Christmas in Bayberry

Kate inhaled deeply as she took a seat at the island. “Mm…smells great.”

“Let’s just hope they taste as good as they smell. This is a new recipe I’m trying. Banana and pecan muffins.”

“If they taste as good as they smell, you don’t have a thing to worry about.” It was well known that Aunt Penney was one of the best cooks in Bayberry.

“Thank you, dear.” Her smiling face radiated her happiness.

“I baked another batch of muffins and dropped them over at Ester Holmes’s. She’s been feeling under the weather lately, but that doesn’t keep her from gossiping.” Aunt Penney shook her head. “That woman can talk a blue streak. I was there forever.”

“Let me guess, you made your famous blueberry and cream cheese muffins.”

“Of course. And I made sure to add the streusel topping you love. Those muffins are the best cure for what ails you.”

Kate smiled. She’d heard that saying over the years, ever since her parents passed away and she’d moved to Bayberry to live with her aunt. She’d been in junior high when she’d first moved to town. It had been the worst and the best time of her life. Everyone at school had wanted to befriend her, which was exactly the opposite of what she’d expected. Coming to Bayberry had actually felt like coming home—her great-great grandparents had been the founders of the town.

Aunt Penney turned to the counter and grabbed the muffin. “I made sure to save you a blueberry muffin.”

“You did?” She reached for the muffin and peeled off the paper liner. “You’re the best.”

“Oh.” Aunt Penney waved off the compliment. “You’d say anything to get your hands on a muffin, wouldn’t you?”

“I would.” Kate played along. That was something else she loved about her aunt. She was light-hearted and let a lot of things roll right off her back. Kate took a bite of the muffin and moaned her approval. “They get better each time you bake them. You really are the best. The fact that you bake the most amazing muffins is just a bonus.”

“Thank you.” Color infused her aunt’s cheeks. “I love you too, dear.”

Aunt Penney started to clean off the few dishes in the sink. Sometimes Kate worried about her aunt. She’d never married, but part of that was Kate’s fault. When her aunt became an overnight parent, she’d devoted every spare moment to being there for all of her niece’s activities. Aunt Penney had headed up the PTA, run bake sales and even traveled with Kate’s high school volleyball team as a chaperone. All the while, she’d managed the candle company. How she’d done it all still amazed Kate.

“So how was your day?” Aunt Penney asked as she hand-washed a large mixing bowl. There were certain items that she didn’t put in the dishwasher.

“It was good. Although handing out coupons and hanging flyers took all day. You know how it goes. A hello here and a how-are-you there. It adds up. And then Harry Green’s pig got loose.”

Aunt Penney laughed. “Buttercup gets more exercise than Harry. She’s always getting loose.”

“I don’t know. You didn’t see Harry today.” Kate laughed as she pictured the older farmer in his boots and overalls chasing a squealing Buttercup down the street. “I didn’t know he could run that fast. All of Main Street came to a halt as everyone waited to see who would win the race.”

“Let me guess, it was Buttercup by a length.”

Kate nodded. “And then some. Harry was already out of breath as he ran past the pharmacy. Then they turned the corner and I don’t know what happened. Someone mentioned later that Buttercup circled back home. She probably worked up an appetite.”

“Poor Harry. I’m sorry I missed it.” They both chuckled.

As she took another bite, Kate recalled Santa and his cryptic message. “Do you know who’s working the red kettle today?”

“It’s supposed to be Sam Hansen. Why?”

Sam was tall and lanky. He had to be well over six feet tall, but this morning’s Santa had been much shorter, and his cheeks had been quite plump.

“Because I ran into him this morning. When I dropped some change in the kettle, he gave me the most cryptic message. But it wasn’t Sam.”

Her aunt’s face creased with lines. “You said you saw Santa this morning?” When Kate nodded, her mouth full of the delicious muffin, Aunt Penney said, “But Sam wasn’t scheduled to work the kettle until late in the afternoon. We don’t have anyone in the mornings. And only Fred has a Santa suit. It definitely wasn’t him, because I spoke to him, and he was at the warehouse.”

“Really?” That was odd. Very odd. And then Kate told her aunt what Santa had said to her.

Aunt Penney shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, but I must say I’m intrigued.”

“Intrigued? I highly doubt he even knows who I am, much less what my future holds.”

A teasing smile came over Aunt Penney’s face. “You never know. It might have been old St. Nick himself.”