A mural of cupcakes.
It was fun to design, but the actual assembly so far had been trickier than I’d anticipated. I wanted to have multiple Christmas scenes that were easily discernible, but also fairly simple to pull apart. There was a large tree in the center with golden ornaments I’d created out of modeling chocolate and glittery sprinkles and an array of red and gold wrapped packages underneath, all done in frosting. Then to the side was a chimney with stockings hanging above a roaring fire, and a starry-skied window opposite that with a bank of snow on the ground visible through the panes.
By the time I was finished sprinkling extra sugar crystals over the white icing for snow and stars, my back was aching from bending over the cupcake scene. I stood tall, stretching my arms, and then checked my phone.
I’d texted Patrick earlier to ask if he’d rather I asked someone else to help me get the cupcakes to the school. He’d agreed to help me before we broke up, and now I wasn’t sure how he felt about participating in obligatory boyfriend jobs.
I’ll be there at seven. I’ve still got your back, Mads.
I blew a large breath of air from my lungs, glad I didn’t have to call Todd and beg his help at the very last second. Or Jake. I knew he’d be willing, but I couldn’t ask now, not since we’d kissed a few days ago. I didn’t want him to think I was expecting anything from him. He’d made it clear he was leaving town eventually.
Staring at the cupcakes, I shifted the plywood base over and piped a few additional accents on the stockings and tree. There. Finished.
I slipped into the dining room and found Joey. “Hey, I’m leaving in ten minutes. You’ve got the place covered until I get back, right?”
He lifted a spatula. “You got it, boss.”
I reached behind me to untie my apron and went back to the cupcakes, jumping at the sight of a large man in my kitchen.
“When did you get here?”
Patrick turned and grinned. “You didn’t see me walk in? Man, Mads, this is amazing.”
Grinning, I reached for a new, clean apron and tied it around my waist. “I’m pretty satisfied with it.” Pulling out my phone, I flipped it horizontally and turned on the camera. “Let me grab a picture and we can go.”
Maneuvering the giant bed of cupcakes out the door took finesse. I picked up one end of the cupcake covered plywood and Patrick took the other, walking backward toward the doorway.
Patrick glanced over his shoulder and sucked a breath through his teeth. “I don’t know if this is going to fit.”
“It better, because there’s no way to disassemble the cupcakes without ruining most of the frosting.”
I held my breath as Patrick backed through the door, the mural fitting so closely that the scrape of wood on the metal doorframe screeched, causing goosebumps to run up my arms and prick my ears. We made it outside and slid it carefully into the bed of my truck, sighing simultaneously.
“Want me to ride in the back with them?” he asked.
There was certainly enough room for both Patrick and the cupcakes. “Actually, yeah. Then you can keep it from sliding around.”
I hopped into the driver’s side and pulled out slowly, careful not to let my tires slide on the snow. I watched Patrick through the rearview mirror as he sat on the side of the truck, holding onto the cab while we drove down the road. He was watching the cupcakes and his focus was touching. I might not have made it work out with Patrick, but I did care about him. He was a good guy and was probably never going to be leaving Holly Springs.
That hit me with force. It was probably why I’d felt so reluctant to let go of the relationship with him over the last few years. I knew Patrick was a safe bet. I just didn’t love him.
We made it to the school with less than five minutes to spare, the slick roads hampering my ability to drive smoothly and quickly.
Patrick’s teeth were chattering and his cheeks rosy by the time we arrived. We got the tray into the school’s gym easily and onto the table they’d had set out for dessert.
Principal Gomez clapped his hands together, his bright smile wide and delighted. “This looks spectacular!”
“Thank you, Mr. Gomez.”
He rested his fists on his waist in the superhero pose, grinning. “I knew we wouldn’t be disappointed with whatever you came up with.” He sidled up beside me. “Hey, you wouldn’t mind if the school tags you in our post on FotoFeed, would you?”
I tried to temper my smile, but it was humorous that the school wanted to use me for a little publicity. I had a lot of followers, though, so I didn’t blame him. “Of course not.”
“Splendid. Thanks again, Madison.”
I glanced around the meandering group of teachers but didn’t see the new Kindergarten teacher. I was hoping to find and introduce her to Patrick. That wasn’t weird…right?
“Too bad we don’t get to eat the cupcakes,” Patrick lamented as we left the gym. “I thought for sure he’d ask us to stay.”
I paused in the hallway. “Did you want to stay?”
“No. Well, I’ve got nothing better to do, so I wouldn’t turn an invitation down.”
Patrick totally wanted to stay. And he’d eaten loads of my cupcakes before so I knew that couldn’t possibly be the only draw. A woman with bouncy curls walked toward us in a tasteful little red dress and cute sparkly flats. She had a matching ribbon in her hair, exactly like I’d imagine a Kindergarten teacher would dress outside of school. “Oh shoot,” I said loudly, forming a plan. “I forgot to tell Principal Gomez the cupcake flavors.”
I waited a moment until I caught the new teacher’s eye. “Hey, you’re heading into the party, right?”
“Yeah,” she answered, glancing between Patrick and me. I didn’t see the sudden explosion of sparks I’d hoped for, but I knew Patrick well and could gauge a certain level of interest on his side.
I smiled. “Great. Would you tell Mr. Gomez the cupcake flavors? The tree is all chocolate, the side with the window and snow is vanilla, and the panel with the fireplace and chimney is red velvet.”
Her eyebrows screwed together.
“Or you could just remember the tree is chocolate,” I said quickly. “And Patrick, you remember the other two. I’d come back in, but I’ve got to get back to the diner ASAP.”
I started walking down the hall and looked over my shoulder. “You’ll find a ride, right Patrick?”
He was nodding, and I didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty for my forcefulness. Maybe they wouldn’t hit it off and that was fine.
But maybe they would.
“See you later,” Patrick called. I lifted an arm in response, glancing at my watch and pretending I really was late.
When I made it outside, I sat in my truck a moment longer and watched small, fluffy snowflakes swirl to the ground. My memory immediately shot back to the last day of school before winter break when I was sixteen, and how Dad had closed the diner for the afternoon and picked me up, surprising me with an impromptu ice-skating trip.
It might have been just the two of us since my mom left when I was little, but that never hampered my Dad’s ability to give me the attention I needed to feel loved and cared for, despite his business and single parenting.
I pulled the truck onto the road and drove back to Main Street slowly. Stopping near the giant Christmas tree, I parked the truck and got out. Snow drifted down around me and muffled my steps, coating the earth in a crisp, white sheet.
The tree was large and imposing and full of a mishmash of ornaments. Some I recognized, but many I didn’t. I sought the clear snowflake I’d been hanging since I was a child, but my gaze was arrested by the wooden hourglass hung below it by the older man.
The sand was still running.
My breath caught in my throat and I reached forward, tapping it with the tip of my finger. It swung back and forth, and the sand within tipped to the side accordingly.
It was real.
Glancing over my shoulder, I swept the streets for another person
but saw no people or footprints anywhere near this section of the tree. But there was no other explanation. Clearly someone had turned the hourglass. They had to. But who?
A chill swept down my spine and I watched the sand run for a moment longer. Shaking with cold, I tore my gaze away from the hourglass and turned from the tree, jumping back into my truck and heading for my house. I was not ready to contemplate the finer points of the hourglass or the science behind it. But there had to be an explanation, because magic wasn’t real. I’d been wishing for ponies and boyfriends on that tree every year for the duration of my life and never once did a pony or a boyfriend show up on my porch.
And neither would my dad.
* * *
Jake
My phone buzzed. Again.
I reached for my phone where it vibrated on the coffee table. Mark’s name lit up across the screen and I dropped my head back, closing my eyes. I slid the phone on and put it to my ear, covering my face with my free hand as if that would lessen the blow I was about to receive.
“I’m going to try really hard not to yell at you.”
“Hello, Mark.”
“Seriously? You’ve been avoiding me, Jake. And don’t start coming up with lame excuses because I’m not an idiot and I won’t buy them.”
Silence reigned for about two seconds before Mark went off again.
“You know what? You are wasting my time. I don’t get why you care about this diner so much but I can resend you the reports if you need to see them again. The place has been dead for two years and there’s no recovering here. I get that you probably feel bad for the guy running the place but this is business, it isn’t personal. And he’ll survive.”
I dropped my hand and glanced around Madison’s apartment, tuning out my brother’s chatter. The diner was closed for the evening downstairs, not that anyone would be there if they weren’t. So I knew she was gone.
I trained my eyes on the snow falling outside the window, its fluffy white powder gathering on the outer windowsill. This really was such a different world than I was used to, and Mark’s powerful voice reminded me of the difference. I was immediately transported back to my office and I didn’t like the feeling one bit.
Interrupting Mark’s monologue, I cleared my throat. “I agree.”
“You have to see—wait, what? You agree with what?”
“The business is failing and they’ve received plenty of notices to get things in order. Bottom line is, they aren’t making their lease payments and by the look of things, it really isn’t going to pick up around here anytime soon.”
There was an edge of amusement to his voice when he said, “What, no Christmas miracles, Jake?”
I clenched my jaw. I was forever being mocked for being the sentimental one and Mark knew it annoyed me. “I think she’s got a real chance of success, but she isn’t taking my advice.”
Silence hummed on the phone.
“Mark? You there?”
“Yeah,” he said immediately. “I thought you said there was no way for them to turn it around.”
“There isn’t,” I agreed. “Not the diner at least. But I think she’s got a shot at being really successful if she turns it into a bakery. And if you recall, bakery was on the list for viable replacement businesses.”
His silence was not a good sign.
He blew a breath into the phone. “I say we cut bait and let it go. It’s probably not a good idea to continue this client relationship with the eviction and everything.”
“But that’s the thing,” I explained. “In a sense we’re evicting her dad’s business. She’s tried to keep it up, but it just hasn’t worked for her. I think if we can convince her to try the bakery route, we’ll get our lease checks on time and she’ll have a successful business. Let me just send you my proposal.”
“I don’t like this, Jake. You were sent to Holly Springs to kick out the tenant and see to finding a replacement. Cut ties and move on. No one wants their ex hanging around; it makes things awkward. What if the bakery fails too? Then this person is evicted twice.” He sighed. “Besides, she’s already proven that she can run one business into the ground so her track record isn’t exactly attractive right now.”
He didn’t get it. He’d never tried one of her cake pops. “Can’t you just trust me on this? I am pretty good at my job, Mark.”
“Yet you’ve been there days with no updates and you’re avoiding my calls. I get that this whole process can take a lot of time, but no updates? Clearly something is getting in your head here.”
Yeah, and her name was Madison Bell. But I wasn’t about to admit to my brother that I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman running the diner. That wouldn’t help anyone out.
“You’re still flying home for Christmas, right?”
Shoot. I wasn’t planning on telling him yet. “Actually, I think I’ll just stay here. I don’t want to bother flying home for one day just to fly back. It’ll be easier if I skip it this year.”
“Dad’s got the house in Palm Springs all ready and he invited the lead of the Greenville Corporation for the week. We all need to be there.”
Because what was a holiday without some sort of networking? “I think you’ve got it covered. I’m going to skip it.”
“Mom won’t be happy.”
She’d be even less happy if she knew I was skipping Christmas to stay in Holly Springs with her own mother. It was a miracle she hadn’t heard where I was yet or she would be blowing up my phone right now.
“Yeah, well, it’s one day. They’ll be bugged for a minute and then the head of the Greenville Corporation will remind them what really matters and all will be forgotten.”
“Watch it, bro. Bitter never sounded good on anyone.”
I guess I should just be pleased Mark hadn’t made any snarky comments about my sensitivity.
“Don’t let that small-town vibe wreck you,” Mark said. “We all know how delicate your emotional state can be.”
It wasn’t sensitivity, but it was close. “Good thing this is a phone call, or I’d sock you.”
“Just call me with an update tomorrow, okay? I don’t want to be hounding you. It doesn’t look good.”
Shaking my head, I said, “You might be project manager here, but Dad still owns the company.”
Mark didn’t grace me with a response, so I said goodbye and hung up the phone, tossing it on the cushion at the other end of the couch. Immediately, I reached for it again and opened it up to FotoFeed. Finding Madison’s page, I scrolled her posts, noting the pictures that had received the most likes. I scrolled back up to the top and clicked on the picture she’d posted an hour earlier of a giant frosting-painted mural and read the caption.
Oh, wow. It was done on cupcakes? I wouldn’t have guessed that.
I found the picture I’d taken during the parade of Madison laughing with an older gentleman and zoomed in on her face. Her long, dark hair framed her face well and her cheeks and the tip of her button nose were pink from the cold. She was beautiful, and I’d been so lucky when she’d kissed me a few days ago. I hadn’t thought of much else since; I was trying to give her space so she knew that I didn’t expect anything from her. But man, it was difficult.
Groaning, I dropped my head back and laid my arm over my forehead. I was not planning on staying in Holly Springs forever, so I needed to quit thinking about this girl.
But she was not making it easy.
13
Jake
Breakfast in the diner the following morning was fairly busy, which was refreshing and obnoxious at the same time. I needed to have a real conversation with Madison and it wasn’t going to happen with all these people around. She was flitting from table to table, refilling mugs and delivering plates of food.
Too bad it wasn’t her in the kitchen and Joey out with the guests. With that reversal, she was bound to have more satisfied customers.
I’d ordered an omelet, and it wasn’t terrible. But it wasn’t amazing, either.
An idea formed in my mind on shaky legs and I pounced on it immediately. “Hey Madison,” I said, grabbing her attention as she walked by my seat.
“You need something?” she asked. Her hair was thrown into a knot on top of her head and her simple, striped t-shirt was relaxed. Everything about her was relaxed. Maybe that is what drew me to her, that she was the very opposite of what I’d known my whole life.
“Yeah, you want to meet me for a burger at lunch?”
Her smile was small, as if she was trying to rein it in. It made my stomach flip and I wanted to pick up her hand right then and pull her toward me.
“Sure.”
“Great.” I clasped my fork to keep from reaching to her. “We can potluck. You bring a burger. And not to sound weird, but can you have Joey make it? I’ll grab something to go with it.”
“Just no fries,” she said, her lips turning up in amusement. She couldn’t seem to let that go. It wasn’t that weird that I didn’t like fries.
“I won’t bring fries.” I shook my head, her grin infecting me with one of my own. “Meet me at that bench in front of the giant tree?”
She nodded, and then left to take care of other customers. Now I just had to find a way to present her with the situation in a way that would force her to give me a chance to explain myself. Otherwise I was one hundred percent positive I’d be receiving a burger to the face.
My phone rang and my gut reaction was to flip it over before I could see Mark’s name across the front.
I was surprised to see Grandma Hart on the screen instead.
Snowflake Wishes (Holly Springs Romance Book 1) Page 10