Chapter 3
Chapter Three
It was an understatement to say he didn’t like small towns.
Brad Pearson stared down at his ruined shirt. There was so much to dislike that he wasn’t sure where to start. Maybe it was the fact that he grew up in one. He clearly remembered how anxious he’d been to move away from Barch, Illinois.
He didn’t make it too far. He’d ended up settling in Chicago.
And try as he might to stay away from Barch, he still went back. Regularly.
His mother still lived there. Some might call him a mama’s boy; he just called it being a good son. He’d repeatedly tried to get her to move, but she refused. She said she was born in that town, and she would die in that town.
And so every Mother’s Day, birthday, and most of the holidays, both big and small, he returned to Barch, where a number of the residents still labeled him as “Hey, boy,” “Trouble” and “Wrong-side-of-the-tracks.” They had mighty long memories.
But he wouldn’t let those people keep him away from his mother—who had always believed in him.
So, he was not impressed with Mayberry. Wait. No, that isn’t right. Wayberry? No. Bayberry. Yeah. That was what Reed had called this place. He remembered now, because it was named after a candle, which he found odd.
Why was Reed moving here? Brad didn’t understand his best friend’s motivation for giving up a good life in Chicago to move to this small town, where you couldn’t even get a latte after six o’clock. Seriously?
And that was why he was here—to talk some sense into Reed. There was no way his best friend would be happy in Bayberry long term.
However, now that Reed was engaged, it was going to complicate things. Maybe if he offered Sadie a position at the main office of Rumor Quill Media, it would help all of them. It was a move worth consideration.
Buzz-buzz.
Reed was in sight, but Brad stopped to check his phone. It could be something important with regards to the office. He didn’t like to be out of town. It was a time when things went wrong—at least that was how it felt to him.
But the phone call wasn’t business related; instead, it was his mother. He wondered what she wanted. At that moment, he noticed Reed signaling for him to join him. Brad knew he couldn’t ignore his mother’s phone call, though.
Brad signaled Reed that he’d be a moment, before he pressed the phone to his ear. “Hey, Mom, is everything all right?”
“Of course. That’s not a very nice way to answer your phone.”
“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you so early.” They usually spoke briefly each evening at nine. “What do you need?”
“I just wanted to know what time you’ll be here.”
What? He hadn’t planned to go see his mother that weekend. “I’m sorry. I can’t see you this weekend. I’m in Vermont visiting Brad.”
“Oh. That’s right. It totally slipped my mind.”
This wasn’t the first time his mother called on a weekend when she knew he wasn’t going to visit. Each time it had been because she needed him to do something for her. “If you need help with a burnt-out lightbulb or a dead battery in the fire alarm, I can stop by as soon as I get back.”
“It’s nothing like that.” There was a note of disappointment in her voice.
“Mom, I know you. What is on your mind?”
There was a distinct pause. “It’s just that Carol... You know my neighbor, Carol Knight. She used to bake you chocolate chip cookies when you mowed her grass.”
“Yes, Mom. I know your neighbor.”
“Well, her husband is putting up her Christmas decorations, and I thought we could put up some.”
He knew this was his mother’s favorite time of the year. And he knew how much she loved to decorate.
As far back as he could remember, it had always been just him and his mother.
His father had died when he was eight years old.
His mother had worked two, and sometimes three, jobs at a time to keep a roof over their heads and put food in his belly.
She’d scrimped and scraped so he could have the basics, and now there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.
If only he could get her to move closer to him, then he could see her more often.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “How about next weekend?”
The disappointment in her voice had been replaced with a hopeful note. “Are you sure it won’t be a problem?”
“It’s a date.” Just then he noticed Reed waving him over again. “Mom, I have to go.”
“Okay. Tell Reed I said hello. And tell him to come visit soon.”
“I will.”
After he got off the phone, he walked over to Reed. Even though he had mixed feelings about his best friend getting engaged, it didn’t stop him from smiling. It was really good to see him.
“Congratulations.” Brad held his hand out to him.
The smile on Reed’s face broadened as he shook his hand. “Thanks.”
Brad pulled on Reed’s arm until they were doing a one-armed hug and a slap on the back. When Brad pulled back, he said, “I knew you were thinking about getting engaged, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”
“Yeah. Well, I knew it was right for us. Besides, it was a good excuse to finally get you out here.”
Brad shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”
“Yeah. I know. But there’s more to life than work. But at least you’re here now.” Reed sent him a reassuring smile. “Listen, I know you aren’t wild about small towns, but I’m telling you this place is different.”
Brad arched a brow. “How much are you willing to wager?”
Reed sighed. “I’m serious. Just wait until you get to know everyone.”
He shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. Besides, I have a plane to catch on Sunday.”
“You know you could work remotely and stay longer.”
Why was his friend trying to sell him on this town? It wasn’t like Reed to be this pushy. Maybe he was feeling guilty for spending so much time here instead of back in Chicago. That must be it.
“Let me introduce you to Sadie.” Reed glanced around. “She was just here a second ago. Oh, there she is with one of her friends. Wait until you meet Abby. You’re going to like her.”
Brad inwardly groaned. If he wasn’t careful, Reed would be setting him up with his girlfriend’s—correction, his fiancée’s—friends. And that wasn’t going to happen. He was quite content with his bachelor status.
As the big snowflakes continued to slowly fall, the tree lights gave the town square a merry vibe. Abby couldn’t help but think this was a magical night. A smile lifted the corners of her lips.
She looked around, finding all three of her closest friends: Kate Taylor, who was part owner of the Bayberry Candle Co.
, Carrie Byers, who owned Totally Chocolate, and Sadie Plummer, whose family owned the Bayberry Gazette.
They’d been best friends since elementary school.
Even though they may have drifted apart periodically, they always came back together.
She still didn’t have a chance to congratulate Sadie, who was currently speaking with her parents. Abby didn’t want to interrupt them. This was a special moment for all of them.
While she waited, she moved over to the stand where they were handing out the hot chocolate. The line was long but moved quickly. She smiled and greeted neighbors and friends.
After taking a sip of the cocoa, she lifted her head and looked around. It took a second, but then she noticed Sadie’s parents had walked away. Abby didn’t waste any time. She rushed over to her friend.
With hot chocolate in one hand, she gave Sadie a one-armed hug. When Abby pulled back, she smiled. “I’m so happy for you and Reed. You two are going to be so happy together. Let me see the ring.”
With a radiant smile, Sadie held up her left hand. Reed definitely hadn’t been chintzy. Light from the overhead lamp caught the diamond solitaire and made it sparkle.
“Enough about me,” Sadie said. “I saw you talking to that guy.”
“What guy?” Abby honestly didn’t know who she was talking about because she’d spoken to a lot of people while she’d been waiting for her cocoa.
“The guy I saw you talking to right after Reed asked me to marry him.” Sadie’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
Abby knew in that moment who she meant. “He was nobody.”
Sadie arched a brow. “Really? Because the way you were so animated when you were talking to him, he certainly was somebody to you.”
Abby sighed. “Don’t even get me started on Mr. Grumpy Pants.”
“What?” Sadie barely got the word out between laughter. “Mr. what?”
“Grumpy Pants.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what his problem is, but he needs an attitude adjustment.”
Sadie was still grinning when she asked, “How exactly do you know him?”
“I don’t. And I don’t want to know him.”
Sadie’s smile disappeared. “He can’t be that bad.”
“No. He’s worse.”
“Where did you meet him?”
She wished Sadie wasn’t so interested in her experience with Mr. Grumpy Pants. She knew if she didn’t tell her, Sadie would keep bugging her. Maybe once she told her about their run-in, Sadie would drop the subject. Could she be that lucky?
Abby drew in a deep breath and let it out.
“We met at the coffeeshop. I was just about to close, when he walked in. Everyone had already left for the tree lighting. All I had to do was lock up, and in he strolled. I should have just told him that we were closed, but I thought I’d be nice.
After all, it’s really cold this evening. Anyway, big mistake.”
Disbelief shone in Sadie’s eyes. “It couldn’t be that bad.”
“Oh, really? Let me tell you…” Abby recounted her first encounter with the spilled coffee.
“I see.” When Sadie looked at her, she wasn’t smiling, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“What do you find so funny?”
“It’s just that I’ve never seen you worked up over a customer before.”
Abby sighed. Her friend was right. Normally she didn’t let people get to her. There was just something about him that got under her skin. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to deal with him again.
She shrugged. “He just rubbed me the wrong way. And I was late for the tree lighting.”
“Or maybe you found the guy really hot.”
This time it was Abby who laughed. “Not even his blue eyes could make up for his lack of a friendly personality. Hopefully, he’s just passing through town.”
“Wait. Back up. You know what color eyes he has?” Sadie arched a brow.
Abby couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud. She inwardly groaned. “Fine. He’s good-looking, but he’s not the least bit friendly.”
“Oh.” Sadie frowned. “That’s a shame.”
“It’s no big deal. You know that I’m not looking to date after the fiasco with Dave.”
Her luck with men was non-existent. She’d dated Dave for more than two years when he landed a job in Boston. She should have known how he felt about her when he took the job without even talking to her.
When he’d asked her to go with him, it came across more as an afterthought. And she didn’t want to live in Boston. Sure, it was fine to visit, but she couldn’t imagine trading small Bayberry for a big bustling city. She would be a fish out of water.
Apparently, he thought he was far enough away that he could juggle two relationships without either woman finding out about the other. That lasted for five months before it blew up in her face.
She had a long history of picking the wrong guy. This New Year’s she should make a resolution to take the year off from dating. It sounded like a reasonable plan.
Sadie’s nose curled up. “We don’t want to talk about him and ruin tonight. But I do have a confession to make—”
“Sadie!” Reed approached them. “Oh. Hi, Abby. I want to introduce you both to my best and oldest friend, Brad Pearson.” Reed was smiling.
When Abby focused on the man next to him, her mouth gaped. There stood Mr. Grumpy Pants. Her thoughts stuttered. Her gaze moved to Sadie, who wore a guilty expression. The whole time they’d been discussing Mr. Grumpy Pants, erm, Brad, her friend had known exactly who he was.
“It’s nice to meet you.” The man held his hand out to her.
And then she recalled what Reed had said. This is his best friend. There was no friendliness in the man’s eyes. They were guarded and held secrets. What kind of secrets, she wondered.
Her gaze moved to his hand. She could feel Sadie and Reed looking at them. Abby reluctantly reached out and placed her hand in his. Once more she was jolted by some sort of current that arced between them. This time he was the one to quickly pull his hand away.
She forced a smile to her lips. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
No, it wasn’t. Not at all. But she wasn’t about to let on that he got to her.
When she cast a glance in Sadie’s direction, she could see the amusement dancing in her friend’s eyes. Oh, boy, were they going to talk later.