Chapter 3 #2
“I noticed you speaking with the sheriff earlier,” I said, keeping my tone casual but curious. I hoped she didn’t think I was being too nosy. “Is everything okay?”
Carol offered a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Oh, yes, it’s nothing serious. Just some graffiti. I reported it last week. The Department of Public Works painted over it, thankfully, but I wanted to know if the police had any updates on the vandal.”
My thoughts jumped to the creepy Murder Santa drawing I’d found. “What kind of graffiti was it?”
Carol hesitated for a second, then glanced ahead. “Here we are!” she said brightly, stopping in front of Holly’s Bakery as if she’d been rescued by the storefront itself.
I followed her gaze. The bakery window glowed with warm light, and inside, a display of treats looked like something out of a Christmas dream—lemon squares dusted with powdered sugar like fresh snow, glossy raspberry bars cut into perfect rectangles, and rows of meticulously decorated Santa cookies grinning beneath thick swirls of icing.
I instinctively reached for my phone and snapped a quick photo.
Inside, the bakery had an adorable café vibe. Long glass cases displayed pastries, desserts, and sandwiches. The dining area was dotted with small glass-top tables and white wrought-iron chairs with red cushions. Unfortunately, most of the tables were full.
After we placed our orders at the register, we headed toward a table by the window, but it was snatched up by a tall, lean man in a flannel button-down and well-fitting jeans. He looked like he just stepped out of the L.L.Bean catalog.
“Oh, Carol, were you going to sit here?” he asked, noticing us standing beside our stolen table. “Feel free to join me.”
All that and polite.
“That’s kind of you, Ellison,” Carol said, taking an empty seat and motioning for me to do the same. “Please meet the town’s newest employee.”
“Kelsey Hendricks,” I said, sliding into the chair next to him. “Social media manager.”
“Good to meet you. I’m Ellison Shaw, owner of Snow Village Books.” He pointed out the window. “Right across the street.”
I followed his finger and spotted the charming shop tucked beneath a painted awning. “Fantastic. I’m a big reader. I’ll have to hop in and stock up.”
“I hope you do,” he said, with a warm smile that crinkled at the corners of his piercing blue eyes.
I didn’t know if he was flirting or just had good business sense, but I smiled anyway.
Up close, he was even more distractingly attractive—short-cropped brown hair, a dusting of stubble on a strong jaw, and those ridiculously blue eyes that made it hard to look away.
The kind of eyes that could make a girl forget her coffee order. Or her name.
He opened the paper-wrapped sandwich. “Do you ladies mind if I get started before your meals come?”
“By all means,” Carol said. “Who’s manning the store while you’re gone?”
He chewed through a bite, then dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “I hired some help for the busy season. Do you know Alma? She retired from the library last year.”
“Of course,” Carol said. “She and her lovely wife run the monthly bingo night at the senior center.”
He took a sip of soda and nodded. “Turns out she’s bored in retirement and missed being surrounded by books.”
Carol’s lips curved in a sly smile. “At her age, she can’t be much help unloading those big delivery boxes.”
“Well, no,” Ellison admitted. “She can’t help with the stock. But she can work the register and chat up any customer who comes in. Nice lady. She’s always been one of my best customers.”
“You’re one of the good ones, Ellison Shaw,” Carol said, reading my mind.
“Who, that doofus?” a woman said, over my shoulder. She placed our drinks and sandwiches on the table, then swept her tray under her arm. She had golden-brown skin and a high ponytail that held back her long black hair. Her curves were hugged by a red apron that said “Baking Spirits Bright.”
Carol giggled. “Kelsey, meet Holly Coleman, the owner of this lovely establishment.”
“Holly Hernandez,” she corrected.
“Forgive me,” Carol said. “I forgot you kept your maiden name.”
“No problem. My mother-in-law still isn’t used to the idea either.”
Carol snorted. “Kelsey is the town’s newest employee. If you’re nice, maybe she’ll even post pics of the bakery on our socials today.”
“In that case, I’m sitting down and joining you for my break.” Holly took the last empty chair, her ponytail swinging as she settled in.
“How’s business?” she asked Ellison.
“Can’t complain,” he said. “Though I’d like to complain about this sandwich.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “You wish you could, but you can’t find fault with perfection.”
After taking the first bite of my tuna melt, I had to agree. This was the best sandwich I’d had in ages.
Carol turned to me to explain. “Ellison is best friends with Holly’s husband, so they tease each other now and then. All in fun.”
“Nah, we hate each other,” Holly said with a good-natured grin.