Page 1 of Sweet Christmas Wish
CHAPTERONE
One of the perks of owning a bakery has to be the part where I get to taste-test and say it’s for research, Sarah Langston decided as she pulled a tray of piping hot chocolate peppermint scones out of the industrial oven in Sweet Thing Bakery’s kitchen.
Setting the tray carefully on the stainless steel work surface, she bent her head low and inhaled the sweet fragrance of the scones and her mouth began to water.
People had asked her before if she ever got sick of baked goods, what with her work, but she honestly never had, and today was no exception. Waiting until the scones were cool enough for her to try one was going to be a challenge, she could already tell.
With a glance at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall, Sarah saw that it was almost five o’clock. Fridays always picked up in the early evenings, when folks stopped by for a reward on their way home from work or when couples came by to kick off their date nights in a sweet way.
Tiffany Franco, a sweet high schooler who helped her on the evenings and weekends, should be arriving any minute to help with the predictable Friday evening rush. She looked around the kitchen, noting how messy it was with some dismay. It would take quite a bit of work to have it spotless by closing and ready for opening early the next morning. Still, even with the mountain of work waiting for her, the kitchen still felt like home, the way it had for years.
And thank heavens for Tiffany, she thought, untying her retro apron from around her waist and surveying the mess with a critical eye.
Her apron was from the seventies, and it showed—punchy orange and mustard yellow patterns dominated the apron, but she didn’t mind. It was the apron her mother had always worn to bake when Sarah was growing up and, when her mother and father had moved to Arizona to retire in warmer climes than New Hampshire could offer, Sarah had begged her mother to leave it to her. It wasn’t really her style, but Sarah liked having a piece of her mother with her in the kitchen, and it made her feel like the bakery was still a family affair.
After all, when it first opened, Sarah’s parents and her older sister, Michelle, all worked together. Over the last few years, that had changed. First, Sarah’s parents had left Snowy Pine Ridge and then Michelle had been swept off her feet by an Olympic skier.
Even though Snowy Pine Ridge offered excellent skiing opportunities, Michelle’s husband traveled for work almost constantly. Sarah knew that Michelle flexed her baking skills on the road by working as a vendor for the events she went to with her husband, but she wished she still had Michelle’s skills back home with her in the bakery. After all, with everyone else gone, it was up to Sarah to keep Sweet Thing running.
Not that she minded, really. It could just be lonesome at times… and a whole lot of work. Even with Tiffany helping out and Sarah’s naturally energetic personality, there were many nights when she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. She missed working with her family, their easy camaraderie as they worked in the kitchen or dreamed up new ideas for the menu. She loved Sweet Thing Bakery and had no plans on leaving, that was for sure.
But I still wish they were here with me, she thought, sending mental hugs and kisses to her parents and Michelle, the way she sometimes did when she was missing them a little extra.
The tray of chocolate peppermint scones was practically begging to be tested, she decided, and quickly grabbed a small paper plate and dropped one onto it. Blowing on the scone, she took a careful bite and almost groaned aloud with pleasure. The scone tasted every bit as good as it smelled—decadent, rich, but not overpoweringly so, thanks to the peppermint.
It was the perfect winter menu item, and she decided then and there that she would be adding it to the official winter menu starting the next morning. For right now, she pulled on some disposable gloves and filled a glass cake plate with the rest, then covered it with a glass dome and carried it out to the dining area, setting it on the display case.
The bakery’s dining area was empty for the moment, but she knew that would be changing any minute. Stripping off her gloves and throwing them away, she grabbed her own scone and carried it to the dining area with a stack of the business’s unopened mail. With Tiffany manning the front counter, she would have a little time to herself to look through the letters she hadn’t been able to get to earlier in the day. That and enjoy her scone, of course.
She took another bite of her scone as she set her stack of unopened mail on the table of her favorite booth in the corner, then instantly decided she needed something warm to drink as the perfect complement to her treat. The idea of a latte immediately came to mind and she wished, not for the first time, that Sweet Thing offered coffee instead of just hot chocolate.
But that’s just so much more to keep track of,she reminded herself.
There were a lot of reasons she hadn’t added coffee items to her menu and, for the foreseeable future, it would have to stay that way. Heading back into the kitchen, Sarah settled on a glass of milk.
“Hey, Sarah,” Tiffany called as she walked through the back door of the kitchen that led to a tiny employee parking lot.
“Hey! How was school?”
“Nothing special. Mr. Pritchard gave us a pop quiz in chemistry today, but I think I did all right.”
“The famous Mr. Pritchard, I remember he was always one for giving random pop quizzes back when I had him.” Sarah pulled a face at the memory, then laughed. “I bet you aced the quiz, though!”
“Fingers crossed. I’ve got to keep my grades high so I can qualify for the best scholarships for college.”
“I have no doubt that you will, when the time comes. Tiff, you’re only a sophomore! It’s not time to worry about college yet.”
“Just planning ahead,” Tiffany assured her with a grin.
“If you say so.” Sarah laughed. “Okay, I just made some chocolate peppermint scones that aredivine, so feel free to help yourself to one. They’re already out on the front counter.”
“Ooohhh, can’t wait!”
“Tiffany, you are a woman after my own heart!” Sarah grabbed her glass of milk. “It’s still quiet out front, so I’m just going to go through some paperwork if that’s all right.” She looked around the kitchen and rolled her eyes dramatically, making Tiffany laugh. “And then I’m going to come in here and tackle this mess.”
“No problem. I’ve got the front counter, don’t worry about a thing.”
Sarah smiled at the put-together high schooler. Tiffany was everything she could hope for in an employee—punctual, responsible, and friendly. She was more than grateful to have Tiffany helping her out and, as she had many times, she thanked her lucky stars that she’d been able to hire her.
