Christmas in Bayberry

Carrie’s smile morphed into a frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…exactly.” And then Kate went on to explain the changes she planned to make to the Candlelight Dance. “So, what do you think?”

Wes remained quiet the whole time, waiting and wondering how his idea would be greeted.

“I think it’ll work,” Carrie said. “We need to talk to Abby and Sadie.”

Kate called the two and put them on speaker phone. After hearing the proposal, both were hesitant, but agreed it was worth a try. Wes didn’t say it, but he was uneasy. He knew he was messing with an age-old tradition and if it went wrong, it’d be his fault.

“We have to jump on this right away. The sooner we talk to all the business owners and the women’s guild, the sooner they’ll be able to get started.” Carrie glanced at the clock. “It’s too late tonight. Most of the shops are closed, but I’m off tomorrow afternoon.”

“And I have a meeting with Aunt Penney in the morning, so the afternoon works for me too,” Kate said.

Carrie nodded. “I can start on the south end of town.”

“And I can start at the north end,” Kate said. “And eventually we can meet in the park and compare notes.”

“Let’s text each other and decide on a time to meet.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

His fingers were a blur as he typed.

The preliminary report wasn’t good. Not good at all.

The next day, Wes skipped lunch as he rushed to get his work done quickly. Mr. Summers had requested that Wes send it as soon as possible. And that’s exactly what Wes intended to do. After a phone call from Jan, Mr. Summers’ assistant, he knew that the promotion still hadn’t been announced. He needed to do what he could to secure it.

But as he was typing the email to his boss, Wes’s thoughts strayed to that Victorian home—the one where he’d experienced his first crush, the house that had felt like home when he walked through the doorway. It was for sale, and he kept imagining what it might be like to own it, to settle here in Bayberry with its friendly residents and its family feel.

He shook off the thoughts. It wouldn’t work. His career was in New York. Everything he’d been striving for since college was in the city. The company he worked for was the best at what it did, not only in this country but around the world. So why would he think of giving that all up to settle down in this small town? What would he even do here?

No. It wasn’t going to happen. He had to stay focused on the promotion. And even though his mother didn’t want to move to the city, it shouldn’t change his plans. Achieving the assistant VP position had been his goal since he’d graduated from college. And it was within his grasp.

With the email sent, he closed his laptop and went to find Kate. Since it had been his idea to switch things up for the dance, he felt like he should go along and try to explain things to the town’s residents. He worried that it wouldn’t go over well.

At least that’s what Wes told himself was the reason for taking part of the afternoon off to walk shop-to-shop with Kate. She welcomed his company, and they set out in the lightly falling snow. The flakes melted as they landed on the sidewalk and road, but they added to the accumulation of snow in the yards, giving them a fresh, glittery appearance.

Everyone was bundled up against the distinct chill in the air, but it didn’t stop them from sharing warm holiday greetings. Wes knew he’d been in the town for awhile when he was able to put names to many of the faces.

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There was MaryJane from the candle company office. She’d told anyone who would listen that she was taking the day off to finish her Christmas shopping. By the number of packages in her hands, she’d succeeded.

Wes said hello to the reverend and his wife. And there was Joe from the deli. Wes was quite pleased with the number of people he recognized.

He met even more of the townspeople as they went along from business to business. Soon he would know them all. They were a quirky bunch, but very friendly and welcoming—just as he’d remembered.

They’d just stepped in Tara’s Tasty Treats when the young woman behind the counter greeted them with a smile. “Hello, Kate.” The woman turned to Wes. “Hi. You must be Wes.”

He wondered how she knew his name, but then he realized that in this small town, gossip flowed faster than the small creek that ran through Bayberry.

“Yes, I am.” He held his hand out over the glass countertop. “And you must be Tara. It’s nice to meet you.”

“And he has manners too.” The woman beamed at Kate as she shook his hand. “I like this one.”

When Wes glanced over at Kate, her face was bright red and her gaze didn’t quite meet his. Was it possible that she felt something growing between them too? Or was it all in his head?

But as he continued to look at Kate, he realized that the feelings he had for her had nothing to do with his head, and everything to do with his heart. And that’s when he knew he couldn’t let her down. He had to find a way to keep her family’s company going—her town thriving—and put that enchanting smile back on her face. Even if his numbers didn’t agree with him.