by Olivia Miles
He nodded once. “We did.”
“And who knows, we might win. You know I’ll split the earnings.”
Nate rolled his eyes. “You certainly will not. It was fun, you’re right. And Briar Creek is a charming town. It’s just—”
“Your life is in Boston,” she finished for him. “I know.” She huffed out a breath and folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve asked enough of you.” She glanced at her watch, her brows shooting up. “My, I should hurry. I just came in to give you a wake-up call and look at me, getting all emotional at this time of day!”
She stood to leave, all at once the cheery innkeeper, boasting about her Christmas blend of coffee topped with cinnamon whipped cream and those peppermint scones he really must try. Nate watched her go with the promise of being down in a few minutes, but it took him several more than that to decide how to process what he’d just learned.
He would have loved to have given her the one thing she wanted more than anything this Christmas, but for now, he’d do what he could.
Kara knocked on Kathleen Madison’s door at exactly five o’clock, and she couldn’t resist a peek through the windows that framed it as she waited for this evening’s hostess to let her in from the cold. As she’d been told, the walls of the Victorian were now a beautiful shade of ivory, and the banister was wrapped in a frosted white noble fir garland, frocked with white. Fairy lights were wrapped around it, as well as the garland that framed every archway.
She’d thought the exterior to be impressive enough, with the twinkling lights and pristine wreaths that hung from every window by a thick ivory velvet ribbon, but as the door swung open and her friends’ mother greeted her with a warm smile, Kara felt her breath fade away.
“Kathleen,” she muttered, looking this way and that. “This is… stunning.”
She couldn’t decide where to look first. The entire house seemed to glow.
“Oh, just a little makeover. Keeps me busy.” Kathleen helped Kara to shrug her coat from her shoulders. “I heard you were entering the Holiday House contest yourself.”
Kara grimaced, her entry suddenly feeling amateur compared to this professional effort. “Oh, I’m just making a gingerbread house.”
“Just a gingerbread house?” Kathleen shook her head. “Sounds impressive to me, dear. Most people couldn’t bake something that stands straight enough to hold a roof, much less something on a scale large enough to enter a contest.”
Kara had to agree. Her gingerbread houses had been a success, and her entry was by far her finest effort yet. “I’m proud of it.”
“As you should be. I can’t wait to see what you’ve created.”
Kara clutched her paper bags of cookie boxes, feeling excited again about her entry, until she turned the corner into the dining room, where her eyes all but dismissed the cookie table set up for tonight’s cookie swap and went straight to the hearth, the mirror, the ivory satin curtains that extended from ceiling to floor. And… was that a new couch in the living room?
Sensing her thought, Kathleen said, “Reupholstered. It needed freshening up.”
Kara struggled to find words as she dipped her hand into her paper shopping bag to pull out her first cookie box. As soon as she popped the lid to plate them, she saw they were her snowflake cookies, and all at once her thoughts went from worries about the Holiday House contest to worries about Nate. The one who had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
He hadn’t been at the inn when she’d stopped by today—his aunt had said he’d gone out on an errand. Kara had been a bit relieved, but a bit disappointed, too. Without the chance to see him today, that left only tomorrow, and the day after was already Christmas Eve.
“Are those the cookies you make for tea at the inn?” Grace said, coming to admire them.
“The very same,” Kara said. “How did you know?”
“I had tea there today with my mother and Anna. Anna couldn’t stop praising them. I think she’s hoping for the recipe… if you’re wondering what to get her for Christmas.” Grace winked.
At the mention of gifts, Kara felt her stomach knot. “Do you know if Molly has gotten my mother anything yet?”
Grace blanched. “I was hoping the three of you would have figured that out. I told Luke he had to ask her directly this year, but do you know what she told him she wanted? Other than a grandchild, of course.” She rolled her eyes.
“What?” Kara asked so eagerly that several women turned to stare.
Grace gave her a pointed look. “Dish towels.”
Kara felt her expression fall along with her hope. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope. Burnt-orange dish towels to match the flecks in her granite counters. Do you know how hard it is to find that color at Christmastime? Why couldn’t she have told us back in the fall, before everything turned red and green?”
“And white.” Kara looked around the beautiful room once more. “I think your mother’s going to win again this year.” Though she smiled, her heart felt more than a little heavy.
Grace looked nonplussed. “Well, she’s outdone herself. Again.” She reached over to take a cookie, but Anna appeared, slapping it away.
“You can’t eat them just yet. They’re for the swap.”
“Well, I didn’t know there wouldn’t be any food at this party. It’s a cookie party!”
Kara laughed. “I see the plates of food on the coffee table,” she said, motioning to the equally stunning adjacent living room. “And there’s even some cookies.”
“Oh good.” Grace grinned and went off to join Molly and Jane, who were already deep in conversation with Ivy. No doubt discussing wedding plans, Kara thought a little sadly.
“So,” Anna said with interest. “Business seems to be going well!”
Despite the warmth in her friend’s smile, Kara felt herself wilt with unease. “It is,” she said a little hesitantly. Anna and Mark had a well-oiled machine thanks to the hard work and hours they put in. Had they ever struggled as she did, or slipped up and forgot to offer things like… beverages to customers? Probably not.
“Give it time,” Anna encouraged. “When I first opened the café, I didn’t sleep for an entire year. But when something means a lot to you, you find a way to make it work.” Her smile turned a little shy.
“Like you and Mark?” Kara asked.
“That’s one example,” Anna said, laughing. “Now tell me, what’s up with you and Mrs. Griffin’s nephew?”
Kara stiffened. “Nate? Oh, nothing. We’re just… friends.”
Anna shrugged and helped Kara to plate another box of cookies. “Well, he asked about you today when I stopped by for high tea.”
“He did?” Despite her reservations, Kara felt her pulse begin to race.
Anna’s expression was deadpan, but her blue eyes twinkled. “I thought you two were just friends?”
Kara swatted at her friend. “It doesn’t matter what we are.” She sighed. Or what they might have been. “He lives in Boston.”
“So?” Anna took the empty bags from her hands. “As I said, if something means a lot, you find a way to make it work.”
Truer words had never been spoken, Kara knew, but that was easy for Anna to say. She and Mark had a history, a shared goal of opening a restaurant, and they both lived in Briar Creek. Kara didn’t have half those things on her side. Besides, Nate had proven that when he wanted something, he didn’t back down—and his job, and the life he’d earned for himself back in Boston, clearly meant a lot to him. How could she compete with that?
Helping herself to a glass of sparkling wine, Kara followed Anna into the living room, where she greeted Ivy and Jane. As expected, Ivy and Molly were deeply engrossed in a conversation about their wedding plans, and Molly was offering up some back issues of her magazine for new ideas. Kara tried to smile politely, but as the conversation went on, and then Anna joined in, followed by Jane and Grace, who spoke from experience, she felt her heart begin to sink.
&nbs
p; She’d always prided herself on standing on her own, not needing someone, just hoping to find someone, but the longer this conversation went on, just like the more time that passed, she felt more and more left out. Wouldn’t it be fun to join in, talk about centerpieces and party favors and the perfect song for the first dance?
“I actually have something to tell you girls,” Anna said, smiling mysteriously as she glanced at her sisters, Grace and Jane.
“Sounds like big news!” Ivy leaned in eagerly.
“It is. Mark and I finally set a date.” Anna’s smile was so broad, Kara couldn’t help but put aside her own self-pity and get swept up in the excitement.
“That’s wonderful!” she cried. “When?”
“New Year’s Eve,” Anna said.
“Oh, good choice. And you’ll have a whole year to plan,” Ivy said knowingly.
“No, not next year, this year,” Anna corrected.
Kara glanced at Ivy, whose look of bewilderment matched her own. “But… that’s only a week and a half away!”
“I know,” Anna said happily.
“But… how long have you been planning this?” Ivy pressed. Ivy had been planning her wedding since the fall, and Kara knew she still had several details to iron out.
“Since yesterday,” Anna said, laughing. “We’ve put it off long enough, and it’s the holidays. Seemed like the perfect time to do it.”
“Are you going on a honeymoon?” Kara’s voice felt strained. When she’d finally worked up the courage to leave her job at the restaurant, she’d worried what impact it would have on her cousin and friend. Mark and Anna put endless hours into Rosemary and Thyme—they were hardly in a position to take a step away, especially without a full staff.
Kara felt the familiar weight of guilt take hold again, and she pressed a hand to her stomach to settle herself. Now, with the bakery, she understood more than ever just what kind of pressure Anna must be under with the restaurant, especially given its success.
She should have waited. Given her notice after they’d gotten married. Made sure they had a proper honeymoon. But then… they still hadn’t set a date. And her dreams had been on hold for so long.
“We’re going on a short honeymoon, yes,” Anna said, to Kara’s relief. “We’re going up to Cedar Valley Resort for a few days. It was where we reunited and… it holds special meaning.”
“But a wedding!” Ivy said in alarm.
“It can be done on short notice. Look at Molly.”
At this, all eyes turned to Molly, who seemed uncomfortable at the sudden shift in attention. “Yes, but I’m sort of an expert at wedding planning. I already had my checklist ready to go.”
“Mark and I don’t want something elaborate,” Anna said, sighing. “We’re getting married here, in this house. I can’t think of a venue that could top this,” she said, opening her arms to the glittering room.
No, Kara thought, she couldn’t either. It was like a page out of a magazine. A very expensive, very professional magazine.
“Will you all be able to make it?” Anna asked worriedly.
“Of course,” Kara reassured her. “Where else would we be?”
“I’ll come back for the weekend,” Molly assured her.
“Then a toast,” Grace said, raising her glass. “To the soon-to-be Mrs. Mark Hastings!”
Kara raised her glass, overwhelmed at the thought of Anna joining her extended family, but a little part of her began to sink when she realized that yet again, she’d be attending a wedding on her own.
The past few days with Nate had been enough to make her see what she’d been missing. And what would be gone again, and all too soon.
CHAPTER 18
For the third time since she’d arrived at Sugar and Spice that morning, Kara was grateful that the shop was closed on Mondays. Already her mother had called four times, in a tizzy about something with The Nutcracker, and Kara knew that Luke was already over at the auditorium, helping with the scenery.
Molly was scheduled to go over two hours before curtain call, to help with hair and makeup, and technically all Kara needed to worry about were the cookies and the food and toy drive, but twice she’d been asked to pick up last-minute necessities, like some silk ribbon for Clara’s sash, and some bobby pins, just in case…
In between the calls and the baking, she put the finishing details on her Holiday House entry, more driven than ever after seeing Kathleen’s effort the night before. Hurrying to finish some piping around the chimney, her hand slipped, and some royal icing dribbled onto the roof. Kara cursed under her breath and grabbed a paper towel to wipe it away before it set.
“Calm down,” Molly ordered through a mouthful of cookie. “You’ll do a better job if you aren’t rushing. I still wish you’d stop standing in front of the thing and let me see it already. Are you really going to make me wait? What’s the mystery?”
Kara managed to sop up the mess before disaster occurred, then took a step back. She brushed the hair from her forehead with the back of her hand and sighed. She felt hot and agitated and entirely too overwhelmed. “I don’t know why I’m even bothering with this. Everyone knows Kathleen Madison is going to win. She always wins.”
“So? Maybe this isn’t her year.” Molly plucked another coconut macaroon from the tray and broke it in half before cramming one piece into her mouth.
Kara eyed her steadily over her shoulder while shielding the bulk of the gingerbread house with her body. She wondered if it was worth her time to have a conversation about those being for tonight’s Nutcracker bake sale and decided it wasn’t. She could always make more, and who knew how many would sell anyway.
“You saw Kathleen’s house last night,” Kara said, giving her sister a pointed look.
Molly polished off the second half of the cookie and winced. “Yeah. I did.”
Kara shut her eyes, but only for a moment. She still had to decorate the last batch of snowflake cookies for the inn and then get back in time to shower and prepare for tonight. She eyed the gingerbread house, feeling almost as sad for it as she did for herself. It was everything she’d hoped it would be, exactly as she’d pictured it, but it wouldn’t be enough. How could it? She couldn’t make it glow or sparkle. It was edible. An edible house. What made her ever think she could compete with the real thing?
Nate, she thought, smiling a little sadly to herself. Nate had challenged her, but he’d always made her almost believe she could win.
Huffing out a breath, she picked up her piping bag and began working on the cookies for tea. She hadn’t seen Nate since the Winter Festival, and she didn’t really know what she’d say when she saw him again. He’d been asking about her, and that excited her. More than it probably should. Already that kiss was fading away. That was probably for the best, too.
When the cookies were ready, Molly arranged them in a box while Kara grabbed her hat and coat from the hook on the back of her office door.
“Don’t you need to get over to the dance studio to help Mom soon?” she asked.
“I told her you needed me,” Molly said, her expression turning pleading. “I’ll go over after lunch, but… I just want to put it off as long as possible.”
Kara laughed under her breath. Molly should be helping their mother; they both knew that. But they also knew just how tense things were at the studio right now. She didn’t blame her sister for hiding out for a bit.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said, hoping that wouldn’t exactly be the case. “And no peeking at the gingerbread house! Feel free to help yourself to whatever else you’d like.”
Molly lit up as she reached for a piece of candy cane fudge. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Kara shook her head as she pushed through the kitchen door and into the empty storefront. Molly had never been one to indulge in sweets—she was always too worried about her weight. And with a wedding just around the corner, she’d expected her sister to announce some crazy fad diet instead of a sugar bender.
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sp; She smiled to herself. Molly was probably just getting caught up in the magic of the holidays. It was an easy thing to do in Briar Creek.
Nate set down the paintbrush and sighed. He knew his aunt had requested a painting to go along with the theme of her contest entry, but he hoped she would like what he created more than that. It had been too long since he’d last picked up a brush—years, maybe even a decade—but once he’d started, he’d found he couldn’t stop. The hours went by and he’d barely even noticed. And now it was almost time for Kara’s daily visit, he realized with a jolt.
After tucking the canvas into the bathroom, where he hoped his aunt wouldn’t be inclined to go, he closed the door to his suite and jogged down the stairs to the lobby. He paused at the bottom, admiring the way the room looked, so festive and warm and alive and cheerful, the way his aunt’s face shone as she talked to the guests, offering up suggestions, pride in her voice, and… passion.
Would she really give this all up? Retire, close it down, or worse—move out and sell to a stranger? She was right; no one could love this place as much as she did. No one could appreciate its history, its value, on an emotional level.
He’d spent so much time assessing businesses for their extrinsic worth, not their intrinsic value, and this old house was overflowing with it… much like Kara’s bakery, he thought, as she stepped through the front door.
He raised his hand to meet her, noticing the shy smile she gave him as she stomped the snow from her boots. His gut tightened at the pretty way her lips curved, the way her eyelashes fluttered for a moment before she looked down at the doormat.
He hadn’t seen her yesterday, and that had disappointed him. A lot. And that disappointment had caught him by surprise, made him realize just how hard he was falling for her. Concern over how Kara might feel if he beat her in the contest reared sharp, and he shifted his gaze to his aunt, tightening a fist against his jeans with conflicted loyalty.
“Hello,” she said brightly as he came to greet her.
“Hello,” he said, letting his gaze rove over her pretty face. Her cheeks were pink, as was the tip of her nose, and her hands were like ice when his thumb grazed her skin as she passed him the box of cookies. “You’re freezing.”