Chapter 10 #2
I bite my lip to stop myself from asking why that would get him upset.
If it’s not the answer I want, if it’s not because he likes me, then I don’t think I want to know.
And if it is that, it makes it that much harder to keep my distance from him.
Which is something I have to do, both because he’s my boss and because my life is still a mess.
I still have to figure out how to make sure Scott isn’t looking for me and how to reclaim my name. I know I can’t live as Clara Wolf forever.
Leo turns into the parking lot of a small plaza I haven’t seen before. “What are we doing here?” I ask as I unbuckle my seat belt.
“One sec,” he says, jumping out of the truck and jogging round to my side just as I swing my door open. He offers me his hand and helps me climb down.
“Thanks,” I say with a smile, and he drops my hand but moves it to my lower back as he motions towards the closest store. “Sugar Pine Bakery,” I read as we step up to the door and Leo pulls it open, gesturing for me to go in first.
As we step inside, I’m hit with the smells of cinnamon, peppermint and all things Christmas. The bakery is decked out with Christmas lights, garland and some hanging paper snowflakes above us.
“Wow…” I say, spinning in a circle to take it all in.
“I thought you’d like it,” Leo says, placing a hand on my lower back and guiding me towards the display case. “Pick out a treat and a drink, we’ll stay here and eat it.”
“Really? What about Asher and Grant?”
His lips twist for a second as he gives me an intense stare, then he nods. “Pick out ones for them, too. We’ll take them back.”
“Okay,” I nod excitedly as I turn back to the display case and look at all the options. There are rows of sugar cookies, a handful of squares and some beautiful cupcakes. “That one!” I tell him, pointing to the white and light blue decorated cupcake with a white chocolate snowflake on top.
“We’ll take four snowflake cupcakes please,” Leo tells the woman behind the cash desk. “Clara, what do you want to drink?”
“Hmm? Oh!” My eyes grow wide when I see the huge list of drinks on the wall behind her.
Leo laughs when he sees my face. “Want me to pick?”
“Yes please. There’s too many to choose from!”
“We’ll take two eggnog lattes, please.”
“Coming right up,” she says with a smile.
“Go find us a table. I’ll bring it over,” Leo tells me, and I nod, looking for the best place to sit where I can see all the decorations.
I end up picking a small table at the front, where we can watch the snow falling outside and see the entire shop. The snow is starting to come down a little harder now, and I hope it doesn’t settle. I have to walk to work tonight.
“Here we go,” Leo says, setting down our drinks. He goes back to the counter and comes back with a small box with two cupcakes inside and a plate with another two. He sits opposite me and dives right into his festive treat. “Mmm, so good.”
I grab mine and take a little nibble. White chocolate and peppermint flavors burst in my mouth, and I moan in approval.
“Do you like everything about Christmas?” Leo asks.
“Yeah, at least I used to,” I say, picking the wrapper off my cupcake.
“Used to? What changed?”
I press my lips together, wondering what I should tell him.
“My mom and I used to love the entire Christmas season. Starting with Black Friday shopping. We’d take the day off of work so we could go find some great deals on presents.
As soon as it turned December first, we’d set up the tree and decorated the house.
She had a huge collection of Christmas angels that we’d place all over the house.
When I was a teenager, we collected little ceramic Christmas houses that we painted then outfitted with lights to create an entire Christmas village.
And of course there’s the holiday baking and the Christmas movies. ”
“How long ago did you lose her?”
My eyes shoot up to meet his in surprise. “What?”
“You talk about her in the past tense.”
“Oh,” I say, glancing down at my half-eaten cupcake. “A little over a year ago. It was cancer."
He reaches out and places his hand on mine as he asks, “And your dad? Siblings?”
I shake my head. “Dad died of an aneurysm a year before, and I’m an only child.”
“Is that why you came here? For a fresh start?”
I shrug. “That’s part of it.”
“Do you still have all your mom’s Christmas decorations?”
My brows pinch together as I try not to cry.
They were all in storage at my old place, the one I ran from over a month ago.
I didn’t have the heart to set them up last year, and I’m unsure if Scott would have left them alone or destroyed them out of anger for me running. So, I shake my head. “They’re gone.”
“I’m sorry, Clara. Hey—your name, it’s from the Nutcracker, right?” I give him a small smile and nod. “Was that because your mom loved Christmas?” I nod. I mean, it was our shared love of Christmas that had me using that fake name.
But I have to admit, I was growing tired of it. I’d love to hear Leo say my real name one day.
“What about you? Do you have more family somewhere?” I ask, grabbing my eggnog latte and taking a sip as Leo does the same.
“Yeah, Callum still lives with our parents.”
“Isn’t he in his twenties?”
“Twenty-two, yeah. But he’ll probably scrounge off them forever, if they’ll let him.”
“Does he have a job?”
His eyes narrow as he asks, “You seem awfully interested in my brother.”
I burst out laughing before covering my mouth with my hand and shaking my head as I grab a napkin to wipe my mouth. “Sorry, no offense, it’s just… he’s so not my type.”
“No?” he asks, his frown disappearing and intrigue taking its place. “What is? Your type?”
“For starters, someone at least ten years older.”
“How old are you? Or am I not supposed to ask that?” he asks with humor in his eyes.
“Thirty-one. You?”
“Thirty-seven.” I nod.
“So you grew up in Silent Pines?”
“Yeah, Asher and Grant are from out of state, and when we were deciding where to live, I was the only one with family, and we all love the mountains and the small rural town feel. So… here we are.”
“It does seem like a pleasant town. Most of it anyway,” I say, thinking of my run-down building full of junkies.
“What’s your favorite Christmas movie?” he suddenly asks, changing the subject.
“Definitely Elf.”
“Really? Mine too!”
“I should have guessed yours would be a comedy. What about Ernest Saves Christmas?”
“Ah, an oldie but a classic! I haven’t seen that in years.”
We continue naming Christmas movies as we sip our eggnog lattes, and something in me starts to thaw.
Not just from spending this time with Leo, which definitely helps, but it’s like a small blossom of hope starts to grow in my chest. That even with my mom gone, maybe I can enjoy the season again without it causing me heartache and pain.