Page 11 of Valentine's in Bayberry

“I know.”

He approached her. “How do you know?”

“Because the power is out in the chocolate shop.” She crossed her arms and frowned at him.

“Oh.” So, this electrical problem was worse than he thought. “I wonder why it affected your place.”

“Because the two shops share the same breaker box.”

“No. That doesn’t make any sense.” It was impossible. No one would wire the place like that.

“Well, it’s true. It’s over here.” She led the way.

He knew where it was, but he quietly followed her. Before he could reach to open the breaker box, Carrie opened it.

“Shine your phone over here,” she said.

He wasn’t quite sure where she wanted him to aim the light, so he stepped right up behind her. He was so close, in fact, that he got a whiff of her strawberry shampoo.Mmm…He inhaled deeper. He knew he’d never smell strawberries again without thinking of her.

“Hold up the light.” Her voice drew him from his meandering thoughts.

He raised his arm higher. Trying to keep his thoughts from her and how beautiful he found her, he stared at the breaker box. It was huge—far bigger than any he’d ever seen in a house.

“They aren’t marked,” she said.

“I don’t understand why your store shares a breaker box with this store.” He had a feeling there had been a lot of shortcuts taken with this very old building.

“I don’t know either. Once I figured it out, the remodel was over. I was told it would cost a fortune to rewire the chocolate shop. I never thought anyone would be moving in to this space, since it’s falling apart, so I let it go.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he remained quiet. He stood there while she checked the breakers one-by-one. At last, she found it. She flipped it back on. The room once more lit up and then plunged them into darkness once more.

“Here,” he said. “Let me give it a try.”

Carrie hesitated before moving aside. She let out an audible sigh. In his mind, he imagined her pressing a hand to her hipsjust like she did when they were teenagers and she got frustrated with him.

He flipped a breaker. The room lit up, and the music came blaring out of the boombox. “There,” he said, “all fixed.”

She frowned at him. “Nothing is fixed.”

“What do you mean?”

When she wordlessly turned and ran out the door, he was hot on her heels. He had no idea what the problem was, but he wanted to help if he could.

He followed her to the back door of the chocolate shop. She rushed over to the ovens on the far wall. She flicked on the oven light and looked through the glass.

He stepped up next to her. “What are you making?”

“Graham crackers.”

“Really? I thought this was a chocolate shop, not a bakery.”

“Yes, really. I came in early to make them, and now I have to hope this doesn’t ruin them.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy a box or two of them?”

She frowned at him. “Of course, it would, but I want to make as much of the products from scratch as I can.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

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