“How are you doing, Fred?” Wes asked.
“Good.” Fred jerked back, looked guiltily at Aunt Penney, and then leaned under the table to rub his leg. “Erm, I mean as well as can be expected.”
Kate caught her aunt frowning at him. What was going on? Her aunt was up to something, but she didn’t know what. Or was her aunt just hoping to spend more time with Fred?
The thought of her aunt falling in love filled Kate with hope. Her aunt had sacrificed everything to keep the family company going, as well as to raise her niece. Over the years, her aunt had assured Kate that raising her had been enough, but Kate worried that her aunt had missed something by not having a love of her own.
It was another reason Kate wouldn’t consider leaving Bayberry. Her aunt had given up everything for her, and she would give up everything for Aunt Penney. It’s what family did: They stuck together.
“Isn’t that right?” Aunt Penney looked expectantly at her.
Kate had no idea what they’d been discussing. The only thing she could do was agree and then maybe everyone would stop staring at her. She was never comfortable being the center of attention.
“Um, sure.”
Aunt Penney gave her a bright smile before turning her attention to Wes. “So, it’s up to you. Would you be willing to help Kate with the decorations for the Candlelight Dance, since Fred is too injured to do it this year?” Penney turned to Fred. “Isn’t that right?”
Fred’s white brows lifted. “Oh. Yeah.” He rubbed the left side of his ribs. “Definitely too sore to help.”
Wait. Wasn’t it Fred’s right side that had been injured? Kate definitely smelled a bit of scheming going on here. Her questioning gaze moved to Aunt Penney, who conveniently glanced away.
“Oh, Wesley wouldn’t mind helping out,” Martha supplied.
“That’s right,” Wes said. “Don’t worry. Just point me in the direction of the decorations.”
Aunt Penney took a sip of her coffee. “Wes, it’s a great thing you’re in town this year.”
“Glad to help.” His gaze met Kate’s.
His heated gaze sent her heart racing. She recalled the almost-kiss they’d shared. If only his mother had called a minute or two later.
Suddenly it was very warm in her aunt’s dining room. Not wanting anyone to pick up on the vibe between them, she looked away, reached for her water glass and took a long drink.
“And how’s your job going?” Aunt Penney asked.
Wes hesitated. “You know I’d prefer not to discuss my results until I’m finished.”
Aunt Penney nodded. “Sorry. I meant your position in New York—”
“Oh yes,” his mother said. “Tell us about your job. He has big news.” Martha beamed as she looked at her son. “Tell them.”
“Well, uh…” Wes looked a little flustered. “I’m, uh, up for a promotion. But nothing has been decided yet. There are some other people in the running too.”
“He’s going to be a vice president,” his mother said.
“Assistant vice president,” Wes corrected. Everyone congratulated him on being up for such a prestigious position and wished him well, but he avoided meeting anyone’s gaze. “I don’t know if I’ll get the promotion.”
“You will,” his mother said confidently, and with such obvious pride in her son’s abilities. “There’s no one more dedicated to his work.” She turned to Aunt Penney. “He never takes time off. He works weekends and holidays.”
No one responded. Not even Wes.
The truth was, Kate felt sorry for him. The weekends were bad enough, but holidays too? Who worked every single holiday unless they absolutely had to? Holidays in Bayberry were always a big deal, from New Year’s fireworks to Spring Fling, to the Labor Day picnic and everything in between.
“Mom, we’ll see,” Wes said. “Nothing is for sure.”
Seeing that Wes was uncomfortable in the spotlight, Kate spoke up. “He’s been working hard while he’s been here. I’ve been trying to talk him into staying until the New Year. After all, he’s working on a big project.”
Wes glanced at her. “And you’ve been a lot of help. You know, with tracking down information.” Heat rushed to her face.
She knew now wasn’t the best time to broach the subject, but she didn’t think there would be a good time. She turned to her aunt. “I know you haven’t wanted to discuss this, but we need to. What are you going to do if Wes’s report isn’t what we were hoping for?”
Aunt Penney shifted in her chair. “I’ve given the business a lot of thought. Of course I want to be able to hand the business over to you, but I won’t hand you a troubled company.”
Kate glanced at Wes, but instead of a smug, I-told-you-so expression, his eyes conveyed compassion. She turned her attention back to her aunt. “But I don’t mind. I want to do everything I can to continue the family business.”
“I know you do, and that means so much to me. But before I’ll let the company go under and the people of Bayberry lose their jobs, I’ll sell the business.” Aunt Penney met her gaze. “Will you be all right with that?”
Sell the company? Sell her heritage? Panic set in. Kate clasped her hands to keep from fidgeting with her napkin. As a child, she’d dreamed of one day following in her aunt’s footsteps.
Kate glanced around. Everyone was waiting for her response. She had to be a responsible adult now and let go of those childhood dreams. Or so she tried to tell herself, because there was still a part of her that was in denial that it could ever come to this.
She clenched her laced fingers tightly and swallowed. “You know how much I love the company. I can’t imagine working anywhere else.” Her heart squeezed as she considered the worst-case scenario. She took a deep breath and let it out. “But like you, I have to think beyond myself and what I want. If the worst happens, I’d rather the business be sold and remain in operation than for it to die a slow and painful death.”
Aunt Penney gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. It’s all going to work out.”
Kate wished she could be that certain. The thought of losing everything she knew in life—once again—was staggering. Kate imagined Carrie, Abby, Sadie and every resident of Bayberry moving away. The thought sent an arrow of sorrow into her heart.
She refused to let that happen. If she had to work around the clock, she was going to do everything she could to keep the town of Bayberry the way she’d always known it—with the candle company running and its residents employed.
Chapter Eighteen
Monday rolled around much too quickly.
And there wasn’t enough coffee to keep Kate from yawning.
After Wes had left the prior evening, she hadn’t been able to sleep. She’d stayed up brainstorming and baking. When she was worried, she liked to keep her hands busy. And she thought a tray of Christmas cookies would help smooth the Monday morning transition for everyone at the office.
With a wrapped tray of cookies in one arm, she rushed down Main Street. Her usual smile was lacking that day. There was so much to worry about that not even the Christmas decorations and a fresh layer of snow could lighten her mood.
Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.
There stood that Santa again, with his brass bell and red kettle. She still didn’t know his identity, but she was too distracted to figure it out right now. It was best to keep going. The Steaming Brew was just ahead.
“Kate, slow down.”
The mention of her name made her stop in her tracks. “How do you know my name?”
“I know many things, Kate. And I know you’ll find the answers you need. Just don’t give up.”
“Wait. What?” Did this guy always talk in riddles?
“Keep searching. You’ll get there.”
“Get where?’
Two little girls all bundled up in pink hats and glove
s came running up the walk, yelling, “Santa!”
Their mother was just steps behind. “Girls, slow down.”
The girls moved between Kate and Santa, putting an end to their conversation—if you could call it a conversation.
“I’m sorry about the girls,” the mother said.
“Not a problem.” Kate smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
She puzzled over who was inside the Santa suit as she made her way to the coffee shop but was soon distracted as she said good morning to passersby with their Santa hats or red coats with holiday pins or just an extra bright smile. Christmas brought out the best in most everyone.
When Kate went to open the door of the Steaming Brew, she found patrons lined up to the entrance. Not even the cold, snowy weather could keep people at home when the number of shopping days before Christmas was dwindling.
With every seat taken, Kate remained at the counter after placing her order. For the moment, there was a lull in new customers.
When Abby handed over her coffee, Kate asked, “Do you know who’s down the street pretending to be Santa? He’s saying some strange things.”
“Someone’s playing Santa at this hour of the morning?” Abby looked baffled. And then Kate repeated what Santa had said. Abby called someone to take over the register.
When Abby started for the door, Kate followed. “Where are you going?”
“I want to see this fortune-telling Santa.”
When they stepped onto the sidewalk, they looked in every direction, but there was no sign of Santa anywhere. How could that be? Kate had just been talking to him a couple of minutes ago.
Abby turned to her. “Are you getting enough sleep?”
“I didn’t imagine him.” When Abby just nodded as she headed back inside, Kate said, “I didn’t. He was as real as you and me.”
Abby picked up the red to-go cup with Kate’s name on it and handed it to her. “You sure you don’t want to add one or two shots of espresso?”
“I’m positive,” Kate said firmly. She wasn’t imagining him.
The rest of the way to the office, she replayed the scene with Santa. What was he trying to tell her? Was he referring to the business? Or her thing with Wes? Then, deciding that some stranger was just pranking her, she shoved aside the thoughts.
Inside the candle company, she brushed the snow off her coat and hung it up. She carried the tray of cookies into the kitchen, where she bumped into Wes. “Hi. You’re in early.”
He filled a coffee mug. “I didn’t get any work done this weekend, so I thought I’d get an early start.”
“Sorry. It was my fault.”
“Don’t be. I had a really good time.” He smiled, setting her stomach aflutter.
She placed the tray of cookies on the counter and removed the plastic wrap. “Want one?”
He arched a brow as he took a snowman cookie. “Did you make these?”
She nodded. “I had some time on my hands last night.”
He studied the very full tray. “Looks like you had a lot of time.”
“I had a lot on my mind.” And today she would get some answers. “Speaking of which, I need to get to work. I’ll see you later.”
She hurried out of the kitchen, but got sidetracked by a couple of employees. There was a problem with an order.
It was nearing lunchtime by the time Kate made it to the conference room where she had established a makeshift office. She sat down and opened up her laptop. Immediately, her email window popped up on the screen. She had mail. Lots of mail.
She opened the first email. It was in response to the quotes she’d requested. The tone of the note was friendly. The vendor was happy to have a chance to bid on the candle company’s account. She was impressed at how quickly they’d gotten back to her. Apparently, Wes wasn’t the only one to get a jump on the week.
“Is everything all right?”
Kate glanced up to find Wes propped against the door jamb. “Yes, fine.”
“It’s just that you rushed out of the kitchen so fast I was worried something might be wrong. But then you got pulled away before I could find out.”
She shook her head. “I wanted to see if we’d gotten any responses to our quote requests, and the first one just came in. I was just about to compare it to the existing contract.”
Wes’s brows rose. “That was fast. Would you like some help?”
She didn’t need any help, but she didn’t want to pass up the offer to spend more time with him. “Sure. Come on in.”
He took a seat while she pulled up the corresponding contract. Together they evaluated the terms and numbers, and found that the new vendor would be able to provide substantial cost reductions.
Wes seemed pleased. And Kate was too, initially, but then she started to think about the implications of dropping a vendor. She knew what it felt like to end up in a crunch, especially over the holidays.
“What’s the matter?” Wes’s voice drew her from her thoughts.
“I was just thinking that my suppliers might be financially hurting as much as we are.”
Wes smiled at her. “Did anyone tell you you have the biggest heart?”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
And then he set to work on the laptop. His fingers raced over the keyboard. She wondered what he was up to, but she remained quiet as she waited for him to finish.
“See this?” He pushed the laptop around so she could see the monitor. “Your existing supplier is projected to have record profits this year. You don’t have to worry about going with someone else.”
“How did you find that?”
He showed her. “But you can only get this information for companies that are publicly traded.”
As they continued to discuss the new quote, another quote came in. It was also cheaper than what their current supplier could offer. Kate knew they were headed in the right direction, but she was wondered if the savings would be enough.
“I should get back to my work,” Wes stood up.
“Wait. Can you give me any other ideas about how to cut expenses?”
Wes didn’t say anything at first. Frown lines furrowed his brow.
“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping. You’ve already helped me so much.”
“It’s not that,” he said. “I’m just not sure you’ll like what I’m going to suggest.”
She pressed her lips firmly together. Saving the company—saving the town—wasn’t going to be easy. She’d known that from the onset, but it was easier thinking of it in broad terms than examining it in detail. But she had to do this—it was so much bigger than herself.
She leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin ever so slightly until her eyes met his. “Tell me what it is and I’ll work on it.”
“Let me ask you a question first.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Is the candle company the sole sponsor for the Candlelight Dance?”
“Yes. We always are. It’s a longstanding tradition.” Where was he going with this? And then the worst thought came to her. “Surely you’re not suggesting we cancel the dance?”
Yes, she’d said she would do whatever it took to keep the company and town afloat, but at the same time, she hadn’t thought it would mean abolishing an institution that had been around longer than she had—longer than her aunt had been.
The Candlelight Dance had been started by her great-great-grandfather when there was nothing else to do in the dark of winter, because there were no other towns close by. He had factory workers to entertain for the holidays. If they left, there was a good possibility they wouldn’t come back to the remote town of Bayberry, which spent much of the winter under snow.
And so with nothing more than a barn, some candles and her great-great-grandfather’s fiddle, the Candlelight Dance had begun. Over the years, the eve
nt had grown and the traditions had expanded. But at the heart of it, the purpose of the dance was still the same—bringing neighbors together to celebrate the holiday.
“I’m not suggesting you cancel it.” His gaze searched hers. “But I am suggesting you modify it.”
She was at last able to take an easy breath. “Modify it how?”
“Your company can no longer afford to pay for everything. Cuts must be made and they must be substantial.”
Kate’s shoulders sagged. “It won’t be much of a dance—”
“Wait. I don’t think you understand. I’m not asking you to eliminate anything. From what I could glean from the financials, there’s quite a lot involved.” When Kate nodded, he said, “All I’m asking is that instead of the company taking on all the responsibility, it’s divvied out to the whole town.”
“You want me to ask everyone for help?”
“Sure. They can all chip in.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because…because it’s never been done that way. It’s all about tradition. And…and I just can’t let everyone down.” Perhaps she was more like her aunt, who insisted on routines, than Kate had ever thought.
“You won’t let anyone down. That’s the beauty of it. Instead of taking on everything yourself, you’ll be asking the town to take part in the preparation. Then the dance will truly become a community event.”
“I don’t know.” Would people be willing to step up and help out? It had never been done before.
“Will you at least consider it?”
She nodded slowly. What would it hurt to propose the idea? After all, she had said she would do anything to save Bayberry. This appeared to be anything. “I’ll need to figure out the details.”
“While you do, I have some more reports to go over. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Just before he walked out of sight, she remembered to say, “Thank you, Wes.”
He glanced back. “Sorry if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”
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