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Mindy’s eyes lit up. “You’d really do all of that?”
“Of course,” Sarah answered with a smile. William’s words from earlier in the week rushed back to her as she added, “There are more important things than winning. Like being a good neighbor, and a good friend.”
Mindy blinked, something lighting in her eyes. “Are we friends?”
“I think we can be,” Sarah answered honestly. “If you want to be, that is.”
There was a brief pause where Mindy seemed to consider those words. It lasted just long enough that Sarah began to get worried she was about to be turned down on her offer of friendship when Mindy began to smile.
“I think I would like that,” the other woman said hesitantly. “Now, what do we do about the competition?”
“What about a tie?” she offered, lifting one shoulder. “We can just walk out there and tell them we’ve decided the competition ended in a tie and they don’t need to vote, but they can continue to enjoy the snacks.”
“You think they’ll go for that?”
Sarah chuckled. “Trust me, as long as that crowd gets to eat, they’ll be happy with anything we tell them.”
Mindy laughed before giving her a quick nod. “A tie it is, then.”
The two women pushed themselves up to standing and walked out of the office side by side. And with each step they took, Sarah felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Colette chewed her bite of muffin, watching with amusement as Zach eyed his massive cinnamon roll and contemplated the best way to take a bite. Sarah’s ooey gooey cinnamon rolls were all but famous in this town, filled with a cinnamon like jam, with hints of nutmeg and a buttercream frosting that melted so deliciously across it. And what really set it apart was the sprinkle of cocoa nibs Sarah placed across the top.
She wasn’t surprised when Zach had picked it to sample from the trays of treats that had been laid out. And she hadn’t warned him that while they were life-changingly good, they also were notoriously difficult to eat, considering that they were about the size of Colette’s head.
Zach turned his head to the side, holding the pastry aloft as he took a massive bite. His cheeks puffed out as they filled with pastry, and his lips would barely close over the sheer amount of dough he now held in his mouth.
Laughter bubbled up in Colette, pushing its way past her lips as she gazed at him and shook her head. “You look like a chipmunk.”
“Hmph a hewt humpink,” Zach grunted around the bite of cinnamon roll, his words so muffled that they didn’t make any sense at all.
The confused look on Colette’s face must have told him that she hadn’t been able to understand a thing he said, because he just held up a finger as he worked to try to chew the bite that was still held in his mouth. After much effort, he finally swallowed it down before turning a charming grin on her.
“But a cute chipmunk,” Zach clarified, waggling his eyebrows at her, and prompting Colette to laugh again.
Warmth filled her chest as she looked at him, not able to stop herself from thinking about how much she was starting to care for him. The thought was immediately followed by how much it was going to hurt her when he left, but thankfully, that train of thought was quickly interrupted by Lacy and Derek walking up to the two of them.
Lacy had her hand on her belly, rubbing it gently as she waddled across. Colette couldn’t help but notice that her friend looked tired—but also incredibly happy.
“So?” Colette asked, her eyebrows flying up as the two newcomers filed up beside her and Zach. “Did we pull it off?”
She gestured around them, to the decorations that still glittered merrily and the townspeople that they loved so much chatted with one another.
“Pull it off?” Lacy scoffed. “I’d say you did more than that! This was the best Christmas party yet! And not only because I didn’t do any of the work.”
Lacy winked, making everyone around her laugh. Colette felt a warm pressure along the small of her back as Zach slid his arm behind her, nestling her to his side as they all stood talking. It felt good being next to him like that, especially as she leaned more of her weight on him, luxuriating in the feel of it.
She knew that she had changed in the short time that he’d been in town. Could feel herself growing more confident, more sure of herself as she spent more time with Zach, allowing him to rub off on her. But as she looked up at him, watching as he laughed and joked with Lacy and Derek, noting how at ease he was with them, and how happy he seemed, she couldn’t help but think that maybe she’d rubbed off on him a little bit too.
The music grew louder as it floated in from the ballroom, and cheers went up. Colette knew exactly what was happening as the Carpenters began to croon “Merry Christmas Darling” over the speaker.
She felt Zach shift next to her a moment before his breath stirred a tendril of her blonde hair, sending it floating toward her face. She shivered at his closeness.
“Dance with me,” he murmured, sending a blush rushing into Colette’s cheeks as she nodded.
His hand dropped from around her waist, and Lacy gave them both a knowing smile as she was whisked away through the formal dining room and into the ballroom beyond. Already the crowd had moved itself around, clearing the dance floor for the couples that now occupied it.
