Page 31 of A Very Barrie Christmas
She dropped her gaze, peering into her mug thoughtfully. The aromatic tendrils of steam had long dissipated, which meant her coffee would be lukewarm soon. Normally, he wouldn’t abide such an atrocity.
But today, he’d let it slide.
Some things—like the personal breakthrough of an aspiring author—were more important than coffee. Although, he’d never admit that aloud.
CHAPTER 21
NATE
Nate sat at a table by the window while Luke chatted with his wife as she worked her magic on the espresso machine. Cassie had offered them free coffee and cinnamon rolls as a thank-you for all their hard work revamping the pageant set pieces.
Passersby strolled along Main Street, bundled in thick coats and warm mittens, but Nate barely noticed them. He hadn’t touched his fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll, either, despite its mouthwatering aroma. His distracted mind swirled with scattered thoughts.
In a matter of days, he’d not only fallen hard for Juliet, but for the town of Poppy Creek, too. He appreciated the slower pace, friendly people, and strong sense of camaraderie that permeated the close-knit community. More than once, he’d wondered what it would be like to stay here permanently.
“Cass made you a special latte.” Luke set a tall glass mug on the table and sat across from him. “But if you don’t like it, she’s happy to make you something else.”
“I’m sure it’s great.” Nate took a sip. The sweetness of creamy eggnog blended into spicy notes of nutmeg and cinnamon with a hint of clove. It tasted like Christmas in a cup. “Okay, I thinkthis is the best latte I’ve ever tasted.” How had she known exactly what he wanted when he didn’t even know himself?
“She has an innate talent for this stuff.” Luke glanced over his shoulder, tossing his wife an adoring smile. The same smile Nate suspected he’d been wearing all morning with Juliet. “Speaking of talent,” he added. “You have a real knack for woodworking. Do you have previous experience?”
“Nothing formal. Just a few skills I’ve picked up along the way.” He hesitated, wondering if he should elaborate. He didn’t usually share details from his past, except for during discussions with mentees, when he thought the anecdotes might help them. But something about Luke put him at ease, as if he’d known him for decades. “For most of my teen years, I lived in a group home. There was this staff member—Rodrigo—who set up a small shop class in the backyard on the weekends. I guess he thought teaching us a useful life skill would put us on the right path.”
“Did it work?”
“For a few guys, yeah. It gave us a sense of purpose, made us feel like we could actually be good at something after a lifetime of feeling worthless. It also helped that you had to earn the privilege by following the house rules. They weren’t going to hand the hardcore troublemakers a wood-carving kit.”
“Smart.” Luke sipped his coffee, peering at him thoughtfully. “Rodrigo sounds like a good guy. And he gave you a solid foundation. Plus, you have a lot of natural talent. And you follow directions well.”
“Thank the army for that.” Nate saluted, and Luke smiled.
“I’ll cut to the chase.” Luke set his mug on the table. “I’d like to hire you. I’ve been needing an extra set of hands for a while, but never found the right person. I think you’re that person. For the first few months, you’d learn the ropes, working on custom furniture pieces with my supervision, as well as taking on the role of delivery driver once they’re done. When you’re ready, youcan work on your own projects. It would be a full-time position with a competitive hourly wage, and plenty of room to grow. What do you think?”
Nate struggled to process Luke’s proposition. Luke wanted to hire him? To make custom furniture? Surely he’d misheard. Or maybe hallucinated?
“If you’re worried about living arrangements, there’s an apartment above the antiques store on Main Street that needs a new tenant. And I could negotiate a good rent, since the owner is my sister-in-law.” Luke grinned again.
The guy was actually serious. He’d officially offered him his dream job. “Wow, man. I—I don’t know what to say.”
“How about, you’ll take the job?”
“Can I think about it?” Part of him wanted to jump at the chance. A verylargepart. Until someone offered to pay him to read books for a living, he couldn’t handpick a more ideal situation. But what about Dozer and the other vets at the shelter? And what about Juliet? She’d be heading back to San Francisco after the holidays. Presently, they lived in the same city. Why mess that up?
“Of course. Take your time. I got a little carried away in my excitement and dumped the idea on you out of the blue. But I think we work well together, and this could be a great opportunity for both of us. I didn’t want to pass up the possibility.”
Luke was right. They did work well together. And he couldn’t ask for a better boss. From a career standpoint, he’d be a fool to turn down Luke’s offer.
But on a personal level, he had a lot to lose. Maybetoomuch.
CHAPTER 22
JULIET
Drawing near the end of a two-day writing binge, Juliet gazed at her laptop screen, her tired, bleary eyes straining to read the final words of her novel,A Soldier’s Christmas Promise.
After her conversation with Frank yesterday, she’d given herself permission to write from the heart without confining herself to other people’s expectations. As a result, the words had poured out of her like a creative wellspring formerly untapped. She’d never known writing could be so collaborative, as if she’d written in tandem with her characters. But once she knew and understood them—their wounds, hopes, and fears—they’d steered the story, from Chapter One to The End.
Still in disbelief that she’d written an entire novel in a matter of days—albeit an extremely rough draft of one—she read back over her final words, blinking against a sudden surge of tears.
