Holly
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she checked her watch again. Dougie wasn’t late, but her excitement was making the time crawl.
“It doesn’t go any faster if you watch it,” Ashley said, chuckling softly.
“I know; I haven’t been this nervous in a long time. It’s the buildup, I think. Dougie told me he’s had feelings for me for a while and it’s making me nervous. What if I don’t like him back in the same way? Or what if he’s built me up in his mind and I fail to meet his expectations?”
“Okay, you need to relax. First, you know he’s an amazing guy. Even if you don’t like him romantically after tonight, you know he’ll accept that as long as you’re honest with him. Now, I don’t think that will even be the issue because I can’t remember the last time I saw you this nervous or this excited. It’s good to see the light in your eyes again.”
Holly sighed. “It’s good to have it there again. I finally feel as if maybe things are going to calm down. There have been no calls for a few days, I haven’t seen any new flyers go up, the online issue has been quiet, and even my father’s PR lady seems to have left town. It’s been a crazy few weeks, but maybe the calm is finally here.”
“I’m glad. You deserve it, and I have no doubt you and Dougie will have an amazing time tonight.”
The front door opened and Holly looked up, expecting to see Dougie. Instead, there was a woman she didn’t recognize. Average would have been the word Holly would use to describe her except that there was something about her that grabbed her attention. It wasn’t in her mousy brown hair or casual clothing, but something held Holly’s gaze.
“Hey, Mandy,” Ashley said, walking over to greet the woman. “What can we do for you?”
“Miss Becca sent me over here to ask if you had some sugar she could borrow. We’ve got a big order tonight, and her supply ran a little low.”
Ah, so this was the woman Becca had hired. Interesting, but what was it about her that piqued Holly’s attention?
“Yeah, we can probably do that.” Ashley turned back to glance at Holly for approval. “Holly, this is Mandy Meadows, the new helper at the bakery.”
Holly stepped forward to shake hands with the girl. “Nice to meet you, Mandy. Please, grab whatever you need.”
Mandy’s eyes held Holly’s as they shook hands. There was something in their brown depths. Questions? But what questions could this woman she’d never met before have for her?
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Something Holly couldn’t quite explain raced through her as she dropped hands with Mandy, but before she could think any more on it, the door opened again and Dougie walked in. “You ready?”
“Yeah, just let me grab my bag,” she said, casting one final look at Mandy before grabbing her purse and jacket from the podium. “Thanks for covering tonight, Ashley. See you tomorrow.”
“You bet. Have fun.” Ashley’s eyes twinkled and she flashed a wink before leading Mandy toward the kitchen.
“So, where are we going?” Holly asked as she took Dougie’s arm and allowed him to lead her outside.
“I thought we’d go to the new restaurant in Graham. It’s supposed to be delicious. Have you been there yet?”
“No, but that sounds lovely.” Honestly, any place where she didn’t have to cook sounded lovely at the moment, and getting out of Courage might be exactly the change of mood she needed to completely remove the funk from the last few weeks. “Hey, do you know anything about the new girl Becca hired?” she asked as she buckled her seat belt. “Mandy Meadows, I think?”
Dougie shook his head. “I don’t think so. Was that the woman with Ashley?”
Holly nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know why but something about her seems…” she paused, searching for the word she wanted, “not familiar exactly, but,” she shrugged, “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”
Dougie turned the key and the car fired to life. “I don’t believe any feeling you get about people is nothing, especially after all you’ve dealt with. If you want, I can look into her when I get to work tomorrow. Just see if anything pops up.”
Holly shook her head. “No, don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s nothing. Like you said, I’ve dealt with a lot in the last few weeks, and I’m sure I’m just being overly sensitive. Let’s not discuss it anymore. Tonight is for new beginnings.”
He smiled at her as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I like that. New beginnings.”