by Olivia Miles
Ivy was finishing up a beautiful holiday arrangement when the sisters entered the shop, full of red and creamy ivory blooms. Molly perused the shop while Kara chatted with her friend, eager to catch up on the latest details of her upcoming wedding.
“When I see flowers like this, I start to wish I’d gone with a Christmas wedding.” Ivy sighed and blew an auburn strand of hair from her forehead. “But I always knew when I got married I’d have peonies, and so… spring it is!”
“Peonies are very popular with our readers,” Molly agreed sagely.
“It will be worth waiting for,” Kara said, even though she couldn’t exactly relate. Still, it was what she told herself when she started to get a little lonely or wonder when her turn would come, as her sister said. She liked to think that by the time the right guy came along, she’d look back on her life and know that he was worth it. Still, despite how much she tried to convince herself she was fine just having her bakery, it would be nice if he’d come along soon…
And she wouldn’t mind if he looked sort of like Nate.
“So you’re getting married in Briar Creek?” Ivy remarked. “Here I thought you’d want something big and splashy in Boston.”
“Oh.” Molly shrugged. “There’s nothing unique about that. A country wedding, though… you can really build on that theme.”
“Are you still planning on Valentine’s Day?” Ivy asked Molly.
Molly looked up from the red roses she was inspecting. “Yep. Valentine’s Day. The most romantic day of the year!”
Kara decided to keep her feelings to herself, even if she did worry Molly was hurrying things a bit. She had a bad feeling that Molly was rushing the wedding out of fear that Todd would break things off again, and if that was the case, she probably shouldn’t be marrying him at all. But was that really for her to say? She wasn’t sure. She’d talk to her mother about it first.
Ivy considered this. “Red would be the obvious palette then, but pink or purple would work just as well. I’ve always been partial to lilac, personally.”
Molly scrunched up her nose. “I know my mother would love nothing more than for me to go with pink, but it’s really not me at all. I’ll let you have pink, Kara,” she teased.
“Gee, thanks.” But Kara didn’t mind. Neither girl may have followed in their mother’s love for ballet, but Kara had always been partial to pink—it was one of the reasons why she’d chosen to make it the color scheme of her shop. Of course, she couldn’t deny that she got a little thrill from seeing her mother’s expression at the first walk-through. She couldn’t help it; even now, at her age, she longed for her mother’s approval, no matter how difficult it was to come by.
Molly related, but it wasn’t the same for her. She was the youngest and in many ways could do no wrong. And now she lived in Boston, and when she visited, her mother rolled out the red carpet.
All the more reason for Kara to make her mark in town and prove to her mother, and to all the doubters, that she could stick with something and succeed at it. She hoped to prove it to herself, too.
“What about a mixed bouquet in shades of red, white, and purple?” Ivy suggested. She pulled a binder from under her workstation and began thumbing through pages of past events, each picture almost prettier than the one before it. Stopping halfway through, she turned the binder and slid it to Molly. “I may tuck in a few pink flowers just for variety, but I promise it will be subtle.”
“I trust you,” Molly said. She reached into her tote and pulled out some examples of pages she’d ripped from past issues of the magazine she worked for. “I like this kind of vase. It really creates a sense of height. It makes a statement.” She shuffled through the cutouts. “So long as it looks just like this, it will be perfect.”
“Then you’re the easiest bride I’ve had all year, and that’s counting myself.” Ivy laughed. “I know I gave Grace a hard time when she couldn’t commit to a dress, but I’m still undecided.”
“We’ll go together then. I know all the latest trends, and I might even be able to get you a good deal,” Molly said, and the girls began chatting excitedly about lace and satin and taffeta and veils. Kara felt her smile slowly begin to fade as the tug in her chest grew a little tighter. She was happy for her sister and friend—how could she not be—but she couldn’t help but feel a little left out.
She waited politely until the conversation had ended before changing the topic. “Mark’s party is tonight. Are you both going?” She hadn’t been sure she would make it, but she’d been so productive this afternoon that she could stand to take a night off to enjoy herself. And if she got twitchy, as she sometimes did, she might pop into the bakery to get a start on tomorrow afterward.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Ivy said, nodding. “Brett made sure to swap shifts for the night, so he’s not on call. What about Todd, Molly? Is your fiancé going to be joining us?”
Molly reddened as she flipped through her magazine pages. “Oh. No… No, he has to work, so… He’s still in Boston.” Her smile was bright, but if Kara didn’t know better, she’d say it was masking something.
“Oh, too bad.” Ivy shrugged. “Well, you girls will have each other then. And you never know, Kara. A cute guy might be there.”
Kara highly doubted that. She’d long ago given up on finding a man around here. She’d dated several, and that hadn’t panned out, and the other eligible bachelors weren’t her type. She’d known them all her life, and they were officially friend material only.
She thought of Nate, wondering if he might have liked to have gone to the party. Ridiculous, she thought, brushing away the thought. He was visiting his aunt, and even if he was around Kara’s age, he probably wanted to focus on time with his family, not go to a party with a group of strangers. It wasn’t like he’d be sticking around after Christmas anyway. No one had even met him up to this point. But oh, had they heard about him…
“I’m fine just spending the evening with all of you,” Kara said, meaning it. “I need the break.”
“It’s tough work starting a new business.” Ivy gave her a look of understanding. “Scary, too. Heck, I’m still always a little worried about losing this place or not being able to meet my loan payments.”
Kara laughed uneasily, knowing her friend was only half joking. Petals on Main had been open for years and its business was steady. Kara knew she was fortunate not to have to lose sleep wondering if the bank would come after her if she failed, but that didn’t mean the fear was any less.
If she lost the business, then what would she have for herself? It was all she had. And all she had left of her father, too.
CHAPTER 7
Mark and his fiancée, Anna, lived with their dog, Scout, in a restored log cabin near the edge of Briar Creek. The party was already under way by the time Kara pulled to a stop on the snow-covered gravel driveway. She’d dressed for the occasion, to help get into the spirit of things more than anything else, but she couldn’t deny the flutter of hope that maybe Ivy was right, that there might be a handsome someone behind the door.
Knowing she was just setting herself up for disappointment by thinking this way, she grabbed the bottle of wine and box of the candy cane–shaped cookies that Nate had praised earlier from the passenger seat and pushed open the car door. Her heeled dress shoes were all wrong for the wet and heavy snow, which was still falling steadily, and she hurried up the stairs to the front porch, letting herself into her cousin’s house, where she was greeted by the friendly golden retriever who wore a red plaid ascot.
“I can’t believe Mark let you dress up Scout.” Kara laughed as she greeted her friend Anna Madison, soon to be her cousin-in-law, if she and Mark ever took enough time away from their restaurant to set a date.
She still felt a little guilty that by giving her notice last summer at Rosemary and Thyme she’d somehow set back their plans, but Anna had quickly found a replacement to take over her position in the back office, and she and Mark both understood and supported her desire
to start a bakery and have something of her own. It was Anna who had taught her to bake, after all. Still, Kara would sleep a little better when they finally tied the knot… and took a much-needed honeymoon.
“I slipped it on right before the party started,” Anna confessed, laughing. “To be honest, I’m not sure he’s even noticed yet. He was too busy prepping the appetizers when people started arriving, and now he’s on his second beer with his brother.” She rolled her eyes, but Kara knew Anna was only pretending to be annoyed. She and Mark went far back. They’d drifted apart and come back together. It did happen sometimes. However, in the case of her sister and Todd, she wasn’t so sure.
“Is Molly here yet?” Kara looked around the room, already crowded and buzzing with guests she recognized, to search for her sister.
Anna nodded as she took Kara’s coat. “She’s over near the tree with Ivy and Grace.”
Already Kara felt more alive. The music was playing Christmas carols, strands of white lights gave the entire house a festive glow, and Anna was mentioning some special drink they’d concocted just for the evening. It couldn’t get better than this.
Except… maybe it could.
Kara turned with interest to see Nate Griffin walking through the door, eyes wide, hands tucked into his pockets, smile a little unsure. He was dressed up more than usual, in black pants and a charcoal-gray cashmere sweater. She could just picture him in Boston, with his sleek city clothing, slipping into a trendy and lively restaurant or hitting a bar after a long business meeting. It was a reminder of how different their worlds were—and despite all the nice things he’d said about her cookies today at the shop, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous around him. No doubt the other girls he spent time with had big corporate jobs and weren’t covered in flour and sugar for half the day.
“Nate?” She smiled as her heart sped up a little, wondering how this came to be.
His expression visibly relaxed when he saw her. “Kara. This is a surprise.”
“A pleasant one, I hope.” She smiled pertly and then felt a wave of heat rush over her skin. Oh my God, was she flirting with him? She was; she most definitely was. But then, why shouldn’t she? He was cute. Damn cute. And he was single. Mrs. Griffin had been sure to point that out a good hundred times, leading them all to secretly assume something might be wrong with him or that he wasn’t quite everything his aunt had hyped him up to be. But no, nothing was wrong with Nate Griffin, at least not in this moment, and not when he smiled at her like that, causing his hazel eyes to crinkle around the corners.
“My mother said you were going to be stopping by,” Anna cut in as she extended her hand. “I’m Anna Madison. My fiancé Mark Hastings is just over there.” She gestured vaguely to the kitchen.
“Hastings? Any relation?” Nate asked Kara.
“My cousin. You’ll probably meet a few of my family members tonight,” Kara said. She smoothed her black sequin skirt over her hips, and when she looked up, she noticed that he’d followed her hands, tracing the movement with his eyes, his smile suddenly replaced by something unreadable. Something that sent a little tingle down her spine. She waited until Anna had moved on to greet another guest to say, “I used to work with Mark and Anna at Rosemary and Thyme. You might have noticed it on one of your trips down Main Street. The restaurant on the corner with the tall windows?”
He looked impressed. “I did. Looks like a nice place. How long were you there for?”
“Oh…” Kara hoped to gloss over the details of her work history. It didn’t exactly shed her in the best light to admit she’d changed jobs sometimes twice yearly since she’d finished college how many years back. “A while. Anna ran a bakery before they teamed up and opened the restaurant. She taught me most of what I know.”
“Well, she did a good job then.” Nate grinned, and Kara felt her stomach roll over.
She lifted a drink off a tray that Anna carried back to them, and Nate did the same. She did her best to ignore the subtle wink her friend shot her before she moved on to the next group, happy to proffer her culinary efforts. Taking a long sip for courage, Kara turned back to Nate. “So, what brings you by tonight?”
“It was my aunt’s idea. She wanted me to get out of the house.” He leaned down to speak into her ear, his voice low and husky, his breath tickling her neck and sending a quiver through her insides. “Between you and me, I think she’s trying to sell me on this town.”
“Oh?” Well, this was an interesting turn of events. “Any chance of you moving here?”
He held her gaze for a beat. His face was so close, she could see the faint shadow of the bump on his nose, the full mouth framed by that square jaw. Oh, Lordy. He certainly was handsome.
“Nope.”
Kara blinked. “Oh,” she said again, at a loss for anything else to say. She hadn’t expected him to be so blunt, or so certain. She pushed back the swell of disappointment. She was being ridiculous. There was nothing to be disappointed about. He was a good-looking man, passing through town like so many of the other tourists who came and went this time of year.
“I like city life,” Nate mused. “I grew up in Boston. It’s all I know.”
“It would be difficult to leave home,” Kara agreed. Briar Creek had its drawbacks, as small-town life sometimes did, but she couldn’t imagine leaving it. She’d rather invest in it. And that’s exactly what she was doing, wasn’t it?
She blinked back the tears that stung her eyes, as they did every time she thought of her dad. The holidays were always more difficult. He should have been here with them. But so long as she had her bakery, perhaps a part of him was.
She took another sip of her drink, this time properly tasting it. It was cranberry flavored, with a peel of orange draped artfully on the rim. There was no use getting sentimental now. Now, when she was at one of the best parties of the year, with her best friends, and there was a sprig of mistletoe just an arm’s length away. And one of the cutest guys she’d seen in a while was standing at her side. And he liked her cookies.
This was certainly not a time for tears. In fact, things had never looked brighter.
Nate had to admit he was having fun. When his aunt had broached him with the strong suggestion of coming to the party, he’d immediately refused on account of not having been invited or knowing the hosts, but then she’d pulled out her guilt card and insisted that she needed him there to scope out the competition. Kathleen Madison’s daughters would be in attendance, she’d said, and after a glass or two of Champagne he might be able to get them to reveal something about their mother’s plans for the Holiday House contest. He’d squawked at that, but then his aunt had gotten all teary eyed and tried the reverse psychology angle instead, opting to sit in a chair by the fireplace and admit defeat, right down to suggesting she might return all the items she’d purchased at the bazaar.
It wasn’t until he was out of the house, directions to this cabin in the woods in hand, and on his way to all but crash a party that he realized he’d been played. Maggie couldn’t have returned those gifts if she’d tried—they were crafts from a fair, for God’s sake—but nevertheless, she’d gotten her way, and, standing close to Kara, he was happy she had.
She looked particularly pretty tonight in a black sleeveless top and sparkly skirt. Her dark hair was swept back, and she wore a touch of red lipstick that dramatically contrasted with her bright blue eyes. Her top was cut low, revealing a hint of cleavage tucked behind a chunky necklace. She sipped her drink slowly, as if pacing herself, and Nate did the same. He’d originally planned on getting in and getting out, but now he wouldn’t mind if the evening lasted a while.
“You know,” Kara said, a slow smile curving her mouth, “I was thinking of inviting you to the party tonight.” Her lashes fluttered as she lowered her eyes, and she took a sip of her drink as a faint blush traced her cheeks.
Nate’s pulse skipped with interest. So she’d been thinking of asking him out, huh? And what would he have said? Yes, he rea
lized with a jolt. He’d have said yes. Because she was pretty and sweet and interesting… even if she was all wrong for him. She was just like the girls he’d known growing up, and he knew that in time a different side of her would shine through. Once she learned where he’d come from, what his background was, that his blood didn’t run blue, she’d give him the boot.
He took a sip of his drink. Some festive libation that tasted slightly like cranberry juice, but fortunately, better. “And why didn’t you?”
“I wasn’t sure it would be your type of thing.” Kara shrugged, her cheeks positively flaming now, and he decided to cut her a break. If it wasn’t for her overt embarrassment, he’d have assumed she’d meant this wasn’t his scene, that he might not fit in. Wasn’t good enough. But there was nothing in her expression that said any such thing.
“Truth be told, it’s not,” he admitted. “I tend to avoid Christmas parties.”
“Ah, so you really are a Scrooge.” She laughed and took a sip of her drink.
“Not a Scrooge,” he corrected. “More like… a realist.”
She tipped her head quizzically. “But Christmas is the time to suspend reality and get caught up in the magic of possibilities. Anything can happen at Christmas.”
He stared at her, realizing by the earnest way she blinked up at him that she honestly believed this. And God, if he didn’t like her a little more for it. She took another sip of her drink and licked her bottom lip slowly, completely unaware that he was watching it all with a growing ache.
He ran a hand through his hair and coughed into his hand. He was at a party, not out on a date. And, according to his aunt Maggie, he will still on a mission. Kara was right about one thing: Anything was proving possible. A few days ago he never would have thought he’d be roped into decorating an inn for this ridiculous competition. He had half a mind to just write his aunt a check for the prize money and be done with it. But he supposed that magazine article couldn’t be bought. Shame.
