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“Right here.” He comes in with his gear on. “I’m ready to get this baking on. My wife is ready for an entire house full of treats for her kitchen when her family stops by next week, so I need to get some each day.”
“Oh, goodness. Your house is going to be overflowing again.”
“Tell me about it, but maybe it will keep my mother-in-law’s mouth so stuffed she’ll be quiet.” We laugh and get to work. She can be a real pain in the neck. Glen and his wife have been married for nearly twenty years, and she’s still telling them how to do things as a married couple.
“So, guess what, Glen? The Manchester place has finally sold.” I’m equally excited and nervous about getting new neighbors.
“I know. My wife told me this morning.”
“What? How did she find out?”
“That’s what took me so long. Sheila saw Sanders on the way there while she was grabbing the newspaper.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re his neighbor, right? Totally forgot,” I say. He’s one neighbor I’m glad doesn’t live next door. If he did, I’d sell and move upstairs in the apartment above the bakery. Right now, it’s used for storage and a temporary bed when it gets too crazy and driving through a blizzard seems too much to handle.
The oven’s preheat setting goes off, letting me know it’s ready. “Time to get these in the oven.”
“I got them.” Glen grabs the trays while I open the doors, and we load the first two batches of cookies into the oven.
We work like a well-oiled machine, and by the time the doors open for business, we’re ready with fresh baked goods and hot drinks.
My morning and afternoon pass by in a blur. I grab the marker for my dry-erase calendar on the wall and swipe another day off. We have two weeks until Christmas. A smile spreads across my face.
A clicking sound comes from the side, and I turn to see Bethany standing there with her phone. “What? You should see your face. So cute.” I smile, and she snaps another.
“Quit it.” I swat at her from a distance, missing her by a mile, but it did stop her and she tucks her camera away.
“These are going up in the shop. You could be a model. Seriously. Gorgeous. Maybe we can find you a husband.” I roll my eyes and pout because she’s no better than I am. At least I have the excuse of being the owner of the bakery. She chooses to hang around and come back after her shift and classes end.
“I’m not looking for one.”
“Stop lying.” She’s right. I want a husband and a family to share the holidays with, but I haven’t found the right guy. Still, I won’t admit it. “Now go home and get ready because I’m sure there’s a team of people waiting to help you set up your decorations.” So many people have been waiting for me to get my decorations up. I’m one of the last individuals, and I’ve been sad. Work has left me so busy that I haven’t had a chance.
“I’m leaving now. Are you sure you have it all for tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. Now go.” I rush out the door and into my car. And just like Beth says, the second I get home, I have several of the town’s most eligible men there to help. I feel guilty using them for their brawn when I’ve turned them all down for dates, some as most recently as today.
“Thanks, fellas, but I totally got this.”
“We know you do, Holiday, but why not have help?” Heath asks, giving me smirk.
I feel like a jerk after they’ve all taken time out of their day to come here, and maybe their motives are just to be nice. I can’t assume everyone wants me to go out with them. “Okay.”
“So are you going to the Christmas party?” Sanders asks.
“No.” They all know I hate these things, but they insist. I have someone drop off the desserts and leave before the party even starts.
“Why not?” Heath asks.
“I don’t want to go.”
“You’re the prettiest girl in town. You have to go.”
“Thanks. Maybe I’ll consider it.” He smiles, gives me a wink, and then gets back to work.
I close my eyes because yes, Heath’s handsome and twenty-four, but he’s not ready to grow up. I’m only twenty-three, but I bought the old bakery from Mrs. Green four years ago with the remainder of my parents’ life insurance money and my savings from working two jobs. One of my jobs had included working at the bakery with Mrs. Green. So, I need someone with ambition, with plans to keep us afloat even if he isn’t wealthy.
My father was a screwup. The only smart thing he ever did was get life insurance, so when they went out to a party and got into a car accident, I wasn’t left completely hopeless.
