Page 11 of Carpenter's Christmas Bride

“Wow,” he said, after a few minutes. “I would have loved these when I was a kid.”

“Me too,” she told him with a smile.

“Okay, then,” he said, forcing himself to stop playing. “I’ll need like a million of these.”

“I love that attitude,” Lily said. “We have two obstacles. First of all, they’re expensive, which can be an issue. And secondly, I don’t have any of the bigger boxes right now, but I will be getting more right before Christmas.”

“Oh,” he said, trying not to start yelling for the second time in a day. He hated for Walt to be bored.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” she said, grabbing something from under the counter. “If you don’t disagree with the price, grab this smaller box, and make sure he likes playing with them. If he does, text me and I’ll try and get a bigger box in early. Then I can set it aside and message you when it’s here.”

She grabbed a pink pen with a fluffy pink feather on it from the cup by the cash register and jotted something down on it.

“This is the price on the bigger set,” she said.

The number was big enough that his eyebrows lifted.

“That’s fine,” he said flatly, knowing Walt was worth it. The boy needed wholesome things to occupy him, and if the parenting books Aidan was constantly checking out at the library were right, blocks and building were good for coordination and development.

“Great,” she said. “Just jot down your number there and I’ll give you a buzz as soon as I’ve got it. Anything else I can help you with?”

“No, thank you,” he told her, impressed that she was so efficient and businesslike in spite of all the pink.

“Okay, then,” she said. “Feel free to browse if you want.”

“Thanks,” he said.

But he had no interest in looking around. He’d done what he came here to do. Now it was time to take care of what he’d put off earlier. The bell over the door jingled merrily as he headed out of the shop and back out into the cold breeze.

He’d promised Aunt Leticia that he’d pick up a loaf of sourdough bread from the bakery to go with the pumpkin soup she was making for lunch. He’d been half-tempted to grab a loaf of something from the Co-op, but his aunt would know the difference.

Besides, he thought to himself as he turned back onto Park and headed to the bakery, maybe she’s not even there. Or if she was there, maybe she’d have too many customers to get into it with him.

Taking a deep breath, he headed into the bakery.

He was greeted with the delicious scent of fresh bread and something with cinnamon. He was also greeted with the sight of a shop that was completely empty except for himself and Mallory, who stood behind the counter.

“Hey,” he said casually, wondering if maybe they could just pretend the date never happened.

“How can I help you?” Mallory asked. She was scowling at him, like she had plenty to say, but was too polite.

That worked just fine for him.

“My aunt loves your sourdough bread,” he said. “Can I get a couple of loaves?”

She looked pleased for a moment, like she couldn’t help being happy to hear someone liked her work. Then she seemed to remember herself and frowned at him again, but not with as much gusto as the first time.

“How many is a couple?” she asked.

“Let’s do three,” he said, thinking about his hungry cousins and all the kids.

“I do have three,” she said, bending to grab them from behind the glass.

He waited while she put each loaf into its own bag and sealed it with a little sticker before ringing him up.

Can’t you just buy a loaf of bread anymore without someone slapping their branding on it? he wondered to himself.

“I thought you’d be back in the city,” she said as she handed him the bags.

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