Page 46 of A Gingerbread Romance

She stared at the phone on the coffee table in front of her, inhaled deeply and pushed back her shoulders, then reached for the phone.

But to her surprise, the doorbell rang, and she paused. Who could it be? Her heart beat faster. Had Jonathan come to see her before she could reach out to him?

Was he not angry with her for shutting him out last night? Her heart soared. She hopped up from the couch and headed for the door, checking her hair in the mirror along the way.

Reaching it, she took a calming breath. She missed him so much, already, her heart ached. Thank goodness she’d listened to Abby and not moped about all morning. She straightened her sweater, peeked through the peephole, and her eyes went wide. It wasn't Jonathan, but she opened the door.

“Greta!” said Henry Berg, standing on her porch, looking dapper in dark slacks and a wool jacket. “Merry Christmas!”

Greta had definitely not expected this to be Henry. “Berg!” she said exuberantly, quickly changing gears to disguise her disappointment. “Hi. Merry Christmas!”

He smiled broadly.

Suddenly, she felt sorry for being upset that Berg had been in on the lie. He hadn’t known Greta before this business relationship they’d developed, and he’d had no loyalty to anyone but the person paying him. Jonathan had probably asked him to keep quiet about the whole thing, and Berg had done so. She couldn’t hold it against him.

“It's so nice to see you,” she added warmly, stepping outside to join him on the porch.

“You, too,” he said, reaching for her and then wrapping an arm around her in a warm embrace. She hugged him back tightly, so surprised and so flattered he’d thought of her today. Because he’d really done a lot for her over the course of the past several weeks already, and she hoped he knew how grateful she was.

He pulled back a few moments later, and she finally noticed that he was holding a gift basket in the other arm, wrapped in gold cellophane that did nothing to disguise the luscious box of chocolates, the wine bottle, two bags of cookies and a tub of coffee beans, among other things, tied up festively with a big red bow.

“This is for you,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed working with you this season, and I hope we can continue to work together in the future.”

Wow, this guy was something else. Smart, talented, obviously successful, and sweet to top it all off, although she realized quickly, to her relief, that this was simply a professional visit. Had he brought a gift to Jonathan as well?

But what a nice surprise. It was good, also, to see a friendly face because it was Christmas, after all, and so far, she’d been completely alone, save for the phone calls with Jean and Abby.

“Wow, this was so nice of you!” Greta exclaimed, her shoulders rising in an involuntary shiver.

“Oh, it’s no big deal. Just a little something to demonstrate my appreciation.” Ironic, because she hadn’t been the one to pay him.

“I should have gotten you something,” she said, a twinge of guilt trickling through her system. After all, he’d been the one who’d brought her store out of the red and into the black this season.

He brushed away her comment with a wave of his hand and a smile.

“Do you want to come in for a minute while I take this inside? It’s so cold out here.” She couldn’t possibly just hurry him along on Christmas Day after he’d just brought her a gift. It would be nothing short of rude.

“Sure,” he said, nodding. “Just for a minute. Oh, and I got your call yesterday. I wanted to explain.”

“Oh, right. Actually, it’s not necessary. I was told what’s going on. I’m so sorry to have bothered you.”

Berg studied her. “Oh, okay, good.” He smiled. “I’m glad.”

She stepped inside with a nod, holding the door, and he followed.

As much as she wished this were Jonathan at her door, that conversation would have to wait, but she’d call him as soon as Berg left.

* * *

Jonathan satin the driver’s seat of his BMW and blinked, squeezed his eyes shut, and then widened them again. Had he just seen what he thought he had? He’d pulled to the curb and stopped a few yards back upon spotting another car in Greta’s driveway. He wouldn’t have wanted to surprise her—when she was already upset with him—if she had company.

And then Henry Berg had hopped out of the car in her driveway, sauntered up the walk carrying a gift basket, and wrapped his arms around the woman Jonathan loved. He’d held her there for a moment, too.

Jonathan’s heart began to pound. His mind began to race.

What was going on? Wassomethinggoing on?

He shook his head. No, that was ridiculous. Berg worked for Greta. He was a professional—he wouldn’t be trying to date her. Would he? No, actually, he worked for Jonathan. Maybe the line was gray enough that Berg was willing to cross it? Greta was a beautiful, single woman, after all.

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