A muffled rap came from the snow-powdered glass of the entrance door. Arianna perked. Mark? Then a pair of bright-red mittens pressed against the glass. A young woman’s smiling face peered inside.
Arianna deflated at the sight of her friend Jamie, this year’s event coordinator for the town’s holiday festivities. Arianna had hoped the “Sorry, we’re closed” sign would give her friend a hint to not disturb her while she worked. Although she would love to chat some other time, every second mattered—today more than ever. Arianna maneuvered around the front counter and unlocked the door.
Jamie, who was bundled up like an Eskimo, a bright-red scarf wrapped around her neck, shook off the excess powdery snowflakes from her light-blond hair and stepped inside. “Hey, girl.” She locked the door behind her. “All ready to sell out again tonight?”
Arianna shook her head and returned behind the counter, where she transferred a batch of white chocolate macadamia cookies to one of the ovens. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Jamie looked around and tsked. “Geez, you haven’t even decorated the place.”
“Sure I did.” Arianna filled the racks of the second oven with peppermint-chocolate cupcakes.
Jamie approached the front counter and picked up the flimsy paper Christmas tree. “You call this decorating?”
Arianna rolled her eyes, experiencing déjà vu over the same talk she and Mark had had last night. “I’d love to go all out with decorations, but there’s only so many hours in a day, and I have things to bake and customers to serve.”
“You need to take a break.”
Arianna blew a raspberry. “If I don’t get all this work done, I won’t have a shop to decorate.”
“Okay, then. Let me decorate this place for you.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to do that. Besides, don’t you have to help the committee with the parade stuff?”
“Yes, but I always have time to help a friend. Especially when it involves decorating for the holidays. C’mon. Let me do it. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Arianna gave her a dismissive wave then began cracking eggs into a large bowl. “I appreciate it, but I’ll do it eventually.”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “That pretty much means never. Christmas is in two days. You deserve a break, y’know. Or at least hire some help. You think I do all this event organizing alone? Heck no! It’s a team effort.”
Arianna half smiled at her friend’s insistence. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a vacation or simply put her feet up for a day. Work was always on her mind, like during the dinner date she’d had with Mark, as divine as it had been. She hoped it wouldn’t be their last date. “You’ll be glad to know that I’ve hired some temporary help.”
Jamie perked up, her bright-blue eyes widening. “Really? That’s great! Are they here now? When are they starting?” She craned her neck, attempting to peer toward the back of the kitchen.
Arianna shrugged. “I’m not sure where he is. I guess he slept in. Or maybe he changed his mind.” She chewed her bottom lip. Had he truly forgotten? Or was he deliberately standing her up? Thoughts of her past swarmed her mind. She wasn’t a stranger to getting stood up by people she cared about. Working and keeping her hands busy tended to keep her mind off the negative thoughts and experiences from her past.
“Wait. He? You mean…” Jamie’s mouth slowly opened.
“No, I don’t mean, so stop gawking.” Arianna chuckled, shaking her head. “He’s just a random customer I met yesterday who also happens to be an amazing chef.”
Jamie gasped. “Wait, he’s not that celebrity chef everyone keeps talking about, is he?”
“He’s not a celebrity as far as I know. Just a guy who knows how to treat your taste buds with the most amazing stuffed pimientos and cranberry sponge pudding, for starters.”
“I heard some people talking about the guy making a huge, luxurious breakfast spread this morning.”
“This morning?” Arianna frowned as she began stirring the batter for strawberry cake pops. That couldn’t really be Mark, could it? After all, he’d promised to help her. “I don’t see anything special about a bunch of bacon and eggs.”
“I doubt it was just bacon and eggs he’d prepared.” Jamie smiled coyly. “Either way, he’s the talk of the town. And if he is, in fact, going to be working here alongside you, get ready for this place to be overwhelmed.”
Arianna cringed. “Don’t say that.”
Jamie sighed dreamily. “You know, I think you two would make a great team. And you do need help around here. What better person to employ than that handsome chef?”
“You’ve seen him?”
“Who hasn’t? If you weren’t always cooped up in here, you might see some interesting things out in the world.”
Arianna playfully stuck out her tongue. “Hey, I have a business to run. Bills to pay.” But a thought lingered in her mind, and she wondered how many more women were attracted to his “celebrity chef” status. He seemed like a man with a big heart. But it was ridiculous to think that he would try to entertain everyone in town. Or was it? Arianna swallowed a lump in her throat. Maybe I was just one of many on his list.
“These customers won’t lose their sweet tooth just because you decide to have a little break. Besides, it’s almost Christmas, and you, the hardest-working person I know, don’t deserve to spend it alone.”
Arianna kept her eyes on the smooth batter as she added a cup of strawberry puree to it. She couldn’t think of not working, especially during the holidays. Too many people were depending on her to make them smile. “I’ll think about it,” she finally told her friend.
Jamie clapped her hands together. “Great! I’m holding you to that, y’know. You better plan something before Christmas, or I’ll plan it for you.” She headed for the door. “Time to get back to it. Merry Christmas.”
As soon as Jamie left, Arianna exhaled a deep sigh. She didn’t want to believe that Mark had decided to break his promise. Didn’t want to believe that helping at the bed-and-breakfast was more important than helping her. But how could she be upset at that? He was helping others, just as she would have done. Then again, she’d thought the same thing about Carson, her ex. Frowning, Arianna locked the front door once more. She had only three hours left to prepare, and she still had a lot more work to do.
As she turned to head around the counter, another knock came at the door. She started and looked over her shoulder. Mark stood beyond the powdered glass, clad in a leather jacket and red scarf.
Arianna’s breath hitched. Mark. A mix of emotions swarmed her heart. She hesitated then went to the door and unlocked it. “Hey!” Her voice sounded more enthused than she’d intended.
Mark smiled apologetically. “Hey, sorry I’m late. One of the kitchen staff was trying to recreate the raisin bread I made for breakfast the other morning and ended up starting a fire in the kitchen when the bread burned so badly.”
Arianna gasped. She felt two inches tall, remembering what she’d thought about him before. “Oh my goodness. Is everyone okay?”