Page 55 of A Gingerbread Romance

As soon as the walk-through was over, he would go to Greta and beg her to talk to him, and if she would not, he would ask again after work. And if she refused then, he would ask again later.

Because it was time he told her everything. The reasons why he’d broken things off, the reasons why he’d so easily jumped to conclusions, the reasons why he needed her back in his life.

But an explanation wouldn’t be enough on its own. He’d also need proof that he meant what he said when he told her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That she was the one for him. That he’d decided to let go of his trust issues and take a real chance at a life with her.

So, he’d stopped at a jeweler before he’d left the city. Greta needed to understand that he was all in this time—no more waffling back and forth. No more running out on her when things got tough. Wade had been right—Greta was nothing like Carla.

But Carla had been right, too. He couldn’t keep living in the past and hiding from love, from his future, from happiness. If he wanted Greta in his life, he’d have to go to her and open up—and then cross his fingers that it would be enough.

He put the car in park, cut the engine and climbed out. Then he grabbed his suitcase from the backseat and headed up the stairs to the apartment.

* * *

Greta feltthe weight of her soul lifting as she sped across the snow-covered countryside of the state park just outside of town. The snow-laden trees stood like sentinels along the winding trail, their branches adorned with delicate icicles that sparkled in the soft sunlight.

It had been far too long since she’d been out here. She’d devoted her life to the bakery for the past few years, and especially since Jean’s retirement. She really needed to make time for other things—like this—more often.

She glanced up at the sky, which was blue today, thankfully, as if they’d preordered it specifically for the occasion. Greta smiled with a sideways glance toward Chloe as the crisp air echoed with the rhythmic swish of their skis against the snow. Chloe grinned back, both of them breathing heavily as they traversed the wide trail over the undulating terrain.

Thank goodness Chloe had asked her to come out here today. It was the best possible remedy she could imagine for the lingering sadness—well, apart from one big thing, but that wasn’t possible. Jonathan had left her, and she’d do best to remember it and move forward without him.

She swallowed over the bittersweet sting in her throat as they approached a slightly inclined slope.

“Uh-oh,” called Chloe. “Here we go!”

With a tight jaw, Greta powered her way up, which would have been easy on foot, but on skis took a lot of effort, especially since there hadn’t been much of a downhill start from which to pick up speed.

When the ground leveled out, Chloe called over. “Ready for a break soon?”

“Yes!” Greta slowed to a stop, and Chloe pulled up beside her, both of them reaching for the water bottles in their packs.

“So, it’s about eight miles to the falls, right?” asked Chloe between breaths.

“Yes, one way, and then we have to loop back, of course.” Greta lifted a long swig of water to her lips as Chloe took out her phone and checked the distance they’d come. It would be a full day of skiing, but that was fine with her.

When Greta hiked to the falls in the summer, she always started from another trailhead, which totaled only a few miles round trip—much more doable on foot. Sixteen miles round trip was comparably quick on skis, though. “We’ve only come about three miles so far. Are you still up for it?”

“Absolutely.” Greta said, still panting.

“Okay, good,” said Chloe. “Me, too, but I need to rest for a minute or two. My legs are burning.”

Greta offered a thumbs up, bending at the waist to stretch her legs. “I’m good with that.”

* * *

Where could she be?Jonathan followed Brett and Elaine across the bakery floor as Greta’s lead baker, Judy, waved them behind the counter and through the kitchen. They’d already been upstairs to Lily’s accounting firm, and they’d already walked the other building, which was completely empty, perfectly clean, and ready for construction to begin on its new first-floor restaurant.

All in all, everything had gone well, despite the surprise it had been for the tenants, something Brett had insisted on. Even Lily had told him she’d recently decided to raise her rates to cover the upcoming rental increase, and she’d had no problem doing so. Jonathan was relieved.

Now, if only Greta were here. He really needed to talk to her.

He pulled Judy aside as Brett and Elaine chatted with another member of the kitchen team, who was busy assuring them that all the appliances and ventilation systems were completely up to code for their commercial endeavors.

“Is Greta around?” he whispered.

“She took the day off,” Judy retorted without so much as a smile. Of course, he should expect that from her. She obviously knew that things between him and Greta weren’t good. For now.

Regardless, he was planning to change all of that. “Okay, thanks,” Jonathan replied graciously.

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