The Christmas Crush

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Lawrence stood on the chilly doorstep to his bakery, stunned. Frozen in place, and not by the arctic temperature.

Had he just gotten into a second disagreement with Elena Voss? They’d known each other less than an hour. Did that break some kind of record? An abnormal ratio of disagreements to acquaintance by any measure. He’d had entire relationships with less conflict. To be fair, he often hadn’t been invested enough to fight with a girlfriend or date, choosing to let them have their way to avoid a conflict. Why waste energy arguing with someone he didn’t see a future with? Not that he saw a future with Elena. And this was nowhere close to a romantic partnership, of course. Never would be.

A business relationship, acquaintanceship, whatever. Since when hadn’t he been able to handle a little healthy competition in the workplace? He’d seen his fair share of cutthroat behavior in culinary school. A fellow student had once sabotaged Lawrence’s broth for a practical exam. They’d dumped every spice in the kitchen into the pot, which made the chef grading the exam throw up. Lawrence kept his cool then and would do the same now. He didn’t let stuff like that get to him.

Then why did he want to chase down Elena and attempt to explain himself a third time?

Elena didn’t seem like the type to be persuaded. He couldn’t shake the feeling he had her all wrong. Didn’t have her at all. Was she a vulnerable person trying her best, driven to tears by a grouchy baker? Or was she a vicious, career-driven type who only lived to increase the bottom line?

Perhaps he’d misread the whole evening and she’d actually been shaking with rage when she ran out of town hall. She might’ve been on the verge of throwing hands, for all he knew. Although, based on the size of her glove, he wasn’t sure she could do much damage.

He began to doubt his own memory of the altercation at the meeting. Had he actually seen tears? If she hadn’t been crying in the first place, he didn’t need to feel guilty. Maybe he had simply imagined he had the ability to make her care, seen tears where none existed. Not bringing her to tears meant he hadn’t needed to make it up by returning the glove.

He hadn’t noticed a single teardrop on the street a few minutes ago, he knew that much for certain. Instead, she’d practically backed him into a corner with her assertive criticisms of his business model and boasts about Sparkle’s superior methods. He should’ve kept the glove. Did someone that calculating even get cold?

Well, he felt plenty cold now. In fact, he didn’t know why he continued to stand on the street on this moonless night. Before hypothermia had a chance to set in, he unlocked the front door, jingling the bell above it as he pushed into the front of the shop.

Sugar ran from the office to greet him, eager to head home for a long night’s sleep after a busy day of napping. “Sugar, where were you when the scary lady told me everything that’s wrong with me right outside our own bakery? Snoozing away, I bet. Why didn’t you rescue me with your cuteness and calm her down?”

He ruffled Sugar’s fluffy white topknot, mussing her frizzy curls. Sugar panted, not knowing why they were up in arms but willing to support him.

Someone knocked. For a second, he expected to see Elena. Ridiculous. Why would she come back? She’d made her point. Eloquently. Instead, he saw Trey. He waved him in.

“What’s up buddy? Did you make that poor girl cry back there?” Trey stomped snow off his boots. Chunks of ice landed on the cheeky doormat that read bite me with a big cookie beside it. A gag gift from Nana. “First new woman we’ve seen around these parts in a decade, and you manage to scare her away in two seconds flat. If you’re betting on me and Iris asking you to join a throuple, I’m sorry, you’re a great guy, but we’re not interested.”

“Iris already puts up with enough being engaged to you. Give the poor thing a break.” Lawrence wouldn’t impose himself on any woman at this point in the evening. The apology he’d concocted while running after Elena hadn’t made it past his lips. She’d thrown him off his game and managed to irritate him enough to make him forget his manners again.

He went to the counter, grabbed a pair of peanut butter cookies big as dinner plates, and gave one to Trey.

They both took healthy bites at the same time. The perfect amount of crunch from the crispy top sanded with sugar, and then the moist middle melted on his tongue. Sensational. Eating his feelings seemed like the best option. Might as well enjoy something tonight.

“Where is Iris, by the way?”

“Hanging out at her sister’s. Nobody is getting any rest in that house with the twins. Scared me off children for life, those two.” Trey shook his head, brushed cookie crumbs off his plaid jacket. Sugar trotted over to lick up the crumbs, snuffling at the worn wood floor like a truffle pig.

Lawrence made a crack in return about babies being difficult and said he could barely handle Sugar. Secretly he thought Iris’s nephews were the cutest things he’d ever seen. Their parents dressed them in matching pj’s and sailor suits. Who could resist that? He figured Trey might be bluffing too, since he’d seen his best friend’s eyes go googly when Iris held the babies.

“I didn’t come here to point out you have no game.” Trey grinned. He leaned back against the counter while Lawrence gave him a warning look. On a typical night, he loved nothing better than trading barbs with Trey. This time, he felt sensitive in a way he didn’t want to think too much about. Trey flipped his locs away from his face and looked Lawrence in the eye. “Sorry, bro, all joking aside. I do have something important to tell you.”

“Why do I get the distinct impression it’s not good news?” Lawrence reached for another treat, a chocolate marshmallow sandwich cookie with a thick layer of fudge frosting between the cookies. He couldn’t handle more bad news without some carbs. Trey let Lawrence finish the cookie—it only took two bites—before he went on.

“I know you saw those dudes in the suits up front. After the meeting broke, I wanted to head over here to check on you. I was worried you might be eating raw flour and crying into your sugar.”

“Ha. Ha.” Lawrence did have to crack a little smile. “I can’t afford to replace sugar I melt with my tears.”

Sugar the dog perked up, held out a paw. Lawrence took her warm foot. “I could never melt you, sweetie.”

“This is about money too. These guys were all standing in a tight little circle, talking to each other in the lobby. I heard one say Sparkle is going to attract more chains in no time. Another said local landlords will start increasing rents every six months if they’re smart. I had to give you a heads-up.”

“I appreciate it.” He and Trey always looked out for each other. Yet Trey’s words didn’t quite hit; Lawrence’s mind was somewhere else. “You know how tight things are around here as it is. With any luck, my landlord won’t go for that strategy. Just in case, I gotta be on my A game. Drum up some new customers. I need to get them loyal before Elena comes in and steals them all.”

“Who’s Elena?”

Lawrence cleared his throat, washed his hands, then began to busy himself boxing up the day’s unsold cookies. He’d drop them off at the retirement home in the morning. “I mean the Sparkle Cookie representative.”

“Ah. I didn’t catch her name.” Trey eyed him suspiciously, traced his fingertips along the countertop. He had the mercy not to press Lawrence on the Elena issue. “This is good. You’ve got to formulate a solid road map to head this off at the pass.”

“I’m sure I can, man.” Did his voice sound confident? He hoped it did. Where would a small local bakery find new customers? For the first time in two years, he began to doubt his focus on New Hope, wonder if he should cast a wider net. But how? Recipes, flavor, those were his thing. Business models and marketing strategies—those were definitely not his thing, as Elena had thoroughly brought to his attention.

“You look like you need a beer.” Trey knew him well. A beer and a game of pool would get his mind off the anvil of problems about to drop on his head.

“You’re buying.” Lawrence clipped Sugar’s pink leash to her matching collar. “Want a pub burger, baby?”

“I know I do.” Trey clapped his hands on Lawrence’s shoulders. Lawrence noticed how tense he’d gotten and did his best to unclench his muscles.

A few hours’ relaxation would help. It had to. Some brilliant idea would come to him. He would save the bakery. He did his best to laugh along with Trey while he locked up. Tried to squish down the premonition that a greasy burger at the hole-in-the-wall bar at the edge of town would only add heartburn to his unenviable situation.

No matter what, he wouldn’t worry about his bakery for the next few hours. Or Elena. He knew there was something more to her than cold and calculating, underneath her bluster. He’d seen it in the heat in her dark, beautiful eyes when he’d challenged her, when he’d asked her what she loved more than anything. She’d said Sparkle after a brief hesitation. But whatever had first come to her mind unbidden was what she really loved. Her lips parting, then closing—the truth lay in that unspoken word.

In that quick breath of time, her eyes had given her away, their hands inches apart, her small glove stretched between them. If instead of letting go, he’d held on, what would’ve happened?