Page 10 of Valentine's in Bayberry

The sun was barely above the horizon as he made his way back to his rental car with a cup of hot coffee in hand. He was curious to see Carrie’s chocolate shop. Sure, he’d been past it numerous times since he’d been in town, but now that he knew it was hers, he would give it a closer look.

When he approached the front of the building, he glanced in the rearview mirror. No one was behind him. He pressed the brakes.

He noticed how she’d had the exterior painted a warm chocolate brown. The sign above the front door was done in shades of brown, pink, and gold. He wasn’t normally a big fan of pink, but in this case, he really liked it. It was classy. And it reminded him of Carrie because pink was her favorite color.

His gaze lowered to the showroom window. It was there he found a collage of chocolate displays. It was quite artistic and made him want to take a closer look.

There was a big shelving unit with square openings. In each one, she’d displayed the chocolate in various ways. In one there was chocolate on a small plate next to a china cup. In another, there was an open book next to a tea cup on a saucer with chocolate on the edge of the saucer. Near the top of the display were red foil-covered heart-shaped boxes of varying sizes. They were each filled with chocolates. There was so much to choose from it was really quite impressive.

Maybe an even closer look was in order. He pulled off to the side of the road and parked. He crossed the road and moved toward the front door. When he reached for the handle, the doorwouldn’t budge. It was only then he noticed the Closed sign. He sighed as he lowered his hand.

He turned and headed toward the vacant side of the building. As he made his way around to the back, he told himself it was probably for the best that the chocolate shop was closed. The less he saw of Carrie, the better. Because all of the time apart hadn’t gotten him over her. And his visit was complicated enough without trying to deny his feelings for her—feelings she’d never reciprocated.

He had to stay focused on helping his mother. Because come February 15, he was headed overseas once more. When his mother finished her treatment, she would come join him in Europe so he could be there for her, and there wouldn’t be a repeat of this disaster.

When he reached the alley, he paused at the backdoor to grab his keys. It was then he heard a woman’s voice. She was singing along with the radio. Could it be Carrie?

His list of things to do slipped to the back of his mind as he strolled over to the door that was cracked open. He peered inside to find Carrie with her back to him. He couldn’t make out what she was working on, but she had a large bowl on the stainless-steel counter, and she was stirring the contents.

Beep. Beep. Beep...

She rushed over to one of the ovens and opened the door. At that moment another timer went off.

Maybe this wasn’t the best time to disturb her. As much as he wanted to talk to her, he quietly walked away. He felt like he’d been walking away from a lot of things in his life. His excuse, as always, was that he didn’t have time for a personal life because of his demanding job.

And his career had been great. He’d worked his way up in the software company, and he was now the boss in their biggestEuropean office. He had everything he could want, except for one thing—a family.

When he was so busy fulfilling his five-year plan, there was never time left for a wife and children. He told himself he’d get to it someday, but he felt as though he were running out of time to make it happen. Sure, he knew that men could have children well into their senior years, but he didn’t want that. He wanted to be young enough to throw the ball around, to play tag in the backyard, and to carry his children around on his shoulders. He intended to be an involved parent.

Every time he thought about what type of partner he wanted to settle down with, Carrie’s image came to mind. She was kind and thoughtful. She had always been the first person to cheer him on when he faced a challenge, and she had provided a sympathetic ear when one of his grand ideas blew up in his face.

Even if she hadn’t rejected his kiss all of those years ago, it wouldn’t have worked. The problem with them being anything more than friends was that his career took him away from Bayberry. And Carrie loved this small town. She loved the traditions and routines. Just seeing her now in her chocolate shop, he had never seen her look happier.

He unlocked the back door to the vacant shop. He just needed to concentrate on fixing his mother’s life before he had to return to London.

Buzz. Buzz.

He sighed. His phone had been ringing all morning since London was five hours ahead of Bayberry. He’d been answering the calls, but this time he sent the call to voicemail.

He grabbed his tools. When the world felt out of control, working with his hands let him feel in control of something—no matter how small it might be.

Right now, his personal world felt as though it were spinning out of control. He had no idea his mother had been spiraling.She had become quite good at hiding what was going on in her life. He had a feeling his mother even hid the severity of her situation from herself. Well, she had until the ramifications of her situation were unavoidable.

Even with the lights on, the old restaurant was full of shadows. Luckily, he’d planned ahead and had bought a couple of standing work lights. He plugged them in as well as his old boombox. After adjusting the lights, he turned on the music and adjusted the radio station. Music from when he was a teenager with the world ahead of him began to play.

He reached for the Sawzall. No sooner had he started the saw when the power went out. The whole storefront was plunged into total darkness. He couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face.

He muttered under his breath as he stumbled around, tripping over one of the light stands. He caught his balance before he hit the floor. It looked like this place was going to need more work than he could do on his own. He would be calling an electrician once he got the power on again.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. His fingers moved rapidly over the screen. And then there was light.

At the same moment, the back door swung open. He turned to see who it was.

“Hey! You’re blinding me,” a female voice called out.

Jackson lowered his phone. He’d know that voice anywhere. It was Carrie. He also heard a note of annoyance in her tone.

“Sorry,” he said. “The lights went out.”

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