Page 51 of A Gingerbread Romance

She grabbed a muffin from the day-old bag on the back counter, which was always free for the taking for any of the employees, its contents tasting almost as fresh as the new stock. Picking up her coffee cup, she headed for the office. She smiled at the tantalizing aromas of not only cinnamon and vanilla, but the rich coffee bean smell that now permeated the store, too.

Yes, this might be the best part about her new endeavor—the way the freshly brewed coffee made the bakery smell.

Back in the office, Greta picked up her phone.

A voicemail? The little red indicator on the telephone icon said she had one. Her heart lifted as she took a bite from the pumpkin spice muffin and washed it back with a slurp of coffee. She tapped the screen and found the message, and sure enough, it was from Jonathan.

Finally. He’d called! She sucked in a deep breath, her nerves tingling. But he’d sure taken his good time with it. Did he have good news or bad news? Had he cooled off? Would she see him soon?

Her mind skipped ahead to a beautiful reunion between them played out on his apartment’s second-floor balcony entrance tonight, shortly after work. She’d rush over there and take him back, then throw herself into his arms.

Her pulse racing, she swiped the arrow that would play the message and held the phone to her ear. His voice came through clearly, and her heart ached at the sound of it. It seemed like it had been weeks since they’d spoken, not a mere two days. She missed him. So much.

But her brow creased, deepening as his message continued.

Greta felt her legs going weak, and she reached for the chair, collapsing into it.I’m not ready for us.

He didn’t want to do this anymore, after they’d finally just gotten started?

But why? Their argument on Christmas Eve wasn’t something they couldn’t put behind them. She no longer even faulted him for keeping her in the dark about Berg.

Tears began to cascade down her cheeks, but before she could close the office door, Judy popped her head around the corner, asking about a large order someone had placed over the phone. The customer was in the curbside pickup spot outside, ready to take it home. Had Greta already set the order aside, or should the girls take it from the cases out front? They were too busy to come and ask her themselves.

Greta wiped a hand across her face, trying to disguise her grief. No one needed to see her like this. It was just that she’d been blindsided…

Judy’s keen eye didn’t miss a thing, though. “Oh, honey, what’s the matter?” the older woman said with concern. She hurried over to Greta, wiping her fingers on her apron.

“Nothing. No, it’s fine. I’m fine. The order is, uh—”

“—I don’t care about the order until you’re okay, Greta. Tell me what happened,” she insisted.

A sob overtook Greta at that, and Judy rubbed a comforting hand against her shoulder. “Oh, dear, dear. It’s going to be all right. I know it is. Do you want to talk about it?”

Greta looked up at her gratefully. The woman was like having another grandmother around, someone who cared about her, and Greta could use someone like that right now. “It’s just…Jonathan. He broke up with me.”

Judy gasped. “Broke up? But you just started dating?”

“I know.” Greta swallowed. “I don’t understand it.” Maybe she’d been a little too optimistic thinking she’d be kissing him this afternoon in a glorious reunion, but she’d never expectedthis.

He’d sounded so detached, so removed from her, so distant. What in the world had happened? He sounded nothing like the guy she’d spent the other evening with, and the night before that. And all the other times, for that matter, apart from when he’d ghosted her the last time.

She swallowed back more tears.

Because the store was calling for her attention. She couldn’t fall apart. She cleared her throat. “But, like I said, I’ll be okay.” Judy handed her a tissue, and Greta wiped her nose. “Thanks.”

“Do you want to take a longer break, honey? I’ll help the girls at the front. We can manage.”

“No, no, definitely not.” If she didn’t have something keeping her busy, she’d most certainly start crying again, and that was not how she wanted to spend her day. “I’ll be right out. Tell the girls I’ll handle that curbside order. I set it aside about an hour ago.”

Judy looked at her with more concern. “All right, boss, if you say so.” The woman turned with one last look at Greta. “But I’m here if you need me, okay?”

Greta managed a nod. “Okay,” she replied softly, and another sob welled up in her throat.

* * *

Jonathan bitinto his cheesesteak sandwich as the Ravens took the ball down the field for a touchdown, his eyes glued to his flat screen. “Yes!” he said, pumping a fist to the air, thrilled for the distraction from his lousy mood. Then he looked up, surprised to hear his doorbell ring over the hum of the exuberant crowd on television.

Who could it be? His mind raced down the list of people who frequently stopped over: some of his friends, his brothers when they were in town, women he occasionally dated, Aunt Linda, or once in a while, a colleague or a boss. But none were likely to stop in on a Sunday afternoon, especially the day after Christmas. Everyone was busy with family and friends. Even Linda would still be in New Haven Falls until Monday.

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