Mr. Alders grunted, gave the shop one last look of disapproval, and turned on his heel.
Her new friend Zoe breezed in before the door had even clicked shut. She felt her shoulders drop, a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding easing out as Zoe’s energy filled the room.
“What in the world did you do to Mr. Alders?” she asked, rushing in, arms full with a bouquet from her flower shop. It was full of red carnations and white lilies, with sprigs of evergreen and holly arranged in a gold vase.
“I have no idea.” Cassidy shrugged.
“Well, these are for you! Opening day flowers. Thought they might give you an extra pinch of good luck—not that you need it. This place looks amazing, and it smells like heaven.”
“Aren’t I a lucky girl.” Cassidy reached over and accepted the flowers. “These are perfect, and so Christmassy.”
“I try.” Zoe beamed.
“Hot cocoa?” Cassidy offered, walking over to the makeshift cocoa station.
“I’d love some. It’s freezing outside. I heard we’re supposed to get six inches of snow tonight.”
“That much? Really?” She’d forgotten how much snow fell in the Midwest. Would it distract customers or bring in more locals? Should she make an extra batch of white hot chocolate if school was called off?
“That much and probably more,” Zoe said. “Looks like we’ll have a couple of storms roll through in the next few days. Hopefully they’ll hold off until after the Santa House opening tonight. You are coming, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Cassidy replied.
“Can I get one of those chocolate-covered graham crackers to go with this?” Zoe asked.
“I’ve got croissants, too,” Cassidy said, pulling a fresh tray from the back.
“Then why didn’t you say so? Give me one of those.”
“It’s even better if you dip it in the cocoa. Trust me—I had three of them before the shop even opened,” Cassidy confessed with no shame whatsoever.
She waited until Zoe dipped the croissant and took a bite, making a sound that could only be called pornographic.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” Cassidy asked with a laugh.
“‘Good’ doesn’t do it justice. You, my friend, have a gift.”
“Just like you and these flowers. Thank you—it was really very sweet of you.”
“You’re welcome. I know you’ve been nervous about opening day. But by the taste of this cocoa, you have nothing to worry about.” Zoe looked around. “Have you given any thought to how you’re going to decorate for your light-up night?”
“I’m working on it. I just wanted to get the shop open first before diving into full-blown window display holiday mania.”
She paused, then added, “I met Liam, by the way.”
Zoe’s eyebrows rose, a knowing look in her eyes. “Oh? And what did you think?”
Cassidy let out a half-laugh, half-groan. “Tall, grumpy, and somehow still manages to look like a lumberjack who could model for a flannel ad.” She shrugged, trying to sound casual. “He’s up against me in the light-up contest. Figures he’d be annoyingly attractive.”
Zoe smirked. “Hey, I’m competing too, you know. And Emily.”
“Yeah, neither of you is planning a full light show with cocoa flights and a marshmallow bar,” Cassidy teased. “Liam’s got allthat competitive energy going on. I can tell. You’re both just in it for a bit of fun.”
“And you’re in it to win,” Zoe said, amused.
“Someone has to,” Cassidy shot back with a grin, then sighed, staring into her cocoa. “I just didn’t expect my biggest rival to have that whole rugged, sexy thing going for him.”
Zoe’s eyes sparkled. “So, you think he’s cute.”
