Page 47 of Baking it Merry

“It’s not a big deal.”

Now he huffed.Pinching the bridge of his nose, he asked, “Do you have a change of clothes with you?”

“I told you…”

He repeated the question.

“Yes.”

“In your car or the booth?”

“Car.”

Nodding curtly, he said, “Why don’t you use the restroom?Take a shower, wash up, whatever you want to do.I’ll go down and get your things.”

“My mother can get my bag from the car and give it to you.I’ll text her and let her know you’re coming down.”

Another nod.“Thank you.”

He waited for her to tap out the text and then watched her go into the bathroom.Once the door was shut, he stormed from his office and went directly to Faye’s desk.“Who ran into Daphne?”

She frowned at him.“Collins.And he was such a jerk about it.He was completely at fault—wasn’t looking where he was going—and then acted like it was beneath him to help her clean up.I felt so bad for Daphne.”She watched him for a moment.“Do you want to talk to him?”

“Not right now.I’m going downstairs to get Daphne’s things from her mother.She’s in my office and not to be disturbed.”

If anything, she seemed to approve.“No worries.”They were saved from having to say more by the phone ringing.

Tristan had met Daphne’s mother last weekend when she delivered the food for the party, but other than exchanging a few pleasantries, they didn’t really know each other.

When he stepped off the elevator in the lobby and made his way over to her booth, he could see Mrs.Noelle looking at him oddly.Smiling, he walked up to the counter.“Hey, Mrs.Noelle.Daphne said she had a change of clothes out in her car.Might I get the keys so I can grab them for her?”

“Of course, but…why doesn’t she just call it a day?We’re all packed up here and she said she was eager to go home.”Her eyes narrowed a bit.“She mentioned that you weren’t going to need her help with this party.”

“Oh, uh…she just has such a gift,” he gushed, hoping his smile was sincere.“My assistant is usually great when we host our office parties, but Daphne just has a way of putting everyone at ease.”

She didn’t look convinced.“Why would your employees need to be put at ease?Don’t they like you?Daphne mentioned how you gave her a lot of grief since her booth went up.”

“Yes, well…we’ve moved past that.”Sort of.“And after seeing the way she handled my last two parties, it’s just comforting to have her there.”

Carolyn Noelle was a petite woman with short, silvery blonde hair.There was nothing that should have been intimidating about her, and yet right now, Tristan felt a little intimidated.

“My daughter is the most hardworking, talented woman I know,” she began firmly.“She may be an adult, but that doesn’t mean the mama bear in me isn’t prepared to come out when someone upsets here.”She leaned over the counter a bit.“And you have definitely upset her.I get that this whole setup is outlandish, but it’s the holidays and people love it.”

All he could do was nod.

“For whatever reason, she’s agreed to work for you.But I’m going to give you a little advice.”Then she looked at him expectantly.

“And that is…?”

“Daphne puts her whole heart into everything she does.She takes care of the people who mean something to her.Don’t take advantage of that.I get that having her at your little party might makeyourlife easier, but she’s entitled to have some time for herself as well.Don’t make her regret being kind and helping you out.”Straightening, she crossed her arms.“And don’t you dare break her spirit.This whole holiday booth thing isn’t exactly practical, but it’s the only way she knows how to work toward her dream of opening her bakery.”

Okay, since they were talking about it…

“May I ask why you think she hasn’t?We’ve talked about it, but it seems like she’s got all the pieces except the confidence.”

Her shoulders sagged a bit.“That’s exactly the problem.So many people have tried to put her down…”

And yeah, the pointed look she gave him spoke volumes.

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