Christmas in Bayberry

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

He cleared his throat. “Something has come up. I won’t be able to go with you. I’m sorry. I hate to leave you shorthanded—”

“It’s okay.” She hoped her voice sounded normal. She just had to keep her emotions in check for a few more moments. “I should be going. Excuse me.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I…I have to find someone to help with the baskets. Excuse me.”

He moved to the side. “Sorry.”

She brushed past him.

“Kate?”

She kept going, forcing herself to walk instead of run, but she didn’t want him to see her face. She was losing her tenuous hold on her emotions.

How could he act as if everything was normal? Did he know what he was going to do to this town? Her heart broke, imagining this small community shattering, everyone going in different directions. None of their lives would ever be the same. Her past and future were gone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next day, Kate still couldn’t process the news.

The Bayberry Candle Company would not exist in the New Year. The thought hurt her heart. How did one accept that an era was about to end? Her family legacy was over. She thought of going to her aunt, but she wasn’t in any frame of mind to talk. Not yet.

Kate hadn’t seen Wes since they’d bumped into each other at the office, as she’d been busy well into the evening delivering baskets and spreading Christmas cheer that she no longer felt.

She reached for her phone and saw Wes had texted her: Can we talk about the other night? He wanted to talk about the kiss, but right now, her thoughts were on the report. How did he feel about his report? Was it just business as usual? Or was it tearing him up too?

She started to text him back, but then stopped. She backspaced. The things that needed to be said should be done in person. And today there was no time to seek him out. Her holiday obligations kept her busy—kept her from absorbing the full import of the devastation it would wreak on her town, her friends.

She’d borrowed a van from work and had set off with Carrie to pick up the flowers for the dance. It shouldn’t have taken them too long to get to Burlington and back—just a few hours at most. But on the way back, it’d started to snow again. This snowstorm had come out of nowhere and was about to bury them—just like the mounting bad news.

Kate turned up the windshield wipers and let up on the accelerator. She just had to stay focused on the road, not the throbbing ache in her chest. Soon they’d be back in Bayberry, where there were more Christmas baskets waiting to be delivered. If this was to be the last Christmas before things changed, she would not let her friends down. She would soldier through, even if it felt as though her heart were breaking.

She could only hope that Wes and Penney would wait until after the holidays to let everyone know that the candle company would be sold, at best, or at worst, closed. Either way, her merry Christmas was ruined.

The hum of the motor and the crunch of the tires on the salted roads was monotonous. It allowed her mind free rein to consider the “what ifs” and “might haves.” None of which did anything but make Kate more frustrated that she hadn’t been able to do more.

While Carrie texted on her phone, Kate turned on the radio, hoping the music would distract her. But every mention of “making spirits bright” mocked her mood. She turned the radio off.

“What’d you do that for?” Carrie asked. “It was better than your silence.”

“I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I thought you’d be excited that we were able to get these flowers for free.”

“Only because someone had to cancel a wedding.”

“At least they’re not going to waste.”

Kate peered through the snow hitting the windshield. “I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll make it back to town before the storm kicks into full gear.”

“Last I checked, we had another couple of hours before the worst of it was supposed to hit.” Carrie paused. “I don’t think it’s the weather that’s making you so quiet. You have something on your mind. And I don’t think it’s the dance.”

Kate hadn’t mentioned kissing Wes to Carrie or anyone else. She didn’t know why. Maybe because it hadn’t meant anything. Right?

Carrie stared at her. “Kate? Tell me what’s on your mind. After all, we’re stuck in this van together.”