Chapter Three
RACHEL
“ I s Rachel Bennett here?”
Looking over the top of my laptop at the man standing in the doorway, my first instinct is not to answer.
He’s tall and lanky, with short hair sticking straight in the front. He resembles an average man who could be found in small towns and big cities. What sets him apart is his bright red tuxedo, complete with a matching headband, which features glittering hearts bobbing side to side.
I’ve never felt so sorry for someone in my life.
“Rachel Bennett?” He repeats, louder and more exasperated this time.
“That’s me.” I put my hand up, drawing the attention of everyone in the lobby of The Mistletoe Inn. Sorry, The Love Shack Inn .
Because, of course, it’s called that.
I watch as he approaches me, his red tuxedo standing out against, yet blending in with, the tastefully decorated common room of the Inn.
Since I checked in yesterday, I have been looking forward to setting up and doing some work. The large area off the main check-in/lobby is decorated like a page ripped out of a vintage magazine, with British-inspired wallpaper, wooden panels, and a large stone fireplace. The Valentine’s decorations were just as tasteful as the ones in the cafe, with matching pink and white tablecloths, fresh flowers, and a cute heart garland draped on the fireplace, making me think that Cassie had her hand in this. I wonder if there’s some truth to the rumours I’ve been hearing about her and Jacob. The oversized chairs and warm fire were what really drew me here this morning, but the coffee bar, with everything you could ask for fully stocked, kept me here for hours. It was so inviting that I couldn't resist.
Plus, I would have less of a chance of running into Levi here than if I were to go to the cafe. It didn’t matter that he looked even more handsome than I remembered, with his short, dark hair and neatly trimmed beard; I still didn’t want to see him.
I certainly haven’t been thinking of his emerald green eyes that sparkle no matter what lighting he’s in.
Or the way he tilts his head back when he laughs, filling the whole room with the sound while making you feel like you’re sharing a private joke.
Nope. I definitely don’t want to run into him. Not at all.
But if I’ve been tracked down by this man in a questionable suit, maybe losing Levi in a town as small as Candy Cane Creek isn’t as easy as I thought.
He makes his way to stand in front of me, his hand out, holding a red box with a ribbon. The box has a tag with my name handwritten in elaborate cursive attached to it. If it weren’t for Holly assuring me everyone in town was harmless, I would have already invoked ‘Stranger Danger.’
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he says dryly, without a hint of a smile.
“Aren’t you a bubbly bundle of joy,” I say, wearily taking the box from his hand.
He forces a weak smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m dressed like a humanized Valentine delivering boxes of candy. Would you be happy?”
“Fair point.” He turns to walk away when I add, “What’s your name?”
He stops and looks over his shoulder. “Curt.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Curt.” I don’t know why, but I feel he needs a little brightness to his day. Reaching over, I pluck a carnation from the vase beside me and hold it out to him. I don’t know what makes me do it; maybe it’s intuition that I’m meant to do this little random act of kindness to a man from the town, but I feel called to do it.
“Thank…you?” He takes the flower with a question on his tongue before he turns and walks out the door.
“Should I charge you for the flower?” A voice rings behind me, making me whip around.
I chuckle as I lower myself back into my chair, relaxing into the soft cushions. Jacob Winters, the owner of the Inn, sits down across from me.
“Sure, add it to my bill,” I joke.
After returning from the cafe and my run-in with Levi, Jacob showed me around the Inn last night. It helped take my mind off the infuriating man I’d hoped to avoid while in Candy Cane Creek. Plus, I learned more about this quaint Inn and its history in the town. It was a fascinating lesson of the town’s history and where its love–and borderline obsession–of Christmas came from.
“It’s started, huh?” He nods to the package in my hand with his chin.
“What do you mean? What is it?” I look down at the box in my hand.
“Open it and find out.” The smirk on his face has me worried, but I’m also really curious. Maybe it’s the blogger in me, but I want to find out what the story is and write about it, with my own spin, of course.
Without disturbing the beautiful bow or the personalized tag, I place the box on the table next to me to take a picture, framing it perfectly with the flowers and the roaring fire in the background. It’ll make a perfect addition to the blog I’ll be posting tomorrow after I’ve experienced all the Valentine’s Day events Candy ‘Heart’ Creek has to offer.
“You’re really drawing this out, aren’t you?” he teases.
I huff, not bothering to turn and look at him. Instead, I focus on my phone camera, trying to get the right angle to capture the box and the comfort of my surroundings. “You should know how much a great picture equals great marketing. Don’t you want the warmth of the Inn to come through in my photo?” I joke.
“I’ve also never seen a woman less interested in a mystery box she’s received on Valentine’s Day.”
I turn and face him, placing my phone on the table. “And you’ve seen a lot of women receive mysterious boxes, have you? Maybe one in particular?”
He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No, of course not.” I laugh, picking up the box and slowly untying the ribbon, making sure to take my time if nothing more than to keep Jacob in suspense.
“Could you go any slower?” Jacob says impatiently.
“Is that a challenge, Chandler?” I place the box on my lap and look at him.
I shouldn’t take so much joy in teasing him, especially since he’s been nothing but kind to me and took so much of his personal time last night to show me around and answer my questions, but he’s making it too easy.
“Considering your name, I don’t think you want to open the Friends references, do you?”
“You got me there.”
Without taking any more time, I open the box to find an array of mini candies and chocolates sitting underneath an envelope with my name. Carefully placing my box to the side, I open it to find a note with the same handwriting as the tag.
Rachel,
Congratulations! You’ve been entered into The True Love’s Search. Over the next few hours, you will be led on an adventure through town, where you will learn more about your match, ending with a final meet-up at the Hoedown tonight.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Your first hint is in the candies.
From,
The Candy Heart Matchmakers
“In the candies?” I read out loud, grabbing the box and searching through the sweets. “Also, don’t you have to be signed up for this? How was my name entered? I only got here yesterday.”
“The town works in mysterious ways,” Jacob snickers.
Jacob opens his mouth to say something else when the door to the Inn opens, and Curt comes back in, looking even more flustered than he had been before. “Jacob, I’m glad I caught you.”
“Where else would I be, Curt? This is my Inn.”
“I don’t have time for questions,” he answered bluntly, shoving a red box identical to mine in Jacob’s face. “Here.”
“Aw, Curt. You don’t have to ask me to be your Valentine, buddy.” Jacob leans back in his chair, placing one ankle on his opposite knee.
“Just take the box, Winters,” Curt sighs. “I have about a million more boxes to deliver, and I don’t have time for this.”
“A million, you say? I didn’t realize the town had grown that exponentially overnight. Or that possibly there were that many people with secret admirers. Maybe this town has more hidden secrets than it lets on.”
“Ugh.” Curt drops the box on the coffee table in front of Jacob and walks off, leaving the recipient relaxing even further into his seat with a mischievous smile on his face.
“What, you’re not going to rush to see who sent you yours?” I prod, picking my own box back up to look for my clue.
“Not until he’s gone,” Jacob says, watching as Curt gives one last eye roll before storming out the Inn’s front door.
“What’s up with him?”
“Curt? Nothing. He’s just an odd one. Harmless, but odd.” Jacob picks up his box and unties the ribbon, throwing it to the side on his table.
“Hmm.” This town gets curiouser and curiouser.
The candies themselves don’t give anything away. They’re a mix of cinnamon hearts, mini peanut butter and chocolate cups, and the typical conversation heart candies.
‘UR SWEET’
‘BE MY HONEY’
‘SUGAR PIE’
These aren’t very helpful at all. They could mean really anything. I thought the clues were supposed to tell me about my match–a match I didn’t sign up or ask for–and this tells me nothing.
The box shifts and reveals another heart underneath.
‘LET’S TACO’
“Taco? The diner?” I rack my brain trying to think of where this might be leading me. Obviously, my match isn’t the owner since I’m assuming he’s older, and I definitely know he has a wife with all the crocheted creations I’ve been seeing throughout town.
Let’s Taco…Let’s Taco. Where have I seen that before?
“The tree!” I gasp .
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jacob explains before tossing his box onto the table and standing. “I’ll, uh, see you around. I just have to go take care of something.” He storms off to the kitchen, mumbling about ‘meddling matchmakers’ and ‘people needing to keep their noses out of his business.’
Well, all right then.
I rush to pack my things, taking a picture of my opened box before placing it carefully in my bag. I may not have asked to be signed up for this little adventure, but I might as well see it through–and get some candy out of it. For the blog, that is. My readers would enjoy this experience and hopefully bring more tourists into the town to experience all the unique things it has to offer.
Once all my books and laptop are back in my bag, I take a final sip of my coffee before bracing myself to start the wild goose chase that will lead to my Valentine.
Looking down at Jacob’s discarded box, I chuckle. Instead of a box of mixed candies, there’s a single heart-shaped sugar cookie that reads:
‘JE T’AIME’