Christmas on Windmill Way

It's milling day, Mom.

Good morning, Oma.

Good morning, my dear.

Ah! It smells as heavenly as your bakery in here.

Fresh Kerststol ? It's not even Christmas yet.

I am submitting this dish

to the Christmas market Dutch bake-off this year.

Can I try a bite?

Oh, you'd better.

Mm. Absolutely delectable, as always.

- Hmm. - I hope the judge thinks so too.

Well, I will be your guinea pig any day of the week.

Oh, just like your mother was.

The Christmas season inspires me even more to live up to their example.

Oh, sweetheart, they are watching over you with such pride.

What is it?

Oma.

I sold the deed to the Windmill Way property.

Wait, what?

The money will go directly to the mill repairs

that we've been putting off.

The developer promised our family would still run the mill

and the furniture workshop.

They just want to put a hotel on the vacant land next to it.

I wish you would have talked to me first.

Oh, honey, I didn't want to burden you with my money problems,

until I had a solution.

I didn't feel like I had a choice.

Now, I've scheduled a meeting with you for the developer, today after the tour.

- Can we talk later? - The developer, he's... No...

I can't be late for this tour.

Oh, dear.

- Good morning, Mia! - Hi.

Very cute, Lily. Your knitted ornaments looked great at the market.

Is it obvious I'm getting excited for the Christmas market?

Only a little.

What is it?

- Oh, nothing. - No, I can tell something's wrong. What?

Well, apparently, Oma sold the deed to the Windmill Way property,

and we're getting a new hotel neighbor.

Oh. Wow, uh, I'll have to tell Willem. This could affect the inn.

Don't tell Herb. I don't want to worry him until I have all the facts.

Of course. Oh, speaking of.

Looks like an enthusiastic group coming in.

Well, our Christmas tour gets more popular every year.

Yeah, well, the kids do love the tours we make.

That you make. We could use the extra money for some minor repairs.

Oh, by the way, I just got off the phone with Ann.

She told me about the sale.

I do wish she would have consulted us beforehand.

She meant well. She didn't want anyone to worry, especially you.

I know. Still.

Come on, Mia. We both know Ann can do no wrong in Herb's eyes.

- Isn't it your first date tonight? - It's just a night out with a friend.

I'm so grateful to have Ann in my life,

but I could never fill your grandfather's shoes.

Well, Pop was a wonderful man,

but I know he would want her to be happy.

As do I.

- It's time. - Yeah. Okay.

Hi, welcome. Come on in.

Hi. Welcome to your Christmas tour.

- Hi, come on in. - Hello.

I'm on my way to the meeting now.

Uh, yes, I'm looking forward to it. Thank you, Mr. Quigley.

Well, I am your tour guide, Lily Jansen,

and this here is Mia Meijer, the mill manager

and one of our lead furniture designers.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are standing in Zefier,

which is Dutch for "gentle breeze."

At this wind-driven sawmill, we transform log timber into lumber

for craftspeople, such as myself,

to design, build, and sell custom furniture.

My great-grandfather built this mill in 1932.

Our, uh, 90th annual Christmas market is coming up soon,

and we invite you all to join us.

We'll have activities for the whole family,

like, um, a Dutch bake-off and Santa Day, where St. Nick himself

hands out free toys from his glorious throne

made in this very mill.

Hmm.

- Thanks, Lily. - Yeah.

We do hope that all of you can join us for the Christmas market.

Now, our wind-powered crankshaft and saws transform timber into lumber,

and our sawmiller, Herb, manages this process.

For our Christmas market, we use the scrap lumber

and offcuts from our furniture to make kids' toys.

We're helping Santa out a little bit.

And everything in this mill is made in house.

Artists like Mia come up with wooden furniture designs in our studio,

and then we put it all together in our finishing shop,

and then we sell the pieces in our showroom.

Why is there a shoe hanging in the middle of the mill?

This clog is the primary method of communication in the windmill,

when you don't want to yell.

Like a walkie-talkie?

Mm... more like passing notes in class, which you shouldn't do.

I don't do that.

Well, when the windmill blades are rotating and the saws are in motion,

it can get pretty loud in here.

So, when visitors come, they put a note in the clog,

and we pull it up with the rope and check it from time to time.

It also has a secret message on it.

It says " Koerier Klomp ."

Does anyone know what that Dutch phrase means?

Yes. You, sir, with the camera around your neck.

It means "courier clog."

That is correct, Mr...?

Schaltz.

Uh, Brady Schaltz.

Welcome, Brady.

Or, should I say, welcome back.

Question... do you answer all of your messages?

Of course. There's nothing worse than leaving someone hanging.

Um, okay, if you'll all follow me, we'll just continue up this way.

Thank you for coming.

Thank you. Take care.

- Thank you for helping me with the tour. - Yeah.

Got a little distracted.

What is he still doing here?

Why is he taking pictures of something he has a million photos of already?

Wait, you know that guy?

He looks familiar.

Brady Schaltz.

We dated in high school.

Aw, puppy love.

- It was a little more than that. - What happened?

He dumped me right before prom.

Left town, and I haven't heard from him since.

Oh. Wow.

Yeah. Spoiler alert, he's friends with your husband.

Oh, wait, he's that Brady?

Oh. Wow.

Lily, I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Brady.

- Hi. - No, bring it in, come on.

Oh. Oh!

It is so nice to finally meet you. You are all Willem talks about.

As it should be.

And you remember Mia?

Great Christmas tour.

- Thank you. - Hmm.

I hope Willem told you how much I loved the photos from your wedding. Beautiful.

Yes, uh, but he was a little disappointed you couldn't be there.

Uh, water under the bridge.

I was out of the country on a work conference.

You got my gift, though, right, the sparkling water dispenser?

Yeah, we did. Thank you. Wasn't on the registry, but...

But sometimes the best gifts are the ones that we never knew we wanted.

Good, I'm glad. I knew it.

Yeah.

Ready for lunch, honey?

Very ready. I'll see you later, Mia. And nice to meet you, Brady.

Pleasure. Later, buddy.

It's good to see you.

What's with the suit?

You hate wearing suits.

My style has evolved since high school.

Feels like a lifetime ago.

Yeah, it does.

It's great to see that you followed in your mom's footsteps, managing the mill.

Yeah, well, you know, I always wanted to carry on the family legacy.

I'm so sorry to hear about your parents, Mia.

You could have called.

I wanted to.

I did. But... then I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me.

I see you finally took my advice and upgraded your camera.

Oh, yes, the disposable camera market took a big hit.

You know, it is good to see you.

- But I have a meeting. - Actually...

- Could you do me a favor? - Sure.

If you see a guy who looks like a real estate mogul

wandering around here looking lost,

can you send him my way?

I can do that, but, uh...

Thank you.

I always loved the mill's no-door policy.

Brady, I have a meeting.

I am your meeting.

You were the guy who bought the land from Oma?

Not me, personally. The company I work for, Beaubridge Realty.

She didn't tell you she was working with me?

Property developer?

I thought you wanted to become a photographer.

It's funny where life takes you. Heh!

But, hey, part of my job entails taking photos of our properties, so...

- May I sit? - Sure.

You're the boss, apparently.

Listen, Mia,

I was a tad hesitant when I got this assignment,

considering our history.

Oma mentioned a hotel.

A Dutch inn on Windmill Way, right on the piece of property next to the mill.

Well, it could also go at the southernmost end of the property.

By the swamp?

It's not a swamp. It's more of a... lagoon.

Let's see it.

I'm open-minded. Come on, let's check it out.

Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know about this meeting until this morning,

and I have a lot to catch up on before the Christmas market.

So, if we could do this... this afternoon?