22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
I t had to be perfect.
Jackson had worked late into the night, putting all of the pieces of his plan into place. Everything had to be perfect because if he blew this, he didn’t think he’d get another chance with Carrie. And the thought of losing her made him work harder to cover all of the details so Valentine’s Day would go off seamlessly.
He had never gone out of his way like this for anyone in his life. Then again, there had never been anyone like Carrie. She was sweet and kind. She was strong and determined. Most of all, she had won his heart without even trying.
When he’d started this campaign to show her how much he loved her, it was just going to be one single Valentine’s card and a little surprise. But when he saw how much the gifts meant to her, he couldn’t resist romancing her a little longer and that’s when he’d decided to turn this moment into something much larger.
When he’d thought of enlisting her friends to help him with the plan, he wasn’t sure how they would feel about it. He’d definitely faced some hesitation. He’d had to convince her friends that he wouldn’t hurt Carrie. It took a bit, but eventually they came around. He couldn’t have pulled this off without them.
And now Carrie’s grandmother was going to help him with the final part of the plan. He hadn’t had to talk Gran into helping him. In fact, she came up with part of the plan all on her own. When she’d told him her idea for a new dress and shoes, he’d loved it.
Now, as he stood in the vacant storefront, he looked around. The renovations were moving along at a rapid pace. Instead of the project taking three months to fully renovate the interior, Jackson increased the budget, and that meant they could hire more workers. It cut the work down to two months, perhaps a little less. Jackson was hoping for the “little less.”
“What do you think?”
Jackson turned around to find the man responsible for all of this work. “I think you’ve done an amazing job. It’s actually starting to look like my vision.”
Mark smiled. “But I can’t take the credit. I have a whole crew of men working on this place.”
“Tell them how much I appreciate it.”
Mark nodded. “Any changes?”
Jackson had been making minor changes here and there all week. But he felt as though the plan for the place was at last coming into focus. “No changes. I think we’ve got it figured out now. And you know about the plans for this evening, right?”
Mark nodded. “The place is all yours.”
“Thanks.” He had borrowed a pickup from a friend, and it had some of the supplies to make this evening extra special.
“Do you need a hand unloading the pickup?” Mark asked.
“I’ve got it. Thanks.”
Mark glanced around the area. “Need anything else before I go?”
“I think I’m good.”
After Mark left, Jackson unloaded the pickup. The trick was to get the things into the building before Carrie saw that he was up to something.
But it seemed that he had nothing to worry about. With it being Valentine’s Day, the shop was enormously busy. He didn’t so much as catch a glimpse of Carrie.
In fact, Totally Chocolate was so busy earlier that when he’d ventured over to try to smooth things over with Carrie before her surprise that evening, she was too busy to talk. He checked the time. A couple of hours had passed, maybe she’d have a chance to speak to him now.
Buzz. Buzz.
He reached for his phone. When he glanced at the caller ID, he saw it was the hospital. His heart lurched.
He pressed the phone to his ear. “This is Jackson.”
“Mr. Wright?” A woman’s voice came clearly through the phone.
His body tensed. “Yes.”
“This is Lakewood Memorial Hospital. We’re calling on behalf of your mother.”
“My mother?” His chest tightened. “What happened?”
“She’s in the emergency room. She asked that I call you.”
The conversation was brief and short on details—too short on details. As he returned his phone to his pocket, his mind raced. What was wrong with his mother?
For the moment, his Valentine’s Day plans were shoved to the back of his mind. He grabbed his car keys from the table and rushed out the door.
With fresh snowfall, the drive was slower than he would have liked. Traffic was congested. But when he finally made it to the hospital, he was relieved to find his mother sitting up in bed with her right arm in a sling.
He rushed to her side. “Mom, how are you?”
She sent him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. I’m sorry to worry you.”
He went to give her a hug but then hesitated. He didn’t want to hurt her injured arm. Instead, he kissed her cheek.
When he sat down in a hard plastic chair next to the bed, he asked, “What happened?”
“Oh, I wasn’t paying attention. I tripped over a book I dropped on the floor. I told them I would be fine. That I didn’t need to come here. But they insisted.”
He glanced at her sling. “It appears you aren’t exactly fine.” When he looked at her face again, he noticed a bruise forming on her forehead. “Looks like you got pretty banged up.”
“I’ll be all right. I feel terrible that you had to drive all that way.” Sadness shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bother. You should be in London instead of here, taking care of me.”
He reached out for her hand. “I’m right where I need to be.”
It was then that he recalled his valentine’s dinner with Carrie. He knew how slow hospitals operated. He didn’t think he would make it back to Bayberry in time.
He looked at his mother. “Are you up for talking?”
She sat up straighter. “Certainly. What do you have on your mind?”
“It has to do with Carrie.”
His mother smiled brightly. “Do you know that her mother and I always thought we’d one day be in-laws?”
“We definitely need to talk...”
So, her secret valentine was Jackson.
A big smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
Carrie rushed out the back door of the chocolate shop. She slipped and slid on the icy alleyway. When she reached the store next door, she grabbed the door handle. It wouldn’t budge.
When she tried again and it still wouldn’t move, she looked around for Jackson’s vehicle. It was nowhere in sight.
She reached for her phone and tried to call him. The phone rang once before going to voicemail. She hesitated before deciding to hang up. What she needed to say to him should be done in person.
Maybe he was at home. She rushed back to the chocolate shop. She wanted to run home and see him, but when she checked the time, she knew she didn’t have time. In a half hour people would start to show up for their Happy Hearts chocolate.
And so, she stayed and did her job. But as soon as it was over, she blazed through the clean-up.
“I can finish this,” Alice said. “You know, if you have somewhere else to be.”
Normally, Carrie would decline the offer, but this was far from a normal time. “Thank you. I promise to make this up to you.”
“Just go find Jackson.” Alice sent her a knowing smile. “And have a memorable Valentine’s Day.”
Carrie didn’t have to be told twice. She rushed out the door. The drive home was slowed by the falling snow, but it wasn’t anything that she wasn’t used to.
When she reached her parents’ house, she glanced at the house next door. The Wrights’ place was dark. He wasn’t there. Where was he?
She parked, and as was her routine, she grabbed the mail before going into the house. On her way up the driveway, she squinted in the darkness, trying to search the mail for another valentine, but it was just too dark for her to see.
In her rush to get into the house, she dropped the keys. She picked them up and slowed down. This time she got the door unlocked.
She was barely in the house, and the door wasn’t quite shut when she focused on the mail. She flipped through the junk mail and bills until she found a pink envelope with a big red heart sticker.
She smiled. She closed the door, kicked off her boots, and shrugged off her coat. She took the envelope to the family room, where she turned on the light and settled on the couch. She ripped open the envelope and pulled out a handmade valentine. She liked those best.
The cover read: To my Valentine
She opened it and kept reading:
Today I have one more surprise for you. And then I hope you’ll meet me for dinner.
You can find your surprise at: 124 Flatlander Way
Love,
Your Secret Valentine