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[bright festive music]
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
[bells ringing]
- Scone sandwich
and a hot chocolate.
- Fresh scones.
Hey, Mallory.
- Hey, Colette.
- Hot chocolate and a scone?
- Perfect, extra whipped cream on top, please.
- You got it.
[bright music]
[whipped cream hissing]
Here you go.
- You're the best. - See you tomorrow.
- [Mallory] Thanks.
[bright festive music]
- Hey.
[bright festive music] [chocolate splashing]
- Aw, thanks, Mom! I'll take over.
- [Sandra] [scoffs] What'd I do wrong?
- Nothing.
- So particular.
- [Colette] Well, it has to be done-
- Just right.
- Yes. Now I just need to add the vanilla.
[bright music]
- Colette, why don't you just use the liquid vanilla stuff?
- That's not how Grandma Thea did it.
- Always fresh. So hard to please.
- She appreciated fresh ingredients.
- I don't see you milking a cow for that hot chocolate.
- [laughs] Don't forget to pack up the whipped cream, Mom.
- Oh, I'm saving that for last.
- Just a few more minutes.
- So were you still thinking about selling the recipe
to grocery stores?
- Not selling the recipe, but the drink.
Frank Banner and his company think it can go national.
- How's it gonna stay fresh, though,
being trucked across the country?
- Dry mix.
[Sandra grunts in acknowledgment]
I'm working on it.
You don't think Grandma Thea would mind, do you?
- She'd be happy with whatever you decide.
- Test it.
[bright music]
Just like Grandma's?
- Just. - Good.
- Better get going. Christmas Kickoff starts at six.
- Yes! You're okay here?
- It's all under control. Have fun.
- Thanks.
Whipped cream?
- Oh, right!
[warm music]
[lively festive music]
- Happy holidays. Enjoy your hot chocolate.
- [Customer] Thank you.
- I can run things here, you know.
You should go look at the booths, buy something.
- I don't need anything.
- Are you sure?
Not even one of those cute ornaments over there?
- No, do you need one of those?
- Hmm, I need to get a tree first.
I haven't been able to get one yet this year.
- I can go with you to pick one up.
- How 'bout tomorrow?
- Can we go during the week instead?
- Yeah, for sure.
- Okay.
[warm music]
What can I get for you?
- Can I just get a coffee, please?
- You bet.
[bright warm music]
- Colette's Cafe.
Do you have that place over on Holly Street?
- That's mine.
- That's great, I'm actually opening next door.
I'm Marcus, by the way.
- Oh, Colette.
The one that's been under construction?
- Yeah, we open Monday.
- That's great. What kinda business?
- It's a dessert shop.
- Oh, yum. It'll be nice to have a new neighbor.
- Thanks, excited to get it all up and running.
- Here's your coffee.
- [Marcus] Oh, thanks.
- On the house.
- Are you sure?
- Of course, for my new neighbor.
- Thank you.
[bright warm music]
Well, Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
[bright warm music]
- Merry Christmas, indeed.
[both laughing]
[people chattering] [warm music]
- Mom, that's for the customers.
- I'm free labor here.
- You're drinking more than you're selling.
- Alrighty then, why don't you let me run the booth,
and you skedaddle?
- But- - Nope, take a break.
Go look at that ornament, or something.
- Fine.
Before you hand it to the customer,
sprinkle a little cocoa on top-
- Honey, I watched my mother do this more than you did.
Now, go!
- Okay.
[bright festive music]
- Here you go.
- Merry Christmas.
[bright warm music]
- A gift, or is that for you?
- Oh, a gift.
My mom was hinting she wanted one.
- Nice choice.
- Thanks.
- Oh, are you waiting for the hay ride?
- Um, no.
- Do you wanna come with me?
- I don't know. [laughs]
- Ah, the horses scare you?
- No. Hay makes me sneeze.
- Even the dry stuff?
- I don't know, actually.
- Do you wanna risk it?
- Sure, why not?
[bright music]
- So how long have you had your cafe?
- Five years, I think.
- Wow, that's impressive. How'd you get started?
- I started selling coffee to people in college.
I had this little shack.
It was kinda like that booth back there, actually,
but that was it.
- Quite the entrepreneur.
- After the shack, I got a tiny shop.
It was more like a kiosk with a sink,
but it grew and grew, and here I am.
How 'bout you?
- I actually was more of a cook, pastry chef, and whatnot.
Just rose through the ranks working at a bunch
of bakeries and restaurants, but I wanted a place of my own,
where I could sell my own creations.
- So you got it.
- It's taken a bit of time, a lot of things to arrange,
and money to save, but I'm optimistic.
- Why pastries?
- I have a killer sweet tooth?
[Colette laughs softly]
No, I mean, I do, but I just grew up
appreciating homemade desserts.
A buddy of mine and I used to joke
about going into business together,
and this was the perfect combination
of dessert and business.
- Well, congratulations.
- Thanks.
- [Driver] Whoa.
[bright music]
[Colette laughs]
- Ooh! Thank you.
- Yeah, thanks for comin'.
- This was fun.
- It was.
And I look forward to being...
- Neighbors?
- [laughs] Exactly.
- Well, see ya.
- See ya.
[warm music]
[bright warm music]
[bells ringing]
♪ Have yourself a
- At it again?
- I can't seem to get the dry version of the recipe to work.
- Because it's never as good.
- Not as good yet. I'll figure it out.
Maybe a different creamer.
- Frank Banner's here.
- Oh, send him back.
- Okay.
♪ Have yourself a merry little
- Hi there, Colette.
- Hey, Frank. I'm just fine-tuning the recipe.
- Good, want me to test it?
- Uh, not yet. [laughs softly]
- So, I have news.
Three national grocery chains are interested.
I can line up promotions to go with it, demos, sampling,
and from there, I think the product will speak for itself.
- It's not ready yet,
and I do have to go over the contract still.
- I just want you to realize the interest level
we already have.
- Great.
- [Frank] Okay.
- All right, there's that for you. How many forks?
- Just one.
- Here you go.
Yup.
- Hey. - Hey.
- We'll have the hot chocolate, please,
and a peanut butter cookie.
- You got it. - Hey, Jonathan,
this one is on the house.
This is Steven.
- Oh, the money guy.
- [laughs] Yeah. [Angie laughing]
- My friend and business partner, and his wife, Angie.
- Hi.
- You know, I was prepared to pay.
- That's kinda like money going from one hand to the other.
- Well, business looks really good.
- Thanks, there's not exactly a line of customers
out the door.
- Yet.
- But we've had a steady stream of people coming and going.
- Good! - Yeah.
- Here you go.
- Oh, this looks amazing.
- [moans satisfactorily] I love this stuff.
- Okay, good. Well, save some for me.
Marcus, I really wanna get one of the Christmas pies,
probably the chocolate marshmallow silk.
Can I preorder it?
- Oh, yeah. We've actually had a few pie preorders today.
People are planning ahead.
- Okay, good.
- Well, add me to that list.
- You got it. - Thank you.
- We better get going.
- Okay.
- All right, have fun at work.
- Thanks, you too.
- Keep that money comin' in, huh?
[Marcus laughs]
[lively music]
[pensive music]
[bells ringing]
[playful upbeat music]
- All right, there you are.
- Thank you. - Merry Christmas.
[bright festive music]
Hey, Colette!
- Hi, Marcus. How's your first day going?
- Pretty well. What do you think?
- I like it.
- What can I get for ya?
- What's good?
- Oh, well, everything.
- [Colette] Oh, yeah?
- Course I'd say that.
- What's your favorite then?
- Um, probably the decadent brownie.
[Colette grunts in acknowledgement]
Oh, and the hot chocolate.
- Yeah?
- It's the best.
It's not just 'cause it's the name, I mean it.
[Colette grunts]
You don't believe me?
- Not really. [laughs]
- Okay, well, now you have to try it.
- Sure, why not?
- Okay.
One brownie and one hot chocolate.
Jonathan? - Coming right up.
- Thank you. Oh, don't worry about it.
- No, I couldn't.
- Let's call it payback for coffee the other night.
- Come on, I know what it's like
when you're first starting out.
I insist.
- All right, thanks.
[bright warm music]
There you go.
- Here you go.
- Oh, thank you.
- So, will I see you later?
- Yeah, come by the cafe any time.
- [Marcus] All right.
[bright music]
[pensive music]
- Try this.
- All right.
Just fine, just like normal.
- This isn't mine.
Someone copied my recipe and is selling it as their own.
- Who would do that?
- That man from the Christmas Kickoff.
The new shop owner from next door?
He calls it The Best Hot Chocolate Ever on his menu.
- There's gotta be something different.
- Nope. It's the same, right?
- Hmm, yeah.
- What if he stole it?
- Oh, he seemed too nice to do that.
- We just met him.
- Before you go making accusations, talk to the man first.
- Okay.
- Are you sure it's the same?
- Yes, can't you taste the vanilla?
It's fresh, and the cayenne pepper.
- [sighs] Things taste different when they're cold.
- True. We need a fresh cup.
- What, now?
- Yes. I wanna try a second batch.
You know, see how it tastes today.
- And you can't go because?
- Because I don't want him to see me.
- Right, okay.
- Leave your apron. - Oh!
- Just casually ask what's in it.
See if they do anything that I do.
- [sighs] Okay.
- Oh, your coat.
♪ Here you go
Don't tell him you work here. Just be anonymous.
- Should I wear dark sunglasses and a hat and hide who I am?
- Do you have a hat?
Just go! - Okay.
- [Colette] Play it cool.
[bright playful music]
[Colette sighs]
[playful tense music]
- Hey. - Hi.
- What can I get you?
- Your hot chocolate.
- Anything else?
- Hmm? No.
[playful tense music]
Oh, thanks, okay.
[coins clattering] Oh, gosh. Sorry, excuse me.
[head banging] [Nikki grunting]
Sorry, that's a pretty, pretty shirt.
Um, best hot chocolate, huh?
- Yeah.
- Must be pretty special.
- I guess.
- So why is it special?
- [Jonathan] What do you mean?
- I mean, just, what makes it taste so good?
- Milk and chocolate?
- So you use chocolate.
- Kind of a key ingredient.
- Right. [laughs] Right.
So any other ingredients?
That was horrifying.
- What'd you learn? What's in it?
- All I got was milk and chocolate.
- Okay, well, what kinda chocolate?
Is it the type that we use?
Did he mention fresh vanilla?
- No, but there were other customers coming,
and I made a fool of myself enough
that even he was uncomfortable.
- You had to have learned something.
- Yes, I learned that culinary espionage is not for me.
- Oh. I have an idea.
[bright music]
Don't look.
- What?
- Turn around.
- [sighs] This has been the most bizarre day.
[bright music]
- Hang on.
Now look.
- Let me guess, you want me to try each one.
- Yes, I do.
[bright music]
- Tastes great.
- And this one?
[warm music]
- Also great.
- Which one's mine?
- I can't tell.
- See? It's definitely the same.
[bright music]
[Colette grunts softly]
- [Jonathan] All right, that order will be ready
for pick-up on the 23rd.
- [Customer] Okay, thank you.
- Mm-hmm. Hey, we just got another Christmas pie order.
- All right, thank you.
♪ Everybody's talkin' 'bout Christmastime ♪
♪ Christmastime is here
♪ Sleigh bells are ringin'
- Hey, I'm gonna grab lunch real quick.
Are you okay here? - Yeah.
- All right, be back in a bit.
- See you.
[people chattering]
- Let's get another batch of cookies ready.
- Okay.
- I'll be right back.
- Okay.
[bright music]
- Hey, Marcus!
Excuse me! - Hey, Colette.
Doin' all right?
Is something wrong with the hot chocolate?
- Yes, this tastes exactly like my recipe.
- Come again?
- This has to be the same as mine,
which I use for my hot chocolate in my cafe.
- Well, I'm sure it's not the same.
Mine is a proprietary blend.
- Is it?
Did you purposefully seek me out at the Christmas Kickoff?
- What? Why would I?
- To try and reverse engineer it, or something.
- Hang on, first off, I bought coffee from you that night.
Second, there are a ton of ways to make hot chocolate.
I doubt it's the same.
- It's identical!
- How do you know?
- Because I tasted it!
Just come to my cafe and we'll compare them side by side.
- Why don't you just tell me what's in your recipe?
- You'd love that, wouldn't you?
Me spilling my secret recipe.
- Well, then how am I supposed to know?
- You tell me your recipe.
- Well, I can't do that either.
Seriously, let's think about this.
Why would I, or anyone for that matter,
try to imitate your hot chocolate recipe?
- Because it's that good, and I'm your competition.
I bet you realized that my cafe
is going to make things harder for your little dessert shop.
- I could have opened my shop in a dozen other locations.
I chose that spot because I thought it would complement
the businesses around it.
- I'm sure.
You're gonna have to stop serving your hot chocolate.
It's encroaching on my business.
- No way, it's a free marketplace,
and my customers come for delicious sweets.
Besides, how do I know you're not making this all up
to steal my customers?
- That's ridiculous!
- This whole thing is ridiculous, I'll give you that.
Look, I promise I'm not tryin' to steal
your hot chocolate recipe, or your customers.
- [Colette] Hey, Mallory.
- [Mallory] Oh, hi.
- [Colette] Is that...
- [Mallory] It's just dessert?
- And?
- Hot chocolate?
- See?
[Colette sighs]
- It's not my fault if the customer
likes my recipe better than yours.
[Colette scoffs]
[warm music]
- There.
[bright warm music]
[playful pensive music]
- "Home of the original Heavenly Hot Chocolate.
"Don't be fooled by copycats?"
[playful pensive music]
Of all the things. [sighs]
- She what?
- Colette is under the delusion
that I'm trying to steal her hot chocolate recipe,
or copy it somehow.
- But you've been makin' that hot chocolate for years.
I mean, even back in college.
- Yeah.
- Uh, just a big piece, yeah. Don't tell Angie.
- Well, that's what kept you going
during those all-nighters, you know, all those papers.
- The one bright spot for procrastination.
So why does she think it's the same?
- She swears it tastes identical.
- It's hot chocolate.
I mean, no offense, but how many variations are there?
- That's what I said.
- Well, have you tried her version?
- No, and I'm not sure I want to.
She was really great when we first met, but now,
think it's better I just keep my distance
and not feed her paranoia.
- You know, maybe we should have opened up the shop
at that other location, across town.
- A little too late for that.
You know, it's funny, you move somewhere new
and you're worried about your neighbors, but with business,
I didn't realize those neighbors could be worse.
- Do you think she'll pursue it,
make things difficult for the shop?
- I hope not.
- Food businesses are hard enough as it is, you know?
Remember all those statistics about how many fail?
- Don't remind me.
You know what? We'll be fine.
She just has to wake up and realize
that a little competition is not the end of the world.
[bright festive music]
- [Colette] The end of the world has come.
- Nobody told me.
- My hot chocolate sales are down.
- Since when?
- Since that copycat Marcus opened up his shop.
- He's only been open for a week.
- Sales are down 20% from this time last year.
- This time last year, there was a cold front.
It hasn't been that cold yet.
- Well, they're down 15% from just last week
before he opened.
- Your cafe success does not rest
on only your hot chocolate.
I wouldn't panic yet.
[bright music] [Colette sighs]
You know, I wanna do the full tree this year.
I did the tall, skinny thing last year,
and it ended up looking emaciated.
- I thought it was nice.
- Not with my decorations.
- How tall do you want it?
- Less than six feet.
I don't wanna have to climb a ladder to decorate it.
- I like this one.
[bright warm music]
- Oh, that one's way too tall.
You need a tree. How 'bout you, hmm?
- I have my artificial one.
- Fake, call it what it is.
- Grandma Thea always said it was sensible.
- Christmas isn't about reason and sensible.
It's about love and celebrating.
Splurge a little.
- I'm fine. I like my tree just the way it is.
- It's still boxed, isn't it?
- I'll get to it soon.
- [Sandra] Mm-hmm.
[bright warm music]
- My other sales are down, all since he opened.
- Are you sure?
- Take a look.
[bright warm music]
- Barely. It's probably a fluke.
Grandma Thea's recipe will bring them back.
They may wanna try the new place, but they'll be back.
- You're probably right.
- [Sandra] Mm-hmm.
- But what if they don't come back to my cafe?
[bright warm music]
- Are you worried about your sales,
or that his recipe is so close to Grandma Thea's?
[bright warm music]
Everything will be all right.
If nothing else, Grandma Thea will haunt
those wayward customers until they do come back,
stubborn as she was.
[Colette laughs]
[upbeat music]
[bells ringing]
- Hey, Colette.
- Frank!
- Everything okay?
- Yep, yes.
You're...
- Yeah, wanted to try it myself,
see what all the fuss is about.
- Oh.
- [moans satisfactorily] It does taste just like yours.
- I know, I don't know how.
- Well, the last thing the grocery chains
are going to want are two products selling the same thing.
- Well, I don't think he's selling his in stores,
and besides, we're the first, right?
- Right, unless he comes around claiming
you stole his recipe.
- I didn't! [laughs] He-
- I'm just saying, the last thing you or I want
is a lawsuit or something to make this fail
before we even get started.
- Well, you don't have to worry. It's my recipe.
- All right, although I need that contract back.
And how's that dry recipe coming?
- Good. I still need to work on it.
I've been distracted.
- Well, as is, we're already too late
to get it to the stores for Christmas,
but it'd be a shame to miss out on the rest of winter.
I'm all about deadlines.
How about we aim to have everything ready,
contract and recipe, by next week?
- How 'bout two weeks?
With the Christmas rush, it's been busy.
[Simon yawns loudly]
It picks up.
- Two weeks then.
Oh, and one more thing.
You oughta figure out what your competition's up to.
You know, just in case.
See you later then.
[playful pensive music]
- Oh, here.
- Thanks.
[playful tense music]
[whipped cream hissing]
Have a good day.
- Do you have your phone on you?
- Yes?
Oh, no, Nikki warned me!
- It'll be easy.
- That's what she said you told her.
- You don't even have to say anything other than,
"One hot chocolate to go."
[Simon sighs]
Thank you.
[playful pensive music]
[muffled upbeat music]
[bells ringing]
- Hi there. What can I get for ya?
- Uh, one hot chocolate to go.
- You got it.
[playful tense music]
[whipped cream dispenser rattling]
[whipped cream hissing]
Your order's ready, Colette.
[Simon stammering]
Tell her I'll give her a whole gallon of my hot chocolate
if she comes and gets it herself.
- Okay. I mean, that won't be necessary.
Thanks.
[bells ringing] [Marcus scoffs]
[whipped cream hissing]
- Your order's ready, Colette.
- He's so arrogant.
- Well, at least he didn't throw me out.
- You can't even see what he's doing in there!
- Well, he was serving it from the batch like we do.
You can't expect him to make every cup from scratch.
- Yeah.
- Well, I should get back to getting everything ready
for the Christmas Kickoff booth.
- All right.
Wait, I thought Nikki was running it this weekend?
- We flipped a coin, I lost.
Oh, here.
- Oh, I don't want it.
- All right.
Wow, this really does taste like-
- I know.
[warm upbeat music]
- Oh, hey.
- Hi!
- How was your day?
- Fine. Sales were great.
- That's great.
Uh, look, I know you feel threatened by my shop-
- I, I, I don't.
- Well, uneasy then.
- I'm not uneasy. [laughs awkwardly]
- Unhappy?
Anyways, look, there's more to both our shops
than just hot chocolate, and wanted you to see that,
so here.
- Thanks.
- Yeah, there's lots of things to try
in case you didn't like that brownie the other day.
I recommend milk with those,
but you'll be fine with whatever.
- Okay then.
- Okay.
Goodnight.
- Night.
[warm upbeat music]
[bright music]
Okay.
[bright music]
Hmm.
Two scoops too watery in six ounces.
[bright music]
[sighs] What am I missing?
Maybe a different type of cocoa powder?
[bright music]
[Colette gasps]
Sure, you look nice, but I bet you're rotten on the inside.
[playful tense music]
Oh, wow.
[bright pensive music]
How dare he?
[warm upbeat music] [bird chirping]
Here we go.
[warm upbeat music]
Perfect.
[playful pensive music]
Okay.
[playful pensive music]
Oh.
[playful pensive music]
["The First Noel"]
[playful pensive music] [tape peeling from roll]
Oh!
[sighs] I think this might be your last year.
["Jingle Bells"]
Maybe. Oh!
I'm calling it.
[tree thudding]
[train horn blowing in distance]
Hmm.
[bright warm music]
- Oh, excuse me? Do you work here?
- What? Oh, sorry, no, I...
- Oh.
- You!
- Yeah.
- I was just trying to get a better look at this tree.
- It's really nice.
- Were you, did you want this one?
- Uh, no, I was actually lookin' at this one.
- Nice.
- Yup.
- I'm getting this for my house.
- Yeah, mine too.
Oh, excuse me.
- Can I get some help?
- Yeah, sure thing.
Which tree did the two of you decide on?
- [Colette] This one.
- Two trees?
- No, this one's just for me.
We're not- - Not together.
- I'll get those ready.
- Thanks!
[playful pensive music]
- All right, here is your change,
and I will get those trees right out.
- Thanks.
- Did you like the pastries?
- What?
Yeah.
They were good.
- Good, I'm glad.
- Thank you for...
- How was the hot chocolate?
- You just had to bring that up.
- Just asking. Why are you still avoiding it?
- I'm not.
- And now denial?
- I'm not the one who stole a secret hot chocolate recipe.
- No, you're just the one who sent spies in
to record my method.
- I was trying to prove that you were using
the same method that I use, which means you stole it.
- I did not. We've been through this!
- It is my recipe, and my livelihood!
- You're a coffee shop.
- A cafe.
- So you're telling me that more people
buy your hot chocolate than your coffee?
Somethin' must be wrong with your coffee then.
- I have plans for my hot chocolate,
and your copycatting is jeopardizing that.
- What plans?
- I'm not telling you.
- You know what?
This secretiveness between us hasn't been working so well,
so in the spirit of Christmas,
why don't you tell me something?
- Fine!
I plan to sell my amazing hot chocolate recipe nationwide.
- How? - I'm working with a company
that will take it to grocery stores.
- Oh, so you think me and my supposed identical recipe
are after your grocery store plans too.
- Yes, and it is identical.
- I still don't believe you on that.
- Well, then maybe you should try my hot chocolate.
- You know, I should.
It's the least I could do to pay you back
for all the ones you bought from me.
- [laughs] You are so...
[Colette groans frustratedly]
[Marcus sighs]
[warm music]
- Why are you selling it?
- What?
- Your hot chocolate recipe, why sell it?
- Well, I'm not. It's a do-it-yourself-at-home version.
- Huh, all right.
- What?
- I'd just never sell mine.
- So?
- Just saying.
- I'm taking my business to the next level.
- All right, that's your decision.
Look, how 'bout this?
I promise I won't get in the way of your grand plans.
- And what about my shop?
- What about it?
- You're selling your hot chocolate same as me.
- I'm pretty sure the people that come to my shop
are looking for dessert first.
Maybe we should just take some time and see how things go,
let the customers come and go
without badmouthing each other.
- That seems reasonable.
- And no more spying.
- Fine.
- Good.
So truce?
[bright music]
- Truce.
- [Tree Farm Employee] Okay, here are your two trees.
[bright music]
[owl hooting]
[knocking on door]
- Come in!
- Hello. - Hey, what's up?
- Hey.
[laughs] You need a hand?
- Uh, yeah. [laughs]
Great.
Thank you.
- You got it.
So how were things at the shop today?
- Pretty good. I passed 100 preorders.
Isn't that nuts?
- Wow, I wasn't expecting that many this quick.
- [Marcus] I know.
- You think you can handle makin' all those pies
at the same time?
- Yeah, but you're gonna help me, right?
[Steven groans]
We'll see how desperate I get.
At least your garage doesn't have that holiday rush.
- Well, that's true.
And how's, you know, It's My Hot Chocolate Lady?
- Better. I actually ran into her tonight.
I think we made some progress.
- Progress? Is she growin' on you?
- No. [Steven laughing]
Not that it matters.
We have a truce, that's all.
- Okay, well, good.
- Now we can focus on making Sweet Pastries
really take off.
- Is that the contract from Frank?
- Yes.
- Everything as expected?
- Yeah, it is.
Do you think I'm doing the right thing
if I go forward with it?
- Depends on what you want.
Have you thought maybe putting the mix out there
will hurt the store?
- [Colette] Do you think it will?
- It could, but Colette's Cafe is home of the original,
so maybe it becomes a must-have if people are nearby.
- Marcus said he would never sell his.
- Wait, you're talkin' to him now?
- Kind of.
- And?
- And maybe he's not so bad,
and maybe I should have given him the benefit of the doubt.
But that's not the point.
- It's an improvement.
[Colette laughs softly]
So why does it matter what he says?
- Do you think he's right?
- I don't know his reasons.
You have to do what you think is best, and right.
And hopefully, they're the same thing.
So how's the dry mix coming?
- Not well.
- Oh.
[Colette laughs]
Well, maybe put off signing until you have something
worthy to sell.
- Good point.
- So what movie are we watching?
- You pick.
[bright playful music]
[cell phone vibrating] [tense pensive music]
- Hello?
[tense pensive music]
What?
[tense pensive music] [sirens blaring]
Oh, no, no, no.
- Sir, you can't go in there.
- I'm the owner.
- Look, I'm sorry.
Just stay out here till we make sure
everything's safe, all right?
- Okay. [coughing]
[warm pensive music]
[water splattering]
- Was there a fire?
- I think so.
Can you check on the cafe?
- Yeah.
[warm pensive music]
Marcus?
- Hey.
- Marcus, I'm so sorry.
Do they have any idea what caused this?
- They're not sure yet,
but they think it came from the kitchen.
I swear I didn't leave anything on.
- I'm sure you're right.
- Is your shop okay? Sorry, I didn't even think about that.
- Don't worry about that.
- So you're fine?
- Nikki's checking.
I wanted to come see about you.
- Well, at least it looks like
you won't have any competition for a while.
[Colette laughs weakly]
[car horns honking]
- No, no, no, everything was in place.
I saw to it myself.
You're kidding, and after that?
[scoffs] Look, see what you can do.
Just, please, ask again.
Right.
Bye.
Well, you look as horrible as I feel.
- Fire chief came by.
- And?
- Well, the fire didn't spread beyond our walls.
He thinks the structure is sound,
but the entire inside needs to be redone.
I made an appointment with the contractor
to go over the repairs.
- Any ideas on the cause?
- Might have been an oven.
I don't bake anything in the evenings, though.
There's no way I left anything on.
What was that about?
- The insurance company says our policy wasn't active.
- What? - I know.
- But we paid those premiums.
- During the time of the construction, on the inside, yes,
but I guess somehow, it didn't get switched over
when we were functional.
I missed it too.
- So to fix everything, we have to-
- Out of our pockets.
Angie and I already have everything put into the garage
and in Sweet Pastries.
- I know.
- [Steven] I wish I had better news.
- Today isn't the day for that.
- Heartbreaking, isn't it?
We just had this all done.
- Yeah, tell me about it.
- Well, it's fixable. That's the good news.
- Okay, what's the bad?
- Cost and schedule.
How soon are you wanting to have all the repairs done?
- Tomorrow. [contractor laughs]
- Well, winter is busier than you think.
Everybody wants to remodel.
I'm booked for the next two months.
- Is there any chance you know someone who can help
get things moving that has an open schedule?
- Not that I'd hire.
You could do a lot of the work yourself, though.
- I can?
- It'd save on cost too.
You'd have to do everything just right, of course,
but I could fit into my schedule checking in on the work,
overseeing here and there.
- Yeah, that would help a lot.
Is there any chance you could send
a bid over for everything?
- With you doing the work or without?
- Both, if you don't mind.
- You got it. I'll send it over tonight.
- All right. Hey, thanks.
- [Contractor] Yup.
- How's that business next to yours, with the fire?
- Oh, not great. Marcus is, he's crushed.
[Sandra sighs]
What should I do?
- What do you mean? It's not your shop.
- I know, but I've been so mean to him. I feel guilty.
- Well, it's not like you did any damage, did you?
- Of course not!
He said something to me about not worrying
about competition anymore.
- Oh, now, that's uncalled for.
- He wasn't cruel about it.
I don't wanna succeed because of someone else's tragedy.
- But even if you could do something,
what would really help?
- [Colette] Hungry?
- Hey. What are you doing here?
- I thought you might need a break.
- I just barely started. [laughs]
- Well, here.
Eat up.
- Thanks.
- So, how long until everything is repaired?
- I'm trying to figure that out. [sighs]
The main thing is it's gonna be really pricey to fix.
- Really? - Yeah.
We had a snafu with the insurance,
so we have to fix everything, or-
- Or what?
- Or maybe this wasn't meant to be.
- You'd close down? You can't do that.
- Well, it's not like I want to,
but would you really be that disappointed?
- I suppose I deserve that.
[warm music]
You know what might help keep you in business?
- Besides fixing the shop?
- You should sell your pastries at the Christmas Kickoff.
- Didn't that already happen?
- Yeah, but it continues every weekend until Christmas.
You could set up a booth, sell your desserts.
- Except my kitchen isn't working.
- Could you bake from home?
- Actually, that could work.
Could also get a lot more pie preorders for Christmas.
- See?
- [Marcus] All right, thanks.
- And for the record,
yes, I would be disappointed if you shut down.
[warm music]
- You would?
- Yeah.
We wouldn't get to see whose hot chocolate sells better.
[bright music]
- Whoa!
This does taste like mine.
- You mean your recipe tastes like mine.
[Marcus laughs softly]
I hope your recipe wasn't damaged with all this.
- Nope, it's in my safe.
- You keep your recipes in a safe?
Wow, mine are at home, and in my memory, of course.
- Well, I promised I'd keep mine under lock and key.
- Promised who?
- The woman who gave me the recipe.
- So, it's not yours.
- No, it is completely Thea's.
- Did you just say Thea?
- Yeah.
- Thea Redmond?
- How do you know her name?
- She's my grandmother.
- I first met Thea when I was eight years old.
She was our next-door neighbor.
My mom died when I was younger,
and my dad worked a lot to provide for me,
but Thea noticed, and she would keep me outta trouble
when I got back from school.
Had to get my homework done first, of course.
She was very firm about that.
But then, she would teach me how to cook,
and she always had her hot chocolate ready.
It didn't even matter if it was warm outside.
I just loved it.
- We lived so far away from her when I was that age.
I never knew.
- Well, I was just the neighborhood boy.
- You had to have been more than that.
- I don't know, but I didn't mind that my dad was so busy
because Thea was always there.
I wonder if he knew how much she really did for us.
- So she taught you the recipe?
- No, not at first.
I could tell it was special to her.
She just always had it ready when I'd get home from school.
But when I turned about 11,
my dad got a new job and we had to move,
and it was right before Christmastime.
I was pretty upset about it,
but Thea asked me what I wanted for Christmas
since we wouldn't see each other anymore.
- What did you say?
- I asked her to teach me how to make the hot chocolate
so that I could remember her and make it for myself,
wherever we moved to.
- I had no idea.
She always guarded that recipe so closely.
I just assumed I was the only one who knew it.
- Yeah, sorry.
It probably seems pretty outta place that I have it too.
- No.
It's fine.
♪ Joy to the world
- I can't believe Grandma Thea gave the recipe
to someone else,
and this was years before she gave it to me.
- I gave up trying to understand her.
I certainly never pegged her for taking in
some stranger's boy.
- She never told you about Marcus?
- No.
She did whatever crossed her mind, but it's so unlike her.
It's way too...
- What?
- Charitable.
- She was so strict when she taught me
how to make the hot chocolate.
- Only then?
- I was just about to leave for college.
We made it over and over again,
with her critiquing how I did it,
the order of the ingredients,
getting the temperatures just right,
not scalding the milk or melted chocolate.
- That's just how she was.
- Made me cherish it, though.
First, out of fear of getting it wrong,
but now, it's her legacy.
I thought I was the only one to carry it on.
- The contractor sent us the bid,
with and without us doing whatever labor possible.
- Yeah, we're gonna need to do
some of that work ourselves, for sure.
- You know, both money and time-wise,
we can't afford to wait for them to get to us.
- The more time we're closed, the less money we make.
- It's bad enough being closed during the holidays.
It's the worst timing ever.
I know how to do a little bit of the sheetrock stuff.
- Sheetrock stuff?
- A little bit.
Plus, I can clean up the debris and damaged things.
That can't be too hard.
- I have to keep the garage open,
but I could close down early to help out if it's a slow day.
- Okay, that'd be good.
- I don't know how we're gonna pay for the rest, though.
I mean, I can scrape together some money
for the supplies for the work that we would do,
but we still have to pay the contractors and his subs
for the work we can't do ourselves.
- Yeah, the first time around was expensive enough.
Well, let's get going, do what we can,
and get the first steps started.
I have a little to cover that.
- Okay, but what about the rest?
- We're gonna need a loan.
- I mean, we already have one for opening up the store.
Do you really think we can get another one?
- It's worth a shot.
How else are we gonna get Sweet Pastries on its feet again?
- [sighs deeply] Okay.
- I'll work on that loan.
- I'll get started fixing the shop.
[warm upbeat music]
- Here you go, Merry Christmas.
- [Blonde Customer] Thank you.
[loud banging on wall]
- Is he okay over there?
- Maybe I should go check.
[loud banging on wall]
- Well, I turned in the application for the second loan.
- Good. Fingers crossed.
How long will that take?
- [sighs] Normally two weeks, they said.
- Everything okay in here?
- As well as it can be.
Colette, this is Steven and Angie.
- Hi.
- The paranoid hot chocolate lady?
- Steven.
- Guilty.
- It's really nice to meet you.
- You too.
[loud banging] - Oh!
- Do they know what they're doing?
- Yeah, you know, just a little demolition work.
- I could tell. We can all hear it next door.
- Ah, sorry.
- I just wanted to make sure you were, you know, safe.
- Makin' sure Steven's not hitting my hand with the hammer.
- Yeah, like that. [laughs]
Wow, there is so much to do.
- Yeah, tell me about it.
- Do you need help?
- [Steven And Angie] Yes.
- No, we can handle it.
I'm sure you're plenty busy yourself.
- I'll be right back.
- Well, she seems nice.
- Here you go. Have a good day.
- [Customer] Thank you.
- How are you doin'? You got it handled?
- Yeah.
- Great, can you call Nikki and have her prep everything
for the Christmas Kickoff?
I can pick it all up at five.
- Okay. What are you doin' in the meantime?
- Helping.
- Hi. - Hey!
♪ Hear the Christmas bells around town ♪
♪ But nothing compares to this sound ♪
- Well done!
- [Colette] Thank you, sir.
♪ Of my laughter when you're around ♪
♪ All the snowflakes gather in the street ♪
♪ In my heart, it skips a beat
♪ 'Cause it's cold outside but I feel the heat ♪
♪ I'm runnin' circles in my mind ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm so happy that you're mine ♪
♪ Can't find the words to say
♪ How you make my heart ache
♪ I've never felt this way
♪ And baby, that's okay
♪ My heart beats a little faster ♪
♪ 'Cause you're my ever after
♪ Try to find the words to say
♪ You make my holiday
- No, it looks better!
- I hope so.
- [Marcus] Oh, yeah, we have someone comin' to fix that,
along with the other electrical.
- Oh.
It's almost time for the Christmas Kickoff
to start for the weekend.
Did you get a booth?
- Yeah, I did.
I was up late last night making everything.
- I have to go get my things for it. I'll meet you there?
- Sure.
- See ya guys.
- Bye, thanks so much for helping.
- See ya.
You know, you should probably get ready too.
We'll finish up here.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Thanks.
- Have fun.
[bright festive music] [people chattering]
- Here.
- Merry Christmas.
- There you go, Merry Christmas.
Well, I want you to notice
that I only have my desserts and pie preorders,
no hot chocolate.
- You didn't have to leave out the hot chocolate.
And you didn't have to help me today.
- I wanted to, it's Christmas.
And Grandma Thea would have wanted me to as well.
- Hi, Sweet Pastries, right?
- Yes.
- I tried to go by your store but it was all closed off.
- Yeah, we had a fire.
- Oh, how horrible.
Well, I ordered some pies for Christmas.
Will I still be able to get those?
- Oh, yeah, we'll still have everything ready as planned.
- Good.
Then where do I go to pick 'em up?
- Uh... - You can pick them up
right next door to Sweet Pastries at Colette's Cafe.
- Okay, any time on December 23rd?
- Yup, we'll have 'em ready.
- Good. Thank you.
Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
[warm music]
Thank you.
- Just makes sense, no big deal.
- Are you sure? I might take over your shop for that day.
- It's just one day.
- [Customer] Two hot chocolates, please.
- Sure, that'll be just a minute.
- So, how is the sale of your recipe,
or hot chocolate coming?
- Oh, that.
- You change your mind?
- No.
I'm having trouble coming up
with a traditional dry version of the recipe.
- Dry version? Traditional?
There's nothing traditional about Thea's recipe.
- I know.
It's hard to replicate in an easy form.
Here you go.
- [Customer] Thank you.
- Merry Christmas.
- Well, then that's your problem.
You're goin' about it all wrong.
- What do you mean?
- Thea's recipe is gourmet.
The stuff we make in our shops, it's not ordinary.
You can't just make it the same way
they do in grocery stores.
- Well, then how?
- What about a liquid version?
- People are used to-
- I know, but that's kinda the point.
It's special, so make it special.
A gourmet drink in the refrigerated section
that you can reheat and enjoy.
- Hmm.
Limited shelf life, would be more difficult to transport,
or we'd have to do it faster,
but it would taste a lot better.
It's better than anything I've thought of.
Great idea.
- Order 98.
- Excuse me.
- Oh, Mr. Banner!
- [Frank] Is Colette in?
- No, she's been out today.
- Hmm, tell her I'm waiting to hear from her.
Deadline's almost up.
- I'll pass that on.
- [Frank] Thanks!
- Hi. - Hi.
- So then you're going to sell this
just like you make it at the cafe?
- Yes, not sure how to make it keep longer, though.
- Preservatives.
- Grandma wouldn't like that.
- No, but you're gonna have to compromise somewhere.
At least this will taste better than that dry stuff
you've been mixing up.
- It better.
- What are you doing?
- Testing which method of reheating works best.
- Everyone just uses the microwave.
- Well, that may be, but I want to compare
so I know what to put on the packaging.
- Good for you, being all gourmet.
- That's the idea.
[microwave beeping]
Try this.
- Good.
- This one too.
- [Sandra] Both good.
- Any difference?
- The temperature.
- Maybe I should tell people what temperature to heat it to.
- [scoffs] No one's gonna get out their thermometer
and check the temperature.
People just want a quick cup of hot chocolate.
- Quick and yummy.
- Mm, that too.
So how's that boy Grandma helped out?
- Marcus?
He's been better.
- [Sandra] Oh, it's such a shame about his store.
- Yeah.
- Is he a good sorta person?
- I think so. Why?
- Just curious.
With my mother's influence,
you can't quite be sure how he turned out.
- She wasn't always difficult.
- No, but those are the memories that stick out.
- Maybe you should try to remember the positive.
There are probably good memories
if you just let yourself think of them.
[icicles dripping]
- Good morning!
- Hey, Nikki. How was your evening?
- Fine. Got to pick my own presents for Christmas.
- Is that for your parents to give you?
- Yep.
They say I'm too picky, so that way,
they don't have to worry if I get anything I don't like.
- [Colette] Mm-hmm. [laughs]
- Oh, hey, Frank Banner came by again yesterday.
- Oh, yeah? What'd he say?
- Just checkin' up on you.
- I think I have a solution to the store-bought version.
- Good.
You know, it's been busy here.
- I know, I'm sorry/
- I'm just saying, maybe you've taken on too much.
- [Steven] You'll sign right here.
- Okay.
- And then there.
- [sighs] I thought we already did everything.
- I guess they wanted us to fill these ones out too.
This should be the last one.
- Okay.
- Yeah. All right, I'll get this over to 'em.
- All right, let's hope it goes through.
- Yeah, see ya.
- See ya. - Oh, hey, Colette.
- Hi, Steven.
Bye, Steven.
How's it comin'?
- Well, the electrical is underway,
and then we get to move on to the sheetrock.
Steven's kinda nervous, though.
A lot depends on if we can get a second loan.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
I wonder what Thea would say about all this.
- Which part?
- About my situation.
- Hmm.
I remember these one-line pearls of wisdom she used to say,
like, to keep me from going overboard with the candy
when I was little. [Marcus laughs]
- A small bite won't bite you back with a tummy ache.
- Yeah. [laughs]
- Or she'd also say if you clean a little each day,
it'll keep the- - Tears at bay. [laughs]
I wonder how much my mom fought her on cleaning her room.
- Enough that Thea would come up with a saying for it.
- Yeah. [laughs]
- So, what would she say to me now?
- She'd say
the solution will appear
if your determination doesn't disappear.
- Did she ever say that?
- No, I just made it up, but it does sound like her.
- [laughs] It does.
Maybe you're right, though. [sighs]
- What are you thinking?
- That I might not have it all figured out,
but I can take it a step at a time,
like letting the electric work move forward
while I continue taking pie preorders for Christmas.
Maybe after that hurdle,
I'll be ready for the next challenge.
- Exactly.
[cell phone vibrating]
Oh.
- Everything okay?
- Yeah, it's just my mom.
She's reminding me about dinner.
You should come.
- Oh, [laughs] no, I couldn't.
- I'm sure she'd love to meet you,
with you knowing my grandma and all.
- Yeah?
Okay, sure.
- Great.
[knocking on wall]
Mom?
- Hello.
- Hi. - Hey.
You remember Marcus.
- Nice to see you again, these are for you.
- Thank you!
I've heard a lot about you lately.
- Mom! - Really?
- Come on in.
[bright music]
There's more if you like.
- Oh, no, thank you. I'm getting full.
- This was really great, Mom. Thank you.
- This was one of Mother's recipes.
It's one I craved growing up.
- I can tell fine cooking runs in the family.
- Well, I heard you make amazing desserts.
- Oh, you did?
- Although I haven't tasted them myself,
as Colette ate the entire box.
- I did not!
Not all at once, anyway.
- Well, I'll bring you a whole box of choices, just for you.
- Oh, thank you.
[bright warm music]
- You have a lot to bake for those Christmas orders.
Are you really gonna do 'em all at your house?
- Gonna try.
- And then you're gonna bring 'em to my cafe
for people to pick up?
- Yeah, but that's not too hard.
- Why don't you just make them at the cafe?
- Oh, I couldn't. It's a lot of pies.
- The kitchen can handle it.
- Are you serious?
- Yeah.
- That would be amazing.
- I'll get Nikki and Simon to help too.
- Okay. Thank you.
[bright music]
- Hey, Mom, the oven, can I turn it off?
- Yes, please, and take the pan out.
Now, Marcus, I've been wanting to ask you,
was my mother a stickler with you too,
doing things her way or not at all?
- [laughs] Uh, yes.
- And you survived, good for you.
- She was never harsh, though.
Everything she taught me was to help me be better.
- I can hear her saying that. She's brainwashed you.
- Maybe, but I also needed someone to show me
that I could be better.
- Wonder what made her decide to look after you.
- I wonder that myself every now and then. Who knows?
Maybe she just saw a bored boy who needed some attention.
- Maybe. I told Colette it was so unlike her.
- Didn't stop her, though.
Maybe she just saw that she could make a difference.
- Perhaps.
I think there was a side to her I didn't see.
[warm music]
- Your mother was a great woman.
- Maybe she was,
more than I give her credit for.
Well, the brownies should be cool by now.
[warm music]
- Was it something I said?
- I think so.
It's a good thing, though.
- When did Thea pass away?
- It was six years ago, Christmastime, actually.
- I wish I'd reached out to her.
There's a part of me that wondered
what are the odds I'd ever see her again, but...
- Yeah.
- Kinda think she'd be laughing at us now, though.
- Me too.
Although, to be honest,
I think she'd somehow favor you over me.
- No, I don't think she would.
Who knows, she probably regrets giving me the recipe.
- No, regret and Grandma Thea don't go together.
That's something I admired about her.
Whatever she chose to do, she owned it, no regrets.
I think she knows that everything turned out okay.
- I hope so.
- She'd be happy.
The recipe's in good hands.
[bright warm music]
- Yes, it is.
- Well, it's no fine pastry, but I've got some dessert here
to finish us off.
- Looks great, Mom.
- This is going to make a lot of pies, Marcus.
- We can do it.
The three of us and Colette and her two employees,
that is a lot of extra hands.
- As compared to you doing it by yourself all night, yeah.
- You know, it was awfully nice of Colette to offer to help.
- [Marcus] I can hear your tone.
- Good, 'cause I wasn't hidin' it.
- You know what?
It is nice of her to offer, and I appreciate it.
- I'm just thinkin', you know,
she wouldn't have offered to help if, you know.
- What?
- If she didn't like you.
- Oh, this is college all over again.
That girl down the hall you used to make fun of me for?
- Yeah, kind of.
Only difference is you actually have a shot with Colette.
- Oh, my gosh, be nice to him!
- Come on!
- What? I'm just sayin'.
- Yeah, but every time you say something,
you jinx it for me, so... [shushes]
- So that means you are interested.
- What did I just say?
[Angie laughs]
- Measuring cups, whisks.
- Hi. - Hi.
- You're sure that this place can handle all this stuff?
- No.
- Yes, we have plenty of room.
- Colette, Frank Banner's here asking for you again.
- Okay, Nikki, can you-
- Yeah, I'll get everything organized.
- Hi, Frank.
- Colette, I need to get this process going.
Are we moving forward, or what?
- Yes, sorry. I have been making progress.
I've decided to do a liquid version of the hot chocolate.
- That's gonna be more pricey,
and it changes the placement of the grocery stores,
but I can work on it.
How's that contract coming?
- Tomorrow okay?
- [Frank] I'll hold you to that.
- Great, thanks!
- [Frank] See ya.
[bright warm music]
[lively festive music]
- Anyone need an apron?
- Uh... [laughs]
Just warning everybody now,
cooking is Marcus's thing, not mine.
- Well, you can follow instructions.
- Well, use small words. [laughs]
- Hey, I just wanna say thank you, guys, all of you,
for being willing to help.
- Yeah, put us to work.
- All right.
The fridge is full of the ingredients
that we'll need to use, plus whatever is out here
on the counters.
Let me know if you have questions,
but I will circle around to make sure
things are looking right.
- Is sampling prohibited?
[all laughing] [bright music]
- [Angie] Okay, so like this?
- Yeah, that's good. - Cool.
- Now mix it on low until the dough has a firm consistency.
- Sounds good!
[bright music]
- How's it going?
- Good.
- Ooh.
[bright warm music]
- [sighs] Marcus seems like a good guy.
- He is.
- So what's going on between you?
- Nothing.
Why? I thought you said I was taking on too much as it was.
- Yeah, but my concern was Frank Banner, not Marcus.
- You don't like the deal with Frank, do you?
- It's not my call.
- But if it was?
- Why have you been stalling to give him the contract?
[bright warm music]
Like I said, not my decision.
[warm pensive music]
- So what do you think of Marcus?
- Marcus?
I can tell you two have a bond.
- That's just 'cause of my grandma.
It's common ground between us.
- Nothing more?
[bright warm music]
- Maybe a little more.
- Order 230.
- Chocolate marshmallow silk and the pumpkin one.
- Pumpkin vanilla custard.
- We just pulled an all-nighter making pies.
Wanna give me a break?
- [laughs] Here you go, Merry Christmas.
Hi, what's your order number?
- 183.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
- Merry Christmas.
- Apple cream.
- Hi, how can I help you?
- [Customer] Can I get a hot chocolate, please?
- Yes.
[cell phone ringing] - Oh, hang on.
Marcus, take over. Hello?
- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
- Yeah.
But I filled out the...
I understand.
Is there no way to reconsider, or what else could we do?
Okay.
Merry Christmas.
[people chattering]
- One second.
So what was that about?
- The bank turned down the second loan.
[warm pensive music]
- Hi, what's your order number?
- [Customer] 83.
- [Nikki] Frank coming by today?
- Oh, um, probably.
I'm just looking this over one more time.
[warm music]
No.
Frank's not coming.
[warm music]
Frank!
Hey, it's Colette.
Look, I've been giving it a lot of thought.
I don't think it's gonna work out.
Good turnout, huh?
- Yeah.
Thanks again for letting me use your cafe,
and all of your help.
- Sure.
Is everything all right?
- The bank denied the second loan.
And Steven is freaking out.
- [sighs] You're kidding.
- I wish.
I need to go check on the electrician next door.
- I'll clean up, you go.
- You sure?
- [Colette] Mm-hmm.
- Thanks.
- If someone comes for these-
- I'll make sure they get them.
[bells ringing]
- Thanks, hopefully we can figure this out,
and you can come finish the rest some day.
- Good luck. - Yeah.
[knocking on door]
- Excuse me, I'm looking for Marcus.
- Yeah, that's me.
- Huh, I understand you have a pretty popular
hot chocolate recipe.
I'd be interested in taking it nationwide.
What do you think?
[playful pensive music]
Here's my card. Please, call me, soon.
- Okay, yeah, I'll definitely think about it.
- What if he's selling the recipe to Frank?
- We don't know that's what Frank was talkin' to him about.
- Come on, Colette, what else could it be?
- I don't know.
- If he is selling it, you gonna let him?
- It's not for me to decide for him.
- It's not right.
- Grandma Thea gave the recipe to me and to him.
He has just as much of a right to sell it as I do.
- But you didn't sell it.
- I know.
- But if he-
- If this recipe could really save his shop,
could I live with myself if I tried to stop it?
[Nikki grunts softly in acknowledgement]
["Away in a Manger"] [dog barking]
- Hey, Colette!
- Mallory, good to see you. - You too.
So, do you know what's going to happen next door?
- I don't.
- I hope it comes back, because I loved their pies,
but your hot chocolate was better.
- Thanks.
Merry Christmas.
- [Mallory] You too.
[bells ringing]
- [Marcus] Hi.
- Hi.
How's Steven?
- He's coping.
- And you?
- I'm figuring some things out.
- Like what?
- Trying to recoup whatever we can.
But it's gonna be fine.
- So Frank Banner reached out to you then?
- Yeah, he did.
[bright warm music]
I was surprised you decided not to sell.
- Wasn't the right decision for me.
- Me neither.
- Really?
- What, now you're surprised?
- I guess not.
You could have.
You have just as much claim to it as I do.
- No, not really. The only one that did was Thea.
- Did you feel that way all along?
- Yeah.
- Why didn't you say anything to me?
- I mean, she's your grandma, not mine.
Which reminds me...
- What? [laughs]
- [Marcus] Merry Christmas.
- You didn't have to.
[warm music]
Grandma!
- It's a nice way to remember her, isn't it?
- Yeah, it is.
Thank you.
[warm music]
- Merry Christmas, Colette.
- Merry Christmas.
["We Wish You a Merry Christmas"]
- Hi. Do you have any of those pies left?
- [Simon] Oh, that was just a one-time thing, sorry.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
- [Customer] My family really liked the last one.
Um, well, I guess, what do you have?
- We got some sandwiches there,
and seven doughnuts left.
- I'll have a turkey cranberry sandwich then.
- [Simon] Turkey cranberry.
- [Customer] And a Caesar salad.
- [Simon] Caesar salad.
- The whole situation's out of our hands.
We just can't do it.
- Your lease isn't even close to being up.
We agreed to a year to start.
- I know, but believe me,
I wish the circumstances were different.
- There's just so much damage.
What, do you expect me to eat that cost?
- Well, let's look it over and find a solution.
We cleared out all the damage and started rewiring.
Who knows? Maybe your next tenant will wanna start fresh.
- [Landlord] Yeah.
- Hey, Steven! Steven, wait up!
There's a lot to fix, but the point is it is fixable.
- How would you do it?
- This is the easiest solution.
- You can do that?
- Sure, why not?
- What about the cafe?
- It won't affect the shop.
- You sure?
- Even if it does, it'll be worth it in the long run.
[bright music]
- I like it.
- Yeah?
- Grandma would too.
[bright music]
- So what do you think? Can we do it?
- Yeah, I don't see why not.
I ran it by the contractor.
It's reinforced, it'll hold.
- Great.
- You sure you wanna do this?
- I do, as long as it's the right move for you guys.
- It is.
- When do you wanna start?
["We Wish You a Merry Christmas"]
- You do realize it's Christmas Eve?
- Yes.
- And the ham is warm and ready?
- I'll be right there.
["We Wish You a Merry Christmas"]
[birds chirping]
- Merry Christmas, Thea.
[knocking on door]
Come in.
- Hey! Merry Christmas.
- Hey, thanks. You too.
- So what are you doing to celebrate today?
- Uh, I, uh...
- I was afraid of that.
Come to the house with me and Angie.
- Oh, no, I couldn't do that.
- Why not?
- I'm fine here, I'm opening presents.
- [Steven] Alone?
- You're here, aren't you?
- All right, open mine then.
You should at least come over for dinner.
- No, that's okay.
- Come on, Angie's making that stuffing you really like.
- Oof, don't tempt me.
[Steven laughs]
Whoa!
- [Steven] Not bad, huh?
- Sweet, Steven, sweet.
- Hey, you sure you're okay?
- Yeah.
- All right, well, dinner's at five if you change your mind.
Okay?
- Hey, Merry Christmas.
- [Steven] See ya.
["Angels We Have Heard on High"]
[hammer banging]
[playful pensive music]
♪ Holiday [hammer banging]
♪ Is that you're here on Christmas day ♪
♪ All I wanna do is to hold
- What are you doing?
- Oh, hi!
- Hi.
What are you doing?
- Tearing down the wall.
I ran into Steven and the landlord already.
They seem excited.
This was supposed to be a Christmas surprise
for you, though.
- Yeah, I'm very much surprised.
There's a giant hole in the wall.
Why is there a hole in the wall?
- I'm taking on a new partner.
Two, actually.
We're combining Colette's Cafe and Sweet Pastries.
I've wanted Colette's Cafe to change and grow
for a while now, and this,
well, one might call it expanding.
We're adding desserts and making it more of a hangout
than just for the sandwich and coffee crowd.
What do you think?
- Uh, expanding?
- If it's okay with you.
We'll have some pardon our dust signs around for a while,
but the cafe can stay open while we finish the work.
With this wall gone, we have room for more seating,
dessert counters, and I kinda thought we could have
a hot chocolate bar area, but I especially wanted
your input on that.
- Sweet Pastries here?
- Steven already signed off on it.
I'm just waiting for the second half
of Sweet Pastries to agree.
- You're serious?
- Seems like it.
I know it's a lot of work,
but we can do most of it ourselves,
just like you planned to before.
- You're doing this for me?
- For us.
[warm music]
- Why?
- Because, because it makes sense.
That whole situation with me
trying to sell the hot chocolate,
I was itching to do more, but it wasn't right.
And then you came along,
and it's like it was meant to be.
Not at first, of course,
[Marcus laughs softly]
but I think I've seen what Grandma must have seen,
someone special.
And the thought of coming here every day
and not seeing you seemed bleak.
[warm music]
- Well, I know what you mean.
- You do?
- When I first met you, there was something about you
that I wanted in my life.
Even later, I still liked you.
- When I was awful to you?
- Wasn't that bad. [laughs]
- Well, I'm glad I didn't scare you away.
- Why is that?
- Because I think
I'm falling in love with you.
[bright warm music]
So,
what do you think?
[Marcus laughs softly]
- Uh...
What should we call it?
- I'm not sure. [laughs]
We're combining Colette's Cafe and Sweet Pastries,
and Grandma Thea's hot chocolate.
- Hmm.
How about
[bright warm music]
Thea's?
- Thea's.
It's perfect.
Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
[bright warm music]