Page 19 of The Blessings of Christmas
“From Santa Fe and Brody?” Diana asked, her brows arching. “I doubt it. She’s landed a teaching position and loves it. But she might visit over the holidays.”
“Back to Ryan.” Chili waved her glass of cider. “Is he dating anyone?”
Sarah shook her head with what she hoped looked like sisterly concern. “Can’t we fix him up with someone?”
The room fell silent. All eyes swung toward Sarah. “What? What did I say?”
“Why not you?” Kate hooted just as Quinn burped.
Chili shot her a sly look. “Sounds like you two are hitting it off.”
“But not like that.” Heat rolling from her neck to her cheeks, Sarah moved the rocker away from the heat. “That’s crazy, Chili.”
“Why?” Kate wasn’t buying it.
“He’s Jamie’s little brother, that’s why. Ryan’s been a great help to me but...no.”
Finally, the conversation moved away from Ryan. The women chatted like the old friends that they were and never got to the Christmas stories. Sarah popped in some Christmas CDs and strains of Nat King Cole singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire filled the room.
After her friends had left, Sarah cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed. Taking Jamie’s photo from her nightstand, she propped it up on her knees. So handsome, her husband.
“The boys are doing so well. Nathan and Justin will have a wonderful Christmas. I’ll see to that.” No way would she share her concerns about Nathan and his moods.
“I had book group tonight, and the girls teased me about Ryan. Can you imagine? I would never think of your little brother in that way. He’s doing great with the baking, though. You’d be proud of him. Maybe Ryan’s turned over a new leaf.”
Her voice echoed in the lonely bedroom. Sarah didn’t know what else to say. Kissing her fingertips, she pressed them to Jamie’s confident smile. The glass felt cold beneath her fingers. “Good night, honey.” She set the photo back on her nightstand.
After she turned off the light and snuggled down under her quilt, Sarah couldn’t fall asleep. Images of Ryan clouded her mind.
And it wasn’t in a sisterly way.
CHAPTER 5
The ride down Red Arrow this morning had been cold and dark. But remembering Stanley’s expression when he chowed down on the cookies last night made Ryan smile. Once inside the warm back room, Ryan tied on an apron and got to work. Sarah wouldn’t be here for three hours and he wanted to surprise her. Pulling her pastry dough from the refrigerator, he set it next to the bread dough.
He was trying. Really trying.
I’m helping you out this Christmas, Jamie.
Helping Sarah out. Maybe Stanley was right. Maybe all his time at The Full Cup was more than work. On the way down he wasn’t thinking about cookies or bread. No, Sarah’s sweet smile was on his mind. The way her hair fell to her shoulders in soft curls when she took off the hair net. The feathered eyebrows that he wanted to trace with his fingers.
This was crazy. Back to work.
He needed caffeine bad. The front room was cool and dark until he flipped on the lights. In no time he had the coffee perking out front. Studying the family-size pot, Ryan had some ideas about the whole coffee issue––if he ever had the nerve to talk about them with Sarah. After all, her dad had named theplace The Full Cup, but they didn’t sell that much coffee. The coffee could be a money maker, but Sarah and her mom hardly ever pushed the flavored espresso.
Back at the butcher block table, Ryan smiled as he worked, imagining what Stanley would say if he could see him. This place was such a switch from Branson Motors, where the smell of oil hung heavy and the clang and grind of tools made your ears ring. The other guys told jokes he could never repeat, not here anyway. If he were truthful, Ryan liked this back room a lot better.
Quiet surrounded him. No movement yet in the apartment upstairs. Sarah would be here after she took Nathan to school and Justin to the playschool she’d started. He missed her on the day she didn’t come in because she had the kids at her place.
He missed her?His hands stopped the rhythmic pulling of the dough.
Really? Ryan didn’t want to think about it.
And he didn’t have time. The clock reminded him he had a schedule. He set the dough to rise and got on with it.
Grabbing the blue binder from the shelf, he leafed through it. Clippings and scrawled recipes fell to the floor. He scooped them up. Some were probably written by Sarah’s father. Others were in Jamie’s handwriting, including one for beer and raisin muffins.Futurewas scrawled across the top. But Jamie hadn’t been granted that future. Ryan tucked it back inside.
Finally he found the brownies. Sarah probably had this one in her head, but he knew zip about baking. Scanning the ingredients, he figured he could handle it. Chopping nuts? No way would he cut corners by dumping the bag of walnuts into Sarah’s blender. No sir. She liked her walnuts in chunks “so people can taste their goodness.” He had no idea what she was talking about but he grabbed the knife. Before long he had two pans of brownies in one oven and was shaping bread dough forthe other. Multitasking like crazy, he hardly noticed when the darkness outside turned to the cold gray of dawn.
