Valentine’s in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #2)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

H er dream had come true.

Carrie Byers stood in the middle of Totally Chocolate, a small shop on Main Street, Bayberry, Vermont, and smiled. She’d done it. Her heart pitter-pattered.

This was her big moment. She’d invested all of her hopes, dreams, and savings into making this a reality. Not to mention, her grandmother had believed in her so much she’d insisted on being a silent investor.

Carrie hadn’t wanted to take her grandmother’s money, but there was no changing the matriarch’s mind when she was determined. Carrie supposed that stubborn streak ran through the family. In truth, the money was needed. And it was accepted on one condition, that Carrie would pay her grandmother back as soon as possible—with interest.

During this quiet moment, Carrie looked around, appreciating all of the hard work that had gone into creating her vision. Without the help of friends and family, it wouldn’t have been possible. They were there for her through the good times and offered their support when problems arose.

She turned in a circle, taking in the brown, pink, and white decor. There were a dozen small round tables with white tops and matching chairs. It had been total luck that she’d found them online. They were used but still in good shape. A café in a nearby town was going out of business and liquidating everything. She’d also picked up the upright cooler unit now standing off to the side of the room for half of its retail value. It now held an array of decorated chocolate cakes.

At the back, display cases showed off chocolates from dipped strawberries to chocolate mints and everything in between. She’d worked hard to come up with an array of tempting treats. And she intended to keep adding new items, perhaps with a seasonal menu.

Behind the counter was an espresso machine to make frothy hot cocoa among other hot drinks. She’d even gotten heart-shaped marshmallows. And if that weren’t enough, there was a freezer with chocolate ice cream. When summer rolled around, she intended to offer chocolate shakes. This would be a chocolate-lovers one-stop destination.

It was opening day. Her heart did a happy little tap dance. Dreams really did come true. Her smile broadened. With a lot of determination and even more elbow grease, the shop was to open just in time for the biggest chocolate holiday—Valentine’s Day.

Thankfully, the weather had cooperated. Even though it was February, notorious for snowstorms, it was above freezing, and the sun was shining bright. That had to be a good omen. Right?

She’d been keeping the interior of the shop a secret from everyone but the workers who’d revitalized this space and her wonderful assistant, Alice Waterhouse. Okay. She might have given her parents a quick tour before they flew south for the winter, but that had been right after Christmas. So much had changed since then.

With her parents in Florida, Carrie had agreed to housesit for them until April. They’d offered to pay her, but she’d refused. After all, it was saving her money by not having to pay rent for a few months. And she needed all the money she could get to invest in her business. Every time she thought she had everything she’d need, there was another ingredient, chocolate mold, or dipping tool she needed. But she didn’t want to think about any of that now.

Today, she wanted to impress the residents of Bayberry when they saw how this place had come together. Not so long ago, it was a vacant storefront. On this day, it looked fresh and vibrant.

And now that the grand opening was mere moments away, she felt ill. Ugh! Did everyone feel this way at their own grand opening?

A big white sheet still covered the shop’s picture window. She was insistent on keeping everything under wraps until the grand opening at precisely eleven o’clock. She checked her smartwatch. There was exactly nine minutes until the curtain came down and the door was unlocked. The knot in her stomach tightened.

What if no one shows up? What if they hate the chocolate? What if I wasted my life savings on this place, and it is a total flop? What if I let my grandmother down?

She pressed a hand to her midsection, hoping to keep herself from being sick. She walked around the shop, stopping here and there to reposition a chair or rearrange the pink carnations in the center of each table. She’d considered roses or tulips, but they were beyond her budget. In the end, the carnations were cheery and welcoming.

“Would you stop?” Alice stood off to the side with an arched brow as well as a hand resting on her rounded hip. “I just adjusted those tables.”

Carrie frowned at her friend. “I’m just making sure everything is perfect.”

“It is perfect.” Alice had long dark hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She was short in stature, but she never let anyone talk down to her. She was warm and friendly, but she could be feisty when she needed to be. “You just need to take a deep breath and believe that today is going to be amazing. The town is going to love this place. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy this day. Well, maybe not sit back. You’ll be too busy selling chocolate.”

Carrie’s thoughts turned to the small business loan she’d taken out and the money she owed her grandmother. “There’s definitely no time to sit back. We need a large crowd to hustle through that door, clamoring to get some chocolates for themselves, their friends, and families.”

“They will. You’ll see.” Alice gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s all going to go work out.”

“I know. I just feel like everything is riding on this grand opening.” It wasn’t just a feeling but a fact. She had one shot to get this right. If this business flopped, it would take her years to recover.

“When do you want to take down the curtain?” Alice’s voice drew Carrie’s nervous thoughts back to reality.

Her stomach lurched. Maybe she shouldn’t have had that last coffee. “Right before we open the door.”

Alice smiled. “You really want to torture them, don’t you?”

“Torture, who?”

Alice smiled at her. “All of the people outside waiting to be one of the first people through the door of Bayberry’s newest shop.”

“There are people outside?” How did she not know this?

“Of course there are.”

Carrie rushed toward the door. She reached for the blinds to take a peek, but if there really were people on the other side of the door, they’d see her. She hesitated.

“Here,” Alice said, causing Carrie to turn away from the door. “I’ll show you.”

Alice pulled her phone from her pocket, ran her fingers over the screen, and then turned it for her to see. There was a picture of the chocolate shop with a line of people in front of it. She counted a dozen, no, two dozen people waiting to visit her shop.

Oh my! Carrie pressed a hand to her chest. This was really happening. In that moment happy tears unexpectedly rushed to her eyes. She blinked repeatedly, hoping not to smear her makeup. There was no time to fix it.

“You aren’t crying, are you?” Alice sounded concerned.

Carrie nodded before swallowing past the lump in her throat. “Don’t worry. They’re happy tears.” She smiled as she turned to her friend. “This is really happening?”

“It’s really happening. I’m so happy for you.”

“For us,” Carrie corrected. “I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.” After they hugged, Carrie asked, “Can I see that photo again?”

“Sure.” Alice handed over her phone.

Carrie searched the faces for one in particular. She told herself she didn’t care that Jackson was back in town and he hadn’t contacted her. After all, she’d been busy from the moment she got out of bed until the evening when she would fall into bed absolutely exhausted.

Still, she knew for a fact that the rumors floating around town about Jackson Wright’s unexpected return were true. She’d seen the lights on at his mother’s house and his rental car in the driveway. When they were growing up, they’d been next door neighbors and the best of friends. It seemed fate had made them neighbors once more. As for best friends, it made her sad to admit that she didn’t see that happening.

“Do you see him?” Alice asked.

Heat rushed from Carrie’s chest to her cheeks. “Uh, see who?”

Alice sent her a knowing smile. “Jackson, of course. You’ve been talking about him for two weeks now.”

“I have not.” Wait. Had she? If she had, she hadn’t talked about him that much.

“Why don’t you just go see him?”

Carrie shrugged. “I’ve been busy. Besides, he didn’t come see me either.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re stubborn?” Alice moved behind the counter. “I have something to commemorate this moment.” She returned with what looked like a champagne bottle and two fluted glasses. “Shall we toast the moment?”

It was tempting. “But it’s not even lunch time.”

“Oh, you thought this was the real stuff?” Alice let out a little laugh. “Sorry. It’s just some apple cider. Shall I open it?”

“Of course.” Nervous laughter came bubbling out of her. “I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long that I didn’t know if it was ever going to happen.”

Alice unscrewed the cap and then poured the sparkling apple cider into the two flutes. She handed one to Carrie. “Here’s to the first day of your triumphant future.”

“Here’s to us,” Carrie said.

They clinked glasses together. Carrie took a sip of the sweet cider. The bubbles tickled her nose and popped in her mouth. She was really touched that Alice had thought to take this moment to appreciate what they’d been able to accomplish.

Carrie swallowed. “Thank you for agreeing to help me launch this venture. I really mean it when I say I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Thank you for asking me.” Alice checked the time. “Six minutes and counting.”

Bang. Bang-bang.

“What is that?” Alice vocalized Carrie’s thoughts.

They both grew quiet and listened.

After a moment, Alice shrugged. “Whatever it was, it’s stopped now.”

“Good. That’s the last thing we want for the grand opening.” Carrie took another sip of cider. “Let’s open up early. Maybe this will garner us some goodwill with the gossip mill.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that. They’re going to love this place. Most of those ladies can easily be bribed with chocolate.” Alice grabbed the bottle of sparkling cider, screwed the cap back on and placed it behind the counter, along with both glasses. “Okay. We’re ready.”

Together, they carefully removed the curtain from the window without disturbing the chocolate display. From the ceiling, they’d hung various-sized empty candy heart boxes in shades from pink to red. On display shelves, they’d arranged open boxes of chocolates. There were six stuffed teddy bears with little sweaters that read: I love you.

But it wasn’t the chocolate treats in the window that Carrie was paying attention to. It was the smiling faces of the people on the sidewalk. Her gaze searched the crowd. She tried to tell herself that she was just seeing who was there, but she really hoped her oldest friend would be among those friendly faces. But he was nowhere to be seen. She pushed the troubling thought to the back of her mind.

Instead, she told herself to live in the moment. After all, this was the opening day of her very own chocolate shop. Something like this would never happen again.

And then she spotted her grandmother stepping up to the shop. Carrie was touched that she’d turned out for this event. She waved to her. Her grandmother waved back, and so did the people around her.

Carrie rushed over to the door and raised the blinds. She flipped the Closed sign to Open . Her fingers trembled as she went to turn the deadbolt.

She looked over her shoulder at Alice. “Here we go.”

“We’ve got this.” Alice sent her a reassuring smile.

Carrie pulled open the door. “Welcome to Totally Chocolate.”

“The window display is beautiful, dear.” Her grandmother was the first in the door. Carrie had a feeling her grandmother had elbowed her way to the front of the line. Her grandmother wasn’t shy when it came to her family.

Once inside the shop, Gran exclaimed, “Oh. Wow! This place is so cute.”

Cute? It wasn’t the first word that Carrie thought of when she looked at the result of months of hard work, from creating a business plan to getting a small business loan to renovating this shop. It was impressive because there were moments when Carrie didn’t think she’d be able to pull it off. It was monumental because it was the biggest endeavor she’d ever accomplished. Still, she knew Gran meant only the best, and in her grandmother’s world she used the word cute a lot.

She gave her grandmother a quick hug. “Thanks, Gran.”

Her grandmother smiled brightly at her. “I’m so proud of you. Now I need to get some chocolate before you’re sold out.”

“Don’t worry. We have lots of it.”

Carrie stood at the door, welcoming a long line of locals from town gossip Edna Conners to Abby Clark, who owned the Steaming Brew, Kate Taylor, who ran Bayberry Candles, and Sadie Plummer, whose family owned the Bayberry Gazette . She was so excited to see her close friends. It meant a lot that they’d showed up for her today.

Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!

What in the world? This time the banging was so loud it could be heard over the murmur of voices in the chocolate shop.

Carrie turned a worried look to Alice, who was working behind the counter. Alice looked at her and shrugged.

“What is that noise?” The question was asked repeatedly by the patrons.

When the questioning gazes turned in Carrie’s direction, she assured the customers that the curious sound hadn’t come from the chocolate shop. She quickly made her way behind the counter where Alice was working. All the while, the banging continued. If anything, it had picked up in pace and sound.

Instead of her first customers paying attention to the chocolates she’d painstakingly created, everyone was standing around discussing the pounding and wondering about its source. The banging was going to ruin everything. She had to stop it.

“I’ll be right back,” Carrie said.

“Carrie, I can’t do this on my own.” Alice had a small flat box in her hand, which she was filling with chocolates.

“I just need two minutes. I have to stop the banging.”

Alice was hesitant but then nodded her head. “Hurry.”

Carrie turned and rushed through the kitchen and out the back door. The sound was coming from the vacant store next door to hers. Both of the stores were housed in the same building. But she wasn’t aware of anyone renting the other unit.

She walked over to find the back door propped open. That was odd. She stepped closer.

Bang. Bang-bang!

Why did they have to pick today of all days to decide to work on this place? A frown pulled at the corners of her mouth.