Page 31 of Valentine's in Bayberry

She jerked her thoughts to a halt. She didn’t want to think about that now. She had more important things to do, like salvaging her favorite saucepan. Then she could get back to finalizing the menu before Brittany found another reason to cut her from the event.

The sun was shining.

And he was feeling hopeful.

The next morning, Jackson stopped at Steaming Brew to pick up a couple of coffees, one for himself and one for Carrie. Abby was working, and she gave him a couple of strange looks. He wondered what Carrie had been telling her, but he didn’t ask.

She was surprised that he still remembered Carrie’s favorite—a latte with a shot of espresso, two sugars, and a splash of oat milk. With a thank you, he walked away with a carrier holding the coffees. He strode quickly down the sidewalk. On his way, he made a short detour to the Bayberry Realty office.

He’d no sooner stepped through the doorway than he heard his name being called out. He turned to find Brittany rushing toward him.

She had this big smile on her face. “It was so sweet of you to come see me this morning.”

He noticed her voice was raised just a bit, as though to let everyone else in the smallish office hear her. She leaned forward and air-kissed his cheek.Wait.Why is she acting so strange?

He cleared his throat. “I told you I would—”

“Come see me. And you brought me coffee.” Her smile broadened. “That was so thoughtful.”

Without waiting for him to say a word, she plucked the cup of coffee he’d purchased for Carrie and took a sip. “Mmm... That’s good.”

“Glad you like it.” He thought his tone dripped in sarcasm, but it didn’t seem to faze her. Either he wasn’t good at sarcasm, or she chose to ignore his tone.

The next thing he knew, she’d looped her hand in the crook of his arm. “My desk is right over here.”

She didn’t give him a chance to refuse before she gave a tug on his arm. Because there were people watching this exchange, he chose not to make a scene. He had no idea what she was up to, but he didn’t like it.

Once they reached her desk, she sat down. She gestured to one of the two chairs on the other side of her desk. “Please, sit down.”

“I don’t have time. I just stopped by to give you these.” He withdrew the papers from his inner coat pocket. He held them out to her.

She took them. “Thank you. Don’t worry. I’ll get your mother’s house sold as quickly as possible.”

He cleared his throat. “Things have changed. We’re no longer in a hurry for the sale.”

Brittany’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? Because when I spoke to her, she wanted this done as quickly as possible.”

He and his mother had big decisions to make and he didn’t want them to be rushed. It was more important to take the time necessary to make his mother happy in the long-term. “I assure you that is no longer the case.”

“I’d really like to hear that from her.” Brittany reached for her phone.

“Don’t bother calling the house. She’s not home right now.”

When she looked at him with unspoken questions in her eyes, he chose not to say another word about his mother. “I need to get going.”

“Thanks for the coffee.” She took another sip. “You’re so sweet.”

He removed the carrier from the bottom of his coffee cup. He dropped it into the trash can at the end of her desk. And then he walked away.

He was almost to the door when she called out, “Sorry I couldn’t do lunch. But dinner sounds great.”

He didn’t know what to say to her. If she thought they were having dinner, she was delusional. He kept going, choosing to pretend he hadn’t heard her. And then with long, sure strides, he ducked outside. He couldn’t get away from the real estate office fast enough.

When he reached Totally Chocolate, he noticed it wasn’t open yet. The Closed sign might still be on the door, but he was certain Carrie was inside working. Without the coffee, he didn’t have an excuse to stop in.

And after that kiss the prior night, followed by her gentle rejection, he knew if he stopped now, it would be an awkward, stilted conversation. And he didn’t want that for either of them.

He kept going until he made it to the back door of the vacant storefront. He was impressed by how quickly they’d stripped the unit down to its studs. Now they were in the process of replacing some of the structural beams that had termite and water damage. The only bit of good news was the termite damage was old, and the termites were long gone, so they didn’t have to tent the place.

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