On the twenty-second, Carter made his way to the pie shop just before noon. The place was only a ten minute walk from his house, so he decided to stretch his legs and get some exercise by walking over. He had a messenger bag slung across his shoulder, where he had hidden a box of gourmet chocolates to give to Clara. He had planned a little speech about how she was sweeter than any box of chocolates, and he hoped she would find the gesture endearing instead of cheesy. His heart beat faster with excitement as he approached the pie shop, and he couldn’t keep a smile off of his face as he imagined Clara sitting across from him as they shared dinner at a nice restaurant. Carter was so focused on getting to Clara that he didn’t notice the unusually high number of cars parked outside of The Sweet Crust. Carter had never been to the shop on the weekend before, and when he walked through the front door, he was surprised by how big the Sunday morning crowd was. He was also surprised to catch a glimpse of a girl behind the cash register that he had never seen before. Clara had almost always been the one manning the front counter, and if she wasn’t there for some reason, the owner Riley had been the one taking orders.
Carter waited in line for several minutes, hoping that Clara was just in the back to work on baking for a bit. The new girl’s nametag read Sara, and Carter asked her about Clara.
“Clara?” Sara repeated. “She’s not here today. She’s working at one of our catering events. The requests for pies at weddings and other events have become too much for Riley to handle on her own. She hired me and another girl to help out here in the store so that Clara could start helping her with catering.”
“So, Clara’s not going to be in today?” Carter asked.
Sara gave him a funny look. “No, not really. She’ll be here for a few minutes at the end of the day to drop off dishes and stuff from catering, but it’ll probably be after the shop’s closed. Did you need to leave her a message or something?”
“Uh, no, it’s okay. I’ll catch her some other time. For now I’ll just take a slice of the apple pie and a large coffee. To go, please.”
Sara nodded and rang up his order, and Carter left the shop feeling deflated. He had pumped himself up to finally ask Clara out, and he had stupidly not considered the possibility that the pie shop would be crowded, or that Clara wouldn’t even be there. He took his pie and cup of coffee and walked back to his house to eat it in the solitude of his kitchen. He would just try again tomorrow. He’d take a quick lunch break from working on the bunkhouse and run by the pie shop to see her.
But Clara wasn’t at the pie shop the next day, or the day after. Sara, or the other new girl, Cathy, seemed to have taken over watching the front counter of the store. By then, Carter realized he had to stop showing up at the store every day or he was going to look like a total creeper. Not only that, but he was going to gain ten pounds from eating a giant slice of that delicious pie every day. He had to come up with a different plan.
He furrowed his brow in thought as he drove away from the pie shop, trying to figure out a way to see Clara outside of the pie shop. He might see her at the smokejumpers’ base on one of the few nights he had left to work there, but that wasn’t a sure thing. Besides, getting her alone there might prove difficult, and he wasn’t keen on asking her out in front of the whole crew. Not only did he fear the embarrassment of being rejected in front of everyone, but it just didn’t seem that special or romantic to put her on the spot in front of her whole group of friends.
And Carter wanted to do something special and romantic for her. He wasn’t exactly the king of romance—as his ex-girlfriend had been fond of reminding him—but he was a caring person who cared about making his woman happy. He wanted Clara to know that if she agreed to be his woman, he was going to make her happy. Carter couldn’t keep from smiling at the thought of Clara being his woman. But how could he show her how much she already meant to him? How could he show her that her smile lit up his day every time he saw it? Or that her shimmering, jet black eyes were the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen? He had to find a way to show her just how special she thought he was.
As Carter turned onto the road that led back to the smokejumpers’ base, a DJ came on the radio, enthusiastically announcing the next song.
“Coming up next is another Christmas song, White Christmas! I know there’s not much of a chance that we’ll have a white Christmas here in northern California, but, hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a classic Christmas tune. I can’t believe it’s almost December, but here we are. I love this season, and I’m so excited to start bringing you Christmas tunes to get you in the holiday spirit. It’s the season of love and romance, everyone! Get ready for a magical December, and tune in to let us be the soundtrack for your holiday season.”
As the first notes of White Christmas filled his car, Carter rolled his eyes heavenward. Here we go again, he thought. The season of love and romance, and I still haven’t found anyone. But before he had spent too much time pitying himself, an idea suddenly hit him. It was the season of love and romance. What better time to be an over the top romantic, and show Clara how he wanted her to be the one making his holidays magical. Carter screeched his truck to a stop and then made a u-turn in the middle of the road. He was heading back into town: he had one more errand to run before going back to work.
Chapter Seven
Clara had fallen into a comfortable rhythm over the last few months. Her job at Riley’s pie shop kept her busier than ever, and, what little bit of free time she had, she spent hanging out with her new friends. Ian hadn’t officially made her a clan member, but she felt just like one of the crew. The nightly barbecues had slowed down due to the crazy rainstorms that continued to increase in number as November wore on and December arrived, but the crew still had dinner together almost nightly. The inside of the hangar was spacious, and the group often sat in there when it rained, drinking beers and laughing together as they enjoyed an evening meal.
Clara saved up enough money to put a small down payment on a car. It was an old, used clunker, but it ran. Riley had been more than willing to let Clara ride back and forth with her to the pie shop, but their work hours didn’t always match up. Clara had also borrowed vehicles from the Burning Claws Crew here and there, but she didn’t like inconveniencing people or worrying that a vehicle might not be available when she needed it. Having her own car gave her a sweet sense of freedom and independence, even if that car was old and ugly.
Even though she had wheels now, the idea of continuing her journey to Los Angeles never crossed Clara’s mind. Her life was here. Business at the pie shop continued to grow, and The Sweet Crust became a well-known name on the wedding circuit. Having a selection of pies from the Sweet Crust in lieu of a wedding cake had become the dream of every bride in northern California, and every Saturday and Sunday through March was already booked. Many Fridays had already been reserved as well. Clara’s weekends became a blur of hauling pies to beautifully decorated reception venues, and watching wedding guests devour the treats with delights. Riley had hired a few new people to help out with the day to day operations of the store, and she was already talking about expanding into a larger shop. During the week, Clara didn’t spend much time at the shop during business hours. But she did often spend early mornings there, helping Riley bake. Business was booming, and Clara and Riley were both happily busy.
Usually, Clara and Riley each catered to a different wedding, so that they could bring the pies to twice as many brides. But sometimes, if the wedding was a larger one, they would work together. Those jobs were always Clara’s favorite. Riley had quickly become her best friend, and working with her was much more fun than working alone. Late in the afternoon on December first, Clara sat in the back of the pie shop with Riley, going over the schedule for December, and she was delighted to see that there would be several larger weddings over the course of the month.
“But, of course,” Riley said, “Our most important wedding this month is December nineteenth.”
Clara gr
inned as she looked at the block for December nineteenth on the calendar, where “Zach and Mindy” was written in large, bold letters.
“I can’t wait!” Clara said. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to a lifemate ceremony. And I think the holidays are so romantic. What better time is there to have a wedding, really?”
Riley grinned. “I know. It’s going to be such a special day. And Mindy told me this morning that the adoption for Drew is going to be finalized on December ninth, so he will officially be part of their family before the wedding. They’re going to make him the ring bearer, and Sophia is going to be the flower girl.”
Clara smiled. “That’s going to be so cute. I’m so happy for their whole family. And what big hearts Zach and Mindy both have! Drew is a lucky little boy to be adopted by such sweet parents.”
Riley nodded. “Mindy is an amazing mother. She balances working as a nurse with spending time with Zach and Sophia—and she’s planning a wedding and getting everything done for Drew’s adoption. I know Zach is helping, but still. She’s pretty much superwoman. I know she’s really excited about Drew becoming part of their family, though. She’s volunteered for a long time at the orphanage that has guardianship over Drew. She wanted to adopt him before, but the director wouldn’t let her because she wasn’t married or in a serious relationship. He said no one would be there to be a father figure for the boy, which was ridiculous because Mindy works with a ton of great guys at the hospital who love kids and would make great role models. But, anyway, now that Mindy’s getting married the orphanage is letting her adopt Drew. He’s close in age to Sophia, so it’s going to be really fun for them to grow up together. He’s not a shifter cub, but he’ll grow up around shifting so it will be normal to him. And little does the orphanage know that the husband Mindy found is half bear.”
Riley and Clara both laughed, and then Clara looked down at the calendar full of wedding dates.
“What about you, Riley?” Clara asked. “Any plans to tie the knot and make things with Hunter official?”
Riley laughed and shrugged. “We will, eventually. We had planned to have a wedding this fall, actually, but things got too busy with the pie shop. This business is still really young, and I want to do everything I can to make sure it gets the best start possible. Hunter has been completely supportive of that. I think Luke and Trevor are planning weddings for next summer, so Hunter and I will probably jump on that bandwagon. We’re tentatively planning to have an official ceremony once I’ve had a chance to get a team hired and in place here at the shop. So far, everyone I’ve hired has been great. Especially you.”
“Thanks,” Clara said. “I’ve loved working here, and working with you.”
“So,” Riley said, her eyes taking on a mischievous glint, “What about you? Any romantic prospects?”
Clara rolled her eyes. “Not really. I’ve met a few guys who I think are cute, but I’ve been too busy to really pursue anything. And I don’t want to waste time on a relationship unless it’s something serious, anyway. I can’t stand all this casual dating crap people do nowadays. I want a man who loves me and is truly committed to me, not just someone looking for a girl to bang for a few months before moving on to the next flavor of the season.”
Riley laughed. “I hear you. I was never much into casual dating either.”
The conversation turned back to catering plans for December, and for the next half hour Riley and Clara made lists of which pies needed to be baked for which days. They had almost finished when they heard the bell above the front door ring.
Riley looked up, surprised. “I better go get that. I told Cathy she could leave early because I didn’t think we’d get any business for the last hour of the day.”
Riley hopped up and ran to the front counter, while Clara continued double-checking their baking list for December. Clara was still engrossed in reading the list when Riley came back to the stockroom.
“Oh my god, Clara. It looks like you might have to rethink that whole ‘no romantic prospects’ thing.”
Clara glanced up, and did a double take when she realized that Riley was holding a huge bouquet of red and white flowers.
“What the heck is that?” she asked.
“It’s for you,” Riley said. “It looks like you’ve caught someone’s eye.”
Clara jumped up and grabbed the small card that came with the bouquet. She tore it open quickly, scanning for a name. But there was no name. Only a message that read, “Dear Beautiful, I hope you enjoy these flowers. During this magical holiday season, I want to show you that you are the only magic I need.”
Clara bit her lip to stifle the silly grin that was trying to spread across her face. The flowers were gorgeous, and the message was so sweet, albeit a little cheesy. But it was also cryptic. Who could have possibly sent her something like this? She had talked to a few guys here and there at the weddings she had catered. Now and then a guy would be particularly insistent on hitting on her. This bouquet was probably from one of those guys.
“Who is it from?” Riley asked, excitedly trying to peer over the large bouquet to see the card.
Clara shrugged and handed the card to Riley. “It doesn’t say.”
Riley scanned the card for a moment and then grinned. “Ohhhh, it looks like you have a secret admirer!”
“I guess,” Clara said, feeling a little embarrassed at the attention. “It’s probably just from some random guy at one of the weddings. You know as well as I do that there’s always at least one drunk guy at the reception convinced that he’s your soulmate or something like that.”
“Well, yeah, but if a guy decided to send you flowers days later, then it’s obviously not just some drunken crush.”
Clara shrugged again. “Maybe not, but I don’t have much time for a guy right now, especially when I have no idea who the guy actually is.”
“Well, maybe he has big plans to reveal himself, and this was just the warm-up,” Riley said. “You have to admit that it’s a pretty good warm-up.”
“It was a pretty sweet warm-up,” Clara agreed. “But it’s going to take more than just a bouquet of flowers to win me over.”
Riley gave Clara a playful shove. “Oh, come on. Don’t write the guy off so quickly. Flowers this beautiful are a good start on his part, I’d say.”
Clara glanced over at the flowers. “They are pretty impressive, aren’t they? Maybe I’ll just leave them here in the shop, so we can all enjoy them.”
Clara did just that, and didn’t think much more about her secret admirer the next day. She was catering a holiday party at Red Valley’s civic center, and was busy all day baking and delivering pies. When she finally arrived back to the pie shop just after closing, she wanted nothing more than to go home and fall into bed. She’d have to be up and at it early the next day, since she had a wedding on the schedule.
Clara went to the back of the shop to drop off some pie dishes before heading out. Riley was there, leaning over some vendor statements with a furrowed brow. She was so intent on whatever it was she was looking at that she hadn’t seemed to notice Clara walking into the shop. Clara probably could have left without a single word to Riley, and Riley would never have noticed. But Clara didn’t want to be rude, so she let out a little cough and said, “Hey, Riley.”
Startled, Riley jumped and dropped her pen. “Shit, I didn’t even hear you come in,” she said. I’m trying to get all of our supply orders sorted out before next week.”
“Sorry, I was just dropping off some dishes and didn’t want to head out without saying goodbye,” Clara said, already stepping toward the door.
“Wait a minute! Not so fast,” Riley said. “You got another delivery today.”
“Another delivery?” Clara asked, genuinely confused.
“Yes. Another delivery. Of flowers. Your secret admirer strikes again. At least I’m assuming it’s your secret admirer. I didn’t open the card to read it, but I’m dying to know what it says. The flowers are in my office. Come on.”
Riley led Clara to her small office, where another huge bouquet of flowers was sitting atop a stack of papers on Riley’s desk. This bouquet was blue and white, with a generous amount of greenery. Clara’s eyes widened as she took it in. Whoever her admirer might be, he was spending a fortune on flowers.
Hands shaking a bit with nervous anticipation, Clara reached for the card and opened it. Once again, there was no name. Just a sweet message that read, “Dear Beautiful: One universe, eight planets, seven continents, five oceans…and somehow I found you. I’m so happy that fate brought you across my path.”
Wordlessly, Clara handed the card over to Riley, who took a few moments to read it.
“Oh my god. That’s ridiculously sweet,” Riley said. “Are you sure you have no idea who this guy is? Think really hard. Did any of the guys you’ve met at the weddings stand out as being particularly interested in you?”
Clara thought hard, but couldn’t come up with anyone. “I don’t know,” she said. “I really can’t think of anyone who seemed interested in me beyond the normal drunken flirtation I always get.”
Riley crossed her arms. “Well, think harder. You have to find out who this guy is! You can’t just let Prince Charming send you two huge, beautiful bouquets of flowers without making an effort to find him.”
“Why not?” Clara asked, leaning over to sniff the flowers. “Don’t you think if he really wanted to be found, he would have signed his name on the notes?”
Beary And Bright (Fire Bear Shifters 6) Page 4