Page 19 of Sweet Christmas Wish
Will gave her a sheepish smile that made her heart thud in her chest. “Sorry to scare you. That definitely wasn’t my intention. I wasn’t sure if the bakery was still open because the door was unlocked…”
Sarah groaned and rubbed at her eyes. Just one more instance of her disorganization. “Oh. Guess I forgot to lock up.”
Will took in her pajamas and disheveled hair. “Er… I can come back another time… I’m going to guess based on the zebra PJ’s that you’re for sure not open.”
Sarah shook her head, her cheeks warming as she realized what she must look like. “No, no, you’re fine. I just came back down to the office to get some things done, that’s all. What’s up?”
Will reached into his coat pocket. “It seems silly now, but I ran into these chocolate bars at the store that I told you about, and I thought you might like them. Remember, the ones made by Moose Mountain Chocolatiers?”
Sarah had already been feeling brittle and was only just maintaining a precarious calm, but that simple act of kindness from a man she was already developing a huge crush on was too much for her. Her vision blurred as her eyes began to mist over. Will frowned, his brow furrowing.
“Sarah? Is everything okay?”
Sarah shook her head, her lips beginning to tremble, so she pressed them together. “I, um… I just got some bad news about my business, that’s all.” She swiped at her eyes, embarrassed and almost angry to be seen in such a vulnerable state. She tried for a lighter tone. “I’m sure it seems silly to an organized man like you. I could’ve avoided all of this trouble ifIhad been more organized, but now I’m finding myself in something of a pickle.”
“Well, is there anything I can do to help? I could look over the problem for you, if you’d like.”
Sarah blinked, unaccustomed to being offered help. She was always the one offering to help out and give advice, but she wasn’t used to being on the receiving end. And right now, she was too ashamed of how she’d messed things up to let him anywhere near the bakery’s finance logs.
“No,” she blurted, then flushed. “No,” she said again, more gently this time. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be all right. Er… thanks for the chocolate bars. That was really kind.”
Will took her not-so-subtle hint and nodded, wishing her a goodnight before slipping out the front door. She watched his retreating back and wanted to smack herself for bungling things so poorly. First, with the business and then with Will. She should’ve asked him to stay longer, but being caught in her pajamas and her poor state of mind had left her feeling off-kilter, which was the last image of herself she wanted to present to him. Sighing, she picked up the chocolate bars and held them close to her heart, wishing everything was different.
CHAPTERTEN
Lacy hung up the phone, then quickly typed some information into the appointment tracking software she used on her laptop. It was official—a lovely young couple had just booked the mansion for their wedding reception in a few months’ time. St. Nick’s Place was becoming busier and busier as word-of-mouth testimonials spread, and Lacy couldn’t be more excited about it. Of course, the busier it got, the more she had on her plate. She was even considering the possibility of hiring an assistant to help with scheduling and to watch over the scheduled events. Between her work at the venue and her other job as a loan consultant, her plate was more than full these days. In fact, she’d barely had a chance to see Derek since she’d gotten back from her last trip to St. Louis. Of course, she knew that he was busy, too—the holiday season was always hectic for him with his dogsledding business.
And it was fine, really it was. At least, that was what Lacy kept telling herself. But the thing was, it wasn’t just that they didn’t have a lot of time to spend together, it was that when they were together, something felt a little off. She and Derek had talked on the phone the previous night, and he had been distracted and withdrawn the whole time. She’d tried to draw him out, asking about how his teams were doing—a topic he usually loved—but he’d given her one word answers and the conversation had quickly fizzled. Something was definitely up with him. Something strange.
Her mind wandered to the night she’d returned home from St. Louis and Derek had surprised her with the candlelit dinner. He’d been so warm then, so focused on her. And he’d brought up the idea of moving in together—at least, she’dthoughtthat was what he’d been hinting at. Now, though, she wondered if she’d misinterpreted things. Lacy paused, realizing her thoughts were going in circles again, the way they’d had for hours, and that she had even been about to start biting her nails, a habit she’d cured years ago.
“This won’t do,” she said aloud, pushing away from her laptop and standing up. “If I stay here alone I’m just going to drive myself crazy.” She ran her hands through her hair and then laughed a little. “Or, I’m already crazy, since I’m talking to myself. Pull it together.”
Knowing that she desperately needed a break, and someone to talk to as well, Lacy decided to head into town and go to Sweet Thing Bakery to see Sarah.
Within a few minutes, she was bundled up in her winter coat and gloves, deciding she needed the walk to clear her head more than she needed the warmth of her car. Outside in the chilly air, Lacy set off for the bakery, walking briskly to keep the cold at bay as much as she could and enjoying the feeling of the wind whipping across her cheeks and tousling her hair. She’d been sitting in her office at the mansion for far too long, and the chance to stretch her legs and breathe fresh air was a balm to her soul.
Pushing open the door of Sweet Thing, she was greeted by the mouth-watering aromas of freshly baked pastries.
Oh, yes, this is exactly what I needed, she decided, already planning which pastry she would get. The walk had been helpful, but she still needed a pick-me-up.
“Hi!” Sarah called, waving from the front counter.
“Hey there,” Lacy said, unwinding her scarf so she could breathe more easily in the warm bakery.
Sarah hurried from around the counter to wrap her in a tight hug. Lacy hadn’t always been a hugger, but that had changed since moving to Snowy Pine Ridge. She was convinced that being a hugger was part of the territory with Sarah Langston as her best friend. Now, she found that she even enjoyed all the hugs.
“Did you happen to bake those giant sugar cookies today? The ones with the extra frosting?”
“It’s like you read my mind. Of course I did! I must’ve had a sixth sense that you’d be coming in today.”
“Oh, good! I always love those sugar cookies, but today it’s a need, not a want.”
“That’s what my sweet tooth says about anything sugary,” Sarah responded with a laugh. “Come on, let’s get you a cookie.”
After their usual tug of war about Lacy paying and Sarah insisting it was on the house, Lacy finally had a rare win and managed to stuff some cash into Sarah’s hand for the cookie. She took a huge bite of it, groaning as the heavenly taste sent her eyes rolling back in her head.
“I needed this,” she said around her mouthful of cookie. “More than you know.”
