Page 2 of Christmas Kisses

A pang of guilt followed the thought, but it wasn’t as if I’d just up and move to Upstate New York—wayupstate. It didn’t matter how adorable everything was.

But that couldn’t happen right now. When the lawyer had contacted me to deliver Doris’ letter with the keys to the house, her candy store, and her car, I’d been so shocked I’d agreedto run the shop through the holidays as my grandmother had requested.

Which was stupid because I could barely boil water. I had no experience making candy or running a business like hers. What the hell had I been thinking?

I hadn’t been. I’d operated by emotion and not logic.

Sologically, I needed to see what I’d gotten myself into here.

With the next month or so in mind, I dropped my bags into one of the guest rooms then returned to my rental car. It was time to take a look atHard Candy Kissesand see what lay ahead of me.

After checking the address on the handwritten map I’d been given, I rolled through the picturesque town and took in the lake and mountainous landscape, each turn looking like a postcard. Sure, I lived in Colorado, but I lived in the flat eastern part, fairly far from the Rockies. The Adirondacks around Majestic Falls, though, were breathtaking.

I could have spent hours gawking. Instead, I was at the shop within minutes. When I pulled up to the storefront, my heart clenched at the sight of flowers, cards and stuffed animals piled at the door. Apparently, the townspeople had been quite fond of my grandmother and had left a small shrine to her in front ofHard Candy Kisses.

I gingerly stepped over the collection of tributes, leaving it there for now, and unlocked the door. The silent shop had a similar eeriness to what I’d felt when entering Doris’ house. My skin prickled, and I rubbed my hands over my arms in an effort to shove away the sensation of not being alone.

Because Iwasalone. Physically and metaphorically. No one was here. No one was in my life, either.

Walking further into the shop, I noticed everything was clean and tidy. The empty display cases sparkled, and the surfaces gleamed. Someone had definitely taken care of the place over the last couple weeks. Aside from not being stocked with the actual candy, the place was customer-ready. Too bad I wasn’t.

I flicked on the lights and looked around, noting the photos on the walls before wandering into the stainless-steel nirvana of the kitchen. Though I didn’t cook, I recognized how stunning it was. Rows of shelves lined the walls, full to the brim with sugary ingredients, waiting to be turned into my grandmother’s world-famous candies.

The lawyer had assured me the store’s website had been updated to temporarily disable online orders, so I’d only have to deal with local, day-to-day traffic looking for sweets. I guessed that was better than nothing.

As I ran a hand over the bags of sugar, I wondered again what the hell I’d been thinking. Whether online or in-person, this was going to be a disaster. It was weeks before Christmas, and somehow, I needed to learn how to make and sell candy. Come January second, I’d need to figure out how to offload the shop to someone—someone who could actually take care of the town’s beloved candy store.

As I explored, the back door of the shop opened. I jumped with a half-scream and grabbed a rolling pin from the table next to me. Holding it in front of my body, I stared at the man who walked inside.

“Stop!” I shrieked. “I have a…a weapon.”

He turned with his hands raised then grinned. I was sure I looked ridiculous, so amusement was understandable. But that didn’t matter. He was an intruder. Where was my phone so I could call 9-1-1? Did this place evenhave9-1-1?

Unfazed, he dropped his arms to his side and stepped into the kitchen

“You must be Jessica,” he said, closing the door behind him. “I’m Micha Parsons. I’ve been taking care of the store since Doris passed.”

Micha Parsons?

Micha Parsons… The name sounded familiar. I lowered the rolling pin, finally remembering his name from the papers the lawyer had gone over with me. Micha was one of my grandmother’s neighbors. He’d helped her at the store sometimes, and he’d offered to keep the place clean and running until I arrived.

The papers certainly hadn’t mentioned he was drop-dead gorgeous. With dark hair, bright blue eyes, and wide shoulders, he had the wholeHallmarkmovie of the week lumberjack-handyman package going on while he smirked at me.

“Right. Micha. The neighbor. Sorry. You startled me,” I said lamely.

“No problem,” he replied. “I wasn’t sure when you’d get in, so I wanted to doublecheck and make sure I hadn’t left anything out of place.”

“Everything looks great,” I assured him. “Thank you for taking care of things.”

“Of course.” His shoulders lifted, his eyes sad as he offered a sympathetic smile. “I’d have done anything for your grandma. She was a special lady.”

“So I’ve heard,” I mumbled, looking away. I set the rolling pin back where I’d found it. “Um…since you’ve spent so much time here in the last couple weeks, you don’t happen to remember a cookbook or recipe cards or anything like that lying around, do you?”

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t think Doris used recipes.”

I pressed my lips together in frustration. Looked like I’d be Googling gourmet chocolate recipes before I could get this place running.

“You don’t know how to make her famous candy cane ribbons?” he guessed.