Page 3 of Baking it Merry

“That sounds like fun!I love reading!”Then she paused.“Actually, I love listening to audiobooks.It’s great to do while I’m making the jewelry.I would have missed out on some great books if I had to wait to find time to sit down and read.”

“I do the same while I’m baking.What type of books do you like?”

“Romantic suspense and historical romance,” Marcie told her.“Although I’m good with any kind of romance.My mom’s an avid reader and she’s the one who really encouraged my love of reading, but she’s a romance reader too.”

“I love that!My mom’s an avid reader too.Although I tend to read a little, um…spicier than she does.So we don’t really recommend books to each other anymore.I found out the hard way when I recommended a book that I personally loved, and she called me at eleven at night to yell at me about how much sex is too much sex in a story.”

Marcie laughed out loud.“Oh my God!That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, well…”

“Daph?We need you over here!”her father called out.

“I need to go, but once everything’s done, feel free to pop over.The first order’s on the house!”

“My hips do not thank you, but I do,” Marcie said with a wink before returning her attention to setting up her earring display.

And as Daphne walked over to her little gingerbread house, she felt like skipping out of pure joy.Everything was coming together, and this year’s group of vendors already felt like close friends.It was going to be a great season!

“I hate this time of year.”

Tristan Knight stared out the window from his office on the twenty-eighth floor and sighed.The Raleigh skyline wasn’t anything new to him, but he had been trying for ages to build something that would be a part of it.And now that he had designed the perfect building for his client, the city announced that they weren’t approving any new plans until after the new year.

Normally that wasn’t a big deal, but with this client, they were more than willing to set up shop in other cities if Raleigh took too long.

And at this rate, they just might.

Again, the building was going to get built no matter what and Tristan was pleased about it, but…he wanted to be a part of this particular city’s skyline.

“But no.The holidays mean everything gets pushed off until the first of the year,” he murmured, raking a hand through his dark hair.Their reasoning was ridiculous considering it was only the first week of November.If it had been December, he wouldn’t have been surprised by the announcement, but November first?Come on!

With a muttered curse, he turned and sat back down at his desk and contemplated what project to work on.There were at least half a dozen to choose from, but his motivation was seriously lacking right now.

“Hey, boss,” his assistant, Faye, said as she walked into his office.“Did you decide if you were going to call the city planner and ask for preferential treatment?”

“Excuse me?”

With a serene smile, she placed several folders down on his desk.“You know, about the Bowers' building and not waiting until January.”

Frowning, he studied her.“You think you know me so well, don’t you?”

Her smile never faded.“Oh, I know I do.Just like I know you’ve been sitting here stewing since you got the email from Stan.You know it wasn’t personal, Tristan.It was a basic mass email that went out to everyone who submitted plans to the city.”

“It feels personal,” he grumbled.“How many projects have I designed for the downtown area only to have things go wrong?Either the project moves to another city or they lose funding or decide to go with another architect at the last minute!So yeah, this is just one more thing to add to the list and it definitely feels personal.”

“Okay, clearly you just want to be grouchy, so I’ll leave you to it.”She turned to walk away, but stopped and faced him again.“How about I go and grab you a muffin from the shop downstairs?I’m so excited that she’s back again this year!Maybe something sweet will brighten your mood.”

If anything, that last sentence soured it even more.

“I don’t understand why the landlord allows that nonsense every year!It makes the lobby look like a damn flea market!Our rent is high because this is an upscale building and then they allow those…those…boothshere for two damn months.”With a huff of annoyance, he shook his head.“That’s what I’m going to do.I’m going to call the landlord and demand they move those people to some other building.”

“Don’t you dare!”Faye cried in dismay, slamming her hand down on his desk.“Everyone in the building loves those booths!And Daphne’s Delights has been a favorite for the last three years!Why would you eventhinkabout ruining that?You’re the only one in the building who has a problem with it.”

“We don’t know that,” he countered.“I’m sure there are plenty of executives who don’t appreciate our lobby looking like a craft fair threw up on it.”With another head shake, he added, “You’d think they’d at least require them to be classy instead of cartoonish!It’s an eyesore to walk down there every morning, afternoon, and evening!”

Faye straightened and looked at him with disapproval, and the only reason he allowed it was because she was old enough to be his mother and helped him run his office with the kind of efficiency he needed.

“What?”he snapped after a long moment of her not blinking.

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