Page 1 of Sweet Surprises

1

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte Kendrick watched the ribbon of highway ahead of her unfurl into an ocean of snow-frosted trees, and sighed with pleasure.

She was coming off of a hard, hard year, but driving her dad’s old Mustang through miles of deep evergreen forest made her feel like she was leaving all her troubles in the rearview mirror.

And there was something about heading into the unknown that felt amazing—especially when the unknown she was fast approaching was the beautiful Vermont hometown of her college bestie, Allie. If the town was half as beautiful and friendly as Allie made it out to be, then this trip was going to be worth every mile. And the closer she got, the more certain she was that she’d made the right decision.

“This is going to be the best Christmas ever,” she decided out loud.

Charlotte was an optimist—always had been, always would be.

On the radio, Kelly Clarkson wailed out the lyrics of “Christmas Isn’t Canceled” as if in agreement. Charlotte turned it up, and then tapped along with her thumbs on the steeringwheel as the road curved among pine trees so tall she wondered if dinosaurs had once roamed among them.

Dad would have loved this.

Although Charlotte had spent part of her childhood in rural Pennsylvania, her family had to move to the city when she was still in grade school. They always intended to move back when they could, but the economy tightened up, forcing her dad to keep his city job until he finally got sick enough that he couldn’t work anymore. But Charlotte still dreamed of the fresh air in the countryside. She wondered if her mom did too.

Since losing Dad, it seemed like Mom avoided talking about the past at all costs. So when Charlotte broke the news that she had decided to take Allie up on the offer to run her family’s little ice cream shop in Sugarville Grove, Mom hadn’t even mentioned how similar the small, rural village was to the place they had left so long ago, even when she’d shown her some of the pictures Allie had sent.

“Go and enjoy your new adventure, Lottie,” Mom had said, squeezing her hand on top of the table. “I’ll be fine here. There’s lots to look forward to.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure exactly what her mother was looking forward to. But try as she might, she couldn’t get her mom to admit that she didn’t want her to go.

And Charlotte honestly needed the work, and an escape from Bryce Collingsworth, who hadn’t so much as called since dumping her and basically forcing her to quit her job in the process. Which might have actually been a good thing, because she was afraid that if he did call she might not be able to resist picking up. And she’d already spent too much time in his world.

Right now, what Charlotte really needed was something of her own—something to focus on while her twice-broken heart had a chance to heal. A new location and a new job were the easiest remedies, but she had left college during senior year tohelp take care of Dad, and finding a great new job without that degree wasn’t easy. Which made her even more grateful for the unexpected job offer from Allie.

Of course Allie had also warned her that business in the shop wasn’t exactly booming, but Charlotte had chosen to take that as a challenge. If she could make an ice cream shop profitable in the middle of a Vermont winter, then maybe those years in business school weren’t a waste after all.

She accepted on the spot, and didn’t waste any time getting ready to go. Two suitcases and a duffel bag were enough to empty her nook of a bedroom, and before she knew it, she was tossing them into the backseat of Dad’s old Mustang and hitting the road.

The minute the concrete labyrinth of Philadelphia began to give way to the suburbs, she felt herself taking deeper breaths. And once she was north of New York City, it was like being in another world. The views had her itching to get out her camera and try to capture some of that winter magic. But that could wait until she was settled.

Now that she was less than half an hour from Sugarville Grove, she couldn’t wait for her peaceful, small-town escape to begin.

Ahead, the road curved and a little gas station came into view. Charlotte bit her lip trying to decide what to do. As much as she wanted to push on, she knew she should probably stop.

Dad’s Mustang had been an indulgence back when he bought it and started fixing it up. And it still had some issues to work out. She’d found herself needing to stop to add oil almost every hour of the drive, like clockwork, and figured she was going to have to order a new oil pan gasket as soon as she got where she was going. It was annoying, but she knew it could have been worse. It was sort of a miracle these days to have a car with easilyreplaceable parts and none of the computer chips that needed those expensive diagnostics.

It was hard not to see the symbolism of being constantly stopped every time she was on her way somewhere.

Things happen for a reason, she thought to herself as she put on her turn signal out of habit, even though she hadn’t seen another vehicle in ten minutes. The car bumped onto the gravel lot, sending her dad’s dog tags jingling from their place of honor on her rearview mirror.

“Hey there,” an elderly man called out, giving her a wave as she exited her car. He wore an oil-stained coverall, a faded Giants cap, and a friendly smile. “Can I help you with anything?”

She blinked at him in total surprise for a moment. She’d had to flag down someone to help with oil at every stop on the way up here. Not one person had made it easy for her. The man waited patiently for her to answer, his smile unfaltering.

“Uh, yes, please,” she said after a second. “Do you have 10W-30?”

“Of course,” he told her, heading to a rack by the glass door of the little shop.

She looked around, wondering how the guy managed to make a living out here. Beautiful, unspoiled forest surrounded the road on every side. Even the smell of gasoline couldn’t hide the Christmas tree scent coming in on the crisp breeze.

When the man returned, he was holding up a bottle of oil like it was a trophy.

“Great,” she said.

---