Sugar Cookie Kisses

by Mary Manners

  “You always were a morning person.” Caleb sighed. “Me…not so much. How about we put the window to rights after hours?”

  “And lose an entire day of business on your end, with that disaster in the glass?”

  “Well, when you put it that way…”

  “Seven a.m. is my best offer and, if I may say so myself, it’s a generous offer, to boot.” Katy lifted her chin, crossed her arms. “So, take it or leave it.”

  “You’re right.” Caleb lifted both hands, splaying the palms in an act of surrender. “There’s not a moment to waste.”

  “I’m what? What did you say?” Katy craned an ear. “Did you say I’m right?”

  “Yes.” Caleb reached for a paper towel, waved the white square high over his head. “I suppose I’ll bring the coffee.”

  “Two creams and a packet of sugar—the real stuff, not that fake pink-sheathed substitute.”

  “Noted. And I heard there’s a tree lighting on the town square this Saturday night. I also heard you’re entering the bake-off contest again, and I thought you might want to—”

  Katy lifted one hand to stop him. “Don’t press your luck.”

  “Sure, right.” Caleb nodded in a manner that told Katy she hadn’t heard the end of it. “OK, then…for now.”

  “Uncle Caleb,” Billy wiggled his way between them, carrying the Christmas tree sugar cookie he’d painstakingly decorated. “Do you think Mom will like this?”

  “I think your mom’s going to love it.” Caleb crouched to examine the creation, and as he leaned in to wrap an arm around Billy’s shoulders a tiny fragment of the wall around Katy’s heart fractured.

  She thought about Mariah and knew it had to be bothering her something awful that a flare-up of MS had kept her away tonight. Though Mariah was a year ahead in school, she and Katy had been on the same cheer squad from middle school on, and became fast friends, even staying close following Caleb’s leave. But since Caleb had returned, Katy had kept her distance from the Kendrick homestead in her attempts to avoid running into him.

  A lot of good that had done.

  Now, the fact that she’d distanced herself from her friend poked pinpricks of guilt along Katy’s conscience. Despite Caleb’s presence, she promised herself she’d stop by soon with a meal for Mariah and to catch up. “She’ll love whatever you choose for her because it’s sure to be one-of-a-kind…just like you.”

  “Are you still gonna take me shoppin’ so I can find an extra-special Christmas present for her?” Billy peered up at Caleb, his bright eyes full of wonder. “Please.”

  “I told you I would, didn’t I?”

  “Uh huh. Yep.”

  “Then it’s a done deal.” Caleb’s tone left no room for doubt. “We’ll talk it over, firm up plans.”

  “Well…but…” Billy hesitated. “I’ve been savin’ my ’llowance but it’s not much.”

  “You can come help me at the shop, then, to earn some cash,” Caleb offered with a serious tone, as if talking to an important business consultant. “You’re almost on Christmas vacation, right?”

  “Uh huh…just a few more days.” Billy lifted two fingers as if to drive the point home.

  “Well, that settles it. During vacation you can be my right-hand man, and I’ll put you on the payroll.”

  “Really?” Billy’s eyes lit up brighter than any Christmas tree Katy had ever seen. “Really, really?”

  “Yes, really.” Caleb offered his hand and, after only a slight hesitation, Billy took it and the two shook with gusto. “There, it’s official. You can start in a few days.”

  “Wow, OK.” Billy whooped as if he’d just struck oil, and then bounded off again as Liz stepped into the doorway. “Hey, Principal Sanderson, I’m gonna be on Uncle Caleb’s payroll,” he announced as he buzzed by her. “For real. We shook on it and everything.”

  Liz watched him zoom by to fetch Janie, and then laughed as they headed into the hall together. “Don’t go far,” she called after them. “It’s getting late, and it’s still a school night, so we’ll be heading home soon.”

  “We won’t, Mama,” Janie promised.

  Liz slipped into a pint-sized chair and surveyed the room Caleb and Katy had set back to rights.

  “How’d it go?” she asked, and Katy wondered if Liz was referring to the festive Christmas event or her unexpected reunion with Caleb. “I think we had a full house, but you and Caleb did a great job keeping things moving.”

  You and Caleb…the words touched a sentimental chord. Katy sighed and glanced Caleb’s way to notice he watched her, as well. She lowered her gaze and clasped her hands at her sides to steady them. “It’s been non-stop for a solid hour-and-a-half.”

  “Thank you for helping…both of you. I appreciate it, and the kids do, too.” Liz sighed as she crossed her legs, looking weary. “Now, I’m ready to lock the doors and head home for a warm bubble bath and a good night’s sleep.”

  It was so unlike Liz to fizzle out, that worry tugged at Katy ever-so-slightly. Maybe plowing through the garage door had been a bigger deal than she let on. Or, perhaps there was something else.

  “Do you need a ride?” Katy asked. “Your car, is it in the shop?”

  “I have a rental, so no worries.” Liz dismissed the offer with a huge yawn. “Now, to make it through the next two days to Christmas vacation. The kids are restless, the teachers are frazzled, and I am merely a hair-breadth from insanity.”

  Yes, something was definitely up. Katy’s senses hit full alert.

  “You’re welcome.” Caleb said. “Go home and get some rest, Liz. I’d say our work tonight has earned us a berth on Santa’s extra-good list—you, too.”

  So, even Caleb had noticed Liz’s weariness. “Yes, head out, Liz.” Katy slung the bag of soiled decorating tools over one shoulder and then gathered the empty cookie containers. “We were just finishing here.”

  “I beg to differ…” Caleb winked, taking the decorating bin from Katy as he followed her toward the door. “I’d say we’re just getting started.”

  “I suppose you’re entitled to your opinion.” Katy headed into the hallway, pausing just long enough to add, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at seven sharp, Caleb. Don’t be late or the deal’s off.”

  “Deal?” Liz stood to follow, suddenly energized as the heels of her black pumps clacked along the polished tile. “What deal?”

  “It’s nothing,” Katy huffed. “So you can push the mute button on the matchmaking scheme, little sister.”

  “I’m only four-and-a-half minutes younger than you, Katy.” Liz continued down the hall, though her pace slowed slightly. “And what deal?”

  “Don’t worry, Liz, I’ve got this. Just keep an eye on Billy for me while I walk Katy to her car.” Caleb turned to Katy and offered a smart salute. “Tomorrow morning. Seven o’clock sharp. The second chance of a lifetime. Aye-aye, captain.”

  “Good grief.” Katy rolled her eyes and quickened her pace, leaving Liz in her wake. “A meddling sister and a home-for-the-holidays ex-boyfriend. What next?”

  “Let’s play it out and see.” Caleb grinned and took the rest of the cookie bins from her, leaving her with only the bag of soiled utensils to carry as they headed toward her car. He had no trouble keeping up with her. “Remember, ’tis the season of Christmas magic and miracles, Kat. Perhaps we’ll snatch up a few of our own…”

  4

  “Well, that’s certainly a sight for sore eyes, Caleb,” Katy overheard Dr. Pemberton say as he strode into Pickers and Spinners the next morning. “How did you rope Katy Sullivan into designing your window display?”

  “Coffee…lots of it.” Caleb’s voice rang slightly gruff, as if he’d stayed up a bit too late the night before and was having difficulty rebounding from the lack of sleep. “I’m thinking of tossing in dinner, too, if she’ll let me.”

  Katy bit back the retort that threatened to leap from her tongue. Dinner with Caleb…over my dead body.

  “Coffee never worked
with my wife. It had to be chocolate…the sweeter the better.” Dr. Pemberton let out a hearty guffaw. “But dinner’s a good trade if you take Katy to that fancy place at the outskirts of town…the one that serves up steak and lobster real tender-like, with all the trimmings, and then sweetens things up with molten lava cake for dessert. My Lorraine loves that cake.”

  Katy nearly choked on a swallow at the word, wife. Was there no end to the matchmaking in this town? She took cover behind a tastefully scuffed roll-top desk that she’d fashioned with an assortment of antique writing utensils and a flurry of parchment sheets meant to draw customers back in time. The piece of furniture proved to be one of Caleb’s oldest and most valuable items—sought-after, as well—which meant it probably wouldn’t last long, and she’d be back in Caleb’s shop finagling a new design again soon.

  But that was a good thing, wasn’t it…to sell out of inventory as fast as it was stocked? At least for Caleb’s business. If the shop did well, he might decide to stay for the long haul, and then…

  “I stopped by the homestead to check on your sister this morning.”

  Dr. Pemberton’s announcement drew Katy back. Her hand paused as she set an inkwell beside a quill atop a nearby display shelf.

  Caleb’s boots scratched the floor as he crossed. “I’ll bet you’re the only doctor this side of the Mississippi who still makes house calls.”

  “Maybe so,” Dr. Pemberton snatched a double-fudge brownie from the platter of housewarming sweets Katy had set on the information counter for Caleb and his customers that morning. She couldn’t help herself, she loved to bake, and brownies were a simple yet delicious confection. “But I promised your folks I’d look after the pair of you, and I mean to keep my promise.”

  Memories flooded of the day, only weeks following their high school graduation and in the heart of summer, when Caleb and Mariah had been summoned home from a day at the lake. Their parents were in a head-on collision on the way home from visiting a sick friend…an awful accident. Their deaths brought the end of what had always been comfortable and familiar, and catapulted both Caleb and Mariah into a world of uncharted twists and turns.

  It wasn’t long after that that Caleb left and then, merely a few years later, Mariah got pregnant with Billy. Before the ink was even dry on Billy’s birth certificate, his father took off, leaving Mariah to raise the boy on her own. When the muscle spasms and fatigue began, everyone thought Mariah was simply suffering from the exhaustion of single-handedly raising a child while holding down a full-time job. But it was something more, something serious…Multiple Sclerosis.

  “I still miss them,” Caleb admitted.

  The resigned tone of his voice nearly brought Katy to her knees. She grabbed the edge of the roll top to steady herself. Such heartache…it was almost more than any person ought to have to bear.

  “But, how does Mariah seem to you?” he asked the doctor. “She had a pretty rough night. We all did.”

  “So she said, but these new drugs are kicking in, and we’re beginning to see a measure of improvement. I think she’s turned the corner…for the time being, at least.”

  “Really?” Caleb’s voice strained with the weight of his relief. “That’s great news. I was worried…”

  “I know, and I’ve been sending up a course of prayers along with the infusion of medicine. Let’s hope the Big Man Upstairs hears and takes note.”

  “You make house calls and pray…it’s an amazing blessing.” Caleb clapped Dr. Pemberton on the shoulder. “Thanks, doc….for everything.”

  Katy held her breath as the conversation paused. Suddenly, she heard rustling along the window platform as Caleb’s worry turned to gentle laughter. He peered around the hat rack that Katy had adorned with turn-of-the-century headgear, grinning as if he’d just discovered Ali Baba’s magic lamp.

  “Kat, are you going to hide out behind those antiques all morning, or are you going to take a break and share another cup of coffee with me before you have to head next door to open the boutique?”

  “There’s no time for a break.” Katy inhaled the scents of dusty fabric and scuffed cedar, laden with a century’s worth of nostalgia. The aroma proved a stark contrast to the shiny-new items showcased in her shop, yet she found the rich, woodsy fragrance enticing. “And I was just…finishing up here.”

  “It looks great…perfect.” Caleb nodded his approval, and for a moment Katy wasn’t sure if he referred to the display or to her. “Thank you.”

  “I hear the tree-lighting on the town-square is slated for Saturday night.” Dr. Pemberton removed his hat and held it at his waist front with both hands. “With my wife Lorraine at the helm, it’s sure to be the best shindig yet. You two ought to mosey on by and enjoy the festivities.”

  “Katy’s going to be in the bake-off,” Caleb announced with a tinge of pride in his voice. “I’ll bet she’ll take home the blue ribbon again.”

  “Might be so,” Dr. Pemberton agreed. “But there’s bound to be some stiff competition, my Lorraine included. Word is, there’s the biggest field of participants ever to be had. Food ministry’s bound to do a world of good and feed a lot of families who are in need with this year’s proceeds.”

  Katy knew the entry fees from the bake-off were slated for charity, and the winner’s prize wasn’t cash but a generously-sized blue ribbon as well as a year’s worth of bragging rights. In her book, that proved better than cash, and she, like the other participants, was happy to have her entry fee go to fund a good cause.

  “We’ll just have to see,” Caleb murmured. “But, with or without Katy by my side, I’ll be there to cheer her on.”

  “It’s sure to be a lot more fun together than alone, if you ask me,” Dr. Pemberton asserted. “Maybe Katy will come to her senses before Saturday and allow you to escort her.”

  “Maybe she will,” Caleb agreed. “It sure would make me happy.”

  Katy bit back a scathing retort. Come to my senses…bah! I’m not the one who needs to come to my senses. I’m a realist…a pragmatist…and I’m not boarding Caleb’s runaway train again. Never, ever…Christmas magic or not.

  5

  “What, exactly, are you doing, Caleb Kendrick?”

  Caleb plastered one hand, palm up, to the ceiling tile of Katy’s Main Street Boutique and hung onto the ladder with his other. The sound of Katy’s voice had startled him, so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t even heard her enter the shop.

  He drew a long breath of the wintry air that followed her in, and gathered his words. “Don’t—do—that.”

  “Do what?” Katy dropped her purse on the counter, along with a platter containing confections of some sort—the sweet scent of cinnamon wafted—and strode over to the ladder to peer up at him with wide, rounded eyes. “You’re in my shop. How did you get in here? I’m sure I locked the doors and set the alarm last night.”

  “Liz might have handed me your spare key…the one you gave to her ‘just in case.’” Slowly…very slowly...Caleb released the ceiling tile and turned to Katy. He offered a sheepish grin. “And she might have mentioned the alarm code, as well.”

  “What are you doing up there?” Katy unwound the garnet scarf from her neck and tossed it alongside her purse.

  “I heard you were having a bit of trouble with a knocking sound in the air duct. I thought I’d give it a look, see what I come up with.”

  “Is there nothing secret around here?” Her coat came off and, with a toss, joined the rest of the collection on the counter.

  “Obviously not.” Caleb laughed.

  “I still don’t understand why you’re here.” She snatched a morsel from the platter, slipped it into her mouth and chewed for a moment before adding, “Look what you’ve done to me…driving me to macadamia cookies before the clock even strikes eight AM. And here I thought you weren’t a morning person.”

  “I told you I’ve changed, Kat.”

  In truth, he should be exhausted following the full schedule of the past two days.
On Tuesday, he’d prepared breakfast for Billy and Mariah, and then taken care of the laundry as well as a few household chores before loading Billy into the pickup. After dropping Billy at school, he’d headed into Pickers and Spinners, where he’d spent a full day sorting and cataloging stock. He’d given the window display a shot, failed miserably, and then headed back to Holly Haven Elementary with a go-meal for Billy and to help out with last-minute Christmas Family Night preparations. Yesterday had been much the same, starting at the crack of dawn to get breakfast on the table and chores done before he’d arrived to Pickers and Spinners to meet Katy at the window display. The day had been filled with marketing plans and stock inventory and the follow-up of several leads meant to keep his inventory filled. If the few friends he’d met along the way of his honkytonk-hopping adventure could see him now, they’d have themselves a good belly laugh. Not that Caleb cared one iota. He’d found a certain sense of accomplishment, a feeling of belonging that had been missing for a long time, in these little things.

  “Don’t you have a shop to run?” Katy’s question drew him back. Even with powdered sugar crumbs dusting her downturned lips, she still snagged his heart.

  “I don’t open for another hour.” He sighed and descended the ladder to face her. “Look, Kat, you helped me with my window display yesterday, so I’m returning the favor.”

  “I didn’t expect you to return the favor.”

  “Which makes my doing it all the sweeter.” He brushed lint from his shirtsleeve and then couldn’t help himself…he dusted the sugar from her lips, as well. Sure, he’d met his share of women along the way, but none turned him inside-out like Katy Sullivan. Not even close. “Look, I offered to take you to dinner last night and you nixed that idea. I really want to take you to the tree lighting on Saturday—”

  “No.”

  “See what I mean?” He shook his head with exaggeration. “You remain stubborn as all get-out, just as I remember. So, you leave me no choice…I’m risking my life to determine the source of the knocking in the duct up there.” He motioned with a flourish. “It might be the aging furnace or a piece of broken duct. On the other hand…” He started back up the ladder, ceremoniously pulling a leather glove from his back pocket and slipping it over his right hand as he went. “It could be a rabid squirrel or even a bat.”