Page 44 of Sweet Christmas Comeback
“That’s exactly what you did.” Brice stepped closer, his voice dropping but somehow becoming more intense. “You were so scared of being left that you left first. And you know what the worst part is? Those sleigh rides? That festival? That was her best chance to make money to fight this. To actually have a shot at keeping the bakery open. And you destroyed it without even giving her the courtesy of a heads up.”
Each word landed like a hammer blow. Leo looked at Vixen, who was watching him with those dark, knowing eyes. Perfectly healthy. Perfectly able to work.
“She’s really not selling?” His voice came out rough.
“She’s really not selling. She’s fighting like hell, actually. Which you’d know if you’d bothered to answer a single one of her texts.” Brice pulled out his phone, pulled up something, and shoved it at Leo. “This is from Felicity, a while ago.”
Leo read the text:Jade’s at the gazebo station trying to put on a brave face, but hardly anyone’s stopping by. The booths are too far apart for walking. She looks like she’s about to break. Where the heck is Leo?
His hands started shaking. “I need to get these sleigh rides going.”
“Now you figure it out.”
“Not just one.” Leo’s mind was racing, calculating. “Two sleighs. Cover more ground, more people, more traffic to the booths. We can run concurrent routes, double the capacity.” He looked at Brice. “Will you help drive one?”
“You’re seriously asking me that? After I just called you a selfish moron?”
“Yes.”
Brice studied him for a long moment, then his expression softened slightly. “Yeah, I’ll help. But Leo? You better grovel when you see her. And I mean grovel. Flowers, apologies, the whole nine yards.”
“I will.” Leo was already moving, pulling down harnesses, his hands working on autopilot while his mind raced ahead. “I’ll harness Comet and Vixen for the main sleigh. Can you handle Dasher and Maple on the smaller one?”
“I can handle it. But we’re already thirty minutes late. This is going to be a scramble.”
“Then we scramble.” Leo looked at his friend, at the disappointment and anger still simmering in his expression. “Thank you. For coming here. For calling me out.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank me by fixing what you broke.” Brice headed for Dasher’s stall. “And Leo? Next time you think someone’s going to leave? Maybe try asking them instead of assuming. Saves everyone a lot of grief.”
Leo nodded, not trusting his voice. His hands moved quickly, efficiently, muscle memory taking over while his thoughts spun.
Jade wasn’t selling. Jade was fighting.
And he’d left her to fight alone.
The shame was so thick he could taste it, but shame was a luxury he couldn’t afford right now. He had sleigh rides to give, a festival to salvage, and a woman who deserved an apology so profound he wasn’t sure words existed for it.
But first, he had to show up.
The reindeer seemed to sense the urgency. They stood patiently as he worked, checking every buckle, every strap, every connection. No room for error, not now. Not when he was already thirty minutes late and counting.
“How fast can you get your team ready?” he called to Brice.
“Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen.”
“Make it ten. We’ve got time to make up.”
They worked in focused silence, the only sounds being the jingle of harness bells and the soft shuffling of hooves. Leo’s mind kept replaying Brice’s words: Her best chance to make money to fight this. And you destroyed it.
But maybe—maybe—it wasn’t completely destroyed. If they ran two sleighs, if they worked fast, if people still wanted rides despite the late start...
Maybe he could salvage something from the wreckage of his own cowardice.
“Ready,” Brice announced, leading the smaller sleigh out of the barn. Dasher and Maple were already harnessed, their breath fogging in the cold air.
Leo brought out his team, Comet and Vixen pulling the larger sleigh. Both reindeer seemed almost eager, as if they’d been waiting all evening for this.
“I’ll take the church route,” Brice said. “Pick people up from the square, bring them to the church station, loop back. You do the pond run?”
