Holiday Reunion (Hollyberry Harbor #1)

Chapter 5

FIVE

“We’re doing the lighting ceremony in two days. I don’t think we can spare another night not working on this.” Sarah knew James would think she was acting crazy, but she didn’t care. She glanced up at him and confirmed her suspicions.

James pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked around the large mahogany table in the city hall conference room. “All the details are finalized. We don’t have to worry about anything else. You’ve seen to that.”

Sarah shook her head. “I know there’s something we’re not thinking about. Are you sure all the businesses in town and the surrounding areas have the flyers I made?” She’d certainly made enough, but for all she knew, he’d just handed them off to some kid who would rather toss them in the trash and get paid to do nothing.

“Yes. Sarah, it’s nine o’clock. It’s late. I just want to go home and go to bed. We can pick this up tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is going to be too late if there’s something that we can’t remember.”

“It’s not going to be too late if we meet first thing in the morning. There’s no one we’d be able to call tonight to fix anything.” Another gust of wind pushed up against the old glass windows. “Do you hear that? A storm is coming. We should really just pack up and call it a night.”

She gave him a sharp stare. “I agreed to your silly little light show, and you agreed to meet with me every single time I asked. Right now, I’m ensuring the success of our festival. Am I mistaken in assuming you were just as committed to making it a reality?”

James didn’t respond, prompting her to glance at him once more. He was watching her, probably calculating the next step he’d need to take to commandeer this whole project and claim it as his own.

She widened her eyes briefly, daring him to say or do something that would give her a reason to give him more busy work, but then he looked away. The wind knocked against the old building again and the lights flickered.

She glanced up at the lights and stilled. If the lights were flickering, that could mean something worse was on its way.

“You scared of a little storm?” he teased.

Sarah shook her head. “This building is incredibly old. All the electrical parts are still interconnected with the ancient system.”

“Okay… and that’s nerve-wracking because…” he drawled.

She gave him an annoyed look. “Because the new security system is attached to those ancient wires and electrical work. What do you think might happen if the power goes out?”

He paled. “The doors can only be unlocked with the keycard system.”

“Bingo.”

James glanced toward the door that was shut.

Her gaze followed the direction he stared. The keycard reader was backlit with a blue light, indicating it was in operating condition.

“We should probably get going” he murmured.

“What?” she smirked. “Are you scared of a little storm?”

“I’m scared of being stuck in here with the likes of you until someone finds us.”

At that very moment it sounded like something exploded outside. Sarah stifled a scream. The lights flickered then the whole room went dark. “Okay, you can stop playing,” she muttered with irritation.

“You think I turned off the lights?” He chuckled. “I think you just got your first taste of karma.”

The keycard reader was dark. Shoot! “James, the door.”

James shifted in the darkness then he surged forward, tripping over and toppling chairs. When he reached the door and pushed on it, nothing happened. He muttered an expletive and spun around. “It’s locked.”

Sarah shivered and burrowed closer to James. She would’ve never done such a thing, but it was freezing. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of the heat.”

“I would’ve thought this place had gas heat.”

“Me too.” Her teeth chattered and he pulled her even closer as they sat against the wall. At least he wasn’t against using their body heat to survive the night.

“Any luck with your phone?” His soft, warm voice seemed to tug on her in ways she hadn’t expected, and she found herself admitting this predicament wasn’t the end of the world.

She shook her head. “Whatever happened, I think the cell towers were affected. I can’t get a call out at all.” Overhead, the skylight was quickly being covered by snow, making the room feel even darker despite her eyes having adjusted to what little light they had.

“I don’t remember storms here ever being so bad.”

“Me neither.” She craned her head around to look up at him. “Do you remember that huge snowstorm we had here, though? I don’t think it knocked out power, but the snow had to have come up to my waist. Gosh, I couldn’t have been more than eight or nine.”

“I remember that,” he chuckled. “We had snow days for almost a whole week until they could get the roads cleared.” Their eyes locked for a few moments until she forced herself to look away.

Snugging closer, she heaved a sigh. “That year, my dad came outside to help me build a snow fort. I’d been working on it for almost a full day—I wouldn’t even come in for lunch. It was the only time I could remember him spending extra time with me outside. He was always so busy.”

“Mmm. Sounds like someone else I know.” There was a smile in the way he spoke. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but she could sense it regardless. “Your dad sounds like a good man, though.”

Sarah smiled too. “He is. When he and my mom split, he wanted to stay in Hollyberry Harbor, and my mom wanted to go. Even though he was incredibly busy, he let me stay with him. I spent the majority of my childhood wandering through town, getting to know every single person.” The memories of her adolescence years still brought her so much joy. “I think I was fourteen when I first got interested in baking.”

James shifted against her but didn’t pull away. “Didn’t you bring cookies to everyone within a two-mile radius of your house?”

She blushed, thankful her embarrassment was hidden. “Yeah. It became one of my favorite traditions. Fortunately, my dad was an enabler. Otherwise I might not have found my calling.”

He was quiet for a few moments. Then his fingers trailed up and down her arm as he murmured, “I know I looked forward to them.”

She didn’t know how to react to his statement. Nor did she know what to do about the way he caressed her arm. It wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, she found herself reveling in the way her body reacted beneath his touch.

Sarah closed her eyes and relaxed a little more against him. “You should come by the bakery after we do the lighting ceremony. I have several treats I’m sampling for that first night. Might be fun to take a trip down memory lane.” She held her breath, waiting for him to give her his answer.

His fingers stopped and he shifted again. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Her heart sang with his words, but then she forced herself to come back down to reality. Just because there were moments like this one where she allowed herself to like him didn’t mean anything. He was still James Stetson—the man who wanted to change everything she loved about Hollyberry Harbor.

Then again, there were moments when he let a different side of him shine. She couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to care just as much about this place as she did. Okay, maybe not just as much, but close enough.

“Why did you come back to town?” She asked sleepily.

James resumed caressing her arm and she couldn’t help the giddy smile that filled her face again. He cleared his throat then let out a sigh. “I suppose I got tired of the constant rush in the city.”

“That’s not a surprise,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, I suppose not. There’s a certain sort of peacefulness about this place that calls to you.” The way his voice went husky and soft all at once started a wave of goosebumps all over her body. “That’s why I want to give Lake Harbor a facelift. I feel like if we can do something to liven it up, then all the businesses on that strip would be able to survive the next recession.”

While her skin prickled at the phrase facelift , she could really hear his earnest desire. James might be wanting to change things around here, but he had a good heart. Maybe he just needed someone to guide him in the right direction. He’d been willing to hear her out on a lot of the decisions for the festival. Perhaps he’d do the same when it came to Lake Harbor Avenue.

She yawned, finally numb from the cold. Tomorrow was a new day. They’d finalize everything and then she could bring up the harbor. Something told her he was going to hear her out and everything would get back on track.