“Aren’t you?” Her face lit up. “It’s Christmastime. A time to celebrate all the good things in life.”
“Can you really be that happy when you know what I’m doing? And how it might turn out?”
She shrugged. “Someone just reminded me that there’s more to life than work. It doesn’t have to be either/or. Work will be waiting for us in the morning.”
The longer he was in this small town, the more he understood why he remembered Bayberry more fondly than the other places he’d lived as a kid. They tried so hard to balance their work and play here. It was too bad his family hadn’t stuck around. He wondered whether he’d have been able to escort Kate to the Candlelight Dance if they had.
He remembered as a teenager how he’d had every intention of asking her to the dance. He was only in junior high at the time, so asking a girl to the dance was a big thing. A huge thing. Every time he’d thought of asking her, his hands had grown clammy and his stomach had churned. And so he’d put it off again and again.
Finally, he’d waited so long that it was the week before the dance and his father announced that they were moving—again. Wes had put up a fuss, telling his parents he didn’t want to move. But they’d told him he didn’t have a choice.
He’d shouted that life wasn’t fair and his mother had concurred. After his father had left the room, she’d confided in Wes that she wished they could stay in Bayberry too. The people were so nice and she’d made a great friend in Kate’s aunt. He’d tried to persuade his mother to stay here with him while his father worked elsewhere, but she told him that families stick together through the good and the bad.
“Wes, did you hear me?”
He blinked and focused on Kate. He didn’t have any idea what she’d said. She frowned at him.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get out of here. Besides, I want to pick your brain.”
“Kate, I can’t.”
“Aunt Penney will be very upset if you’re not there. She has a thing about people working overtime on special occasions, and the tree lighting is a very special occasion.”
“But—”
“No buts. Come on. The office is officially closed. Besides, if you don’t come with me, your Christmas wish won’t come true.”
Immediately his thoughts turned to the promotion. It was what he needed to put everything right in his life. Once he had that promotion, he’d be happy. Maybe he could move to a place that accepted pets. His thoughts turned to Rascal. But by then the puppy would be adopted—
“Wes, we don’t want to be late.”
The eagerness on Kate’s face was his final undoing. She was right. The work would be waiting for him. He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness from leaning over the desk for hours. He had been in early that day and he’d insisted on eating lunch at his desk.
And now that he had warmer clothes, walking to Bayberry Square wouldn’t be miserable. In fact, with his new warm boots, coat, cap and gloves, he had barely noticed the weather when he walked to work that morning.
“Okay. Let’s go.” He closed his laptop and started to clean up his desk.
“Oh, leave it be.”
“I can’t. It’s a mess.” He always cleaned up his work area at the end of each day.
“But it’s your mess. Your work mess. Leave it and it’ll be all ready for you in the morning.”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, you would spend time cleaning it up tonight. And then when you come in Monday morning, you’ll have to put everything back where it is now to work with it. Isn’t that right?”
He’d never thought of it that way, but she was right. He did arrange his work stacks in the morning. Even though it felt wrong to leave a mess, he got to his feet, grabbed his laptop and slipped it in his messenger bag. His gaze was still on the mess on his desk. He didn’t know if he could just leave it be. It went against his sense of status quo.
“Come on.” Kate shoved his coat at him. “It’ll be fine. I promise. There won’t be anyone here to notice, either. Everyone has already left for the tree lighting. And if we don’t hurry, we really will be late.”
He swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. Then she got behind him and gave him a push out the door. “Who knew someone so young could be so set in his ways?”
“This from the woman who has all of these holiday traditions.”
“Hey, traditions are good.” Kate pulled the door shut behind her. When he stopped and turned back, she braced her arms across the doorway. “There’s no way you’re getting back in there tonight.”
He slipped on his coat and slung his messenger bag across his chest, with an amused look at Kate. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Very.”
He shook his head and smiled. “I suppose I can leave it for one night.”
“That’s the spirit.” She looped her arm in his as they headed for the employee exit.
He wasn’t sure what to make of Kate’s spontaneous action. Oh, who was he kidding? He liked having her on his arm. A smile played at his lips.
He reminded himself not to get too drawn in. After all, he’d be leaving before Christmas. He reassured himself that this wasn’t a date. Not at all. It was just two friends—because by now they could call each other friends—anyway, they were just two friends going to spend some time with practically the entire town.
And he did his best to ignore the warm, fuzzy sensation that started in his chest every time she squeezed his arm. Because they were friends. Nothing more.
Chapter Thirteen
Evening had fallen over Bayberry.
Streetlamps lit the way.
All the while, fluffy snowflakes flittered and fluttered as they drifted to the ground.
Wes knew he’d made the right decision. Accompanying Kate to the tree lighting felt right—just like her hand tucked in the crook of his arm felt right.
“How is your evaluation coming?” Kate’s voice drew him from his thoughts.
He shook his head. “I really can’t talk about it.”
She frowned. “But it’s all right. Remember, Aunt Penney told me all about it.”
“It’s not that. I haven’t completed my study, and to give an opinion at this point would be unwise. There may be something I have yet to uncover that would offset everything I’ve established so far.”
“So you won’t even give me a hint which way you’re leaning?”
“Leaning?”
“You know, between keeping the candle factory open or recommending selling?”
He gave a firm shake of his head.
“Actually, that’s okay with me.”
He glanced over at her. “Why is that?”
“Because tomorrow’s sale is going to be huge.” Her face lit up with a smile. “I’ve been working so hard on this. I’ve drummed up a lot of support on social media. You have to admit that it’s going to be great.” When he couldn’t agree with her, the smile slipped from her face. “So what’s the problem?”
He really didn’t want to rain on her parade. “I didn’t say there was one.”
“You didn’t say anything at all. That’s how I know there is a problem.” She grabbed his arm and stopped walking. She moved in front of him to look him in the eyes. “Please, you have to tell me.”
He sighed. “The sale coupon you printed up and handed out to everyone—”
“It was to get them to the sale. We always do a coupon, and this year I upped the discount to draw in more people. And it’s working. Everyone is talking about this sale being the biggest ever.”
He gripped the strap on his bag tighter as he averted his gaze. “That’s the thing. The markdown is really large.”
“Forty percent. It’s not that large. I’ve seen
other sales just as large or larger.”
“But those other retailers have a means to recoup the loss.”
“Such as?”
“Marking up the stock before the holiday season. Or they limit the discount to just one regularly priced item.”
The look of frustration filled her face. “But I made it 40% off the entire order.”
He nodded. The sale would draw in people, but it wasn’t going to produce the profits needed to turn around the company. He wanted to tell her otherwise. He wanted to tell her that she had a really strong marketing plan, but as accurate as her numbers were on all of the accounting documents he’d reviewed, her accounting skills were not as strong. Sympathy welled up in him.
This wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself. He wasn’t hired to save the company. It was his job to develop an opinion based on facts. But his growing feeling for Kate was making it difficult to maintain an impartial attitude.
“What else isn’t working?” Kate turned and started walking again, but slower this time.
“Do you mean as far as marketing?”
She nodded, but didn’t speak.
He really didn’t want to ruin the evening that she’d been so excited about. “We can talk about it another time.”
“No. I need to know now. If there’s something I can do to help the company, I’d like to know as soon as possible. I want to change things. Improve things. I want to know that I did everything I could to help my aunt.”
“How about tonight?”
“What about it?”
“How much did the company contribute?”
She shrugged. “Not much. The battery-operated candles and the hot cocoa. And we paid for the tree.”
“Why should your company fund it?”
“Because we’ve always funded it. It’s tradition.” She kicked a pebble in the plowed road and sent it skidding off into a snowbank. “Besides, it wasn’t that much.”
“But every little bit counts.”
“Things are worse than I’d imagined if you’re worrying about cocoa and candles.”
He didn’t say anything. He knew this was a tender spot for Kate and he wished she’d never brought up the subject. She’d actually gotten him excited about the tree lighting.
As they approached the crowded square, Kate was quiet. From what he could tell, that was a rare occurrence for her. She was no doubt considering what he’d told her. And he felt guilty for stealing away her Christmas spirit. He wanted to rewind time and make her smile again.
“Hey, look at that tree.” He pointed to the stately pine, which had to be at least fifty feet tall. “It’s huge.”
Kate nodded. “It’s bigger than last years. They hauled it in from the Spencer Tree Farm.”
“They must have used a tractor trailer to haul a tree that size. Could you imagine decorating a tree that tall?”
“I…I have. In the past. Last year, I was in charge, but I wasn’t on the tree-decorating committee this year.”
It was hard to imagine that there was something about this town that Kate wasn’t involved in. “I bet the tree was a knockout last year.”
She still looked glum. “Are you trying to cheer me up?”
“I don’t know. Is it working?”
And then there was a glimmer of a smile on her face. “No. But I appreciate your effort.”
“You have to know that I don’t want anything bad to happen to the company, don’t you?”
She studied him for a moment. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do.”
Kate inhaled deeply and then blew out her breath. “Enough about business. It’s time to enjoy the holiday. And I have something for you.”
“For me? I don’t have anything for you. Was I supposed to have a gift?”
She smiled up at him. “It’s not a gift. Not exactly.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “What is it?”
She reached into her oversized purse and withdrew an ornament. She handed it to him. It was a little red sled made of painted popsicle sticks. It was decorated with holly and red-and-white striped satin ribbon. It was cute.
“Did you make this?” he asked.
“I did. Do you like it?”
“I do. You’re talented.” Kate definitely had an artistic flair.
He wondered if that was something she could use to give new life to Bayberry—or was a second life even possible for the failing company? The thought dampened his mood. The more time he spent in the town of Bayberry, the harder it was to be objective.
Luckily, numbers by their very nature were oblivious to sentimentality and wishful thoughts. Sure, they could be skewed this way or that, but it took a concerted effort, which he would not engage in.
He looked from the ornament in his hand to Kate, who was greeting one of the people in attendance. What would she do if his report came back with a recommendation to sell the company? Would she forgive him for doing his job? Or would she expect him to tweak the numbers in her favor?
His gut churned with unease. He assured himself that everything would work out. Wouldn’t it?
If he’d learned anything about Kate, it was that she was honest and caring. She might love the candle company and this small town with all her heart, but she wanted to find an honest way to keep it all functioning. But was that possible?
Kate turned back to him. “Sorry about that. Is something wrong?”
He swallowed hard. “Wrong?”
“Yes. You’re frowning.”
He forced a smile to his face. “No, I’m not.”
She shot him a look that said she didn’t believe him, but she let the subject drop. Her eyes flicked to the ornament in his hand, before meeting his gaze again. “Glad you like it. It wasn’t hard to make. I could show you how.” And then she withdrew a second ornament from her purse. It was another sled, painted white. “They have our names on the back.”
He turned it over and in black paint was his name and the year.
“I don’t understand,” he said. “What’s it for?”
“It’s part of Bayberry’s tradition. Everyone brings an ornament to hang on the tree and their Christmas wish will come true.”
“What do you mean? Like a new car? Or a new job?”
She shrugged. “You won’t know until Christmas. But something good awaits each person who places an ornament on the tree.”
He eyed her with skepticism. “And you really believe this?”
She nodded.
“What Christmas wishes have you received?”
“Um, well, last year Aunt Penney slipped on some ice and broke her wrist. My Christmas wish was that she wouldn’t need surgery. And she didn’t.”
“But that wish wasn’t for you, it was for your aunt.”
“Ah, but see, if Aunt Penney had needed surgery, it would have affected both our lives. So technically it was for me, too.”
“And this year, what are you going to wish for?”
She frowned at him. “I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.”
“So if I wish for a sleek sports car, I’ll receive one for Christmas?” He didn’t really want one, but he certainly wouldn’t turn down a free sports car. He was, after all, a guy.
“You could try, but I must warn you that Santa gives you what you need most—not what you think you need. And you have to be a good boy or you get zip, zilch, nada.”
“Yikes. I guess this means I’ll have to be nice to you until Christmas.”
She sputtered. He could tell she was thinking up a good zinger to get him back.
“Don’t say it,” he warned, trying not to laugh. “Remember, you have to be good, too.”
Her lips pressed together in a pout. “You don’t play nice.”
“I’m just having some fun.�
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“And it’s about time. You obviously spend too much time in the office. Trust me, there’s more to life than work. When you get old, the things that will matter most are the good memories you made along the way. Penney was right. No one’s going to kick back and think how wonderful it was to spend countless hours poring over reports.”
“But sometimes you have to do that if you want to get ahead.”
She regarded him. “Is that what you want? To get ahead?”
He hadn’t admitted to anyone outside Watson & Summers that he was actively pursuing a promotion, but it felt like he could tell Kate anything. “Yes. There’s a promotion coming up at the office, and I’m doing everything I can to get it.”
“Do you like where you work?”
Her question caught him off guard. No one had ever asked him that before. “It’s one of the top firms in the country. Its name is known from coast to coast.”
“But that doesn’t answer my question. Do you like working there? You know, the people you work with? The job you do from day to day?”
He’d honestly never stopped to consider the question. He thought of the people at Watson & Summers who said good morning to him each day, smiled at him in the halls and wished him good night. “It’s a good place to work. I don’t have to move from town to town.”
“Like your father did?”
Wes had forgotten that he’d shared that part of his life with her. He nodded. “It’s good to stay in one spot.”
“And that’s what you want? To stay put at your company for the rest of your career?”
Why did it seem like saying yes was the wrong answer? For so long, that’s all he could think about—climbing the corporate ladder. But since he’d arrived in Bayberry, he’d seen a part of life that he was missing out on.
He cleared his throat. “That’s always been my plan.”
“I wish you luck,” Kate said. “Let’s get our ornaments on the tree.”
He let her lead the way. She placed her ornament at eye level and he hung his next to hers. They looked good together—as though they were meant to be a pair.
And then it was his turn to make a wish. His eyes moved over the crowd of smiling Bayberry residents. It was as if he’d stepped inside a greeting card with all its warm and joyous sentiments. His attention moved to Kate as she greeted a young girl and her parents.
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