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A meaty stew was always well received on cold days.
Both at lunch and dinner, customers came in, shivering, their noses red from the cold, then sat down for a bowl of pork stew that put a smile on their faces.
“This tastes just like Marguerite’s. Really takes me back,” said one customer.
“You match the flavor just right,” said another.
“I always look forward to this stew. Have ever since I was a single lad,” said another.
That taste, passed down from Olivia’s grandmother, brought out nostalgic stories about her. Olivia’s soul felt warm as she watched her customers leave with looks of satisfaction, and the day went by without the first snowfall of the year gathering too high.
Arthur came home after it’d gone pitch-black outside, bringing with him a hunk of meat.
“Welcome home, Arthur,” Olivia called.
“Thanks, Olivia. Got that beef shin you asked for.”
“Thank you. I plan to simmer it with loads of veggies tomorrow.”
“I passed by Gruber Cobblers today. The Gruber wife and husband and two young men were there. I wonder which one it was.”
“Arthur! Did you go spying?”
“Only ’cause Lara’s such a nice girl. I got curious. Was just thinking it’d be nice if she meets a boy as nice as her.”
“I think so, too.”
After that conversation, they agreed they’d invite Lara’s Colin to Soup Forest.
He came on a day Soup Forest was normally closed and apparently asked for the evening off from work to come. Olivia was planning for them all to have an early dinner, then he could go back to town.
It just so happened that that day, the sky had been covered in thick gray clouds since morning.
I just hope we don’t get a lot of snow today, thought Olivia, looking up with worry when Peep came flying by.
Olivia opened the window to let him into the kitchen, and he said, Rain! Rain lots!
“Thank you, Peep. Though, with how cold it is, I think it’ll be snow, not rain. You should go in the horse barn so you don’t get too cold.”
Yes!
With that spirited reply, Peep gobbled down some breadcrumbs and flew off into the forest.
Olivia’s worries were warranted. Huge snowflakes started falling in the afternoon.
Olivia and Lara were so worried about Colin that they took the carriage out to meet him, only to find him walking along the road that was already covered in nearly four inches of snow. Lara opened the carriage door and waved him over while Olivia called to him from the driver’s seat.
“Hello! It’s nice to meet you. Hop on in the carriage. I think the snow will get even deeper.”
Lara jumped out of the carriage and briskly brushed the snow off Colin’s head and shoulders. Olivia turned the carriage back towards the restaurant once she was certain the two were inside.
By the time they reached Soup Forest, the snow was up to six inches and not showing any signs of slowing down.
“You should stay here tonight,” said Olivia. “I think even the carriage will get stuck in this.”
“I can’t be such a bother, it’s only our first time meeting,” he said.
“Colin, you’ll collapse on the way if you try to go back now,” said Lara.
“She’s right,” said Olivia. “There’s nothing but snow out there. You can’t do anything about that. Did you tell Mr. Gruber you’ll be coming here tonight?”
“Yes. I told him I’d make it back tonight before I left.”
“Then I’m sure he’ll understand. Just look at that snow. We have a spare room in the main house. You’ll stay in there.”
“Uh… If you’re sure. Thank you.”
Colin seemed like a gentle young man. His eyes crinkled into cheery slits when he smiled. He was apparently twenty years old, and Olivia was relieved to know he seemed like a kind person.
Olivia served Colin a cup of tea while she looked out the window to the sea of white and wondered if Arthur would be home soon. She didn’t think this amount of snow would cause him any trouble, being a former mercenary, but she just felt on edge the whole time she thought about him traveling through it, even if he was on a horse. She wanted to go out right away and find him.
But Arthur really hates it when I put myself in any sort of danger, no matter how small, she thought. She appreciated the joy of having someone worry about her, wanting to protect her, but, at the same time, she couldn’t help being worried about him.
Arthur finally came home when the snow was knee-high.
Olivia rushed out to him and threw her arms around him. “Welcome home! You did manage to make it back early.”
“Freddy told me to leave early. It’s really piling up, isn’t it?”
“It is. I decided to have Colin stay here for the night.”
“That’s for the best. You can’t even find the road in all this snow. He could wander off the path and end up dead somewhere.”
And so, Colin, Lara’s love interest, came to stay in Soup Forest for the night.
They had pumpkin soup with a side of fried bacon, onion, and cheese, along with pickled cabbage and cucumber, soda bread baked with finely grated carrots, and plenty of fresh butter. They also had the leftover pork stew Olivia set aside for Arthur, and they all steadily dug into the feast.
Colin was ecstatic to be welcomed with the cooking Olivia put her all into and completely cleaned his dishes. “Lara’s said she’s working hard on learning how to cook from you, Olivia, and I can see why,” he said. “Your cooking is amazing.”
“So, you’re why Lara’s been so focused on taking notes about everything I cook,” said Olivia.
“No!” Lara protested. “At first, I just wanted to learn how to cook good food.”
Arthur and Olivia gave warm nods with looks that said, “Yeah, sure, of course. We totally understand,” and Lara turned red. The meal for four ended on a pleasant note, and they all said good night to each other as they went to their separate rooms.
But, late that night, a visitor came to Soup Forest.