Page 22 of A Gingerbread Romance

Not that she wanted to say no. Her heart still raced when she saw him.

Unfortunately.

“I’ll see you later, Judy,” she called, stopping into the kitchen to let the lead baker and pastry chef know that she was leaving. Judy was an older woman who ran the store when Greta and Jean were away. Greta grabbed her coat and purse from the office in the back and wrestled with the butterflies in her stomach.

She wasn’t supposed to be excited to see Jonathan. Friends didn’t wear a full face of makeup or dress in their best outfits for each other, but Greta had done so today.

But friendsdidfavors for each other, and this was a huge favor he was doing for her. He must’ve really meant it when he said he wanted to be friends with her.

“Good luck,” said Judy, waving her sturdy, round fingers. “Come back with something nice!”

“Thanks. I will. I hope!”

But this little trip would mean spending a lot of time with Jonathan. How was she going to do that and ignore the fact that she was still attracted to him? Because it was becoming harder and harder to deny.

Their kiss had begun to haunt her. The image of his lips descending on hers. She had to erase it from her memory. The sooner the better.

“Thanks.” Greta stepped outside, then opened the door to the heavy-duty black pickup truck. “I didn’t know it was going to snow today,” she said, her gaze meeting Jonathan’s wide grin, which somehow immediately disarmed her. She smiled back instinctually.

“Don’t worry. We’ve got snow tires on this beast,” he said as she climbed in and found her seatbelt. He punched in the address on his phone’s app but didn’t start it up since they still had to drive through town.

“Okay, good, but I wasn’t too worried. Thanks again for doing this.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said pleasantly, and Greta couldn’t tear her gaze from his jawline. Gosh, but he looked good with a hint of stubble on his face. “I’m looking forward to a change of scenery, anyway. Oh, and I brought some tarps to cover things up if we find anything good. Or we can have it delivered if we find a lot of good stuff.”

She nodded as he backed out of the spot, then wound his way through New Haven Falls, which took them past Greta’s Victorian and then down another street lined with historic old homes in various architectural styles. Greta’s eyes fell on their rooftops, already adorned with layers of snow.

“It's actually a nice day for a drive, don’t you think?” he said, loosening his grip on the steering wheel with a glance her way.

Greta nodded, and Jonathan explained how his brother Wade was a contractor who remodeled old homes and used the truck for work. He’d planned to work on some blueprints for a new project today from home, though, so he wouldn’t need his truck until tomorrow.

They reached the edge of town where Jonathan hit the green Go button on the GPS app, and the system directed them to the highway.

“That was really nice of him to lend it to you,” said Greta. She studied him. “You know, you really light up when you talk about your family.”

“Do I?” Jonathan cast a sideways glance and then turned onto the interstate, and Greta nodded, watching as the scenery flew by—barren trees adorned with glistening frost and empty fields covered in a thick layer of white. Soft rays of sunlight peeked through the thick gray clouds, casting a hazy glow to the landscape.

“Well, my brothers and I are close. I kind of wish I didn’t live an hour away sometimes.”

Interesting. She kind of wished he didn’t, either. Had he ever thought about moving to New Haven Falls? She clamped her mouth shut to keep from asking the question. It would make her sound like she was asking him to stay, and that would be unacceptable.

Especially since he was off limits.

Besides, she’d been the one to ask for this—a friendship and nothing more. She bit her lip and directed her gaze out the window.

Nevertheless, time flew, as forty minutes later, Jonathan exited at a sign for a commercial district on the outskirts of Philadelphia. He’d asked her about her own friends and family, and Greta had told him about Abby and more about Jean and her late grandfather. She’d been thoroughly enjoying their conversation, she realized, as the dashboard app advised them to take the next exit.

“So, your grandmother’s still traveling?”

Greta gazed out the window at a crumbling old barn blanketed in snow before Jonathan exited the highway. “Yes, she should be in Orlando by now. They’re visiting some of the theme parks. She must be having a great time. I’ve hardly spoken to her.”

“Really?” He seemed surprised.

She nodded, but her brow creased. “You know, actually, I still haven’t had a chance to ask her how she found the consultant I’ve been working with. I texted to tell her that things are fine so she won’t worry about the bakery, and she did reply that she’ll be eager to talk when she gets home. But that’s all I’ve heard from her.” Greta shrugged.

“So, you’ll just wait to talk about it with her until she’s not so busy?” he asked, slowing the truck to the speed limit of the surface streets.

She’d thought about this several times, in fact. “Yeah, I think so… After all, if she’s put the bakery in my hands and given me the tools to make it work, then all I have to do is use them now. Right?”

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