Page 24 of Christmas at the Guest House

They talked for a little while longer as they cleaned up from their lunch and did dishes, discussing a few interesting tidbits that Sarah or Lacy had heard going on around town. But when Lacy let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms over her head, Colette let out a chuckle.

“It sounds like someone needs a nap,” she said pointedly.

“Yeah, I probably should rest for a bit. That was the whole point of taking something off my plate. And Harriet definitely makes me tired these days,” Lacy admitted, grinning sleepily at her friends.

Sarah and Colette both nodded their understanding before pushing their chairs back from the table and standing. Lacy walked them both to the door, and the women said their goodbyes, wrapping each other in warm hugs before Sarah and Colette stepped out into the snow.

As they walked to their cars, Colette couldn’t let go of the thought that Lacy shouldn’t have to give up the joy of the Christmas party—not when it was so important to her. An idea struck her, and she grabbed hold of Sarah’s hand just as they made it to the end of the driveway.

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked, a few blonde tendrils of her hair blowing across her cheek as a gust of wind picked up.

“What if the Christmas party could still happen?” Colette asked, excitement building inside her.

Sarah pursed her lips, giving Colette a confused look. “What do you mean? Lacy said she wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Colette nodded, feeling more and more certain that her idea could work. “Exactly.Lacycan’t, butwecan. What if we do it for her?”

Sarah’s face lit up as understanding dawned in her expression. “Oh, I see. We could! I could also call some of the other gals in town to see if they could help out. Shelley, Louise… the whole gang.”

Colette nodded. “Exactly. And I can talk to Derek. I’ll see if he knows anything about what Lacy was planning this year so that we can bring her vision to life. And since he lives with Lacy, he can make sure we have access to St. Nick’s Place and everything.”

The two women grinned at each other enthusiastically as Colette’s mind began racing, turning her thoughts for the party as a plan began to take shape. A light, happy feeling spread through her chest, and she found herself determined to pull off this surprise for Lacy.

She couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more.

CHAPTERTWELVE

That following Sunday was one of the busiest that Sarah had seen at Sweet Thing Bakery in quite some time.

Once the morning rush hit, she felt as if the customers just never stopped coming. She spent the entire morning darting between helping customers at the counter, running drinks, desserts, and pastries out to tables, and making new batches of all their offerings. William was also tending to the counter and greeting customers, but with only the two of them, it was almost too much to keep up with.

Fortunately, they worked amazingly well together as a team, so despite the hecticness, they made it through without ever losing their cool.

Every table in the place was full, but finally, they reached a lull in new customers with no one else waiting in line. Sarah let out a sigh of relief as she slumped against the counter. She adjusted the ponytail she kept her hair tied back in, trying to come down from the high and ultra-focus required for keeping things moving in the busy shop.

The bell above the door tinkled brightly, announcing the arrival of another customer. Sarah straightened up behind the counter, fixing a smile on her face as she prepared to greet the new arrival. But her smile faltered a bit as she took in the woman who had just stepped into her shop.

The newcomer was someone she instantly recognized.

Mindy Harvey.

She looked exactly the same as she had when Sarah had seen her on the local news. Her tight blonde corkscrew curls were secured close to her head with several small hairpins, and she was wearing another bright and eye-catching outfit—this time, it was a pair of light blue pants and a coat with an orange floral pattern.

Sarah watched as Mindy walked through the shop, her gaze roving over the tables where customers sat, then over to the art on the walls and the black and white tiled floor, before ultimately settling on the display case. Since the morning rush had been so busy, Sarah hadn’t gotten the chance to restock everything yet. All the shelves were usually chock full, but at that moment, there were missing rows and empty trays, with only a smattering of products here and there.

Sarah knew that back in the kitchen, the oven was full of fresh batches of more than a few items just waiting to be brought out and placed in the case, but there was no way for Mindy to know that. She couldn’t help but notice a slightly judgmental look on Mindy’s face as the other woman eyed the sparsely filled pastry case, but she decided to ignore it, remembering William’s reassuring words from the other night.

“Welcome to Sweet Thing Bakery,” Sarah called, making sure her smile stayed plastered on her face. “What can I get for you today?”

Mindy returned the greeting with a smile of her own, stepping up to the counter. Her gaze dropped to the counter, and Sarah’s stomach dropped as she wondered if Mindy was searching for signs of dust or crumbs.

Well, she can keep looking, she thought to herself,because there’s nothing here for her to find.

“This is quite the place you have here.” Mindy’s voice was friendly, but there was something slightly forced about it. “Although it’s a bit smaller than I had anticipated.”

Sarah’s jaw tightened, and she worked as hard as she could to make sure her smile didn’t drop.

“It isn’t really about the size of the bakery,” she said with a little shrug. “It’s all about the contents of it. The magic is in the things we bake.”

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