Holiday Reunion (Hollyberry Harbor #1)

Chapter 9

NINE

Everything was crumbling. Sarah could feel the bakery slipping from her fingers with each passing day. It was as if everything she held dear had been turned to sand. There was only so much she could catch and hold in her palms.

She hadn’t told Brie any of this. Her friend would’ve told her to get help—most likely from James since he’d made the offer.

But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t bring herself to ask for his help when she’d been so adamant about keeping their business decisions separate from their personal lives. James had actually been very good at keeping his promise and she didn’t want to destroy anything that they had worked so hard to build.

She sat at her desk in the back office staring with dread at the letter from the bank. It was a week before Christmas. Normally, she didn’t get anything from them this close to the holidays. She could expect to hear from them at the beginning of each month, but that was it.

Placing her head in her hands, she attempted to soothe the pounding that resounded inside her skull. Her heart seemed to beat right along with the aches. This wasn’t good. She had a feeling she knew exactly what was in that letter and it definitely wasn’t a Christmas card.

A groan slipped from her lips and she finally gave in. She reached for the letter and with a swipe from the letter opener, she tore it open.

Just as she’d expected, it was a letter regarding just how past due she was. The balance was larger than she remembered it being, and to no surprise, they were going to move forward with processing a foreclosure. Words like past due, short sale, and unfortunately seemed to pulsate from the page.

What was she going to do? Her savings account was all but empty. Her checking account the same. She was barely making enough to put food on the table after she paid her suppliers and Brie’s paycheck.

She tossed the letter on the desk and crumpled her body there as well, placing her head in her folded arms. Telling James was out of the question. He would just confirm that he knew this was coming. He’d warned her as much when he’d come out to talk to her about becoming a partner.

She’d been an idiot to fight him on it. Now she was going to lose the bakery. There was literally nothing she could do except let it happen. Sarah would have to tell Brie, then close down the shop. She’d have to find another job and maybe hide away from society for a few weeks until she was no longer embarrassed to be seen in public.

Sarah could already see it now. The second the short sale sign was placed in the window, she’d be the laughingstock of the town. If not the laughingstock, everyone would certainly pity her.

It wasn’t even the town that she was worried about at this point. She’d gotten so close to James that she didn’t want to feel his judgement. She didn’t want to prove him right. This whole time, she’d been playing off how serious it was around him so he wouldn’t feel the need to bring it up.

What was she going to do?

They were going ice skating this evening and there was no way she’d be able to hide just how upset she was. She should probably just call and cancel. If she could come up with an excuse, then maybe she could regroup and figure something out, so it looked like she had planned this whole thing.

Her stomach roiled. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t do any of that. She was stuck and she had no one to blame but herself.

Sarah heard the door open to the bakery. The only one expected to arrive at this time was Brie. There was no use in delaying the inevitable. She waited at her desk for several minutes and then Brie materialized in the doorway.

“There you are.”

Sarah didn’t look up right away. Her shoulders sagged now that her energy had been zapped from her body. When she did meet Brie’s eyes, she found worry etched there.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Okay…” She drawled. “This doesn’t sound good.”

“That’s because it isn’t.”

Brie moved forward. “It isn’t about James is it? He didn’t break up with you, did he? Because if he did?—”

“No,” Sarah said a little too quickly. “Things with James is actually pretty good right now. Really good.” That was why this conversation was going to be harder than Sarah thought it should be. Brie knew all about James’s offer. She pushed the letter across the desk to her friend. “I’m really, really sorry, Brie”

Her friend’s gaze flitted to the envelope and she reached for it slowly. “What is this?”

Sarah waited for her to pick up the letter, then watched with a broken heart as Brie read through the letter. Her eyes lifted to Sarah, but she didn’t say anything. Sarah sighed. “I really am truly sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry about?” Brie tossed the letter on the desk. “You’ve had a rough year. Everything with your dad… No one blames you.”

It was more difficult that Sarah thought it would be to keep her tears locked away. She wanted to scream and throw something, but all she could do was sit frozen, the life drained out of her. “I’m sure a few people would.”

“Who? James? If he blames you for this, then he’s an idiot.”

“He gave me an out. You heard what he’d said. You know what he was offering. I could have fixed all of this weeks ago.”

Brie shook her head. “You weren’t ready to admit defeat. You didn’t want to sacrifice what you believed in. It’s okay.”

“It’s not .” She shut her eyes and calmed her heart enough to prevent herself from crying. “But it will be. I just have to find another job. That’s all.”

Her friend reached across the desk and took her hand. “You are the strongest, most resilient person I know. Everything is going to work out.”

Sarah forced a smile. “Thanks. I just don’t know how I’m going to tell James.”

Brie shrugged. “Don’t tell him. This isn’t about him, right? You have that agreement. So it shouldn’t matter what you do with your business. He doesn’t have to know.”

Just hearing her friend say that seemed to calm the tumultuous waves that were Sarah’s life. She nodded with a shudder then got to her feet. The way I see it, today we’ll run as planned. We can worry about closing things down tomorrow.”

Brie smiled wide. “Sounds like a plan.”

Sarah skated by James’s side, bursting at the seams with everything she was holding back form James. Part of her knew she needed to keep the whole thing a secret. James had a hard time differentiating his two lives from one another. While a small part of Sarah just wanted someone she could vent to, she had already accepted that James wouldn’t be that person. He would most definitely tell her that she should’ve asked him for help.

The problem was, she still couldn’t bring herself to accept what he’d been offering. She didn’t want to have anyone to report to. The bakery was her baby and she wanted to run it her way or not at all.

James seemed to be quiet, too. Normally, he was flirtatious and charming, but lately, he’d grown more distant. The fact that he wasn’t talking made her assume that he was dealing with business issues himself. It would’ve been so easy to pull him aside and ask him what was wrong. She wanted to be there for him. But if what he was holding back had to do with the harbor, she wasn’t sure she could handle it.

That was why she’d decided to simply enjoy the evening with what she had. Sarah reached for his hand, offering him a reassuring smile when he gazed down at her. They continued to skate past couples and families. Christmas music played and an overall sense of Christmas magic seemed to hover in the air.

Despite all her turmoil, she still loved this time of year and the sense of hope it brought. She might be losing her bakery, but she still had so much to be grateful for.

“What’s your favorite part of this time of year?” She asked, hoping her question would be enough to drag him from whatever thoughts were bringing him down.

He glanced over to her, a cloud of concern clearly hovering overhead. “What?”

“Christmas time. What’s your favorite part?”

James seemed to consider her question—longer than she would have expected. “I like picking out the perfect gift for the people I care about.”

She studied him for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips. “I could see that. You are very specific in the way you think things through.” She tilted her head. “Do you have an idea for me?”

Something strange flickered across his expression. She wasn’t sure what it was because it passed so quickly. All she knew was that seeing it sent her stomach churning. Sarah looked away. “I’m actually one of those people who waits until the last minute. I like the gift idea to come to me naturally.”

“Really?” His surprise managed to amuse her.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I’m terrible.”

“I would’ve thought you had your gifts all picked out in July.”

Sarah laughed. “I suppose that would make sense seeing how strict I was with the festival. But alas, there are certain things in my life I can’t manage to maintain control over.”