Page 67 of Baking it Merry

Nodding, she handed Faye her box.“Sure does!”Ringing up the order, she handed the credit card back to her.“Have a good day and I’ll see you later!”

Between the constant flow of customers and chatting with Marcie, Anne, and Kaitlyn while they all exchanged gifts, her day was incredibly full.Lunch arrived—compliments of Tristan, she knew—and she had to sneak little bites here and there between orders.

Her mother arrived promptly at three o’clock with her father in tow and the three of them set up tables and began stacking all the orders to be picked up.Once they were done setting up, her father began taking pictures of the whole thing.

“Dad, what in the world?”she said with a laugh.“What are you doing?”

“This is all just amazing, Daph.You should use this for future promotions!Add these pictures to your website!”

Just then, her mother stepped over and put a Santa hat on Daphne’s head.“You need to look more festive, dear.After all, you’re helping everyone with their holiday traditions!Stop moping and try to look like you’re happy.”

“It’s not that easy, Mom.I’m exhausted and sad and…I’m not good at faking it.”

“I know, sweetie.Just a few more hours and you’ll have some time to finally relax.And next week will be a short week, right?You’re taking off Monday and Tuesday and then Friday is your last day.Don’t let everyone remember you because you were the saddest little reindeer.”

Oh, good grief…

“Fine.I’ll put on my big girl panties and act merry and all that,” she murmured.“But once the last order is picked up, I’m going home and curling up on the couch with a bowl of corn chowder and sleeping for twelve hours.”

“Hopefully not on the couch,” her father teased.“Now, let’s get a shot with you behind the counter!”

So she posed and smiled and pretended that everything was fine.The next few hours flew by and when the last box was finally picked up, she nearly sagged to the floor with relief.

“Okay, now to clean up and…”

“You know what, Daph?Your mother and I will take care of the cleanup.You go home and rest.You put in a lot of hours and deserve to call it a day.We’ve got this.”

“Really?Are you sure?”

“We’re positive,” her mother said even as she began nudging her away from the booth.“We’ll see you for dinner tomorrow night.And don’t worry, I already took a variety of stuff from your inventory, so dessert is already taken care of.”

Smiling, she ran back into the booth and grabbed her purse, coat, and keys.“Thanks, you guys.I am ready to crash, so I appreciate you doing this for me.I love you both.”And after hugging them and thanking them several more times, she finally walked out of the building.

The air was brisk and woke her a bit—which was a good thing considering she still had to drive home.As she walked to her car, she casually glanced around to see if Tristan’s was still there, and as usual, it was.He was undoubtedly staying late to avoid seeing her.

“Well, he won’t have to worry about that for too much longer.Just a few more days and I’ll be nothing but a distant memory.Dammit.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she climbed into her car and kept flowing all the way home.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again,” she said between sobs, “Merry Christmas, loser.”

By the time she got home, she had no appetite and opted to simply shower, change into her pajamas, and crawl into bed.Fortunately, sleep claimed her as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Daphne was surprised to see it was almost eight o’clock.She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so late.Stretching, she got up and padded to the kitchen to indulge in a leisurely cup of coffee.

At least…that was the plan.

The sound of her phone ringing pierced the peace she was enjoying.The number on the screen was from the property manager of the office building.

“Probably calling to tell me not to even bother coming back next week,” she mumbled before answering.“Hello?”

“Good morning, Ms.Noelle.It’s James from Oak District Management.I’m sorry to bother you so early on a Saturday, but the lobby has been vandalized.”

“Oh no!What happened?”she cried, instantly on her feet.

“Someone broke in, smashed one of the windows, and ransacked the lobby.We’re calling all the businesses and asking them to come in and make sure their offices are intact.Most of the damage seems to be here in the lobby.I know it’s Christmas Eve, but if you can come down as soon as possible to file a police report, it would be greatly appreciated.”

“Of course!I’ll…I’ll be there in thirty minutes.Thank you.”Devastated, Daphne hung up the phone and wasn’t sure what to do first.“Brush your teeth and get dressed.I need to do that and figure the rest out on the drive over.”

---