Chapter 5
five
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for the rest of the house to follow the parlor, and within a few days every nook and cranny of the inn was decked out in its finest holiday trimmings. Banisters were beribboned and windowpanes had been frosted. Wreaths hung over doors, and even the swinging kitchen divider got a jingle bell.
“Maybe it’ll protect Danny’s nose,” Big Jack had said, chuckling.
The tinsel on the Christmas tree had magically evened itself out, making the whole tree shimmer and shine as the afternoon sun poured through the front windows.
The trouble was that now Whitney had to find other ways to keep the children entertained. But that was tomorrow’s problem. This fine Sunday morning she had only to deliver two plates of fluffy pancakes and apple sausage to the dining room before setting off for Summerside.
The Christmas market near the wharf would open in just two hours, and she couldn’t afford to be late. The serious shoppers came early. And they spent their money quickly.
She’d already loaded up the coolers in her car with frozen pies that would save until Christmas Day. The fresh ones in the pink boxes on the kitchen counter boasted golden crusts and would need only fifteen minutes to warm up enough to melt a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg hung in the air from her late-night baking dash. Or maybe that was the pancakes, announcing they were done. She scooped them from the skillet, slid three onto each plate, and snagged warm maple syrup from the microwave.
It wasn’t fancy. No mint leaf garnishes or fanned strawberries. But it would be filling. And delicious.
“Coming through,” she announced. She tucked two rolls of silverware under her arm, hoisted a plate in each hand, and spun through the door, the cheerful bell jingling at her back.
Daniel, Ruby, and Aretha were in their all-but-assigned seats at the four-top by the big window, their words low, voices intense.
“But they were included in the original inventory,” Ruby said.
Aretha’s lips pinched. “I may have forgotten to remove them from my system, but even if I did, that can’t be the sole sticking point.”
Whitney slid the plates in front of Daniel and Ruby, producing two wide smiles—Ruby’s and Aretha’s.
“Smells wonderful. As always,” Aretha said.
After a glance at her wrist, where she hadn’t worn a watch in a dozen years, Whitney nodded toward the kitchen. “There’s more batter. You can help yourself, but I have to run.”
Ruby chewed and quickly swallowed a prim bite. “Where are you off to?”
“The Summerside Christmas market.”
“Outdoors?” Ruby looked like she’d bitten into a lemon. “But it’s absolutely frigid.”
“’S not so bad,” Daniel said around a carefully portioned piece of sausage.
Whitney barely kept from asking him how he was so sure. As far as she knew, he’d been to precisely two locales since his arrival the week before. The inn and Aretha’s store. He wasn’t exactly exploring town and experiencing the chill. Maybe he guessed that since they’d only gotten a relatively light covering of snow this week, the weather was mild.
Well, he could assume that all he wanted from his spot on the couch in the parlor. Meanwhile, she had put on an extra layer of thermals that morning. Just in case.
“Have a lovely day,” she said with a quick wave and a scoot toward the kitchen.
A hand around her wrist stopped her short. “Don’t you think Ruby and Daniel would enjoy the market?” Aretha raised an eyebrow and shot her a pointed look. One that made her feel a tiny bit sick. “They’re so festive and fun. And there are plenty of warm shops nearby to duck into if you get chilled.”
“Oh?” Ruby sat up a little straighter. “I should probably do some Christmas shopping.”
“Wonderful. It’s decided then.” Aretha let go of her wrist but shot her another look that seemed to convey Whitney was responsible for arranging a romantic rendezvous between the couple. “Ruby and Daniel will go with you.”
Daniel had shoved exactly one-sixth of a pancake into his mouth at the precise moment his aunt announced his plans, so his “What?” was muted but still recognizable.
“That does sound fun. Don’t you think, Daniel?” Ruby didn’t wait for him to respond, only glanced down at the silk blouse and straight wool trousers she was wearing. “I do need to put on warmer clothes, though.”
Whitney looked again at her empty wrist, searching for words. “It starts in a couple hours.”
Aretha smiled brightly. “Good, then you have plenty of time to get there. It’s only forty minutes away.”
Technically correct. But then there was traffic and setup, and what if her tent was cranky again? She twisted her hands into the loose apron ties at her middle.
With a gentle pat on her arm, Aretha said, “Don’t fret. Daniel will help you set up your booth.”
His eyes said he wasn’t sure about any such thing. His eyes said he wasn’t even sure how he’d gotten roped into going to the market.
She tried to give him her best smile as she nodded toward the kitchen. “I’m leaving in a few minutes. So...”
Ruby popped up on cue, leaving more than half her meal uneaten, and disappeared toward the front stairs without another word. Daniel did not. Stabbing the remaining four bites of his maple-covered breakfast, he grumbled at his plate. Then he scowled as he shoved the whole stack into his mouth.
Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe his breakfast hadn’t been as good as hers.
There wasn’t time to dwell on it as she hustled into the kitchen, almost tripping on two pajamaed little ones. “Can we have some pancakes too?” Little Jack asked, his eyes as big as toonies.
“Yes, but ... I have to ... your mom can make them for you. The batter is all there.”
Jack’s shoulders deflated faster than a balloon. “Mom’s still asleep.”
With a quick glance at the clock on the stove, she sighed. She’d meant to leave fifteen minutes ago. She’d meant to get on the road before the sun was up, but the waves in the bay outside the kitchen window were already reflecting its morning greeting.
Perfect.
Julia Mae rubbed fists against her half-closed eyes as a yawn stretched her jaw. “Please. ’M hungry.”
“Hey, you munchkins. Let Miss Whitney get on the road. It’s her day off.” Quick, muffled steps sounded from the office down the short back hall, and Seth poked his head into the kitchen. His hair had been styled by Serta, and the dark shadow across his jaw made him look a little scary—even to her.
His kids were not so deterred. “Daddy!” Julia Mae tackled his leg and then let him scoop her up and over his shoulder with a squeal that meant if Marie had been sleeping, she wasn’t any longer.
“I’ll make you pancakes. Now say goodbye to Miss Whitney.”
“Bye, Miss Whitney,” they chorused.
With one kid on his shoulder and the other hanging off his arm, Seth glanced at the stacks of pink boxes. “Can I help you with those?”
“Daniel will,” Aretha announced as the two of them walked into the kitchen.
Whitney couldn’t tell if Daniel’s scowl was fresh or the same one he’d been wearing since his aunt had begun planning his day. “I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”
Twenty minutes, Ruby’s three coat changes, and “I just need one more scarf!” later, the trio was zipping down the highway toward Summerside. Whitney gripped the wheel a little harder than strictly necessary on clear pavement, but she had to focus on something other than Ruby’s chatter.
“I can’t believe this island. Is it always this beautiful? Imagine it with even more fresh snow. It will snow while I’m here, right? I mean, it must, this close to the water.” In the passenger seat Ruby flipped up the collar of her Burberry coat and gave a full-body shiver. Whether it was from the cold or delight was anyone’s guess. “I didn’t realize there are so many farms. There’s one. And that house has a red door too. Are red doors common here?” On and on she went.
Whitney wasn’t sure why Ruby bothered asking questions. She never paused long enough to be answered. Ruby didn’t seem to notice, though. She didn’t ask questions for the answers, for the understanding. She asked to fill the void.
By that point, Whitney had almost forgotten what silence sounded like.
Fifteen minutes into the drive, she glanced into the rearview mirror. Daniel was folded into the back seat, his knees tucked under his chin, his gaze lost somewhere out the window. Three folding tables stretched across the collapsed seat beside him, and he curled in on himself as though he could become smaller.
When she checked again a few minutes later, his head was snapping back and forth with each passing pine tree—watchmen blocking homesteads and barnyards. Between the tall trunks, bursts of warmth from bright yellow sun rays broke through the misty morning.
Ruby commented on the lack of other cars on the road but didn’t wait for someone to point out the crowded parking lot beside a white-steepled church.
They were nearly to Summerside when Whitney looked into the mirror again. This time Daniel was staring back at her. She jerked the steering wheel in surprise and earned a concerned chuckle from Ruby for her mistake.
With a quick movement, she righted the car and glanced up again. Daniel’s blue eyes were bright, filled with something she couldn’t quite name. It wasn’t annoyance or exasperation, though she wouldn’t blame him at this point. No one would.
It was softer than that. Richer. Lighter.
Whatever that look in his eye, it couldn’t be humor. She hadn’t seen the man crack a single smile in a week.
And he absolutely wasn’t sharing it with her.
She forced her gaze to remain on the road the last few kilometers, watching for closed streets and detours. As they rounded the final turn, the street opened up before them, a wonderland of vibrant tents and bright wares bathed in the midmorning glow. Old brick buildings served as backdrops to the row of sellers, whisking them to bygone days.
“Oh, that’s lovely,” Ruby said. “Do you know where your spot is? How long will we be here? I have to go to every booth. Daniel, you’ll help me carry my purchases, right? I can already tell I’ll need at least one of everything.”
True to her word, Ruby set off as soon as Whitney found a parking spot. “Come on, Daniel.” She clapped her gloved hands together, prancing in place for several steps. Even then, she looked like she’d arrived for a photo shoot. Her plaid headband matched her designer coat, and the third scarf, the one she’d finally settled on—a red wool number—did complement the other pieces.
A chilly breeze tugged at Ruby’s perfect ponytail, but she seemed oblivious to it. Meanwhile, Whitney wrestled with her own obnoxious mane.
“I’ll catch up,” Daniel grunted, unwinding his long limbs and crawling from the back seat, stretching his neck from side to side.
“I’m sorry it was so cramped back there,” Whitney said.
He shrugged it off and opened the trunk of her car before she could tell him she would handle setting up on her own. He unloaded the tables like they weighed the same as a pie. “Where to?”
“I’m space thirty-four. It should be right down there.”
She followed him, pulling the fabric wagon that carried the first of several ice chests, display stands, tablecloths, and the pop-up tent.
Setting up the tent on her own was usually a comedy of errors. Especially when the booths on either side of her limited space were already in order. But Daniel pulled the tent from its canvas carrier, stared at its corners and hinges for five seconds, and opened it with a flourish.
“Something wrong?” Daniel asked. He must have noticed her staring at him.
“No, just ... thank you. You really don’t have to stick around. I’m sure there’s something else you’d rather see here.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I’m not much of a shopper.”
“Which works out well since you’re going to work for a retail company.” She tried to keep a straight face, but a tiny smile broke through.
He paused, one hand on a table leg he was about to open, and sent her a questioning frown.
It was her turn to shrug. “Aretha may have mentioned it.” Actually, Aretha had told every single person at church about her nephew’s accomplishments in graduate school and the job he’d signed on to start with All Terrain, an outdoor adventure chain, after the New Year.
“Of course she did,” he mumbled under his breath, but there was a hint of love in those words.
Aretha had been a surrogate aunt, grandmother, and mom to most of North Rustico over the years. But Daniel was truly family—and she wanted more than just a good job for him. She wanted true love and a happily ever after.
Whitney rubbed her stomach under her puffy parka as it twisted into a knot at the reminder that she was now at least partially responsible for making sure Daniel figured out his true love.
As they put the finishing touches on the booth—hanging the H OMEMADE H OLIDAY P IES banner between the tent’s back legs—Whitney looked for Ruby, but the center aisle between the facing booths was already buzzing with eager shoppers. She’d stop by later. Surely.
That gave Whitney a little while to figure out what to say to encourage more than a professional relationship. At the moment, Daniel didn’t seem too distraught at Ruby’s absence.
Whitney slipped the glass cake cover over a plate of bite-size samples, but a glance at their golden edges and caramelized sugar tops made her steal just one. Lifting it to her mouth, she caught Daniel’s gaze. He readjusted his rectangular black glasses, his eyes never leaving the stolen treat and its path toward her mouth.
“Do you want one?”
He nodded, so she raised the cover just enough. He pinched one too. And for a moment there was only sugar-fueled bliss. Sweet and tangy. Tart apples balancing the honeyed spices. Perfection in a single bite.
She licked her lips and forced herself not to reach for another as her first customer of the day strolled up. Like most farmers’ markets, the day was marked with bursts of activity between long stretches of boredom.
But today Whitney wasn’t bored. Not with Daniel peppering her with questions about why her sign said H OMEMADE H OLIDAY P IES instead of W HITNEY ’ S H OMEMADE P IES . Honestly, she hadn’t given much thought to the branding. And why she waited for people to stop by before offering them a sample instead of going into the crowd and enticing them to the booth. That answer was easier to explain when there was usually only one person managing the booth, and she needed to stay close by.
But she had to admit that he had some good ideas. And he didn’t tell her she was doing anything wrong. He simply asked why she’d chosen this or decided on that.
He may not have been much of a shopper, but his ideas had merit. No wonder he’d snapped up that CFO job.
About the time Whitney needed to replenish her pie supply from the cooler in her car, the wind picked up, carrying a distinct chill off the water. She shivered, and Daniel shoved his gloved hands into the pockets of his puffy jacket.
“I’ll go get the pies,” he offered. “It’ll be good to warm up my muscles.”
She pointed at her ears, which were covered by a toque and hopefully not as red as his. “I bet someone is selling a hand-knitted hat of some sort.” She reached into her change purse and pulled out a bright green twenty. “It’s my treat for your help today.”
He waved her off. “They’re my ears. Guess I better save them.” He disappeared into the milling crowd.
She’d worked dozens of these markets on her own and had never felt lonely. Until that very minute. The feeling would pass, of course. But she wanted to shake it off immediately.
It was just that Daniel wasn’t what she’d expected. He’d been surprising her since he arrived. And not just standing on the wrong side of her swinging door. The man was a contradiction down to his marrow. He didn’t smile. He didn’t laugh. But she knew in her heart that he loved his aunt with everything he had. He wouldn’t be outside on a chilly island morning when he could be reading in front of a warm fire at the inn if it weren’t for Aretha.
He didn’t seem to be particularly friendly with anyone, yet Julia Mae had adopted him as her own. And Whitney hated to admit that when he’d helped the little girl reach a high branch on the tree, her heart had tripped over itself.
Daniel was clearly business savvy. He wouldn’t have gotten the job that Aretha bragged about without the smarts to back it up. But he was also generous with that knowledge—offering suggestions for her small business, helping his aunt sell her store.
And accountants weren’t supposed to be that handsome.
Whitney pressed her mittens to her face and shook her head to suppress a scream.
She needed to stop thinking about his face. The perfectly balanced angles of his jaw, his straight nose, and the little bit of scruff that had appeared that morning.
He was normally clean-shaven. Buttoned up. Literally. But his wavy hair had looked thoroughly disheveled since the breakfast table. Like he’d been running his fingers through it nonstop.
Which only made her want to run her fingers through it.
She had to stop.
He’d never look at her as anything more than Aretha’s friend. More importantly, he wasn’t for her. According to Aretha, he was for Ruby.
As though thinking of the other woman conjured her, Ruby shuffled into her booth, arms crossed and shoulders reaching toward her ears. Her whole body shivered as she stamped her booted feet. The paper bags hanging over her arm flapped in the wind. “It’s so cold out here. I’ve really tried to make it, but it’s far too much. Let’s go back to the inn.”
Whitney’s insides twisted fiercely. “I can’t just go. I have to be here all day.” Besides, she’d only sold a third of the pies she’d brought.
Ruby’s face crumpled, her perfect features suddenly looking less plastic and more human. “But I’m freezing.”
Whitney bit back the strong desire to remind her that she’d swapped out her warmer coat for the name-brand one instead. “It goes with this outfit,” Ruby had declared. And Whitney had whisked them down the road before Ruby could change her mind again.
Perhaps that had been a rash decision. Now they were stuck in Summerside. And it was cold, even with the evenly spaced patio heaters lining the aisle. But the cold hadn’t bothered her when Daniel was around.
Not that she was going to think about that.
She was going to focus on the inn’s guests, Aretha’s happiness, and her own tuition.
“There’s a cute shop down that way. Or there’s a café at the end of the block. I’d be happy to buy you a cup of coffee, and you can stay inside until we’re done here.”
Ruby sighed. “How long will that be?”
Whitney glanced at the sun, which had already dropped behind the western buildings. “A few more hours. Maybe less.”
“Hours? What am I supposed to do for hours?”
Now she had to entertain her too? “Do you have a book?”
Ruby’s features pinched, and she shook her head with a long-suffering sigh. “Where’s Daniel?”
Whitney rubbed at the strange tightness in her chest. “Getting more pies from the car.”
“Fine. Send him down to the café when he’s done. At least we can talk about the store while we wait.” Ruby wandered off, her gait stiff and her shoulders hunched.
When Daniel returned several minutes later, Whitney let out a burst of laughter—right in the face of a customer. She quickly turned her back on Daniel and his new toque, apologized, and gave the young woman an extra sample. “Have a good day,” she said, shoving a pink box into the woman’s hands before dissolving into a fit of laughter.
“What are you wearing?” she said to Daniel, hugging her ribs to hold herself together.
“This?” He pressed a hand to his knit cap. “You like it?”
“It’s ridiculous.”
He shrugged. No smile. No chuckle. But that light was back in his eyes. The one she’d seen in her rearview mirror on the drive over. The one she’d first thought couldn’t be a real, true sense of humor.
Now she knew she’d been wrong. It was. It had to be for him to wear that turkey hat, complete with little wings and roasted thighs sticking out over his ears.
That was twice in one day that he’d given her a peek at his humor. Maybe the grump was just a facade. So what was he trying to hide?