show.”
“Lauren, not the point.”
“I know.” She dipped her paintbrush into the bright red paint and grabbed another unpainted wooden train. “Do you trust your brother?”
“Not on your life.” He pushed off his chair. “I’m calling him now and ending this.”
Lauren sighed. Not even being in a town saturated in Christmas cheer could defrost Drew’s cold heart. Her own broke watching him pace back and forth.
He did have a point that they were probably wasting precious time
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