Page 11 of Sweet Christmas Wish
Lacy rolled her eyes and laughed. “Well, that was when you almost ran me over with your team.”
They laughed at the memory and Lacy savored the moment, basking in the warmth of Derek’s love. It seemed strange that only a few months ago she had known nothing of Snowy Pine Ridge. Now, though, it had become her favorite place on earth, full of her favorite people. Especially the handsome man sitting across from her. And as she reached across the table to hold Derek’s hand, she realized it was more than her favorite place.
It had become her home.
CHAPTERSIX
With careful fingers, Sarah laid out each fresh pastry in the glass case by the front counter, lining them up in perfectly even rows and savoring how decadent and orderly it all looked. She loved this part of her work—even though it was such a small task on her endless to-do list, she always looked forward to the point in the day when it was time to restock the pastry case. It was a moment when time seemed to stand still, just her and her creations, the pride of seeing her work and knowing that every pastry tasted just as heavenly as it looked.
As she was placing the last of the fudge caramel brownies topped with swirled cream cheese frosting, the bell at the bakery door jingled and Lacy walked in. Sarah straightened up, smiling brightly. She was always glad to see Lacy walk in. Despite only knowing each other a short time, the two had become fast friends, and it was always nice to see Lacy during her workday. Heaven knows she was often too busy—and too tired, for that matter—to hang out after work.
“Hi! Stopping by for an afternoon treat?”
Lacy ignored her and leaned against the front counter, her green eyes piercing Sarah’s with a pointed look. “Well?” she asked without preamble.
Sarah scrunched her eyebrows, totally confused. “Well, what?”
“A little birdy named Louise Thomas told me that she saw you and a certain accountant having lunch together at Frosty’s Shack yesterday…”
Sarah groaned, rolling her eyes and dropping onto the stool she kept behind the counter. “I love living in a small town, but sometimes I wish I had your excuse of flying off to St. Louis at a moment’s notice. I bet gossip doesn’t spread like wildfire over there the way it does in our little town.”
Lacy waved Sarah’s comment away, not taking the bait. “Well?” she demanded, undeterred from her original mission. “So it’s true then?”
“Yes, it’s true. Why so interested? Are things with Derek already getting boring? I’ve never known you to care so much about idle gossip. Not,” she was hasty to add, “that there’s any real gossip in this case.”
Lacy rolled her eyes, grinning in spite of herself. “Things are great with Derek, but thanks for your concern all the same,” she wisecracked. “Look, the reason I wanted to know about your lunch with William is that I wanted to ask if you’d told him about Michelle’s marriage yet.”
“Oh. That.” Sarah looked down at her hands, suddenly absorbed in studying her fingernails. She realized it had been a while since she’d repainted them her signature hot pink. The paint was chipping and she desperately needed to give them a fresh coat.
“Sarah…” Lacy snapped her fingers to get Sarah’s attention, giving a gusty sigh that was equal parts amused and frustrated. “Come on, talk to me.”
“Well, er… the thing is,” Sarah began, already hunting desperately for an excuse that would get Lacy off her back. Before she could come up with a suitable answer, she glanced out the window and saw none other than William Parks walking down the sidewalk. She leaned forward, her eyes widening as she realized he was heading straight for the bakery. “Oh my gosh!” she blurted, jumping off the stool and trying to catch her suddenly short breath. “William is coming,” she hissed. “Act natural!”
“You mean the way you are?” Lacy teased, but, thankfully, she took Sarah’s advice and pretended to be studying the pastries with entirely absorbed attention.
When the bell above the door jingled, Sarah thought she might pass out and realized she was holding her breath. She turned to the door, hoping she looked like she normally did when greeting customers. “Welcome to—oh, it’s you. Hi!”
There. She hoped that had been casual and smooth, but from the way Lacy was biting her lip as though to hold back laughter, Sarah wasn’t sure she’d been entirely successful. William, luckily, didn’t seem to have noticed that Sarah was barely holding on to her dignity.
Stop acting like a twitterpated middle schooler, she mentally shouted at herself. Outwardly, she kept her signature bright smile firmly in place.
“William, what can I get for you today?”
“Oh, it looks like there’s someone ahead of me,” he said, gesturing to Lacy.
Lacy turned around and smiled at him and Sarah was proud of the way Lacy didn’t overtly study him. Lacy was far better at acting casual than she was.
“I came in to chat with Sarah and maybe snag a scone,” she said. “Seriously, go ahead.”
“Oh, you’re one of Sarah’s friends?” William asked. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I know most folks around here, but I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Sarah stepped forward. “William, this is Lacy Preston. She moved to Snowy Pine Ridge recently and she’s been renovating the mansion her grandfather left her. You remember Nicholas Spielman, right?”
“Of course I do! St. Nick threw the best Christmas parties.” He reached out to shake Lacy’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m William Parks.”
To Lacy’s eternal credit, Sarah was pleased to see that Lacy took the unnecessary introduction in stride, acting as though she and Sarah hadn't just been talking about him before he’d walked in.
“Lacy threw the party this year in his honor,” Sarah chimed in. “It was absolutely beautiful.”
