Christmas in Bayberry

“But my apartment doesn’t allow pets.”

“That’s easy. Move.”

His eyes connected with hers. The words he was about to say were forgotten. His heart thump-thumped in his chest. It was so loud that it echoed in his ears. He wondered if she could hear it. If she did, she didn’t let on.

He was certain he could get lost in her big green eyes—just like he was doing right now. But that was not a good thing. He was here to work, not get distracted by a girl, erm, a woman from his past.

He should look away, but she was staring back at him. Wait. She was staring back at him? Was that interest reflected in her eyes?

His heart raced. He was drawn in by everything about her. If he’d thought she was beautiful when they were kids, Kate was an absolute knockout now.

“I had fun too.” She looked away, ending the moment. “It was nice to see the town through someone else’s eyes. If you liked Bayberry enough, maybe you could stick around longer. Maybe until the New Year.”

She didn’t give him a chance to answer. She just put that thought out there and strolled into the building. He wasn’t sure what to make of her invitation. But it wasn’t just the town that he liked.

Was Kate saying she felt something growing between them too? Did she want to spend the holidays with him? His heart picked up its pace once more.

In that moment, he knew what he wanted to do—take Kate up on her offer. He wanted to spend Christmas in Bayberry.

Chapter Twelve

Where had the week gone?

The days were flying by and there was still so much to do.

Kate sat behind the table in the file room that she’d commandeered for a temporary office while hers was being occupied by Wes. She didn’t like being pushed out of her office. She knew where everything was and had her comfortable chair adjusted perfectly to fit her back. But it would be worth it if Wes were able to help the candle company out of this tough position.

Her fingers continued to move over the keyboard. She was responding to a bunch of comments on her most recent social media post. Her aunt had taught her that success was achieved one customer at a time. And so Kate made the effort to take a personal approach to her promotion for the upcoming holiday sale.

The only problem with taking a personal approach was that it took time—time she didn’t have. Because all this added promotion was taking time away from her regular work—

Knock knock.

Kate’s fingers hovered over the keyboard as she glanced up, finding her aunt standing in the doorway. “Aunt Penney, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

“Relax. Nothing’s wrong. I forgot some papers in my office that I wanted to look over later tonight.” Her aunt frowned. She lifted her arm and made a show of checking the time on her antique gold watch. “Because there isn’t time to look over them now.” Her gaze met Kate’s once more. “You haven’t forgotten about the tree lighting tonight, have you?”

Kate looked at the stack of file folders with reports paper-clipped to each one, waiting for her to review and sign off on them. For the first time since she’d moved to Bayberry, she replied, “I’m not going to the tree lighting tonight.”

“What?” Aunt Penney stepped up to the table. A frown pulled at her lips. “But you have to. It’s tradition.”

“I know. And I don’t want to miss it, but I have a lot of work to do.”

“I think you’ve done enough for one day. In fact, I’m certain of it. I saw you head to the office this morning at six. You work so hard.”

Kate smiled. “Thank you.” Her aunt’s praise meant the world to her. “But with the sale coming up, I just can’t afford to waste time.” She didn’t know who was still lingering around the offices so she had to be careful what she said. “It’s important. You know how important this sale is.”

Her aunt nodded. “I do.” It was as if she’d aged ten years in the blink of an eye. “And that’s why it’s important that you remember that there’s so much more to life than business. Trust this old lady who thought she had time to keep putting off living her life. And now it has passed me by. Please don’t end up like me.”

Kate shook her head. “First, you’re not old. Not even close. You have more energy than most women half your age.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not. It’s the truth. Second, I’d be honored to be like you. You’re the strongest, most loving person I know.”

Her aunt’s eyes grew moist. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

Kate wasn’t finished yet. “And third, you still have plenty of time to live your dreams, as soon as you let me take over the candle company.” Hope filled her chest. Would this be the heart-to-heart she had to have with her aunt in order for Penney to hand over the reins to the company?