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Holly
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I WOKE UP STILL FEELING dreamy about the kiss the night before. I came out of sleep in that drifting, halfway awake way that I felt like I was still partially in a dream. When I couldn’t deny any longer that consciousness had taken me out of a dream I knew was glorious but couldn’t remember, I turned onto my back and stretched out. I allowed myself a few luxurious seconds of just thinking about Lawson and enjoying the warmth of my bed before I knew I had to get up and get the day started.
My consolation for having to leave my soft sheets and thick layers of blankets for the bitter chill of the December morning was knowing he was there and I would get to see him soon. For right then, I wasn’t going to let myself think about the implications of that kiss beyond anything but how much I enjoyed it. I didn’t have to contemplate what it meant or what was going to happen next. I could just let myself savor how perfect it was and not let any other thoughts interrupt me.
As I got up and started getting ready for the day, I let my mind drift a little bit further to remember what Lawson had told me and just before our kiss. I had spent so much time thinking about how we might have missed an opportunity in high school, not ever realizing he wasn’t just on the periphery of my existence. He had feelings for me then.
It made me sad to think he never approached me, that he’d never built up the courage to open up about what he was feeling. At the same time, if I was honest with myself, and about myself, I would have to admit even if he had, I likely wouldn’t have given him the time of day. I was so wrapped up in the shallow, fake world I’d invested myself in that nothing else mattered. As amazing as Lawson was, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
So, maybe in a way it was shallow of me to get a little flutter in my heart knowing about his crush. But it felt good finding out there was somebody else who had noticed me, who appreciated me in some way. It took me a long time to come to terms with the reality of it, but as an adult, I recognized now that my boyfriend at the time did a lot to convince me he was the best that would ever happen to me and that I was fortunate he decided to pay attention to me.
Knowing about Lawson prove to me that wasn’t true. And even though I had long since regained my confidence and turned any hurt I felt toward that spoiled, arrogant quarterback into anger, it was still a comforting thought.
Dressed and with my makeup done, I stood in front of the mirror doing my hair. I still felt a little like I was walking on air and decided I wasn’t going to ruin that feeling with another go at the cinnamon rolls. I’d confront them again sometime, but not that morning.
Not today, cinnamon. Not today.
But I did still want to have something special on the breakfast table, so as I headed downstairs, I got my phone and called the local bakery. The owner, Brenda, was one of the first people I connected with when I came back. She was a rare sight in Snowflake Hollow, an outsider who moved in as an adult, and we connected immediately. She was always busy at the bakery, and I had lost my mind trying to run the bed-and-breakfast, so we didn’t get a chance to spend as much time together as we might like. But she was still up for a couple of wine-and-cheese nights and a dinner or two each month. Other than that, we got to see each other at the bakery.
Which was one of the perks of our friendship. I got the honor of being able to call her insanely early in the morning and put in special orders so I could pick them up before breakfast. I tried not to do it too often because I didn’t want her to feel like I was taking advantage of her, but Brenda never complained and always told me she liked being a part of mornings at the bed-and-breakfast whether I planned ahead or not.
That morning, it was some of her incredible coffee cakes that were going to be a part of the bed-and-breakfast morning. They had the warm seasonal spice thing I wanted going on along with a crumbly top I could wallow in for days. I didn’t know what kind of wizardry went into making those cakes, and I really didn’t think I wanted to know. There were certain things about the holiday season that should just remain mysteries. How Santa’s reindeer fly. Why cheeseballs are so mesmerizing. And the magic of Brenda’s coffee cakes.
Brenda assured me there would be cakes waiting for me when I got to her, and I thanked her profusely before hanging up and heading to the office to handle some paperwork and pay a few bills that came in the day before. When I was finished with all that, I still had plenty of time before the guests would come down for breakfast. I noticed Lawson hadn’t come down to make coffee yet, but it was still early. He’d probably be waiting in the kitchen when I got back from the bakery.
Bundling up against the cold, I went out into the dark of the morning and got in my car. I needed to invest in a car with a remote starter for mornings like this. I liked the idea of getting into a nice toasty car. It didn’t take long to get to the bakery, and I arrived just as the regular hours started. When I walked inside, Brenda was hard at work in the kitchen.
“Brenda?” I called out. “It’s Holly.”
She came out of the kitchen with a tray of goodies to put in the display case. She filled it up, then turned around to set the tray on the counter and start filling red-and-white bakery boxes lined up on the counter.
“Looks like you got a lot of orders for today,” I said. “Glad I got mine in early.”
“Not just you,” Brenda said. “I got another order not too long after yours this morning.”
“Oh, really?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said. “So, I should thank you for being pushy and deciding you needed coffee cakes. It made sure I was here to take another order and get a little extra business.”
“I’m going to let the pushy comment slide because I care about and appreciate you. But I do feel the need to point out you don’t really need the extra business. Especially at this time of year,” I said.
She nodded and set the boxes on the display box, then went back in the kitchen to grab more trays of fresh baked goods.
“I definitely am super busy now, but I remember when I lived in another town and opened my first bakery. It didn’t go well, and I thought my dream was over. Then I came here to Snowflake Hollow to try again, but I almost didn’t because I thought such a tiny town wouldn’t accept me. But they did. I’ll never turn down business, and I’ll always be grateful for anything I can get.”
“I can understand that,” I said. “But there was no way anyone around here was going to be able to resist your bakery. Once Miss Mabel retired years ago, there wasn’t a bakery here. People had to go to other towns and come back with their cars full of bread and cakes like they were smuggling drugs across the border. You coming here and wafting all those good smells out of your front door was like hearing the angels sing.”
Brenda laughed. “I did shamelessly put fans near the ovens.”
“But it’s only stayed as popular as it has because your stuff tastes even better than it smells,” I said.
“Speaking of which,” she said. “Let me go get your coffee cakes for you.”
She went into the kitchen, and behind me, I heard the door open. That wasn’t a surprise. The bakery was rarely open for long before people started streaming in on their drive to work to get a fast breakfast or pick up treats to bring with them to the office. Around lunchtime, others would arrive to fill up on the savory options Brenda put out around noon and kept out for the rest of the afternoon.
“Hey, there.”
The voice sent a thrill to my belly and brought a smile to my face. I turned to look over my shoulder. Lawson smiled at me as he walked toward me. The smile got even bigger when I saw him.
“Hey,” I said.
Just then, Brenda came out of the kitchen with several bakery boxes. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her stop and glance back and forth between Lawson and me, giving me a knowing glance when she saw the way we were looking at each other.
I didn’t acknowledge the look but went over to her and took the boxes from her hands.
“Thank you, Brenda,” I said.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” she said.
I turned back to Lawson and held up the boxes. “Coffee cake for breakfast this morning.”
He grinned at me, and I felt like he should just climb up into that bakery case and be right at home next to all the cakes and gooey pastries.
