Buzz. Buzz.
He glanced down at his phone, hoping it was a business contact returning his early morning call. It wasn’t. In fact, it was the last person he wanted to speak to at this point—the big boss. Wes groaned inwardly.
He thought of letting the call go to voicemail, but he knew that sooner or later he’d have to deal with Mr. Summers. And this call might have something to do with the pending promotion.
He grabbed his phone. “Mr. Summers, good morning.”
“I need you back in the office.” The older man’s tone was brusque.
Wes wasn’t sure what to make of his boss’s request. “I have airline reservations for New Year’s Eve.”
“That’s not soon enough. Reschedule your flight.”
Wes’s jaw tightened. His molars ground together. They’d previously agreed on this schedule. He didn’t like being jerked around. “I haven’t completed my work.” Mr. Summers didn’t need to know that his work now included saving the company. “I just need a little more time.” Wes’s gaze searched the desk for another convincing excuse. “I don’t have the report completed.”
“By now, you should have pulled all of the relevant data. You can finish analyzing it here. I expect you in my office with what you have at eight a.m. Wednesday.”
“Christmas Eve?” Then, realizing it probably wasn’t the best response, Wes added, “I just thought you might have other plans that day.”
“I don’t. And I know you don’t, not if you’re still interested in that promotion.”
Of course he was. He’d sacrificed a lot over the years in order to meet unrealistic deadlines. How could his boss question his dedication?
“Yes, sir,” he said firmly. “I am.”
They wrapped up the conversation. Wes leaned back in his chair, knowing that his plan would have to go into overdrive. He had today and tomorrow to lay the groundwork. Luckily, he had Penney’s support. She was busy making phone calls. She’d also been willing to keep his plan in confidence. He wasn’t going to mention it to Kate and get her hopes up—not until it was a sure thing.
And when his plan worked out, he wanted to give her the most special Christmas ever.
As the candle company was closed from now until the New Year, Kate had thrown herself into her last-minute holiday details—like shopping. She’d invited Aunt Penney to join her, but her aunt had said that she had some business obligations to attend to. Kate had offered to help, but her aunt wouldn’t hear of it.
And so Kate set out on the snowy morning alone. She’d put off shopping until the last minute, but it also provided her with an excuse not to rush to Wes. She didn’t want to appear too eager after that spine-tingling kiss.
They had exchanged texts since then, but just friendly notes—things like good morning, how’s it going? and other banalities that had absolutely nothing to do with their romantic moment or figuring out where to go from here. There was no point in rushing things. Why ruin this new and exciting turn of events?
Kate had set off down Main Street on a mission. Judging by the large crowd of people hustling down the sidewalk with arms full of packages, she wasn’t the only one doing last-minute shopping.
Why did she always put off shopping for gifts? Every year she told herself she’d start early and have it all done by early December. And every year, she found herself rushing around just days before Christmas.
Fortunately, her shopping trip was quite successful. In addition to the coffeemaker, she found a beautiful burgundy scarf and matching gloves for Aunt Penney. As for Fred, it was no secret he had a sweet tooth. So she bought him a huge tin filled on one side with caramel corn, and with kettle corn on the other.
Of her friends, Sadie was the easiest to shop for, as she loved books. Kate had picked out a thriller that looked like a page-turner. For Carrie, she’d picked out a cupcake recipe book, to encourage her to reach for her dreams and open her own bakery. Abby was the hardest to shop for…until Kate spotted a purple sweater in a shop window. It was Abby’s favorite color.
From all appearances, Martha would be spending Christmas with them. And though Kate had a lot to learn about Wes’s mother, she knew the woman loved chocolate. That left Wes. Nothing like saving the hardest for last.
She wanted just the right gift for Wes. Their time together had meant a lot to her and she wanted to give him something to remember her by. So far, she’d purchased a sweater and black leather gloves, but she had nothing for him that was unique or memorable.
The rest of her shopping would have to wait, though. She and Wes had agreed to deliver the Christmas baskets at lunchtime.
She headed to his B&B, but he wasn’t there. Knowing how hard he’d been working, she headed to the candle company. She couldn’t wait to see him. She had absolutely no idea how she was going to stand the distance when he returned to New York, but she shoved aside the disturbing thought. She’d deal with it later.
Although she hadn’t been able to find anything special for him in the stores, she did have something she’d made him the night before. She hadn’t been sure about giving it to him, but in the light of day, she was feeling more courageous. And she didn’t want to wait until Christmas Day.
Kate hurried home, picked up the little gift and headed to the office. The building was quiet and dark, but when she made her way to his office, she found the lights on. Wes was nowhere in sight. But he must be around, because his laptop was open on the desk. She moved behind the desk and looked for the right place to leave the heart-shaped bookmark and a copy of The History of Bayberry.
When she cleared a space next to his laptop, a folder fell to the floor and papers scattered. She sighed at her clumsiness. She knelt down to pick up the papers. As she did, her gaze skimmed over the sheets.
“Bayberry Candle Company” was printed across the top of each sheet. The breath caught in her throat. This was it—the evaluation of the company.
Kate knew she shouldn’t look, but it was like watching a train accident: You just couldn’t turn away. As she assembled the pages in numeric order, she noticed on the next-to-last sheet a header that read: “Conclusions.”
Her heart clenched. She stared at the words.
Please let it be a vote to keep the business operating.
Please. Please. Please.
Her gaze skimmed down the page. And then it stopped.
Her heart stopped too.
“Recommendation: sell.”
Sell? No. No. No. That can’t be right.
She read it again. But that was exactly what it said. Her worst nightmare had come to life.
At the sound of footsteps, she hurriedly put everything back as she’d found it. She reached for the book, but she fumbled it, and the book landed on the floor with a loud thud. She leaned over, picked it up and rushed out the door. She couldn’t talk to Wes, not right now. A storm of emotions choked up her throat.
Kate blinked repeatedly as she found her way to the back exit. Fortunately, her rubber-soled boots didn’t make a sound on the tile floor as she made her escape.
“Kate?” The familiar male voice echoed down the hallway.
She came to a halt. She knew that deep, rich voice could only belong to one person: Wes.
A wave of conflicting feelings washed over her. She was excited to see him after that toe-curling kiss. And yet she was upset with him for recommending the sale of the candle company. The logical part of her brain told her it was just a function of his job—the reason he was in Bayberry. But she couldn’t dismiss the disappointment that he’d confirmed the worst possibility.
As Wes approached, Kate stood frozen, torn between throwing her arms around his neck to repeat that unforgettable kiss, and telling him what she thought of his report in no uncertain terms. Instead she did neither, and just stood immobile as he blocked her way out of the building.
“Kate, I was
hoping to catch up with you. Today’s the Christmas basket thing, isn’t it?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
He cleared his throat. “Something has come up. I won’t be able to go with you. I’m sorry. I hate to leave you shorthanded—”
“It’s okay.” She hoped her voice sounded normal. She just had to keep her emotions in check for a few more moments. “I should be going. Excuse me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I…I have to find someone to help with the baskets. Excuse me.”
He moved to the side. “Sorry.”
She brushed past him.
“Kate?”
She kept going, forcing herself to walk instead of run, but she didn’t want him to see her face. She was losing her tenuous hold on her emotions.
How could he act as if everything was normal? Did he know what he was going to do to this town? Her heart broke, imagining this small community shattering, everyone going in different directions. None of their lives would ever be the same. Her past and future were gone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The next day, Kate still couldn’t process the news.
The Bayberry Candle Company would not exist in the New Year. The thought hurt her heart. How did one accept that an era was about to end? Her family legacy was over. She thought of going to her aunt, but she wasn’t in any frame of mind to talk. Not yet.
Kate hadn’t seen Wes since they’d bumped into each other at the office, as she’d been busy well into the evening delivering baskets and spreading Christmas cheer that she no longer felt.
She reached for her phone and saw Wes had texted her: Can we talk about the other night? He wanted to talk about the kiss, but right now, her thoughts were on the report. How did he feel about his report? Was it just business as usual? Or was it tearing him up too?
She started to text him back, but then stopped. She backspaced. The things that needed to be said should be done in person. And today there was no time to seek him out. Her holiday obligations kept her busy—kept her from absorbing the full import of the devastation it would wreak on her town, her friends.
She’d borrowed a van from work and had set off with Carrie to pick up the flowers for the dance. It shouldn’t have taken them too long to get to Burlington and back—just a few hours at most. But on the way back, it’d started to snow again. This snowstorm had come out of nowhere and was about to bury them—just like the mounting bad news.
Kate turned up the windshield wipers and let up on the accelerator. She just had to stay focused on the road, not the throbbing ache in her chest. Soon they’d be back in Bayberry, where there were more Christmas baskets waiting to be delivered. If this was to be the last Christmas before things changed, she would not let her friends down. She would soldier through, even if it felt as though her heart were breaking.
She could only hope that Wes and Penney would wait until after the holidays to let everyone know that the candle company would be sold, at best, or at worst, closed. Either way, her merry Christmas was ruined.
The hum of the motor and the crunch of the tires on the salted roads was monotonous. It allowed her mind free rein to consider the “what ifs” and “might haves.” None of which did anything but make Kate more frustrated that she hadn’t been able to do more.
While Carrie texted on her phone, Kate turned on the radio, hoping the music would distract her. But every mention of “making spirits bright” mocked her mood. She turned the radio off.
“What’d you do that for?” Carrie asked. “It was better than your silence.”
“I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I thought you’d be excited that we were able to get these flowers for free.”
“Only because someone had to cancel a wedding.”
“At least they’re not going to waste.”
Kate peered through the snow hitting the windshield. “I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll make it back to town before the storm kicks into full gear.”
“Last I checked, we had another couple of hours before the worst of it was supposed to hit.” Carrie paused. “I don’t think it’s the weather that’s making you so quiet. You have something on your mind. And I don’t think it’s the dance.”
Kate hadn’t mentioned kissing Wes to Carrie or anyone else. She didn’t know why. Maybe because it hadn’t meant anything. Right?
Carrie stared at her. “Kate? Tell me what’s on your mind. After all, we’re stuck in this van together.”
Kate sighed. “We kissed. Wes and I kissed.”
“That’s great!”
Kate shook her head as her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite.”
“Why? Isn’t he a good kisser?”
Kate’s mind filled with the memory of being held in Wes’s arms. “That’s definitely not the problem.”
“So what’s bothering you?”
The problem was that he’d done his job, like he said he would do—fair and impartial. What had she wanted him to do? Lie? That wouldn’t have helped anyone.
Now that she’d had time to calm down, she realized that Wes hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t his fault the candle company had fallen on hard times. And that’s what she’d tell him when they got back to town—
There was a blur of movement on the road ahead. A deer?
Kate stomped on the brakes.
The van started to fishtail. Her heart leapt into her throat. She eased up on the brakes. They were in trouble. She pumped the brakes. The van continued to slide.
With her fingers in a death grip on the steering wheel, her whole focus was on the blur of road whirling by them. She cut the wheel to one side and then the other, steering into the skid.
She felt a bump as the tires went over the berm. The van slid off the road and rolled to a stop in a snowdrift. For a moment, Kate didn’t move. She continued to cling to the steering wheel as her heart pounded in her chest.
Then she turned to her friend, and was shocked to see how pale Carrie looked.
“Carrie, are you okay?”
Her friend nodded, staring straight ahead.
“Carrie, say something. Please.”
Carrie turned to her, eyes wide and mouth open. It took a moment, and then she said, “What happened?”
“There was something in the road. A deer, I think. It all happened so fast.”
“That was scary. Are you okay?”
Kate nodded. “Let’s see if we can get out of here.”
She put the van in reverse and pressed lightly on the gas. The engine revved. The tires spun. But the van didn’t budge. She tried again. And again.
She gave up and put the van in park. “We’re not getting out of here without some help.”
Carrie tapped at her phone. “I’m not getting a signal.”
“Let me try.” Kate picked up her phone. “Me neither. So much for calling for help.”
“I saw a farm a ways back,” Carrie said. “They might have a tractor to pull us out.”
Kate smiled with relief. “I like the way you think.”
She pushed her door open and hopped out, and promptly sank up to her knees in the deep snow. This just wasn’t her week.
Everything was set.
The plan was in motion.
The decisions were made.
And now, Wes had one more important thing to do: speak to Kate. He dialed her cell. It went straight to voicemail. Frustration churned in his gut.
This wasn’t how he wanted to leave things between them. He couldn’t leave town without letting her know that he’d be back. So he left her a message.
He’d been so busy wrapping up things with the candle company that he hadn’t had any spare time to spend with her. He’d literally lived at the office for
the last two days. He recalled the disappointment in Kate’s eyes when he’d told her he couldn’t accompany her to hand out the Christmas baskets. And for that, he felt bad. He felt bad about a lot of things lately, but if his plan worked out, everything would be different. Better. And he hoped she’d forgive him.
Once he returned to the New York office and took care of business, he hoped he’d be able to return to Bayberry and stay until the New Year. He couldn’t think of any place he’d rather spend the holidays. And then there was the person he wanted to spend those holidays with—Kate.
Wait. He was supposed to stay in New York, awaiting the announcement of the promotion. Wasn’t that where his thoughts should be? How had he forgotten what was most important to him?
For so long now, he’d made his career the sole focus of everything he did. His drive to live and work in one spot had been all he’d thought of in college. He’d sworn that he wouldn’t move around from job to job like his father. And here he was, thinking that Bayberry was the place to be—where he wanted to live. But what would that mean for his career?
It was too late now. He had too much invested in his job in the city. He had to keep climbing that corporate ladder…didn’t he?
And if he did, what did that mean for him and Kate? He already knew how much she loved this town. There was no way she would leave it. And he couldn’t ask her to. He knew what Bayberry meant to her—that’s why he’d been doing everything he could to save her family’s business and her town.
Conflicting thoughts raced through his mind as he made his way through the empty offices of the candle company. The only thing he could do now was to pack up and make his way to the airport. He needed to be at that important meeting with his boss first thing in the morning.
Wes packed his laptop. And then he gathered his files. In his rush, he knocked a pen off the desk. He bent over to retrieve it. It was then that a piece of red paper under the desk caught his attention.
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