Christmas in Bayberry

Wes turned with a jerk. The door was open and Kate had stuck her head inside. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Um, you didn’t.” Boy, his new sweater was mighty warm. “Did you need something?”

She gave him a funny look. “I was just checking to make sure you’re ready for tonight.”

“I think I have everything under control.” And then he decided to give her a sample of his Santa impersonation. “Ho. Ho. Ho. And has Kate been naughty or nice this year?”

A big smile lit up her face. “Someone’s been practicing.”

“And someone isn’t answering the question.”

“Oh. I’ve definitely been good.”

“And what does Kate want Santa to bring her for Christmas?”

The smile slipped from her face. She stepped inside the office and closed the door. “I’d like Santa to present my aunt with a plan to save this company and keep everyone’s jobs.”

His good mood slipped. “Kate—”

“Don’t worry. My aunt filled me in on things the other day. I know why you’re here. And I just want you to know that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this business open and running.” Her voice caught with emotion. “Without the candle company, Bayberry will become a ghost town.”

He resisted the urge to go to her—to comfort her. “Kate, I don’t know if I can deliver that Christmas present.”

“Looks like we’re going to need a Christmas miracle.” Her words hung in the air for a moment. “I actually stopped by to see if you were available.”

“Now?” When she nodded, he couldn’t help but wonder what she had in mind. “Another food drive?”

“Not this time. I owe you a tour of the town.”

“Now?” Why was he repeating himself?

“Sure. It won’t be the same if we go this evening, in the dark. It’ll be too hard to make out the businesses and landmarks.”

His gaze moved to his desk. “I have a lot of work to do.”

“It’ll still be there when we get back. This won’t take too long. Come on.” Kate gestured for him to follow her. “I’ll give you the grand tour. I only do it for special people.”

She considered him special? There was that fuzzy, warm sensation in his chest again. And the way she was smiling at him was making it really hard to remember his priorities.

With great effort, he dragged his gaze back to his desk. “I don’t know. I just talked to my boss and he’s really anxious for me to wrap up my work here.” And he had a lot of work to do. It didn’t help that there was always a distraction. An attractive distraction, but a distraction all the same.

Kate smiled, melting his resolve. “This is Bayberry. It’s a small town. I promise it won’t take long.”

It’d be faster just to agree, because he was quickly learning that Kate could be quite determined. And so that’s what he did. With an agreement to meet her in ten minutes out front, he finished inputting a few numbers in his spreadsheet, saved it and closed his laptop.

Dressed in his new boots, jeans, sweater, coat, and gloves, he was ready for this adventure. He stepped outside, expecting to find Kate in the pickup, but there was no truck. Kate was standing in the parking lot speaking with someone.

When she approached him, he asked, “Aren’t we driving?”

She shook her head. “It’s warm today with the sunshine. Even the snow is melting. I thought we could walk. You can get a better take on the town that way.”

And so they set off from the candle company, crossing over Candlelight Way and onto Main Street. It hadn’t snowed that day. In fact, the sky was a light blue, with sunshine so bright that you practically needed sunglasses. The sidewalks were clear except for the trickle of melted snow. Still, it was nice to have on winter boots.

As they walked along, Kate asked, “You mentioned before about being here until Christmas. Is that still the plan? Or does your boss want you back in the city sooner?”

“I think he wants me back sooner, but I just don’t know if that’s possible. I have a lot to do before I can leave.” He didn’t mention that the lack of digitized reports was really slowing him down.

“And then you’ll be joining your mother for Christmas?”