Page 45 of Sweet Christmas Wish
Although the bakery stayed busy, Will was pleased to find that he was managing well, even though he was by himself. He found great satisfaction in the work and, he had to admit to himself, it convinced him even more that running a small business like this one would be extremely fulfilling for him.
There was something about working with his hands, about interacting with customers and knowing that the success or failure of the business was in his hands, that brought him so much satisfaction.
The last customer in line for the moment stepped up to the counter just then.
“How can I help you?” Will asked with a warm smile.
“Morning! Can I have a cappuccino? And one of those cinnamon rolls?”
“Absolutely. For here or to go?”
“To go, if you don’t mind.”
“Coming right up,” Will replied, already moving with practiced ease to make the cappuccino.
Within a minute or so he was handing the steaming cup to the customer, as well as the cinnamon roll in a box. The customer, a balding man who looked to be in his mid-forties, handed over a crisp bill, telling Will to keep the change. Will smiled his thanks and waved as the customer headed toward the door. He sighed inwardly with pleasure.
This is really the life, he thought.
The hands on the clock hanging above the bakery door read 10:00 a.m. when Sarah finally stumbled into the bakery, still looking a little out of it. He grinned at her, noticing that a hair was sticking out of her ponytail and aching to reach out and smooth it for her.
“Morning, sunshine,” he called. “Glad to see you’re alive.”
Sarah mustered up a smile, but he knew her well enough by now to see that it was fake. His own faded at the sight, especially as he saw the tightness in her eyes.
“I need to talk to you. In private.”
“Hey, if it’s about last night, there’s no need to explain. That coffee you drank last night? It was spiked—an Irish coffee—and it didn’t mix well with your cold medicine.”
Comprehension dawned in Sarah’s eyes. “Well, that explains a few things,” she murmured, but to Will’s surprise, she didn’t lighten up. If anything, her eyes were still just as uneasy. She still seemed to be hovering on her tiptoes, as though unsure of where to stand or what to do with herself.
“Sarah? Is everything all right?”
“What?” Sarah blinked, as though she had been lost in thought, and flushed a little. “I… we still need to talk,” she finally managed.
She looked around the dining room and, seeing a copy ofThe Outletlaying on one of the tables, she hurried over to it and grabbed it. When she was back by Will’s side, she flipped through a couple of pages before folding it open and pointing to an article. Will picked it up, curious as to what in the news had Sarah so riled up. As he skimmed the article about an Olympic skier returning to Snowy Pine Ridge with his wife, however, the pieces fell into place for him. So Michelle had been married all along—and Sarah hadn’t told him. He frowned, setting the paper aside and looked up to meet Sarah’s worried gaze.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice low.
Sarah bit her lip, looking so broken it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms.
“I meant to, I promise,” she whispered, then cleared her throat and straightened up, visibly pulling herself together. “I just… when you walked into the bakery a couple of weeks ago and I saw you again, I… I fell for you. Hard. And I was scared. Scared that you’d walk away if you knew about Michelle being married.” She took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry. I know I should’ve told you. You had a right to know and I kept it from you. You have every right to walk out that door right now, and I’d understand if you did.”
Will’s heart broke a little as he listened to Sarah talk. She was so worried about him and she didn’t even know that he had long since stopped thinking about Michelle at all. Sure, Sarah should have told him the truth, but, in a way, he was glad she hadn’t.
If she had told him about Michelle’s marriage, there reallywasa good chance that he would have cut his vacation short or gone skiing somewhere else. Since he had been waiting around for Michelle, though, he had had the opportunity to spend more time with Sarah, and it had been amazing. He had never really noticed her growing up, but he sure noticed her now.
“Will?”
He realized he had gotten lost in his own thoughts. The worry on Sarah’s face had increased, and his heart twisted at the sight. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her and just holding her close for a few moments.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” she finally murmured, her voice muffled against his chest.
“To tell you the truth, it was impulsive of me—and honestly not that smart—to just show up here thinking I could pick things back up with Michelle.”
“But you still wish that it would’ve worked out,” she replied. Not a question, but a statement.
He shook his head, his chin rubbing the top of her hair. “No,” he said simply. “Because then I might never have gotten to know you better.”
