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“No. I’m a hopeful romantic. But forget about that. Tell me. And don’t leave out a thing.” Cailyn sat on the stool in front of their work bench.
Since they had a couple of minutes before the rest of her employees came, Anna sat on one of the other stools next to Cailyn. “Yes, I took him to my place. We had a nice lunch and he left early because his uncle needed to talk to him right away.”
“Oh.” Cailyn scrunched her face. “That’s it. Lunch. Nothing else. I thought maybe you’d go skating or something or a moonlight walk around your pond.”
“Maybe next Sunday.”
“Oh-h-h…” Cailyn’s countenance brightened. “You’re seeing him again next Sunday?”
Anna couldn’t help but laugh at the anticipation in Cailyn’s eyes. “Yes. Nothing concrete or anything, but if things work out, we’re going to try and get together next Sunday.” She glanced at the board with the long list of orders pinned to it. “But if I don’t get these cookies and cupcakes baked and all the hot chocolate orders made by then, that won’t happen.”
Cailyn glanced over at the board and then back at Anna. With a brush of her hand she said, “Don’t worry about those. We’ll get them done. I’ll see to it personally if I have to. You need to spend time with Nicholas to see where this thing with him will go.”
Her heart did a little swan dive to the floor, and Anna leaned an elbow on the work counter and settled her chin in her hand. “Probably nowhere. I can’t see how we can work. But…” She sat up straight. “I am going to enjoy every minute I can with him. Even if I have to say goodbye, it will be better to have that time with him then none at all.”
“That’s the spirit, girl!” Cailyn did a yay-you-go-girl-fist swing. “I wouldn’t give up on Nicholas. I have it on good authority that God is in the miracle business. And if you two are meant to be together, it will happen. I have no idea how, but He has a way of making things work where there is no way.”
“That’s true.” Anna’s chest heaved. “I’ve been praying if he’s the one for me, that God would show me how it can work. But God hasn’t shown me anything yet. Then again, like you said, if we’re meant to be together, God will work things out.”
The back door opened and in walked Jenna, Lisa, Terry, and Dorothy. Jenna rubbed her hands together. “Man, it’s cold out there.”
“Don’t I know it,” Anna stood. “It was 20 below at my place this morning.”
Terry shuddered. “And I thought five below was bad.” Her eyes slid upward. “Sorry, Lord, for complaining.”
They all laughed.
Five minutes later, Brittany and Maria showed up.
Within a few minutes, they were all busy baking and filling not only the orders but the display counters with goodies. They did it while listening to peppy Christmas tunes playing over the surround sound speakers.
At fifteen minutes to five, Anna wiped her forehead in the crook of her elbow and glanced over at the front door. Outside, a line of customers stood there waiting to come in. Even though there was fifteen minutes to go to opening time, she didn’t care, she wouldn’t leave them standing out there in this bitter cold.
Quick as she could, she removed her apron, tossed it on her stool, and wove her way through the maze of work benches and counters to the front door. Opening all the locks, she swung the door open, relishing the cold air rushing in. It got pretty hot working in the back with all the large ovens on. “Good morning, everyone. Come on in. Welcome to Sweet Treasures.”
Several ‘good mornings and thank you for letting us in’ came her way as women and men from all walks of life trailed inside her shop like a string of ants. They all headed to the counter where Cailyn, Jenna, and Dorothy were, waiting to take and fill their orders.
When the last customer scurried in, Anna stepped out and peered to her left then to her right. Where was Donald this morning? He was usually somewhere nearby. With the drop in temperatures, she hoped Donald had stayed at the homeless shelter last night and was okay. She closed the door and made a mental note to keep an eye out for him.
For the next three hours a steady stream of customers came through the door. All the benches and tables were full. People stood around drinking their specialty coffees and hot chocolates, eating pastries and talking. Smiles lit up their faces, and she was happy that she had some small part in some of them. That’s what her shop was about—bringing people together and seeing the smiles on their faces. She lived to brighten people’s lives. Whether it was through the treats she provided at the shop or doing other things for them too.
