Christmas in Bayberry

She was able to distinguish between romantic feelings and friendly vibes. And this thing with Wes was nothing but a good friendship, nothing more. Because she’d already had her heart broken. She didn’t want to go through that again. And there was no way she’d be happy in the big city. After all, New York City was even bigger than Chicago.

“How would you know how things could turn out if you won’t even give Wes a chance?” her aunt asked. “After all, it’s the season of miracles.”

Not giving Kate a chance to respond, Aunt Penney strolled away. Kate stood there holding a stack of orders, pondering her aunt’s words. She hadn’t planned to be alone forever, but that didn’t mean she should jump for a man who obviously had priorities that took him away from Bayberry—

“Kate? Yo! Kate?” Wes waved at her, trying to gain her attention.

She blinked. When her gaze landed on him in his Santa costume, a flush once again engulfed her face. She hoped he hadn’t overheard them. “Sorry. I…I was just, well—” There was no way she was admitting she’d been thinking about him. “I guess I’m just tired.”

“You had a huge turnout. I think everyone in town, and then some, showed up. Is it always like this?”

She shook her head. “This was our biggest Christmas sale ever.”

“Very impressive. Looks like your online campaign and coupon did the magic trick.”

“Thanks. I think they certainly helped.”

He glanced down at what she was holding. “Are those tonight’s receipts?”

She glanced down. “Oh. No. These are the special orders.”

“Special orders? That sounds impressive. Do they have to be done in time for Christmas?”

“Most of them. And some of them are quite large, such as shipments for churches and community events.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to get them out in time?”

She nodded. “Everyone here knows how important these orders are, and they’ll make sure everything gets turned around in time.” Then she paused and worried her bottom lip.

“Kate, what is it?”

“I don’t know if the conveyor belt will hold up. If we can’t get these orders out, we’ll never be able to raise the money for the necessary repairs.” Tears of frustration stung her eyes. Why was everything so hard lately?

“Kate, everything is going to be okay.” Wes stopped and pressed his lips together, as though he realized he couldn’t promise such things.

“How can you say that? You know the bind we’re in.”

When he spoke, it was in a soothing tone. “And I know the employees have kept the machines running one way or another until now. I believe they can keep things going until the New Year.”

She felt bad for taking her frustrations out on him. “Sorry.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rising emotions. “I think working all these late nights is catching up to me.”

However, she noticed that he’d said they’d keep things going until the New Year, but nothing about after it. The three cups of coffee she’d had that evening churned in her stomach.

She couldn’t give up on the company. She couldn’t let her aunt and the town down. Maybe the sale alone wasn’t enough to revitalize the place, but she’d find another way.

But for now, she needed to change the subject to something less worrisome.

“You were amazing as Santa. If Fred isn’t available next year, I’ll know who to call.”

A smile eased the frown lines on Wes’s face. “When you first asked me to be Santa, I didn’t want to do it. No way. No how.”

“And now?”

“And now, I can’t remember when I had such a good time. Those kids are amazing. They’re so full of hope and love for others. If I had the power to bring their Christmas wishes to life, I would do it.”

“So what you’re saying is that you want to be a real-life Santa?”

He made a funny face. “We all know there’s no real-life Santa.”