Page 20 of A Gingerbread Romance

He laughed, noticing the sparkle return to her eyes. “They’re not all for me. I’m going to my buddy’s house for dinner tonight. He’s got a father-in-law and twin boys, and he’ll make sure they everyone gets a box to take home. I’ll give the others to my brothers and their wives. Believe me, they won’t go to waste. But of course, I’m keeping one box for myself. Have to see if they’re as good as they look.”

“Oh, I see.” Her smile made his heart warm like a steaming cup of cocoa. “Well, then, six dozen cookies coming right up.” She shuffled around to the back of the counter.

He watched through the glass as she carefully plucked the cookies from the trays and placed them into pink boxes.

She tapped a few buttons on the register, then pushed the boxes toward him, her face relaxing into the smile he’d been hoping to bring back. “Thanks, Jonathan. I hope your family likes them.”

He grinned because it wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. “They’re going to love them.”

SIX

Abby’s voice came across the line. “No man in his right mind buys six dozen gourmet cookies unless he’s got a very good reason for it. That was his way of apologizing, don’t you think?”

It was late the next morning, and Greta was sitting in the bakery’s office in front of her laptop. She’d just posted a Christmas special on the store’s social media accounts, and the posts were already getting a lot of attention.

She’d met with Berg’s specialist yesterday who’d given her several pointers, but for now, Greta was going to handle her own campaigns rather than have the woman post for her.

“Maybe,” said Greta, grinning. “But spending a nice chunk of change at my store does notchangethe fact that I don’t know if he can be trusted.”

Abby’s sigh was obvious even over the phone. “I haven’t heard you say anything that makes me think you can’t trust him now. It sounds like he was just working the best deal that he could for his clients. Don’t you think? Plus, he apologized.” Abby was Team Jonathan, too. More, even, than Greta was anymore.

Greta had to admit that Abby was right, though. It had become clear that he truly hadn’t known of her affiliation with the Smithfield Bakery when they’d been on their date, because she’d dug around and found the second letter he’d mentioned in the bakery’s office. He hadn’t lied.

“Maybe you should give him a second chance?”

A second chance? Thinking about the kiss still made her palms sweat and her cheeks burn, but he was off limits now. She wasn’t going to risk her professional reputation for a few dates with a—very—hot guy, even if he did make her heart flutter. “I can’t do that, Abby.”

“Just as a friend, then. Like you told him?”

Greta felt herself nodding. “Yeah, I guess so.” If only she were capable of it.

* * *

Jonathan feltthe brisk air of the December afternoon as he left Lennie’s building. Lennie’s and Nancy’s movers were emptying their spaces, and Jonathan had checked in to make sure everything was going smoothly.

A quick check of his watch said that it was noon already. Wednesday. He’d have plenty of time to sit down for lunch somewhere before he met with the escrow agent this afternoon, but he might as well head to the other side of town now, where the agent’s office was located.

He headed down the sidewalk, but just then, the door to Greta’s shop opened, and to his surprise, Greta herself stepped out, bundled up for the weather and gorgeous in the same tweed coat and scarf she’d worn when he’d walked her home last week. “Oh,” she said, her eyes flying wide. It wasn’t exactly a cold reception, but he'd known warmer. “Hi, there.”

“Hi, there, yourself.” Jonathan’s brow rose. This was a pleasant surprise, at least for him. “Where are you off to?”

She rubbed her gloved hands to her arms. “I’m actually heading over to city hall to sign some papers.”

He fought the urge to study her face. “Small world. I’m headed that way, too. Mind if I walk with you?”

“Uh, no, that would be fine, I guess.” He heard the hesitation in her voice and remembered their discussion the other day.Just friends.No problem—he could do that, if that’s where they stood.

They turned and headed down the street. Friends could chat, at least, and he was curious about how she thought things were going under Berg’s leadership. “So, what’s next on your list of projects for the bakery?”

Greta explained that Berg had suggested she turn part of the store into a self-service dining area for customers and start offering a small range of specialty coffees and teas to go with the baked goods that someone could purchase and enjoy in-store.

It made sense because daytime-only coffee and desserts wouldn’t compete with the restaurant that was going in.

There were permits to file—hence, her trip to the offices at city hall—and tables and chairs to think about, as well as plates and silverware and paper products. There’d be commercial grade coffee equipment and the beans and tea products to purchase, too. But at least they were already staffed to handle this sort of thing. Training would be minimal.

Eventually, Greta might need to hire another counter clerk, but the additional business they could pick up would offset the cost. “Berg’s projections estimate that the plans will pay for themselves in six months.”

“That’s fantastic.” A twinge of satisfaction flooded him. Wade must’ve been right. Henry Berg did know what he was doing. He heard the sense of hope in Greta’s voice, and that was encouraging.

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