For a while they walked in comfortable silence. He could easily imagine taking more of these strolls with Kate. That is, if he stuck around Bayberry, which he wasn’t planning to do.
And then they reached the corner of Valley Lane and Flatlander Way. There sat the beautiful Victorian with bright berry-red paint and clean white trim. He came to a stop. It was just as he remembered it, with the wraparound porch and the sweeping front steps leading up to the double-door entrance. The only thing it was lacking were holiday decorations like every other house on the street.
But that would be simple enough to solve. A single candle in each window. Two wreaths, one for each door. And on the wooden rails should be garlands with white twinkle lights. Nothing over the top. The house deserved a stunning but classic look—
Kate touched his arm, reminding him that she was still standing next to him. “Is it what you remember?”
He nodded, not believing he’d just decorated the whole house in his mind. “It’s exactly as I remembered. My mother used to sit with me on the front porch and we’d clean corn for dinner. After dinner, I’d ride my bike all around here.” As he waved his arm around, his gaze strayed across a For Sale sign.
And then a woman exited the house. She locked the front door before heading down the steps in their direction.
“Maybe we should move on.” He didn’t want to linger and cause an awkward situation.
“It’s okay,” Kate said. “That’s Mary Trimble. She’s a real estate agent.” And then Kate’s eyes lit up as though a thought had just occurred to her. “How would you feel about having a look around inside?”
“Really? I’d like that.” He didn’t usually let himself get caught up in the past, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.
Kate hurried over to Mary. They talked for a few moments. And then Mary went in the opposite direction and Kate smiled at him as she held up a key.
“Come on,” she called out.
He rushed to catch up to her. “Shouldn’t she be here with us?” He glanced over his shoulder at the agent’s retreating back. “Are we allowed in by ourselves?”
“Relax. I know Mary and she trusts me. And I know the owner, Mrs. Harding. She just moved to a senior community. I know she’d be the first to invite you in. So it’s all fine. I just have to drop the key off at Mary’s office, because she forgot a lockbox for the front door.”
Kate stood aside, letting him lead the way. Yet he didn’t move. The years rolled away, and in his mind’s eye, the property was the way it’d been when he was a teenager. His gaze dropped to the sidewalk. He remembered racing down it on his bicycle. He could still recall the bump-bump-bump as the tires bounced over the gaps between the red bricks.
He could feel Kate’s gaze on him. It spurred him into motion. At the base of the steps, he reached out for the railing. He’d hoped that this house would be his family’s forever home. He wasn’t the only one. He recalled his mother being the happiest he’d ever seen her when they moved here. She’d joined the knitting group and the women’s group at the local church. He’d picked up that after-school job delivering papers. Dad had seemed content in his new position, though he’d often been too busy to spend much time with his son. Everyone had been happy.
Kate unlocked the front door and pushed it open. She stepped aside, allowing him to enter first. The house had been emptied, but that was okay. He remembered how it used to look. The wood floors had been well preserved. The banister on the steps still looked perfect for sliding down. He smiled, recalling his mother reprimanding him for not coming down the stairs properly. Not that she was really mad at him.
They toured the downstairs, from the spacious living room where his father used to fall asleep in the recliner with the newspaper open and the news playing on the television, to the kitchen with its many white cabinets, but there was no lingering scent of cinnamon from his mother’s famous apple cobbler. His mouth watered at the memory. It’d been so many years since he’d tasted it.
Then he showed Kate where his bedroom had been upstairs. It was so much bigger than his bedroom in New York. This house was more than triple the size of his entire apartment. Not that he was comparing the two places. One was his home and one was a part of his past—nothing more.
As they made their way back outside, Kate said, “You know, it’s for sale. You could always buy it.”
He shook his head, refusing to acknowledge just how tempting the idea sounded. “My work is in the city. I’d never have time to visit it.”
“It’s just something to consider. Properties around here sell quickly.”
A dog started barking. Wes saw a golden cocker spaniel running through the snow toward them. Wes turned to make a hasty retreat, but Kate had come to a stop in front of him.
The dog was still barking up a storm.
“Hey, Princess.” Kate crouched down to greet the dog. “How are you, girl?”
The dog let off one bark, as though understanding Kate’s question and answering her. Kate fussed over Princess, who ate up the attention.
And then Princess turned to Wes. He stood perfectly still as she sniffed his boots and then his pants.
“You can pet her,” Kate said. “She’s friendly.”
He crouched down. He held out his hand for the dog to sniff. When Princess licked his hand, he smiled.
“You two look good together,” Kate said. “Maybe you should consider getting a dog.”
“I always wanted one as a kid, but my father said I couldn’t have one because we were always moving around.”
“Maybe now that you’re settled.”
He shook his head. “They don’t allow pets in my building. And I’m not home enough.”
“Kate, is that you?” A woman’s voice called out to them.
Princess took off toward the house next door, kicking up snow. The dog’s tail swished back and forth.
Kate straightened. “Hello, Mrs. Johnson.”
“I hope Princess wasn’t bothering you.”
“Not at all,” Wes said. “She’s quite friendly.”
Mrs. Johnson smiled. “She was probably excited to get away from the little ones.”
“Puppies?” Kate’s face lit up.
Mrs. Johnson nodded. “Would you like to see them?”
“We’d love to,” Kate said without the slightest hesitation. And then, as though she remembered him, she turned to Wes. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Princess barked as though telling them to get a move on.
Wes shook his head. That’s all it took for Kate to set off, following Princess’s tracks through the snow. He’d already missed part of the afternoon at the office. What was a little more? And he wouldn’t mind seeing the puppies.
Once they stepped on the porch, Kate paused. “Mrs. Johnson, I’d like you to meet Wes Adams. He’s here consulting at the candle company. And Wes, this is Mrs. Johnson. She was my math teacher many years ago.”
He shook the older woman’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to put a face to the name.” She smiled at him, making him feel welcome. “Let’s get inside. It’s still mighty cold out here.”
Inside they slipped off their boots and coats. Princess had already disappeared, undoubtedly to check on her puppies. Mrs. Johnson led them to her spacious laundry room, where five little puppies were running around. A smile pulled at his lips.
When his family moved to Bayberry, he’d hoped that at last he could have what he wanted most—a dog. He recalled telling his mother it was all he wanted for Christmas that year.
Instead, he’d ended up in a small apartment in Atlanta for Christmas that year, far from Bayberry. And there was a no-pets-allowed policy. He never did get a dog.
Kate sat on the floor and let the puppies climb all over her. Her face glowed with happiness. If anyone needed a p
uppy, it was her. He pulled out his phone and took a picture so he could remember this moment.
“Aww…look.” Mrs. Johnson pointed down at his feet.
He glanced down and saw that a puppy had climbed on his foot. Wes had been so caught up in watching Kate that he hadn’t noticed.
“He likes you,” Kate said.
“He’s the runt of the litter.” Mrs. Johnson tossed Kate a toy ball for the puppies. Then she turned back to Wes. “We call him Rascal. He’s ornery. And he has his own mind. He doesn’t take to many people. You must be special.”
Wes moved slowly so as not to startle Rascal. The puppy remained on his foot, and let Wes pet him. And then Wes picked him up, expecting the puppy to fuss to get down. Instead, Rascal was docile and settled against his chest. At that moment, Wes was tempted to take the little puppy home.
“He doesn’t have a family yet,” Mrs. Johnson said. “Would you like to adopt him?”
Wes gazed into the puppy’s eyes. Rascal really was cute. Wes’s answer stuck in the back of his throat. His mind and his heart were at odds.
“You can have some time to think about it,” Mrs. Johnson said.
“Thanks. But I can’t have a pet where I live.” He ran his finger over the puppy’s head and he wished he lived somewhere else—someplace that allowed pets.
Wes didn’t know how much time had passed before they said goodbye to the puppies and headed back to the candle company. As they walked, he couldn’t shake how nice this afternoon had been and how he would have passed it up if it hadn’t been for Kate’s insistence. He used to make time for fun and relaxing. Now, his life was all about meetings and deadlines. When had his work become the focus of his life?
He paused outside the candle company and turned to Kate. “Thank you for the tour. I really enjoyed it.”
“And weren’t the puppies the cutest?” When he nodded, she said, “You really should adopt Rascal. You two looked perfect together”
“But my apartment doesn’t allow pets.”
“That’s easy. Move.”
His eyes connected with hers. The words he was about to say were forgotten. His heart thump-thumped in his chest. It was so loud that it echoed in his ears. He wondered if she could hear it. If she did, she didn’t let on.
He was certain he could get lost in her big green eyes—just like he was doing right now. But that was not a good thing. He was here to work, not get distracted by a girl, erm, a woman from his past.
He should look away, but she was staring back at him. Wait. She was staring back at him? Was that interest reflected in her eyes?
His heart raced. He was drawn in by everything about her. If he’d thought she was beautiful when they were kids, Kate was an absolute knockout now.
“I had fun too.” She looked away, ending the moment. “It was nice to see the town through someone else’s eyes. If you liked Bayberry enough, maybe you could stick around longer. Maybe until the New Year.”
She didn’t give him a chance to answer. She just put that thought out there and strolled into the building. He wasn’t sure what to make of her invitation. But it wasn’t just the town that he liked.
Was Kate saying she felt something growing between them too? Did she want to spend the holidays with him? His heart picked up its pace once more.
In that moment, he knew what he wanted to do—take Kate up on her offer. He wanted to spend Christmas in Bayberry.
Chapter Twelve
Where had the week gone?
The days were flying by and there was still so much to do.
Kate sat behind the table in the file room that she’d commandeered for a temporary office while hers was being occupied by Wes. She didn’t like being pushed out of her office. She knew where everything was and had her comfortable chair adjusted perfectly to fit her back. But it would be worth it if Wes were able to help the candle company out of this tough position.
Her fingers continued to move over the keyboard. She was responding to a bunch of comments on her most recent social media post. Her aunt had taught her that success was achieved one customer at a time. And so Kate made the effort to take a personal approach to her promotion for the upcoming holiday sale.
The only problem with taking a personal approach was that it took time—time she didn’t have. Because all this added promotion was taking time away from her regular work—
Knock knock.
Kate’s fingers hovered over the keyboard as she glanced up, finding her aunt standing in the doorway. “Aunt Penney, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“Relax. Nothing’s wrong. I forgot some papers in my office that I wanted to look over later tonight.” Her aunt frowned. She lifted her arm and made a show of checking the time on her antique gold watch. “Because there isn’t time to look over them now.” Her gaze met Kate’s once more. “You haven’t forgotten about the tree lighting tonight, have you?”
Kate looked at the stack of file folders with reports paper-clipped to each one, waiting for her to review and sign off on them. For the first time since she’d moved to Bayberry, she replied, “I’m not going to the tree lighting tonight.”
“What?” Aunt Penney stepped up to the table. A frown pulled at her lips. “But you have to. It’s tradition.”
“I know. And I don’t want to miss it, but I have a lot of work to do.”
“I think you’ve done enough for one day. In fact, I’m certain of it. I saw you head to the office this morning at six. You work so hard.”
Kate smiled. “Thank you.” Her aunt’s praise meant the world to her. “But with the sale coming up, I just can’t afford to waste time.” She didn’t know who was still lingering around the offices so she had to be careful what she said. “It’s important. You know how important this sale is.”
Her aunt nodded. “I do.” It was as if she’d aged ten years in the blink of an eye. “And that’s why it’s important that you remember that there’s so much more to life than business. Trust this old lady who thought she had time to keep putting off living her life. And now it has passed me by. Please don’t end up like me.”
Kate shook her head. “First, you’re not old. Not even close. You have more energy than most women half your age.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. It’s the truth. Second, I’d be honored to be like you. You’re the strongest, most loving person I know.”
Her aunt’s eyes grew moist. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
Kate wasn’t finished yet. “And third, you still have plenty of time to live your dreams, as soon as you let me take over the candle company.” Hope filled her chest. Would this be the heart-to-heart she had to have with her aunt in order for Penney to hand over the reins to the company?
Her aunt sighed. “I can’t do that. Not yet—”
“If there’s something else I can do—”
“It’s not you.” Her aunt’s face filled with love. “You are amazing and a very hard worker. But I need Wes to complete his report before I can do anything.”
Kate nodded. She didn’t like it, but she understood. “Just know that I’m here and ready to take over, if you need me too.”
Aunt Penney moved around the table and then leaned down to give her a brief hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Now, do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Go to the tree lighting tonight. It’s an order. After all, I’m still your boss. At least for a little longer.” Aunt Penney gave her a stern look, like she’d done when Kate was a kid and wanted to stay out past curfew on a school night.
Years of experience told Kate that there was no point in fighting her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Then get going. You don’t want to be late. Everyone will be there.” And with that, her aunt hurried out the door.
>
Kate was tempted to finishing responding to comments on her latest post about Bayberry Candles. Her fingers moved to the keyboard. But she knew once she started working, time would get away from her.
With a groan, she closed the window and then shut down her computer. Aunt Penney was right. It would wait until tomorrow.
She recalled her aunt’s words: Everyone will be there. Did that include Wes? She moved faster. Suddenly, going to the tree lighting sounded a lot more tempting.
She reached for her bag. She’d made some preparations the night before, just in case she had time to go. And those preparations included going with Wes.
Kate wondered if he was still working. After all, he didn’t have someone in his life to tell him when to call it a day. She was willing to bet he was still in his, erm, her office. But not for much longer.
Someone had to tell Wes that the building was closing. She rushed to finish gathering her things. She was a woman on a mission.
“It’s tree lighting night.”
He’d know that warm, feminine voice anywhere.
Wes glanced up from his laptop, which was still sitting on Kate’s desk among piles of papers and stacks of reports.
He saw her in the doorway. “I hope you have a good time.”
“What?” She stepped into the office. “You’re not coming?”
He shook his head. “I really need to keep working. This section is taking longer than I thought it would, and I’ve been out of the office a lot this week.”
She checked the time. “But it’s after six, and the tree lighting in the square is at seven. We have to get going if we want a good spot.”
She sounded as though she was really anxious for him to join her. His gaze moved to the work on his desk. Would anyone really notice if he took the evening off? The thought nagged at him. An evening with Kate was so tempting.
He leaned back in his chair. “You’re really excited about this.”
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