Page 40 of Sweet Christmas Wish
And he did. Will threw back his head and roared with laughter and, after a moment, Sarah could see the humor in the situation too. She joined in his hilarity, laughing until her sides ached and she had to hold onto the countertop to keep from sliding to the floor. When one of them would start to wind down, the other would set them off again, and it was a good couple of minutes before they were able to catch their breath and calm down.
Finally, Will wiped at his streaming eyes. “Okay, how about we clean up this mess and I can help you make a new one?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Together, they wiped up all of the spilled milk and coffee grounds and Will dumped out the second measuring cup of over-extracted coffee that Sarah had attempted. Gently and calmly, Will explained what he was doing step by step as he prepared a new cup of coffee, allowing Sarah to help when she could. A few minutes later, he handed her a steaming cup of coffee, complete with steamed milk and the cinnamon syrup Sarah had requested. She took a sip, sighing aloud with pleasure. It was, in a word, perfection.
Will watched her, his eyes alive with warmth and interest. “How is it?”
“It’s heavenly, as you well know.”
“Can I have a sip?”
Almost shyly, she took a step closer, handing him the cup. He maintained eye contact as he took a small sip, and something about the action made her heart beat a little faster. She was suddenly aware of how close they were standing. Will set the coffee cup down and reached out to gently push a strand of hair off her forehead, his fingers then trailing down to her ponytail.
“Your hair looks really nice,” he murmured.
Sarah caught her breath, but she hoped he didn’t notice as she looked up at him. His eyes, she noticed, were especially blue that day.
“I thought you liked girls with dark hair.”
Comprehension dawned on Will’s face. “And so you tried to dye it,” he said softly, looking down into her eyes.
Unable to speak, she merely nodded. She hadn't said it aloud, but now he knew how far she was willing to go to impress him.
“You didn’t need to,” he continued, still in that low voice. “I like authentic girls. And you, Sarah Langston? You are authentic.”
The air between them crackled with electricity and a tension so thick that Sarah couldn’t breathe. Will was still holding her ponytail, but now he let it go, letting his hand cradle her neck. As one, they moved closer together and Will lowered his head toward hers, still not breaking eye contact. Sarah tilted her head back, her eyes fluttering closed just as their lips connected. He kissed her, soft and light, his lips warm against hers.
The bell jingled at the front door, sending them jumping apart as though burned. Sarah whirled around to see Louise Thomas walking in. Had she seen anything? If she had, news of that kiss would spread like wildfire through the town. Knowing her cheeks must be flushing red, Sarah tried valiantly to act normal.
“Hi! Good morning!”
Behind her, she heard Will holding back a laugh.
“I came in to get another one of those fancy coffees,” Louise said, looking none the wiser. Sarah breathed a silent sigh of relief.
“Well, you came to the right place,” Sarah said back cheerfully, hoping her voice sounded normal.
When she snuck a glance over at Will, she saw him watching her and the smile he gave her set her heart racing all over again. She had a feeling it was going to be an excellent day as she walked over to the register to ring up Louise’s order.
* * *
Will gave the machine one last wipe-down and then pronounced it clean and ready for work the next morning before tossing the rag in the bin for dirty laundry. Sarah was just finishing up cleaning up the dining room area, pushing in chairs and restocking the napkin dispensers. It had been an extremely busy day—it seemed as though the bell above the front door had never stopped jingling. Will didn't mind, though. It was a sign that more and more people were coming to the bakery, which meant more and more profits for Sarah.
“Your idea to serve drinks is working out better than even I expected,” Sarah said as she joined him at the counter again. “Thank you so much for being willing to help me out.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
Sarah sighed, looking serious. “But I do. I really do. Before you came to help, I’ll admit I’d been feeling kind of low. About the bakery—and, let’s be honest, about my life in general. I guess I just didn’t think things were going anywhere, you know? Like there was no direction or progression. It was… it was difficult.”
Will nodded. He had felt that coming from her, although she had always tried to keep a cheerful face on things. “You know, I understand kind of what you mean. I’ve been having some of the same feelings about my own life. You know part of why I came was to reconnect with Michelle, but… I don’t know. I feel inadequate. I mean, Michelle always wanted to end up with someone rich and famous, and that just isn’t me. Sure, I have a great job in accounting, and it’s… fine. But I always thought it would be so much more interesting and inspiring to run a business I could really make my own. To be honest, I don’t think that would be enough for Michelle.”
Sarah bit her lip, her expression unreadable. She opened her mouth, as if about to say something, then visibly stopped herself.
“Sarah? Is something wrong?”
Sarah hesitated, as though at war with herself. Finally she pasted on a smile. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
