Page 18 of Christmas Kisses
Micha
Unaccustomed heaviness and uncertainty dogged me through the morning. When I’d taken Jessica to Hollister’s for our winter picnic, I hadn’t been sure where the night would go. I’d had hopes, but things had detoured sharply. Now, I wasn’t sure where I stood with her. Had I scared her away, sent her running?
Actually…that wasn’t quite right. She had feelings for me. I knew that now. However, it didn’t mean anything if she still planned to leave for Colorado right after Christmas.
My hands fisted in frustration and the need to grab her and make her stay. Not standard behavior on my part, but the thought of losing Jessica made me a little crazy. I drew in a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. No need to count the cookies before they were baked.
My steps slowed as I walked down the street towardHard Candy Kisses.I hadn’t told Jessica I was coming to the shop, and I wasn’t sure how she’d react when I showed up. Especially if she wasn’t ready to see me.
Though it was early, many of the shopkeepers had their window displays on timers so the lights stayed on late and came on early to attract evening shoppers and morning commuters. But, thismorning, I found it hard to feel my normal Christmas joy, all of it a bit dulled due to my unsettled mood. What would it be like to leave here? To leave my home in Majestic Falls and follow Jessica to Colorado?
Like hers, my job was portable. But would she think I was a weirdo stalker if I followed her? Would she welcome my presence, so we could have more time to amply explore these feelings between us? I knew what I felt. I needed her to be sure. Whether it was here in Majestic Falls or there in Colorado.
So where did that leave me? Bobbing around like a boat without a rudder.
I figured Maple would set me straight. My grandma had no problems sharing her life experience. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d rolled my eyes—mentally of course—then realized what she’d told me had been exactly what I’d needed to hear.
What I found when I entered the shop shocked me, though. When I slipped in the back door, Maple and Jessica were in the kitchen. Maple had tears in her eyes, a hand over her mouth while she faced Jessica, whose back was to me. Something told me not to rush forward, even though it was my first instinct. The next second, I saw the cookie bar in my grandma’s other hand and realized she was choked with emotion but not upset.
“Everything okay?” I asked slowly.
Grandma nodded, and Jessica turned toward me, a smile on her face.
“I made maple bars for your grandma. Doris’ recipe.”
Maple sniffled and shook her head with a watery smile. “I never thought I’d taste these again. I didn’t know she had the recipe written down, nor dreamed you’d make them.”
“It was my pleasure. Crazy as it might sound, it was one of the best experiences of my life—except for the part where I screwed up the first batch. I never imaginedbakingcould bring me clarity or help me sort out my thoughts.”
She glanced at me, her teeth sinking into her lip, and a bolt of hope lit up inside my chest, burning bright at the intimacy in her gaze. What did it mean?
“What thoughts are those, dear?”
I could have kissed Maple for asking my question. God, I wanted to know, too.
“What to do with the shop…and my life.” Jessica shrugged, not revealing as much as I wanted to know. “Things like that.”
“And?” My anxiousness seeped into my tone while my heart pounded faster. This moment was do or die. Stay here or pack for a new life. I wished it were private, between only us, but I couldn’t wait.
“I think I’m going to stay in Majestic Falls. If everyone’s cool with that, I mean.” She looked at my grandmother, who nodded with a warm smile on her face. “I still think the shop should be yours, though.”
“No way,” Maple protested. “What would an old lady like me want with it?”
“You’re not that old,” I said, moving closer to Jessica and sliding my arm around her waist. She was mine. I knew it. No doubts, no reservations.
“You would do the same thing with it that you do now,” Jessica added. Her arm went around my waist, uniting us in a comfortable way. Her head leaned against my shoulder. “Except you’d have all the benefits of ownership.”
“Pfft,” Maple scoffed. “No. There’s a reason I don’t want it. Yes, I do a lot here and you think I run the place—”
“You do.”
“But there’s plenty of bull crap I don’t have to deal with becauseI’m not the owner,” she continued as if Jessica hadn’t spoken. “And I want to retire soon. Really retire. And spend time knitting or playing with grandbabies.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “When that time comes, I don’t want to be responsible for this store and all the headaches that come with it.”
“Gran, don’t ever go into marketing. Your hard sell will have Jessica running for the hills.”
Or to the Colorado Rockies.
“Pfft,” she repeated. “She’s not running anywhere. That girl loves you. That’s why she’s staying.”