Page 12 of Christmas at the Guest House

“Like you haven’t been dreaming about it since the first day you told him you loved him,” her friend joked, and Sarah couldn’t help but grin. Partly because Colette was right.

“I’m assuming you came in for something to drink?” Sarah asked, shaking her head at the other woman as she walked back around the counter.

“I absolutely did. Can I get a gingerbread latte with whipped cream and peppermint sprinkles, please?”

Sarah raised her eyebrows. She had never combined peppermint sprinkles with a gingerbread latte before, and she grinned as she said, “That’s a new one for me. But let’s give it a shot!”

“Thanks.” Colette grinned. “I’ve been craving something sweet and festive. We’ll see if it’s any good.”

Sarah rung up the order and then turned around to begin making it. The two women fell into easy conversation over the whir of the espresso machine, providing each other with brief updates about one another’s lives outside of the engagement.

“So,” Colette said sheepishly as Sarah handed over the drink. “I have a little bit more news, if you’re ready for it.”

“Of course I am.”

“Someone’s thinking of renting out the main house.”

“Already?” Sarah’s mouth popped open in shock as Colette nodded.

“He’s coming to potentially sign the contract this evening.”

“He?” Sarah leaned over the counter, tilting her head. “Ishehandsome?” Colette rolled her eyes, but Sarah didn’t miss the blush that crept into her friend’s cheeks. “Ah, so he is handsome,” she confirmed, nodding with certainty. “Tell me all about him.”

“I don’t know much, really.” Colette wrapped both hands around the to-go cup that held her latte. “Only that he’s from Rochester and is looking to stay in Snowy Pine Ridge for an undisclosed amount of time. At least a month, is what he said. But who knows what the time frame will actually end up being?”

“Did he say why he left Rochester?”

“No. I asked him, but he didn’t answer. Seemed to be a touchy subject.” Colette shrugged.

“Interesting.”

Sarah watched as her friend held the drink to her lips and took a sip and then mulled over the taste.

“You know,” Colette said as she smacked her lips together appreciatively. “This is actually quite delicious.”

“Maybe we’ll put it on the menu. We’ll just have to come up with a name.”

“How about the Gingerbread Breath Freshener?” There was a moment of silence where Sarah blinked at her friend, and Colette’s cheeks flushed. “You know,” she explained. “Because of the gingerbread and the peppermint?”

Sarah chuckled and shook her head. “Maybe. We’ll work on it. Now go on and get back to that hot tenant of yours.”

She waggled her eyebrows at Colette, who immediately became flustered, making Sarah laugh again. She wondered if perhaps this handsome stranger would end up being a good thing for Colette, someone to get her out of her comfort zone, and if everything went well, perhaps even provide her with a little bit of the love she knew her friend craved.

Colette’s eyes narrowed at Sarah as if she could read her thoughts.

“Don’t get any ideas,” she said, pointing an accusing finger at Sarah, who held her hands up in the air in feigned innocence. “I know you, little miss matchmaker. But Zach is only in town for a short period of time. And, like you said, he’s my tenant. I don’t want things to get messy.”

“Understood.”

Sarah kept an innocent expression on her face as Colette studied her for a moment before seeming to accept her answer. But despite Sarah’s best efforts, all through their goodbye and as she watched Colette walk out the door, she couldn’t pull her thoughts away from the fact that it had been a really long time since she had seen her friend flustered by someone like this.

Maybe she just had love on the brain, given the fact that she’d just gotten engaged. But as a small smile tugged at Sarah’s lips, she couldn’t help but hope that a little bit of Christmas magic would find its way into Colette’s life.

CHAPTERSEVEN

“There,” Colette said to the empty room as she fluffed the final decorative pillow on the sofa. “Perfect.”

She had been in the main house ever since arriving back from Sweet Thing Bakery earlier in the day, working hard to get everything ready for Zach’s visit that evening. She’d spent the last few hours making sure the beds had fresh sheets, and that everything was perfectly tidy for when the man in question arrived.

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