Chapter 5
FIVE
Joy
I can feel his eyes on me, but as the pageant wraps up and the winner is announced, I do everything I can not to look his way.
I’m afraid, if I do, he’ll see how badly he affects me written all over my face.
I most definitely can’t look over at my sister.
She’ll know immediately and will latch on to that like a dog with a bone.
So I sit tensely in my bag chair and watch the competition, recalling how excited and nervous I felt when I was up on that stage a little over ten years ago.
“I think we have a great princess this year,” Mom says, always the diplomat. She says the same thing every year, even if the winner chose the other hair salon for her pageant hair.
“I agree,” Eve states, grabbing their chairs and starting to slip them inside the bags.
I remain quiet as I reach for the blue bag that holds my chair, but before I can execute the task, Burk is reaching for my chair and sliding it inside the bag. He does the same to the one he was sitting in.
“Thank you,” I tell him, my throat a little dry.
“Of course. Thanks for letting me sit with you guys.”
“You’re always welcome, son,” Dad announces, clapping Burk on the back of the shoulder.
He nods and turns his attention to my sister and her boyfriend. “Eve and John, it was good to see you both again.”
“You’ll see us tomorrow for sure. We have to come pick out our tree,” my sister states with enthusiasm. She turns to me. “You’re coming too, right?”
I nod. “I’ll meet you out there. I’m not walking and dragging that thing back to town on a sled.”
Eve rolls her eyes at me. “Whatever. It’s tradition.”
“No, it’s your tradition. Mine is to throw it in the back of Dad’s truck.”
When we were growing up, Dad and Mom would always walk us out to the tree farm to pick out our tree.
We’d find the perfect one for our space, cut it down, and then drag it back to the house on a sled.
We only lived a handful of blocks away from the farm, and thankfully, it sits on the edge of town.
However, now I’m farther away. My apartment is in the middle of the downtown square, and that alone adds a good four blocks to the walk.
No thank you.
Dad usually delivers my tree, but since I’m anxious to get the one in my apartment put up tomorrow, I’m planning to borrow his truck and bring it to town.
“Do you want me to stop by and help you carry it up the stairs?” John offers.
“You guys will be busy with your own tree,” I state, waving off his offer. “I’ll be fine.” Dragging the tree upstairs alone isn’t ideal, but it’s been done before. It usually just creates a bigger mess with the pine needles. Nothing a broom and dustpan can’t handle.
“Still,” he replies. “It’ll only take a few minutes. I can run over when you get back with it.”
Before I can tell John that’s not necessary, I hear, “I can help.”
I look Burk’s way and shake my head. “You have to work though.”
“I can take my lunch and help you,” he assures, shocking me with his suggestion.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” I resist.
“You didn’t. I offered.” He flashes me a playful grin that’s a strong mixture of the playful boy I remember and the gorgeous man standing before me today.
“Umm,” I reply, feeling a little off-kilter.
“That’s good of you, Burk. I’ll make sure you get a lunch around the time Joy is there,” Ray states, looking awfully pleased.
“Well, I need to get back to the bakery,” I state, picking up my bag chair and slipping the carrying strap over my shoulder. I reach for the second one, the chair I brought in the off-chance Burk would be joining us, he refuses to hand it over.
“I’ll carry it.”
I roll my eyes and turn to my family. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Eve steps in and gives me a hug. “Want some help cleaning up?”
“No, I got it. Go home with your boyfriend to your kitties.”
My sister flashes an easy smile. They still live separately, but I don’t think for much longer.
Their houses are beside each other’s and they jump back and forth between the two, sleeping together every night.
They even move their cats from one house to the other so Miss Snowflake and Biggie can be together. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Let me know when you’re going to be there to pick out your tree.”
She nods and reaches for John’s hand. I watch as they take off together, so happy they found each other again after dating in high school.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart,” Dad says, placing a kiss on my cheek.
“Night, Dad.”
Mom gives me a wave. “Love you, Joy.”
“Love you too,” I tell her as she takes my dad’s hand and walks toward the salon where their vehicle is parked.
I watch them go, smiling slightly at the sight of them together.
They’ve always been a relationship goal for myself and my sister.
Of course, when we were growing up, it was gross and a little annoying to see them so touchy feely and in love.
Dad was always holding Mom’s hand, kissing her hello and goodbye, and always being very attentive to her.
Now, they’re the epitome of relationship goals.
I see what they have, and that’s what I want someday.
Of course, I’m not gonna lie. I thought I’d have that by now.
I turned twenty-nine at the end of October, and I definitely thought I’d be in a different place.
Not as far as my business goes, but my personal life.
I wanted to be married with a kid or two by this point, and that hasn’t happened.
In fact, not even close. I’ve dated, but no one stuck.
Heck, no one has really blown my socks off with the kiss.
You know the one that curls your toes and makes you forget your own name?
Has never happened.
I probably wouldn’t even believe all the hype, but my sister Eve has told me all about it after she reconnected with John.
She dated some loser who cheated on her before that, and there were definitely no toes curling there.
But with John? She says it’s pure magic.
Like every day is Christmas, wrapped in snow-covered twinkle lights and a big red bow.
I want that.
“Ready?” Burk’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
“Yep.”
He walks with me as we make our way toward the bakery. My parents are far enough ahead they can’t hear our conversation as I ask, “How’s your grandpa doing?”
“Really good. I guess they got him up today. When Gram got there, he was sitting in the chair. She couldn’t wait to tell us when she came back to the farm for a bit this afternoon.”
I look from the left to the right, making sure no one is coming before we cross the street.
“A jaywalker, huh? I should have known you’d turn into a delinquent.”
I bark out a laugh and start digging my keys out of my pocket. “I’m the furthest thing from a delinquent. The worst I’ve ever done is steal a piece of candy from the grocery store when I was eight. Mom made me march back in there, hand it over, and apologize.”
“I remember. You were grounded for two weeks and couldn’t come out and play.”
“It was the worst! I wanted to play outside so bad,” I whine, recalling how heartbroken I was when my friends were out playing at the park and riding their bikes together, while I was stuck in my room with no TV or phone. It was torture, and I definitely learned my lesson.
I go to the front entrance and release the lock. “Come on in,” I state, holding the old glass with wood trim door wide enough for him to enter.
“Where should I put these?” he asks.
“We’ll go put them by the back door. I’ll take them upstairs when I go up for the night.”
He gives me a strange look. “You live up there?”
“Yep,” I reply, moving into the kitchen and turning on the light. “It’s incredibly easy to get to work in the morning,” I tease.
Burk gives me one of those panty-melting smiles that makes me shiver as it reaches its mark. “So, what all do you have to do yet?” he asks, taking in the space.
“I have to clean up from tonight’s pop-up shop. Some dishes, sweeping, mopping, that kind of thing,” I tell him, removing my coat, gloves, and hat and hanging them on a hook at the back door. He does the same as I move to the industrial double sink and start the water.
“I can help.”
“You don’t have to. I know you have to work tomorrow,” I insist, adding the dish soap to the running water.
He shrugs his shoulders and looks around. “I’ve got time. Broom?”
I point to the closet on the back wall. “There.”
He nods and retrieves the item, getting to work. Fortunately, it’s not too bad, since I cleaned after I closed this afternoon and had most of the baking done. The only dishes are the trays I used in the display case and a few stirring spoons and cups left from the coffee drinks.
I try to ignore how easy and comfortable it feels to have him here.
Chance, a former boyfriend I had for about six months, never offered to help me.
Even if I was cleaning up at the end of a long day, he would take the free coffee drink and pastry I prepared and sit and watch me.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I don’t expect anyone to help—but the occasional offer would be nice.
I start to clean the serving trays and whatnot, stacking them carefully in the drying rack. As I work, Burk says, “So, I have a question.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I make eye contact with him and nod, indicating he can ask whatever it is he’s curious about.
“Your mom and sister went up on stage during the Miss Snowflake Falls pageant as former princesses. You didn’t want to compete?”
I rinse off the spatula, slip it onto the rack, and turn off the water. “I did. I came in second.”
He stops his sweeping and levels me with a look. “What? How could you not win? You would have made a perfect princess. You’re smart, talented, love Christmas. You’re…beautiful.”
Beautiful.