Page 32 of Maybe This Christmas
She turned toward him, her gaze catching on grand Victorian manors as he rounded the corner.“It’s…perfect, Caleb.”
She half-expected him to make fun of her.Obviously, the magic had worn off for him, having grown up here.Instead, he reached over and gave her gloved hand a squeeze.Her heart raced at his touch.
“Wait until you meet the people.Then you may change your mind.”They shared a smile.
Oh, shit.She was down bad not only for this town but for Caleb, as well.
Chapter Eleven
Caleb was thankful for the employees-only spot behind Loaved Up.He’d asked Sebastian to save it for them, knowing how difficult parking would be two Saturdays before Christmas.
As Emma chattered on about what she’d seen so far, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and texted his older brother.
We’re here.And I swear to God, if you embarrass me, I will drive until I run out of gas and then bury your recipe box in the deepest hole I can find.
Of course, their mother had likely told Sebastian and his wife, Gretchen, about Emma.Embellishing, as she did.This was just a day trip around his hometown.A work trip, even.
His phone chimed with a new text.
As if I would do that.Come in when you’re ready.I reserved the booth right by the window.
To anyone else, that text would seem almost kind.But Sebastian knew as well as anyone how this town worked.If his mother had told Sebastian about Emma, all the biddies knew as well.They would be on display for the whole town.
Thank god half the town was full of tourists today, making the microscope’s glare a little easier to bear.
“You ready to go?My brother and sister-in-law are expecting us.”
She was half out of the door before he finished his sentence.He chuckled as he followed suit.Before he could knock, the back door swung open.Thankfully, it was Gretchen, not Sebastian.She had better manners than his brother.
“Come on in!You arrived at the perfect time.We’ve had a bit of a lull now that the ice-skating rink opened.”
“Ice skating?”Emma asked.
“A new addition to the winter festivities.Hi there, I’m Gretchen.”
They stepped inside the bakery’s back room.While Gretchen and Emma chitchatted, Caleb inhaled deeply.Loaved Up smelled like freshly brewed coffee and the bakery’s famous yeasted cinnamon and chocolate rolls.
His brother had worked in big-city finance for years before pursuing his lifelong dream of opening a bakery.Caleb wished his dreams were as clear-cut as his siblings’.They’d always known what they wanted to do, even if it had taken them a while to achieve their goals.
After hanging up his coat, he pushed open the door to the bakery.He found Sebastian behind the counter, restocking the display case.He looked up as Caleb approached.
“Well?Where’s your future Mrs.?”
“Shut the fu—”
He didn’t get to finish that thought as Gretchen and Emma came behind Caleb.“Why don’t you two get settled?We’ll bring you over a sampler in a minute.”
Sebastian stuck out his tongue.Suddenly, they were fourteen and twelve years old again, arguing over who was the better baseball player.
Emma’s head pivoted back and forth like a marionette’s.
Loaved Up was like a second home to Caleb.After all, he’d helped Sebastian and Gretchen gut and renovate the space before they’d opened for business late last year.The place was extra homey during the holidays.Christmas lights wound around the hearty wooden beams that crested across the ceiling, twinkling merrily.Tinsel and ornaments clung to anything that would sit still long enough, and the windows were painted with an old-fashioned winter scene.
The front booth was nestled into a bay window facing Silver Spring Street.From the window, they had a perfect view of the town gazebo and the ice-skating rink.
“Is it cold enough for ice to freeze today?”Emma asked.
“No.This is why the ‘ice’ is that glorified plastic stuff they put down in a lot of places now.It’ll do in a pinch, though,” Caleb said.
