Page 17 of Carpenter's Christmas Bride

“Hey,” Mal said when the last customer had gone. “How are you doing?”

Kenzie had gotten in line with everyone else for her tea and the box of doughnuts she would be taking when she stopped by to see her grandmother. But there had been too many people behind her to say more than hello.

“Great,” Kenzie said. “You must be exhausted.”

“Not really,” Mal said. “But I’ll be happy when Annie Williams comes home for the holidays. She normally helps out here when she’s not away at school.”

“That’s awesome that you have a helper,” Kenzie said, smiling at the thought that one of the little Williams cousins was in college now.

“And how are things going with your helper?” Mal asked with a grin. “When’s he getting started on your place?”

“I’m not sure he wants to do my job after all,” Kenzie said.

“What?” Mal asked. “Why not?”

“Well, he seemed like he did yesterday,” Kenzie said. “But the numbers he sent me last night—they’re really high.”

“Did you ask him about them?” Mal asked.

“He said he’d stop by today,” Kenzie said, biting her lip.

“Ooo-ooo-ooo,” Mal crooned teasingly. “Sounds like he wants to see you again.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kenzie said, smiling.

“I still can’t believe he remembered you from school,” Mal said.

“Yes, from when I was wearing a giant clown suit and a rainbow wig,” Kenzie shot back, unable to stop herself from laughing a little. “I don’t think he remembers me in the way you’re thinking.”

“We were such dorks,” Mal giggled, shaking her head.

“But we had fun,” Kenzie said with a fond smile. “I wouldn’t change any of it.”

“Not even the part where you dropped a hacky sack and it fell into the orchestra pit and lodged itself in Lenny Silver’s tuba?” Mal asked dreamily.

“Especially not that part,” Kenzie said solemnly. “But only because no one was hurt, and we did eventually get the hacky sack out with no damage to the tuba.”

“That was lucky,” Mal said thoughtfully.

The bells over the door jingled, announcing more customers, and Mal hopped up and dusted her hands on her apron.

“Hang out for a sec, and I’ll help you carry those over,” she offered as she darted behind the counter.

“I’ll be okay,” Kenzie told her.

But when she got up and tried to grab the box, she found that she wasn’t really okay after all.

“Where are you headed?” a familiar voice asked.

“Natalie Bell?” Kenzie said, turning.

Sure enough, there was her old friend from school. Natalie had spent a few years in New York, too, following her own dream to perform as a guitarist. But she and Kenzie hadn’t really crossed paths much since Kenzie spent all her time in the ballet rehearsal hall.

“Natalie Cassidy now, actually,” she said, laughing. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Right, my grandmother told me about you and Shane,” Kenzie said. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Natalie said, her cheeks going pink. “He’s amazing, and so are the kids. I still can’t believe it.”

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