Chapter Six
It began to snow…
Halfway through the tour, the wind had picked up. Brad could see Abby’s red nose and pinkened cheeks. He was a quick study and knew she wasn’t going to let on that she was cold. Even though a good night’s sleep had him in a better mood, Abby still seemed less than pleased with him. He deserved it.
Still, he found himself enjoying her company. But with the frigid wind chill, he couldn’t let her keep walking around in the cold until she got frostbite. He glanced around, looking for a place where they could step inside and stay until she warmed up. Then he spotted Mel’s Grille.
He pointed it out. “Do they have good food?”
Abby nodded. “They have some of the best food in town. Are you hungry?”
He wasn’t particularly hungry, but she didn’t have to know that. “I didn’t have any breakfast.”
“We could grab some lunch.”
He arched a brow. “Are you sure you have time?”
“Uh, sure. The coffeeshop can survive a little longer without me.”
He nodded. “Good. It’s decided.”
As they made their way toward the diner, it appeared they weren’t the only ones with that idea. When they stepped inside, he glanced around to find approximately half of the tables were occupied.
As they were seated in a booth, he looked at her. “What do you recommend?”
“Do you like beef stew and homemade bread?” When he nodded, she said, “They have the best.”
“Okay then. That was an easy decision. What are you going to have?”
“I think I’ll have the same.” She settled back against the seat.
Just then the server showed up to take their order of two stews and two hot coffees. He looked across at Abby and noticed her cheeks were still pink. She had such a natural beauty about her.
The more time he spent with her, the more he was starting to like her.
As a friend. Period. They may have gotten off to a bumpy start, but he admired the way she kept her word to Sadie and gave him a tour of Bayberry, which included a tour of the candle company and a stop at the chocolate shop.
He had a small bag of chocolates in his pocket for later.
And even though it was literally freezing outside, Abby didn’t complain. Granted, it was an abbreviated tour, but it was long enough for him to get the general impression of the town.
As though she could read his thoughts, Abby asked, “What do you think of Bayberry? It’s a great little town, right?”
He could see the twinkle in her warm brown eyes and hear the pride in her voice. He weighed his words. “It’s not so bad.”
Her brows rose. “Not so bad? That’s all you’ve got?”
He shrugged. A small town was a small town. It didn’t matter if it was in the heartland or in New England, they all had their drawbacks.
Her gaze narrowed. “Let me guess. You’re a big city guy. You think all small towns are boring.”
He shrugged again. He wasn’t going to get into this with her. “Something like that.”
“Give Bayberry a chance. It might surprise you.”
He shook his head. “I won’t be around long enough.”
“When are you leaving?”
He had a feeling she wouldn’t be disappointed to see him go. “Tomorrow. I have a morning flight to New York City and from there to Chicago.”
“But you’ll be back for the wedding. Maybe you’ll have more time then.”
“Perhaps.” Though he didn’t anticipate being in town long enough for it to change his opinion of small towns.
Just then the door to the diner opened. Even though his back was to the door, he could hear the sounds of passing vehicles and feel the cold breeze on the back of his neck. And when he noticed the bright smile on Abby’s face, he assumed that someone she knew had entered the diner.
The next thing he knew, Sadie and Reed were standing at the end of their table. The smile on Sadie’s face lit up her eyes.
Abby arched a brow. “Don’t you two have a lunch to attend?”
“We do.” Sadie continued to smile.
Reed gently elbowed Sadie. “But someone was so excited about the engagement that she forgot she’d insisted that she was bringing dessert. And so we stopped by to pick up a pie.”
“It looks like you two are having a good time.” Sadie beamed at them.
Brad couldn’t help but wonder if Sadie was always this perky or if it was due to the engagement. He also noticed that Abby didn’t leap in to deny Sadie’s assumption. Instead, Abby leaned back and gave a little shrug.
He wasn’t used to that sort of ambivalent reaction from the women he’d spent time with. Usually they enjoyed his company, but he hadn’t exactly gotten off to a good start with Abby. But he was starting to see that she was a lot nicer than he’d first given her credit.
“She is a good tour guide,” he said, hoping to smooth over things—at least a little.
Sadie gestured for Abby to move over. Abby’s eyes widened, but she moved over. Sadie sat down with a grin on her face.
“How about I go get the pie?” Reed asked.
“Oh, would you?” Sadie smiled at him. “I just want a couple of minutes to speak to Abby.”
Reed sent Sadie a look, as though it were some non-verbal conversation. Then he walked toward the counter.
This sounded like the perfect moment for Brad to excuse himself. He cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, just go help Reed with that pie.”
When he went to stand, Sadie said, “No. Stay. Please.”
He had to admit he was curious to hear what she had to say. He noticed how Sadie kept glancing over her shoulder in Reed’s direction. What was that about?
He didn’t think they were fighting. He’d seen the love in their eyes when they looked at each other. So, what was going on?
“I need both of you to help me,” Sadie said.
Immediately Abby said, “Sure. Just let me know what you need.”
Sadie’s expectant gaze moved to Brad.
He froze. He barely knew her. But now he knew what the glances over her shoulder were about. She didn’t want Reed to know about whatever she was about to say.
He swallowed hard. “What do you have in mind?”
Sadie once more glanced over her shoulder.
Reed was standing at the counter, talking to an older gentleman.
Then Sadie turned her attention back to them.
“The short and sweet of it is I was so touched by how Reed went out of his way to surprise me with that romantic proposal. Now I want to surprise him with an engagement party. Can you help me plan it?”
“Yes,” Abby said. “It’ll be so fun. When were you thinking?”
“The middle of January? You know, after the fun of the holidays is over and people need something fun to look forward to.” Sadie’s gaze moved to him. “Brad, will you help with the planning? I mean, you know what Reed likes and stuff.”
Talk about being put on the spot. His gaze moved from Abby to Sadie, who had a pleading look in her eyes. How was he supposed to say no?
Still, he wasn’t a party planner. And he had a business to run. They didn’t need him for this party stuff.
But when he leaned forward and opened his mouth, he said, “Sure. I’ll do what I can.”
Sadie glanced over her shoulder. “Here he comes. Remember, it’s a secret. And thank you.”
“So, what did I miss?” Reed’s gaze moved around the table.
Brad settled back in his seat. He wasn’t touching this one. When Reed’s gaze shifted to him for answers, Brad shrugged.
“I was just gushing to them about my beautiful ring and how amazing the proposal was last night.” She stood and stared into Reed’s eyes. “How did I get this lucky?” She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Reed’s lips.
Brad couldn’t deny that they were crazy about each other. Originally, he’d thought Reed was acting rashly with only meeting Sadie a few months ago and now proposing. Brad thought he’d arrive and save his best friend from making the biggest mistake of his life.
Obviously, that had been a miscalculation on his part. He just wondered if their feelings were strong enough to go the distance. For Reed’s sake, he hoped so.
“We should get going,” Sadie said with a cheerful lilt to her voice.
Brad didn’t say anything. Neither did Abby. When Reed said he’d see him later, Brad merely nodded.
After they departed, their food arrived. Brad had to admit that the hearty stew smelled delicious. His stomach rumbled its agreement.
After a couple of bites, Abby asked, “Isn’t it the best?”
He couldn’t deny it. “It’s really good.”
“I’m telling you, Bayberry is going to grow on you.”
“All because I like the stew?” He was highly doubtful.
“Wait until you try the bread. It’s baked fresh each day. It’s so soft that it practically melts in your mouth.”
Boy, was she laying it on thick. Bread was bread. It couldn’t be that good.
He picked up a thick cut slice and noticed that it was warm. Surely it wasn’t still warm from the oven. No. Impossible.
When he went to take a bite, Abby said, “You need to add some butter.” She slid the small bowl with pads of butter toward him. “Go ahead.”
He was actually going to dunk the bread into the stew, but noticing the eager look in her brown eyes, he relented. He grabbed his knife and slathered butter over the still-warm bread. Immediately the butter softened.
The bread reminded him of visiting his grandmother when he was a kid. His gran loved to bake. Bread was her specialty. She’d slice him a piece and top it with butter and currant jelly. Mm… He hadn’t visited that memory in ages.
He took a bite of the bread, and it swept him back in time. As he chewed, his eyes closed. In his mind’s eyes, he was once more that innocent little boy back in his grandmother’s warm kitchen. It was before he knew how cruel the world could be. He missed those days.
“See. I told you it’s good.” Abby’s voice drew him back to the present day.
His eyes snapped open. When she looked at him with that I-told-you-so look on her beautiful face with a twinkle in her eyes, he felt a strange sensation in his chest.
“It is good.” He took another bite of the bread. He couldn’t decide which he liked more, the bread or the stew. But at the moment, he had more important matters on his mind. “Do you think Sadie was serious about having an engagement party?”