by Katie Carver
“I told you she was smart,” Kacie said.
Jake looked at Kacie exasperatedly. “Go back to your book, kid.”
Kacie gave Jake a quick hug around his waist and skipped to the back booth. He watched as she opened her book and began to read again intently. He knew he’d hit the kid jackpot and couldn’t imagine any other little girl as wonderful as his. He knew she wanted him to be happy and he was. He had her and that was all he needed. He glanced back out the restaurant window. He’d be opening for lunch soon and if he was lucky, he’d get some of the crowd that Ginger had been drawing to her bakery. He marveled at the size of the crowd. He had to hand it to Ginger, her plan was simple yet brilliant. If she had just made a donation to the library, it wouldn’t have had the same impact. His attempt at winning over the town hadn’t been as productive, but he still felt it was successful. He enlisted Andy’s help and visited the homes on the list that Mayor Curtis gave him. He knew that if Andy was with him, people would be more likely to open their doors. Andy was happy to help and he was grateful he did. The first few houses they visited had taken the meal, but as they progressed down the list, they started to be invited into homes. He had been pleasantly surprised by the people he had met. Many of them had lived in Spruce Valley their whole lives and they each had stories about the town. He found that as he listened, he better understood how deeply pride for their town was felt by the residents. It wasn’t just a place they lived, it was part of them. They all had their memories of the Baxter House and of Carol, it’s inhabitant for so many years. Jake knew from Andy that she had been revered by the town, but to hear the stories of her kindness and generosity from others had reaffirmed what he had suspected. She was unique. He gained a deep respect for the woman whom he had never met that night. When the evening was over, Andy assured him that he’d won over some residents. Jake decided that even after the contest had ended, he’d deliver meals from time to time. It was the first time since he’d come to Spruce Valley that he really felt like he was a part of it and he was surprised by how much he liked that feeling. He’d just have to make sure he left one person off the list in the future. The antique store owner was not at all happy about him showing up at her door and slammed it immediately after opening. There were words hurled at him that he’d never heard before and wasn’t sure of their meaning, but he could tell that they were not intended as compliments. Jake had felt good about his first attempt to win over the town, but seeing Ginger’s turnout made him realize he needed to ratchet up his efforts. If Ginger can get a huge crowd from just a cookie, there had to be something he could do that would produce the same effect. The contest was taking more of his time than he had anticipated. If he could win, it would be worth it. His thoughts were consumed by the contest. Jake had recently realized that his thoughts were often of Ginger, too. He began to wonder if that was a direct result of the contest or something more. He had a feeling, as unexpected as it was, that it was something more.
Chapter Nineteen
Ginger shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Yesterday’s cookie giveaway marathon had taken its toll on her poor feet. She was used to being on her feet all day, but for some reason, her body felt different today. She woke up to find muscles burning that she hadn’t felt in years. Even with the pain, Ginger decided it was worth it. She’d managed to hand out a cookie to almost every resident in town and the donation to the library would be something substantial. She had only hoped to break-even, but she sold out of most of the bakery she had in the store. Ginger figured it was probably the most profitable day her little bakery had ever had since she opened. She decided to deduct the cost of holding the event and would donate the rest of the proceeds to the library. It was a good cause and she didn’t mind using her earnings toward a larger contribution to the restoration. Considering how many people showed up yesterday, it didn’t surprise her that she had very few customers today. She walked over to the lone table at the front of the shop and sank into a chair. Getting off her feet for a few minutes would only delay the inevitable pain she’d feel when she got back to work, but she was grateful for the rest.
She crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down for a moment. Ginger heard the door open and looked up to see Victoria smiling down at her.
“Rough night?”
Ginger sat up and rubbed her temples. “I wish.”
“I’m a little sleepy myself. Do you have any coffee?” Victoria asked hopefully.
“Just made a fresh pot. Help yourself.”
“You’re an angel.” Victoria went to the kitchen and came out with two mugs. “Maybe this will help,” she said handing Ginger a mug.
“I’m feeling the aftermath of yesterday’s event. I think every part of my body hurts. Especially, my feet.”
“I’m sorry,” Victoria said sympathetically. “It was really great, though. Everyone has been talking about it, so I’m sure you’ve scored some points.”
“Well, I can’t even count on my friends' votes these days so who knows if that matters.”
Victoria avoided Ginger’s eyes. “So, you have sided with Andy, I see.” Ginger sipped her coffee.
“I never said that.”
“Your silence just confirmed it.”
“Of course, I’m voting for you, Ginger. It’s just that I also think Andy has a point about Jake.”
“Meaning?”
“Jake deserves a shot at it, too. Carol would have wanted it that way. You can’t deny that.”
Ginger nodded. “That’s true.” Carol wouldn’t have cared if he was new or had lived there for fifty years, she would have treated him just as kindly.
“Just don’t get too wrapped up in all this that you forget why she did it,” Victoria said thoughtfully.
Ginger watched Victoria’s eyes glance quickly to her right. “Gotta go,” Victoria said hastily. “Thanks for the coffee. Hope you feel better.” She stood up quickly and hurried to the door.
As soon as she did, Ginger realized what brought on Victoria’s swift departure. Mayor Curtis held the door open for Victoria as she left. Ginger gave Victoria an exasperated glare as she walked past. Victoria responded with a devious smile.
Ginger turned her attention to the Mayor. He looked determined about something and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be about pies. With a large plastered smile on his face, Mayor Curtis took a seat casually next to her.
“Ah, Ginger. I was hoping for a word. I’m glad to see you have the time.”
“I was just resting a moment. I have a lot to do today. I need to catch up from yesterday.”
“That’s one of the reasons I came here today. I would be remiss to not have scurried on over to tell you what an inspiring success your little charity event was. You were the talk of the town. Bravo, Ginger,” Mayor Curtis said dramatically.
“Thank you. What was the other reason?” Ginger asked hesitantly.
“Well, to tell you that, of course, and that your competition seems to be heating up.”
“Really?” Ginger asked plainly. Her feet were throbbing and it made listening to Mayor Curtis more difficult.
“Yes. I’m surprised you haven’t realized what is occurring just outside your door.” He motioned next door to Jake’s Place. Ginger craned her head to peer around the corner of her window, but she didn’t see anything in particular, just the creepy dangling ornaments from Jake’s display. “I don’t see anything.”
“Oh, it’s not visible. It’s the ideas that are brewing next door! It will be amazing what he can come up with to out-do you, Ginger. Now that will be a sight to behold.”
“I’m sure he will come up with something,” Ginger admitted reluctantly. She wasn’t sure it would be everything the mayor expected, but it would be enough to keep her on her toes.
“Isn’t it wonderful? All this town spirit!” Mayor Curtis asked with unfettered glee. “Maybe Jake will take a page from your book and offer diners half-off their tabs and donate all proceeds from the restaurant to the lib
rary.”
“That’s original,” Ginger snapped, but instantly regretted saying it out loud in front of the mayor.
A sly smiled crossed his lips. “Maybe not that exactly, but I think a little competition is a healthy thing, don’t you? The library restoration project can only benefit from what the two of you are capable of doing.”
“We aren’t doing anything. I am doing something and Jake is doing something. If Jake can’t come up with his own ideas, I guess he can borrow mine.”
“Now, now, Ginger. It’s all for an excellent cause and there shouldn’t be any hard feelings.” Mayor Curtis spoke to her as if scolding a small child.
“I don’t have any hard feelings. I hope he raises a bunch of money for the library.” That was partially true. She would be a bit annoyed if he decided to copy her idea, but the end result would be worthwhile.
“Exactly. Think of all the good the two of you will do if you continue to keep up that good old-fashioned rivalry.”
“We don’t have a rivalry. I’m just trying to show the town that I’m worthy of the house. Just like Jake is doing and just like you are doing,” Ginger said sarcastically.
“You haven’t heard, have you? No, of course, you wouldn’t have with you being so busy yesterday,” Mayor Curtis said coyly.
“I haven’t heard what?” Ginger was beginning to wish she had just stayed on her feet instead of taking a seat. Listening to Mayor Curtis’ theatrics was proving to be more agonizing.
“I’ve dropped out of the contest,” he said proudly.
“You did? Why?”
“I feel that it was for the good of the town. Besides, what more could I do for the town that you and Jake can’t? I’m sure the Sheriff will eventually feel the same,” Mayor Curtis smiled.
Something about his answer struck Ginger as false. He’d never given up a fight before and even though he did always have the town’s best interest in mind, he wouldn’t have dropped out of the contest for that reason. In fact, Ginger felt sure that, to the Mayor, using the Baxter House as a Mayor’s Office would have fallen well in the category of the town’s best interest.
“That’s mighty selfless of you, Mayor Curtis.”
The mayor nodded his agreement. “Yes, I know. I just hope when the contest is over, that you and Jake can somehow find a way to bury the hatchet. As I said, some competition is healthy, but too much isn’t always a good thing.”
Ginger eyed him cautiously. She knew him too well to think that his coming to the bakery today wasn’t steeped in some sort of mischief. First, he conceded the contest and now he was pretending to be concerned about town rivalries. He was the first to stoke those flames when there appeared to be any disagreements on Main Street. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Mayor Curtis waved off his concerns. “Of course, you will. You are both level-headed businesspersons.” He was laying it on thick now and Ginger was confident he was up to something.
“It was good of you to stop by, Mayor Curtis, but I really should be getting back to work now.” Ginger smiled sweetly. She rose from the table and tried to conceal a small wince she gave when she got to her feet.
The Mayor took the cue and headed toward the door. “Just remember, Ginger, it isn’t always easy to do what is best for the town, but it is always the right thing to do.”
Ginger stared after him as he left the bakery. The Mayor was prone to be a bit over-the-top, but when he coupled that with cryptic parting words, it became downright worrisome. She slowly walked her sore feet back to the kitchen and pulled some ingredients out of the pantry. After finally catching up on orders the other day, she’d now fallen miserably behind. She’d have to work most of the evening to catch up, but that was okay. Having too many purchases was a problem Ginger could live with. She hadn’t given much thought to Jake’s reaction to her event, but once the Mayor mentioned it, she knew that he’d be planning something that would create an impact. Ginger wasn’t as concerned by that as she once would have been. If he did well, she’d be glad for him. If he decided to give everyone in town free dinner for a month, she’d congratulate him for his generosity. After meeting Kacie, her bitterness about him winning the house was gone. She knew he wasn’t doing it for himself and that changed things somehow. She saw a different Jake than the arrogant out-of-towner that she was convinced he was when he came to town. Though she wasn’t completely convinced she was wrong about his arrogance, watching him with Kacie made her realize he may have some redeeming qualities after all. He was protective and fatherly and it was easy to see that he would do anything for his daughter. Her own father had never shown those qualities. He left early on in Ginger’s life and as far as Ginger was concerned, it was for the best anyway. From the little she knew of him, her father had no desire to be burdened by responsibilities. A trait that, according to her mother, didn’t appear until after he was married with a child on the way. She was raised by her mother and aunt and never felt she had lost out on any part of having a father in her life. She had enough love from them that it never felt as if she were missing out on something more. When her mother became ill while she was in high school, her father made a few pitiful attempts to regain contact with her. Though his motives were never clear, she figured it was a feeling of regret that led him to reconnect. The feeling must’ve passed soon after her mother died because he never tried again. The brief and feeble attempt by her father allowed her just enough insight into the person he really was to know she hadn’t missed out on anything of any great consequence. Even if it wasn’t important to her, she could sense how important the relationship to Jake was to Kacie. Jake was a good father and changed his life to be near her. In a small way, it made Ginger admire him. She admitted to herself that she may have been too quick to judge him. A person who did something like that couldn’t be all bad. Ginger still wanted the Baxter House and she’d do everything she could to get as many votes as she could, but it was no longer about beating Jake. It was just about the house. If the mayor was up to something, she needed to warn Jake. She would admit she hadn’t even a small clue as to what that something could be. If experience had taught her anything, it was that once Mayor Curtis had set his mind to something, not much could deter him. She’d go over to Jake’s Place after he closed tonight. There was no sense in making a scene and she knew what people would think if she showed up during dinner. They would think she was up to no good. She couldn’t have that. After all, it was still a contest.
Chapter Twenty
“Is there anything else you need me to do?” Sandy asked after she finished wiping the last table.
“That’ll do it,” Jake said. There was plenty more to finish, but most of it could wait until tomorrow. Jake knew Sandy was anxious to get back to her home and check on her aunt.
“I’m going to scoot then.” Sandy grabbed her jacket off the hostess stand. “I’m missing my little helper. When is she coming back?” Sandy asked.
“Why? Am I boring you?” Jake chuckled.
Kacie had begun to help Sandy with the nighttime jobs while she was visiting, but he knew it wasn’t only the help she was missing. The two of them ended up making games out of the routine and Jake guessed his help now seemed extremely dull.
“Kind of,” Sandy joked.
“She’ll be back in a few days. She had a friend’s birthday party she didn’t want to miss so she went back to her mom’s house for a few days.”
“If you talk to her, let her know that I found a really cool bouncy ball for the silverware wrap test.”
“Do I even want to know what that means?” Jake frowned.
“Probably not,” Sandy said and laughed. “See you tomorrow, Jake.”
Sandy headed out the door and Jake shook his head. Maybe he’d have to pay a little more attention to their games. He did have to hand it to Sandy, though. She was excellent at keeping Kacie entertained while she was at the restaurant. Having a couple of younger siblings must have equipped her with a few tricks to keeping someone like
Kacie busy.
Jake missed having Kacie around, too. When she was there, his attention was fully focused on her. He had to make sure she ate her meals, brushed her teeth, and went to bed at a decent time. Those few small things that most parents might take for granted were like little treasure to him because he didn’t get to experience them as often as he would have liked. He hoped his new life would allow him to enjoy those things more often and so far, it had.
Jake’s stomach let out a large growl and he realized that he had skipped lunch. Another reminder she wasn’t there. Kacie kept him from getting too wrapped up in the restaurant and forgetting about everything else. Jake went to the kitchen to decide what to make. He had to eat something before heading back to the Inn or he would forget to eat altogether. Jake decided on pasta, something quick, easy, and filling. He turned on some music and got into a rhythm. Once he was back to cooking, things began to come more easily to him. Now, when he was cooking, the outside world was something far away and the burdens he had previously had as a manager were non-existent. When the food was exactly how he wanted, he filled up his plate with a generous portion and headed back to the dining area. He could use a little quiet time to plan his next move to win over the town. Jake was about to take a bite when he heard a knock on the restaurant door. He got up and peered out the window and saw Ginger standing there. She was bundled up in a large down coat, her bright red hair peeked out from under her wool hat. He unlocked the door and cracked it open.
“Ginger? What are you doing here?”
“Freezing. Can I come in for a minute?” she asked.
Jake opened the door fully and let her pass beside him into the dining area. As she walked by, he realized that she smelled like cookies. He couldn’t help but think she looked as sweet as she smelled all bundled up with bright pink cheeks from the cold.
He saw her notice his dinner on the table and she gave him an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to bother you while you ate, but I didn’t want to come by while you were open.”
