Christmas in Bayberry

by Jennifer Faye

  “Thanks. Me too.”

  As she continued searching for the missing report, her mind played the what-if game. What if Wes didn’t live so far away? What if he lived in a nearby town? Would this be the beginning of something? Would he ask her out? Would she ask him—

  “Found it!” Wes held up a file.

  The heat that had started in her chest rushed to her cheeks. He’d found that file just in time, because her thoughts had fallen down a rabbit hole—a dangerous hole. She needed to stay focused on business—and helping the faltering company by making this year’s sale the biggest and best.

  Kate swallowed hard. “You did?” The file shouldn’t have been there, but after seeing the condition of the shelves, she wasn’t surprised. “You’re sure it’s the right report?”

  He double-checked. “Yes, thank you. I owe you.”

  Without giving her a chance to say anything, he turned and headed back to her office. She watched him walk away. He didn’t talk a lot. She wondered what made him that way. Did he work too much? Or was he used to being alone in Manhattan?

  The thought of being alone in that great big city seemed impossible. But something told her that if you wanted to be alone, you could do it even in the middle of millions of people. It just wasn’t right that Wes was all alone while his mother was in Florida, especially during the holiday season.

  She was so lucky to be part of a close-knit community. As she continued to place the files on the correct shelves, she realized Wes might be leaving soon, but there was enough time to show him some Bayberry holiday cheer. And she had the perfect idea.

  Chapter Nine

  The more time Wes spent in Bayberry, the more he liked it.

  And then there was the owner’s niece.

  He smiled as he recalled his earlier conversation with Kate. She blushed so easily that he couldn’t resist a little flirting, though he’d caught himself and stopped. Starting something with Kate wasn’t a good idea, as he needed to get back to New York as soon as possible.

  Still, he’d enjoyed talking with her. Her questions had prompted him to recall all of the places he’d lived as a kid, and there had been many—too many. But it hadn’t been all bad. He’d met some wonderful people and visited many amazing places. However, Bayberry stuck out the most in his memory.

  When his family moved to Bayberry, he’d thought the town was going to be corny and boring. As a teenager, he couldn’t think of anything worse than moving to a little town in the middle of nowhere with no mall, no skate park and no internet. Fortunately, a lot had changed since those days. Okay, maybe not a lot. There was still no shopping mall anywhere near Bayberry, and there was still no skate park—or he might be tempted to relive his youth and brush up on his skateboard skills.

  But these days Bayberry did have the internet, which kept him in constant contact with Watson & Summers. Apparently, competition for the promotion was ratcheting up. Chad had just brought in a huge client. Another candidate, June Mason, retained one hundred percent of her clients. And what was Wes doing? Sitting here in this small town with a small client. It wasn’t going to mean anything when it came time for Mr. Summers to choose his next assistant VP.

  Sure, Mr. Summers had assigned Wes this account. At first, Wes had thought it was some sort of test. Now, he wondered if Mr. Summers was just getting him out of the way so he could concentrate on the other candidates. Wes’s jaw tightened.

  He tried to tell himself to relax, that Mr. Summers wouldn’t do that—he was a fair man. But this was Bayberry. It was a one-light town, and all of the shopping was done on Main Street. It still had a tree-lighting night—this Friday in Bayberry Square, as a matter of fact.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help Bayberry. He knew that without the candle company the town would lose its main source of income and would most likely die off. The young people would all move away for work. As for the older people, some would stay and some would follow their kids, wanting to be near their grandchildren.

  But the more numbers he pulled, the more dismal the outlook appeared. And he knew that Kate wanted to help the company with the upcoming sale, but he didn’t think there was anything she could do at this late stage.

  Knock knock.

  Kate poked her head inside the office. “Just checking to see if you have everything you need.”

  He slid a file folder over the report he’d been referencing, and clicked to a blank screen on his computer. It was standard practice he had developed from years of working on sensitive information. “I think I have it. Thank you.” She was about to walk away when he said, “What can you recommend for lunch? You know, besides the diner.”

  “Well, there are a couple of other places.” She signaled for him to come with her. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  He glanced at the clock. Lunch wasn’t for another eighteen minutes. “It’s not lunchtime yet.”

  Kate blatantly rolled her eyes. “You’re such a rule follower, aren’t you?”

  He frowned. “And what’s wrong with that? It keeps everything neat and orderly.”

  “But what about spontaneity and breaking up routines? That’s important too.”

  “Not when it comes to work. Strict rules need to be followed. Otherwise you end up in a mess like…” His voice trailed off.

  Kate’s eyes widened. “So you think if we’d followed a more disciplined lunch schedule we wouldn’t be in trouble?”

  His lips pressed into a firm line. Why did she make it sound so ridiculous when she said it? “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

  “Oh, good.” Her eyes glittered with triumph. “I was really worried we were going to have to install a bell to let everyone know it was lunchtime, and ring it again when it was time to go back to work.”

  Even he wasn’t that extreme. “I just think if you leave at the proper time that lines don’t get blurred.”

  “And I would work the proper number of hours?”

  “Something like that.” And then he realized she was taking his words and turning them around. “Never mind. That isn’t what I meant.” The heat of embarrassment licked at his face. “Forget it.”

  “Oh good. So that means we can go to lunch now.”

  Oh boy. Back to this again. “You go ahead. I have some work to finish before I go.”

  “But this can’t wait. And your work can.” She headed for his desk and closed his laptop. “Come on, Mr. Scrooge.”

  “I am not a Scrooge.”

  “Uh-huh.” She reached for his coat and held it out to him. “Come on.”

  He got to his feet. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?”

  She tilted her head to the side and stared off into space. Then she turned her gaze back to him. “No. I don’t think they have.”

  He shrugged on his overcoat. Under his breath he mumbled, “That’s hard to believe.”

  She was already headed out the door. “What did you say?”

  “Oh, um, I was having a hard time with my sleeve.”

  They made their way out of the building, with just about every other employee. Everyone chatted with everyone else. They weren’t exactly a quiet bunch. Most of the conversations were about the beautiful sunny day after a week of snow.

  It was so different from the conversations at his New York office. Most of the time, the rides in the congested elevator were quiet, except for the occasional buzz of someone’s cell phone. And if the winter weather was mentioned, it was noted with abhorrence. Snow, for the most part, was not welcome in the city. It made a mess of everything, and in a city where traffic was a nightmare on a perfectly good day, a snowy day just meant it would be that much longer until people reached their destinations.

  But in Bayberry, no one was in that much of a hurry. They didn’t push or grumble. They took their time going out the door and walked at a reasonable pace into town and towa
rd the diner. His stomach rumbled as he recalled that delicious stew.

  As though Kate were privy to his thoughts, she said, “We have to hurry. We’re going to be late.”

  “Late? For lunch?” He was quite certain they were early.

  She glanced over at him. “Yes, late.”

  As they approached a pickup truck with the Bayberry Candles logo on the side, he said, “We’re driving? I thought you walked everywhere.”

  “Not today. We’re going to need the pickup for the food.”

  Food? How much food was she planning to order? But who was he to argue? The fact he didn’t have to walk through the snow and ice in his dress shoes was fine with him. He climbed into the passenger seat.

  He rubbed his hands together and then stuffed them in his pockets. The sun might be out today and shining bright, but it was still quite cold. This snow wasn’t going anywhere.

  Kate started the truck. “What do you think of the candle company?”

  Was she really asking about its financial standing? Or his projection for its future? He uncomfortably shifted in his seat and gazed out the passenger window, avoiding her inquisitive stare.

  “I think it’s impressive that your family established the company more than a hundred years ago, and because of it, a town came to be.” He paused, waiting for her to grill him about his work.

  “I think so too. Sometimes I try to imagine what it must have been like for my ancestors. You know, moving here in the middle of nowhere and setting up their business. Back in those days, my great-great-grandfather would have to drive a big truck through the mountainous roads and deliver the candles to all of the general stores. And he didn’t just do it once a year, he had to deliver them every month. And soon the business grew to the point where he had to hire drivers and more workers. That’s when the town started to blossom. Because workers meant they needed food and, well, more of everything.”

  As Wes listened to her talk about Bayberry, he could hear the love in her voice for her hometown. He’d never known what it was like to have such an attachment to a place. His childhood had been one address after the next, to the point that he could remember writing the wrong address on a form in school.

  Now, as an adult, he understood that his father had been doing all he could to keep a roof over their heads, and as such, they’d had to keep moving wherever his father’s work took them. But as a kid, Wes hated moving around almost every year. And he especially hated leaving Bayberry and the girl with the long braid.

  He glanced over at Kate. He’d never dreamed they would be reunited. Not that she remembered him. But he remembered her. She was the girl who’d been nice to him—who helped him pick up his school books when he’d tripped over his own feet because he’d been staring at her.

  But that was years ago. A lot had changed since then. He had changed. And he was based in New York City. He had been there since he’d graduated from college. It was the longest he’d ever lived in one place. So why didn’t it feel like home?

  When he thought of Manhattan and his cramped apartment, he didn’t get the nostalgic look on his face that Kate got when she spoke of Bayberry. But when he was able to move his mother into the city, it would change things. It would make it more like home—

  “Hey,” he said, pointing out the window, “you passed the diner.”

  “I thought you said you wanted to try something different.”

  “I did.” He just wasn’t sure what he’d gotten himself into. “Where are we going?”

  She pulled to a stop next to Bayberry Square. “Here.”

  He looked around. “Here, where?”

  “Right here.” She reached behind the seat and pulled out a Santa hat. “You’ll need this.”

  “Need it for what?” He had no idea what Kate was up to, and he got the feeling she liked to keep him guessing. As long as she kept flashing him the brilliant smile that made her eyes sparkle, he honestly didn’t mind.

  Kate produced a matching Santa hat and put it on. She exited the truck and moved around to the rear.

  He still wasn’t sure where they’d be having lunch. He was thinking of a nice cozy restaurant and some hot food to warm him up. With reluctance, he climbed out into the sunshine. He walked to the back of the pickup to find Kate had lowered the tailgate.

  “What are you doing?”

  She smiled at him and then placed a red plaid blanket over the tailgate. She reached for a thermos and sat down. Right there on the truck, she made herself comfortable.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought we were going to get lunch.”

  “We are.”

  “And you decided this sub-freezing day was a good time for a picnic?” He didn’t want any part of it. He rubbed his hands together, as each breath he took sent a puffy little cloud into the air.

  She laughed. “It’s not a picnic.”

  “Then please tell me what you’re doing, because I have to be honest, I’m getting a bit worried about you. Do you know how cold it is out here?”

  Before she could say anything, a woman in a puffy red coat and white knit cap came trudging up to the pickup with a large box. “Here you go. This is all we can do this year. I got them on sale.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Kate set aside the thermos and jumped to her feet. “Everyone does as much as they can. You know that.”

  “I know.” The woman’s face lined with worry. “It’s just with Joe out of work this month because he hurt his back, things are tight.”

  “How’s he doing?” Kate took the box, which was full of fruit cup snacks, and placed it in the bed of the truck.

  “He’s doing a lot better. Doc said he might be allowed to go back to work by the beginning of the year.”

  “That’s great.” Kate gave the woman a hug.

  When the women pulled apart, the woman’s inquisitive gaze moved to Wes. “Is he the new guy I’ve heard so much about?”

  Kate smiled. “Yes, this is Wes. Wes, this is Caroline. She works as a nurse at Doc Watson’s office.”

  Caroline smiled at him warmly. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Wes stretched out his hand and shook hers. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

  “You poor man. You’re freezing.” She gave his attire a quick once-over. Caroline turned back to Kate. “You need to help him find some warmer clothes. He’s going to freeze out here.”

  “I’m good,” he said, but they both looked at him as if they didn’t believe him.

  Caroline turned back to Kate. “I’d better be going. If you need any help between now and the big day, let me know.”

  “Thanks. I will.”

  After the woman moved on, Wes said. “Okay. What’s going on?”

  “We’re here to collect food for the big holiday food drive. And this year, I’m in charge of coordinating it.”

  That wasn’t what he’d expected. “I thought you said we were having lunch.”

  “We are. It’ll be here soon. And I promise it’ll be worth the wait.”

  Kate settled back on the tailgate and opened the thermos. “Care for some hot chocolate?” Without waiting for him to respond, she poured a steaming cup and handed it to him. “Take this. I think Caroline is right. You’re not dressed for this weather.”

  He accepted the cup and wrapped his bare hands around it, seeking the warmth. “I have warm clothes, but they’re back in New York. It hadn’t snowed yet this year, so I didn’t think about packing my snow gear.”

  “I think I have a spare pair of gloves.” She reached in one pocket and came up empty. Then she tried the other pocket and pulled out a pair of bright red gloves with Santas on the backs. She tossed them toward him. “They stretch.”

  He thought about refusing the bright red gloves with Santas on the back, but he was too cold to argue. He stuffed his hands inside them. The fingers didn’
t quite fit his long digits, but they were good enough. “Thanks.”

  “You could wait in the truck. Sorry, I didn’t think about your clothes. We’re going to have to take you shopping if you’re going to spend much time in Bayberry.”

  “Shopping for what?” he asked.

  “Some warm clothes and sensible shoes.”

  “I…I can get by.”

  Kate arched a brow. “We’ll go after work.”

  He opened his mouth to protest but then closed it. He glanced down at his feet, finding his black shoes were now covered with snow and salt. He didn’t think there would be any saving them, no matter how much he polished them.

  His suits might be fine for New York, where professional wear was expected. But here in Bayberry, his gray designer suit stood out. And he didn’t want to stand out. There was something about the way he’d witnessed everyone pulling together to help one of their own that made him want to be one of them again—even if only briefly.

  For just a little while, he wanted to experience what it was like to be a part of a tight-knit community. When he’d lived here as a teenager, his family hadn’t stayed long enough for him to get over his shyness and join in. While his job had helped him overcome a lot of his shyness, now he wondered what he’d been missing all this time.

  Another woman rushed up with her arms full of boxes of canned vegetables. “Sorry, Kate. I could only carry so much. I’ll have more later.”

  “Thank you so much. You can always bring it to the warehouse this weekend.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” And then the woman turned to him. Her eyes widened. “You’re even more handsome than they said.” And with that she rushed off.

  Kate turned back to him. “It seems you’ve made quite an impression on the town.”

  “And I haven’t even done anything but stand out here and freeze.”

  An older man rushed toward them with two foil-wrapped objects. Wes tried to remember him, but failed. The man handed one foil object to Kate. “Fresh-made. It should warm you up.” And then he turned to Wes. “I’m glad she has help. Thank you. Now enjoy.”