Page 12 of Sweet Christmas Wish
“I wish I could’ve been there.”
“It’s too bad your visit didn’t come a little sooner,” Lacy said, her voice just a touch too casual. “You came to ski, right? And to visit Michelle?”
William blinked. “I guess word really does travel fast in this town.”
“That’s what I was just saying,” Sarah mumbled, shaking her head and wishing she could sink through the floor.
“But yes, to answer your questions, that’s exactly why I’m here,” William continued. He paused, looking thoughtful. “It’s been snowing a lot since I got here, which has been great out on the slopes, but it does make me worried about Michelle’s travel plans. The weather in this part of the States can be really unpredictable this time of year. I hope she won’t have any trouble getting home.”
“I’m learning that about the weather around here,” Lacy agreed, then began buttoning her coat and making signs that she was about to leave. “Well, I hope your visit goes well, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you. It was nice to meet you.”
“What about that scone?” Sarah asked hastily, not sure she was ready to be left alone with William.
“No time. I’ve got a meeting with a client in a few minutes and I’m already running behind. Talk soon! Bye.”
With that, Lacy gave a wave and, with one last pointed look at Sarah, flitted out of the bakery door and into the snowy outdoors. Her sudden departure left an awkward silence in the bakery, and Sarah cringed inwardly. Thankfully, William cleared his throat and broke the tension of the moment.
“Well, everything in the bakery looks as great as ever,” he said, looking around. “You’re really incredible the way you keep this place running.”
Sarah smiled, looking around too, and feeling a twinge of pride. “Thanks. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
“It must be fun to work with desserts all day,” he commented lightly.
Sarah suddenly became defensive. Was he looking down on her for running a bakery? Did he think it was soft “women’s work” or some such nonsense? Running a business was no picnic—it was a tiring and often thankless job, but she got up every day and did it. Sarah drew herself up, raising one eyebrow.
“Although,” he continued, not having noticed her inner battle. “I suppose looks are probably deceiving in this case. Running a business all by yourself has to be a mountain of work.” He shook his head. “I can’t even imagine.”
Sarah thawed at his words, suddenly feeling foolish for jumping to erroneous conclusions and getting herself all worked up. “Itisa lot of work,” she admitted, “but I love what I do.”
“Well, it shows. This place looks awesome, and the pastries all look amazing too.” He stepped closer to the pastry case and looked over all the options. “I’ll have a gingerbread loaf, please.”
Sarah moved to wrap up his order. “I wish I had a hot drink to offer with it,” she said, feeling a little embarrassed about her lack of coffee or hot chocolate options. “I’m afraid we just have the pastries and that’s it.”
“It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it,” he assured her, then brightened, reaching into his coat pocket. “Actually, I have this wellness tea with me. When I was a barista I came up with this tea concoction that’s perfect for staying healthy in the cold, which is why I brought a stock of it with me on this trip.”
Sarah studied the tea bag he was holding up. “Wow, what other fancy concoctions did you come up with?”
“Just this, really. I did start toying around with a toffee hot chocolate based on a toffee bar from Moose Mountain Chocolatiers. It’s this small company about twenty miles away that makes the most incredible chocolate you’ve ever tasted.” He shook his head, his eyes dreamy. “I still think about that toffee bar when I’m trying to fall asleep at night. It’s too bad I never got a chance to develop a hot chocolate based on it when I was still a barista.”
“That sounds incredibly delicious… and it would’ve been perfect with that gingerbread loaf.” She bit her lip, feeling all kinds of awful that her bakery was coming up short. “I really am sorry I don’t have any drinks to offer.”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal, I promise.”
He flashed her a quick smile and she felt suddenly weak in the knees, which only made her feel worse. She couldn’t be crushing on her sister’s ex-boyfriend, it just wasn’t allowed! Besides, he was probably inwardly judging her bakery, despite the kind things he was saying.
“Although,” he continued, “I have noticed that this town doesn’t have a good coffee shop. I guess New Jersey has kind of spoiled me.”
Sarah bristled a little, even though she knew there was no reason for it. “Snowy Pine Ridge has plenty of other amazing things.”
William held up his hands, his eyes widening a little. “You don’t have to convince me. I totally agree.”
Sarah flushed. “Right, right, I know.” She bit her lip, but she just couldn’t stop herself. The need to look interesting and accomplished for William was practically strangling her. “I know this town might seem a little small and shabby after New Jersey, but there are lots of cool things happening right now. The bakery is thriving and… and Lacy has renovated Nicholas’s mansion so that it’s gorgeous again. Oh, and she’s set up her own financial consulting firm in town, which is great for local businesses.”
“That’s wonderful news for the town. I know Nicholas’s passing left big shoes to fill, but it sounds like Lacy is doing an admirable job,” William said kindly, although Sarah noticed he looked a little confused about her babbling onslaught of words. “As for the bakery, I can tell it’s thriving. It looks really great.”
Sarah tried to smile, grateful for the compliment even as she felt awful that she had practically forced it out of him. She hoped he didn’t feel sorry for her—that was the last thing she wanted.
Whatever he’s thinking, I’ve certainly done nothing to recommend myself,she thought.Pull it together, Sarah!
