Season of Kneading Love (Holiday Love #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

AVA

Black Friday was a monster that smiled every single November when people fed it money.

Until this year, I never shopped on this day.

I made an exception for my mom, who just completed chemo.

She had been diagnosed with breast cancer over a year ago and just finished her treatment.

Wanting to celebrate and make her smile, I braved this crazy day to buy her a Christmas gift.

My mom wore little jewelry, but not because she didn’t like it.

She was pragmatic. As a single parent, she’d worked two jobs to provide for me after my father died in a car accident when I was ten.

She understood the need to spend only on necessities.

Even though she didn’t need to work so hard anymore, she was used to saving money instead of spending it.

It was time she got what she deserved—beautiful jewelry that reflected her character. Emeralds.

My heart sank looking at the jam-packed parking lot at the mall. Praying, I drove around and gasped when I saw a white SUV reversing out of a parking spot. I sped up and turned on my blinker. But as soon as the SUV left, a black sedan with too many bumper stickers snuck in, stealing my spot.

I slammed on my horn, rolled down the window, and shouted, “I was waiting for that spot!”

A burly man exited the car with his friend, who wore a dark hooded sweatshirt.

“We were here first, Mark.” The bulky man turned to his friend.

“Yeah. You were too late.” Mark laughed as he strode away with the burly man.

Fuming, I shouted, “Liar! I was waiting first!”

Why are people so obnoxious?

Anger surged as several scenarios popped into my head. I wished I had a carton of eggs to decorate his car. I wished I had a knife to slash his tires. Ugh, I hate this feeling. I closed my eyes and breathed, trying to calm my anger.

Someone knocked on the back window of my car. I jerked and opened my eyes. An old woman with a friendly face walked up to me with a teenage girl beside her. I rolled down the window.

“Ignore those jerks,” said the old woman, wearing a gray coat with a red scarf. “We’re leaving. Do you want our spot?”

“Yes, please!” Hope burst in me.

“I’ll stand off to the side to make sure you get the spot,” said the teenager, wearing a white knit hat. “Grandma saw what those men did to you. They suck.”

“Thank you.”

After I parked and turned off the engine, I sat for a moment, appreciating the kind people who gave me hope. Good people made the terrible moments sting less.

Shoving the irritation aside, I rushed into the mall and maneuvered my way through the crowds of shoppers.

Holiday music blasted around me. The scents of cinnamon, pine, and vanilla swarmed me as I passed a candle store where two sales associates offered discount coupons.

I took one and said I’d return later. A girl could never have enough scented candles.

As I headed toward Artisan Jewelers, I glanced up at the second level of the mall, and my chest tightened.

A man walked with a woman in a wool coat.

Was that my ex, Austin Tanner? My pace slowed as I studied the couple.

When he turned toward my direction, it was clear he wasn’t my ex, a coward who didn’t have the courage to end our relationship respectfully.

It had been over a year since he dumped me via text. We’d been together for two years before that fateful day when my heart died.

Forget about him.

I blew out a heavy breath and entered Artisan Jewelers. So many people browsed the store. The combination of crowds, scents of candles, perfumes, colognes, and chaotic energy made it difficult for me to focus on jewelry. Despite that, I walked up to the counter and looked into the display case.

“Can I help you?” asked a lady wearing a poinsettia pin on her black dress and the nametag Jessica.

“Yes, Jessica. I’m looking for the teardrop emerald bracelet.” I pointed to the tall banner promoting it.

“We have only two left in stock.” Her blue eyes beamed. “More are coming next week. I’ll be right back.”

When she brought it over from another counter, I examined the bracelet. “It’s so pretty.”

“It really is.” She smiled as a coworker called out to her. “Just a moment.” She stepped over to the nearby counter.

I stepped to the corner as more people approached the counter.

A musky men’s fragrance snuck into my nose, and I sneezed into my coat’s sleeve.

I glanced up, looking for a familiar face.

But I only saw an unfamiliar man looking at the glass counter with his significant other.

The cologne was like Austin’s, but slightly different.

I had to cleanse myself of Austin. I’d tried, but little things kept reminding me of him. Maybe I needed to go ask my friend, Rhea, to use her palo santo on me. She worked at Serenity Wellness, a metaphysical store that offered alternative healing, crystals and tarot readings.

Turning my focus back to the bracelet, I studied the teardrop cut. My mom’s birthday was in May, and emerald was her birthstone. Mine was peridot, another green birthstone representing August.

On the counter was a pamphlet with the various stones and their attributes. I picked it up and read that emeralds symbolized fertility, rebirth, nature, and the cycle of life. The calming energy of emeralds helped release emotional blockages to foster inner peace. It also enhanced intuition.

The stone described my mom perfectly. I admired how she handled the terrifying ordeal with ease and grace. Her acceptance of the inevitability of death gave me inner strength, soothing me at a time when I should have been soothing her.

As for the peridot, which was a bright yellow-green, it symbolized harmony, peace, luck, and comfort—all the things I wanted for my life. The vibrant green promoted general wellness.

But in the past year, I couldn’t believe in those things.

Don’t let one man ruin your outlook.

Jessica returned and grinned. “Would you like me to wrap it up?”

“Yes, please.”

After paying for the expensive bracelet, I tucked the velvet jewelry box into my purse and walked back to the candle store to browse. I picked up the Warm Sugar Cookies and Cedarwood candles, inhaling each one. These aromas made me feel cozy.

“Don’t forget to use your coupon! It’s only for today!” cheered the sales associate wearing a Santa hat.

I could get my friends candles this year for our little gathering.

Kendra Hoang, Rhea Summers, Layla Kwan, Jemma Lopez, and Deidre Florakis didn’t spend lavishly on our gift exchange.

We just liked our ritual holiday gathering to catch up with each other.

After the sales associate wrapped the candles safely and placed them into a bag, I glanced at my watch.

I could pick up lunch before heading home.

As I walked out of the candle store, a group of people swarmed the associate giving away discount coupons. I stepped forward but stopped when two women with multiple shopping bags almost crashed into me.

“Sorry!” said the woman carrying four bags. “It’s crazy here today.”

“It’s okay.” I stepped off to the side and stared at the jam-packed mall, trying to see where I could squeeze through.

I never saw the mall this crowded. The irresistible sales brought out more people than I anticipated.

That musky scent hit me again, causing me to sneeze. Someone bumped into me and apologized. I couldn’t tell who it was as people pushed past me. I didn’t want to linger around because I’d spend more money on things I didn’t need. My mom’s gift had already taken a chunk out of my depleting savings.

I headed to the parking lot, glancing around to see if there was a car looking for a spot.

No one was around. Oh well. I would have liked to offer my spot to someone.

I walked toward my car when I sensed someone close to me.

I turned and almost bumped into a man wearing a black, hooded coat.

Fear twisted in my stomach as he smirked and yanked at the body of my purse, but I gripped it tightly, creating a tug-of-war.

“Let go!” he snarled.

“Help me!” I screamed and whacked my bag of candles at his face. Something cracked, and blood gushed from his nose.

He shoved me to the ground. Snatching my purse, he ran but tripped on something. He braced a hand on the ground as the contents inside the purse scattered everywhere. Then he pushed himself up, lunging toward me.

“Someone help me!” I shouted again.

Then voices boomed. “Are you okay, miss?”

The man ran off as a friendly couple rushed over to help me get up. They gathered up the candles and stuffed them back into the bag. Thank goodness for the bubble wrap around each candle. I gathered the items dispersed from my purse and gasped when I didn’t see the velvet jewelry box.

“Did you see a green velvet box?” I asked the couple.

“No, did he take it?” asked the woman in the furry coat.

Terror and adrenaline muddled my mind and speech, so I nodded.

“Peter, call the police,” said the woman, who introduced herself as Patty.

“Thank you, Patty and Peter, I’m Ava.”

“You’re welcome. I hope they’ll catch him soon!” Patty huffed.

My body shook with fear and anger. I glanced around, but the thief could have been anywhere by now. He probably snatched the jewelry during the scuffle. I should have been more careful.

Minutes later, the police arrived and took my statement, including the couple’s.

The only details I remembered about the Caucasian man were that he wore a black coat and a black hat.

I thought I saw some blond hair sticking out from his hat.

He was about six feet tall. Other than that, I couldn’t remember anything. Everything happened so fast.

“Don’t stress. If you remember anything else, call me.” Officer Jensen scribbled a number on a piece of paper for me. “I’ll browse the parking lot and check out the cameras from security. I’ll let you know if I uncover anything.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Officer Jensen returned to his cruiser and made a call.

A Lexus SUV pulled up with Austin in the driver’s seat, looking right at me. My heart galloped as he stepped out, walking straight toward me.