Page 6 of Valentine's in Bayberry

He had changed.

It wasn’t just physically. He was more reserved.

Carrie didn’t know how she felt after seeing Jackson again. When they were kids, he was the boy next door—the friend she turned to when she was bored—the person who taught her to fish—the one she’d confided in when she’d had her first crush on the most popular boy in school.

Jackson had been there when she’d had her first heartbreak. She’d thought he would always be there. But when he’d wanted more than she was willing to give, he’d gone off to college while she stayed in Bayberry, working and saving her money. And their communications had dwindled.

She’d lost her best friend.

Today’s reunion had only driven home the reality of the situation. He hadn’t even offered her a hug like they’d done so many times in the past. Her heart cracked. She’d lost someone very special, and it hurt. A lot.

But she didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself, because Alice was counting on her. She should have returned by now.

On her way back to Totally Chocolate, she ran into the delivery guy, Archie Crosby. “Good morning.”

He sent her a sunny smile. “Hey, Carrie. How’s it going?”

“Good.” As long as Jackson quit pounding on the wall.

“You sure look pretty today.”

“Thank you.” He was always handy with the compliments. He was a really nice guy. “I can’t really talk today. I have to get back to work.”

“No problem. I don’t have much for you today.” He handed her a small cardboard box.

“Thank you. Have a good day.” She rushed back inside Totally Chocolate.

After dropping the box off on the work table, she washed up and then moved to the front of the store. As she rushed to the counter to help the customers, she was quite certain the number of people in the shop now exceeded the fire code.Wow!This was a bigger turnout than she could have ever hoped for. She knew it was a one-time thing. Everyone was curious to see the new business.

The rest of the day moved by swiftly. However, Jackson was never far from her thoughts. The more she replayed their reunion, the more she noticed signs that something was wrong. Sure, he was still as handsome as ever, but there were worry lines marring his face and shadows under his eyes. Was he working too hard? Her thoughts didn’t linger for long, because there was always another customer to wait on.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted. But since they’d ended up staying open longer than their normal store hours, she thanked Alice for her help and sent her home while Carrie stayed behind to close up.

And that was exactly what she was doing when there was a knock at the door.

“We’re closed!” she called out from behind the counter.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Someone was certainly persistent. And with the blinds drawn, she wasn’t able to see who it was. Could it be Jackson? Had he decided to stop by after all?

Spurred on by curiosity, she got up and headed for the door. She pulled back the blinds to look out at her three closest friends: Kate, Abby, and Sadie.

Carrie quickly unlocked the door. “What are you guys doing back here?”

The three of them had all visited the shop when it had opened that morning. She really appreciated their support, but she hadn’t expected them back that evening.

“We came to take you to dinner,” Kate said.

“Not just any dinner,” Abby said.

“It’s a celebratory dinner.” Sadie smiled at her.

Carrie glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was already going on seven o’clock. The shop was supposed to have closed at six. No wonder she was hungry.

“Let me just finish up here.” When her friends frowned at her, she said, “It won’t take me long.”

And it didn’t take her more than ten minutes. She would be in early the next morning to replenish the chocolates. But her friends were right: tonight was for celebrating—even if Jackson hadn’t bothered to come to her grand opening.

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