Chapter 20 #2
“You’re sure you’re going to be okay?” Andrea asked, pressing her phone closer to her face as she turned to scan the Departures board at her gate. Only eight minutes until boarding.
“Yes, Andi. I’ll keep these hooligans in line while you’re gone,” Tyler replied, his easy chuckle reassuring. In the background of the call she heard a few jesting protests, and Andrea pictured other members smiling as they playfully booed Tyler’s side of the conversation.
“I know. But it’s a lot to ask, and so soon.” Andrea chewed her lower lip. “I just had to ask.”
“Don’t worry, I get it. No offense taken.
But seriously, Andrea, you got us through most of the corporate orders, and Rachelle’s gonna kill it with the Thompsons’ wedding cake.
And other than that, all that’s left to do is bake about a zillion more sugar cookies, enchant some gingerbread houses, and deal with the last-minute Lucy Christmas shoppers. We could do that with our eyes closed.”
As easy-breezy as he made it sound, Andrea knew what a madhouse it would be for the next five days. She’d stayed in Los Angeles for three full days, getting Tyler shifted into his new role, and that was one heck of a crash course. She was reluctant to leave him so quickly.
But equally, if she didn’t go now, she knew she’d never find the time, and would spend the rest of her life wondering what might have happened if she had.
“All right. You’ve convinced me. I’m going.”
Tyler laughed again. “Good. Safe travels, boss lady. I promise we’ll all still be here when you get back.”
“And you’ll call if anything comes up?”
“Of course.” Tyler’s warm smile was audible through the phone line. “And if I don’t talk to you beforehand, have yourself a Merry Christmas, Andrea.”
Andrea smiled. “Merry Christmas, Tyler.”
Tyler pulled the phone away and other staff members chimed in, shouting their merry sentiments as well.
Somehow, they’d all pulled through, and navigated the ripples left in the wake of Paige’s abrupt departure as a team.
Andrea wasn’t fully sure what story had gone around, but it was a relatively small staff and therefore almost impossible to keep secrets.
The depths of Paige’s betrayal were likely well known by this point, but it was clear everyone remaining was firmly on Andrea’s side.
“Now, get on that plane and go get your man,” Tyler said, then added quickly, “Lainey already told me the whole thing when she came in the other day.”
Andrea groaned and rolled her eyes. “Of course she did.”
Tyler chuckled and they wrapped up the call, and as she pocketed her phone—after sending a quick text to said best friend—Andrea exhaled and felt at peace.
The decision to promote Tyler had been the right one, and while they were still a bit down from the previous year, the initial hemorrhaging had stopped, and she had a feeling the corporate clients they’d lost would eventually come back.
A flight attendant made the first boarding announcement, and Andrea gathered her carry-on suitcase and oversized tote and made her way to the queue.
By noon the next day, she found herself back in Maple Crossing, in the snowy wonderland she’d spent the past week dreaming of, and stood outside town hall.
She’d had to get the details of the annual gingerbread competition from Marren, as she hadn’t yet reconnected with Wes.
The things she wanted to tell him needed to be said face-to-face, not over text message, and so beyond a few text messages on the day she left Vermont, they hadn’t spoken, each seemingly giving the other space to process their goodbye.
Now, she could only hope he was ready to say hello again.
The inside of the town hall looked much the same as it had when Andrea attended the indoor farmer’s market and crafts bazaar the day she met Sonny and discovered his award-winning maple syrup.
Christmas lights and garlands brought festive cheer, along with the large Christmas tree and decorated vendor booths on the outskirts.
However, the center of the room was where most of the activity hummed.
A dozen six-foot folding tables dominated the space, each covered in a simple red or green tablecloth, each occupied by teams of competitors as they prepared to build their festive cookie creations.
Andrea stopped just inside the hall, letting other people pass as her eyes found Wes and Emma at one of the farthest tables.
Wes wore a deep blue flannel shirt, buttoned over a plain white T-shirt.
Emma, by contrast, wore every color of the rainbow.
Her twirly skirt was tie-dyed, and the headband holding back her sleek ponytail appeared to have been dyed in the same batch, with swirls of orange and purple and green.
Her top was sequined and purple, catching the lights from the Christmas decorations and harsh fluorescents in equal measure, making her look like a shimmering disco ball as she hopped around, talking excitedly as she and Wes unpacked the official kit of supplies.
The gingerbread houses themselves were already erected, likely sometime the night before in order to allow the icing glue to set fully before loading on the decorations.
The scene stirred a swell of emotion in Andrea’s chest, and not for the first time, she desperately wished she’d never left.
At the front of the room, a judging table was set up, and a quartet of silver-haired people in ugly Christmas sweaters stood nursing paper cups of coffee and chatting.
One of them gestured toward the large digital clock on the table, a countdown of ninety minutes set to begin, then checked their own watch.
Andrea glanced at her phone and realized the event was about to officially begin.
It was now or never.
She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders before crossing the room to approach Wes and Emma’s table.
Emma spotted her first. The girl glanced up to check the large clock on the wall and made eye contact with Andrea, her delicate face immediately bursting into a grin. She bounced in place and grabbed Wes’s sleeve and tugged. “Dad, she’s here! Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?”
Wes’s brows furrowed as he looked up and followed his daughter’s gaze, but whatever he’d been about to reply instantly froze on his lips as his eyes found Andrea standing on the other side of the table.
Andrea gave an awkward wave. “Hi. I know it’s kind of last minute, but if that third spot on your team is still available, I’d love to help.”
Emma clapped her hands and bent down to rummage around inside a paper bag near her feet. She quickly surged back to standing and offered Andrea a bag of white icing. “You can do the roof!” the girl exclaimed, not missing a beat.
Andrea laughed as she took the bag, though she continued looking at Wes, trying to read the mix of expressions on his face.
“You—you’re back? Since when?”
“Since earlier this morning,” Andrea said. “I took a red-eye.”
Wes shook his head, not fully understanding. “You didn’t call or text?”
Emma’s smile began to dim as she looked between the two of them, confusion spreading across her face.
Andrea glanced at the clock on the judges’ table. The countdown still hadn’t started. She turned back to Wes and gestured with her head. “Could we go talk for a minute?”
Emma looked distressed and Andrea quickly added, “I promise we’ll be back before it starts.”
Wes squeezed his daughter’s shoulder as he shuffled out from behind the table and rounded it. “We’ll be right back, Emma.”
Even once they were out of the girl’s earshot, Wes still wasn’t smiling, and fresh panic started to unfurl in Andrea’s chest. Had she made the wrong decision? Did he want her to leave? And if so, what was she supposed to tell Emma?
Was he already over her?
Andrea reached up and fidgeted with her hair, glancing away from Wes and back again, as heat flooded her cheeks. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have called first. I just thought you’d want—” She broke off and shook her head, forcing her hands to her sides. “Do you want me to go?”
“What? No!” Wes immediately shook his head and reached for her hands. “No, it’s not that. I just—I wasn’t expecting you. And I don’t know what this means. How long will you be here? What happened with the bakery?”
“I’m just here until Christmas,” Andrea replied, offering a small smile. “At least, that’s the plan. I’ll have to go back afterward and get ready for New Year’s. But after that … I don’t know. I was kind of hoping maybe we could figure that part out together.”
Wes stared at her for a long moment, his eyes roving over her facial features as though he couldn’t quite believe she was really standing there.
“Paige is gone,” Andrea continued. “I promoted someone else to take her place. He’s more than capable, but it’ll probably take him some time to fully hit his stride. But when he does … I was kind of thinking maybe I should take some vacation time. Here. With you.”
“You mean it? You’d be here longer term?”
Andrea nodded, a fresh swell of emotions rising in her throat. “If that’s what you want, too.”
Wes chuckled, his smile bright even as his eyes glossed over. “Of course I do!”
Relief flooded through Andrea and she found herself laughing along. “You scared me. I thought you were about to tell me to take a hike!”
Wes laughed harder and shook his head. “No! Besides, it’s far too icy out there. You’d be liable to fall again and slide right off a cliffside.”
Andrea rolled her eyes, even as she laughed again. “I see. It’s like nothing’s changed. How long until you let me live that down?”
“At least another winter or two,” he replied as he squeezed her hands and pulled her in close enough for her to catch his familiar aftershave.
The room around them was full of people, most of whom were probably paying no attention to them, but as their eyes met, it felt like they may as well have been standing alone on a clear night under a blanket of stars with the gentle sway of music in the background.
“Andrea, I will take as much of you as I can possibly get,” Wes told her.
And then he kissed her deeply.