Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
It was mid-afternoon, and Jade was adding another batch of Mabel’s thumbprint cookies to the display case when the bell above the bakery door jangled with a frantic energy that made Jade jump. A small whirlwind of pink snowsuit and flying dark curls skidded across the floor.
Behind her, a deep voice yelled, “Lila, no!”
Leo Carter stood in the doorway. Snow clung to his sandy-brown hair and the shoulders of his worn flannel jacket.
He stopped short and glanced around the room.
Garland looped across the front windows, thick and green, with shiny red bows tied at the corners.
Strings of tiny white lights twinkled like someone had trapped a night sky indoors.
Ornaments dangled from ribbons in the window—glass baubles, silver stars, even a couple of wooden reindeer cutouts.
He muttered, “Looks like elves threw up in here.”
Felicity spun from a stool where she’d been balancing on tiptoe, fussing with another bow. “It’s festive!” she sang, her smile bright as the lights. “People want cozy. Nostalgic. The kind of place they stop in without thinking.”
Leo grunted. “They’ll trip on all this ribbon before they make it to the counter.”
“Uncle Leo!” The girl had already made it to the display case, her nose pressed against the glass. “Look how bright everything is! And there are cookies shaped like reindeer! It’s so pretty!”
“Lila,” Leo said, his voice softer now. “We talked about this. You don’t just run into places.”
“But it’s cold! And it smells like cookies!” Lila countered, her logic impeccable. She turned her bright, curious gaze on Jade. “Hi! You’re the new bakery girl, aren’t you? Did you help make it so beautiful?”
Leo’s gaze found Jade’s, and despite his grumbling about the decorations, she saw something warmer in his expression than the wary distance from their electrical disaster encounter. “The place does look brighter.”
Before Jade could answer, Mabel emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Her face lit up at the sight of Lila, and she immediately swept the girl into a warm hug.
“There’s my favorite little baker!” Mabel said, squeezing tight before releasing her. She turned to Jade, keeping one arm around Lila’s shoulders.
“Jade, I’d like you to meet Lila Carter. She’s Steve’s girl. Leo helps out raising her.”
“Nice to meet you, Lila,” Jade said, crouching down to the girl’s eye level. “I love your snowsuit.”
Lila beamed. “Thank you! Uncle Leo got it for me. He says bright colors are important so the reindeer can see me coming.”
Jade glanced up at Leo, who was watching the interaction with a gentle expression she’d never seen before.
Something shifted in her understanding of him.
Leo Carter wasn’t just the guy who’d stayed in Frost Pine Ridge because he was afraid to leave—he’d stayed to help raise his niece.
He’d chosen family responsibility over personal freedom.
There was more depth to him than she’d given him credit for.
“Leo’s been wonderful with her,” Mabel continued, pride evident in her voice. “Between him, Ben and Steve, Lila’s got more love and attention than most kids with two parents.”
Leo’s jaw tightened slightly at the mention of two parents, and Jade caught the shadow that crossed his face. There was a story there, one that explained why Leo was helping to raise his brother’s daughter.
“Lila, this,” Mabel said, turning to Jade with a theatrical sweep of her arm, “is my niece, Jade. She’s the one responsible for all the improvements.”
“Well, the repairs anyway,” Jade said with a smile. “Felicity’s responsible for the holiday magic. Though Leo might call it something else.”
“I call it like I see it,” Leo replied, but there was no real bite to it. His attention had shifted to the display case, which now held neat rows of beautifully decorated cookies. “Those look professional.”
“Oh!” Jade suddenly remembered. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here.
We just finished a batch of Christmas cookies, and I made some special ones.
” She moved to the display case and carefully lifted out a plate—Santas with perfectly piped red suits, snowmen with jaunty carrot noses, Christmas trees dusted with green sugar, and what made Leo’s eyebrows rise: reindeer cookies, each one carefully crafted with brown icing and delicate antler details.
“Reindeer cookies,” she said, offering him the plate. “Seemed appropriate.”
Lila gasped in delight. “They look just like your reindeer, Uncle Leo! Look, this one even has spots like Comet!”
“These are incredible,” Leo said, taking one and examining the detail work. “The antlers are perfect—you even got the branching right.”
“YouTube tutorials,” Jade said with a grin. “Turns out there are instructional videos for everything, including anatomically correct reindeer cookie decoration.”
Felicity climbed down from her stool, wiping her hands on a rag. “I told her the reindeer ones were inspired.”
Leo took a bite of the cookie. His eyebrows rose. “This is really good.”
“That’s all Mabel’s teaching,” Jade said. “I’m still learning. And Felicity’s been transforming the atmosphere while I handle the technical repairs.”
“It definitely feels different,” Leo admitted, glancing around again at the twinkling lights. “More... alive. Even if it does look like—”
“Like Christmas threw up,” Felicity finished cheerfully. “I get that a lot. But wait until you see how many people stop in just because it catches their eye.”
Just then, the bell rang with such force the entire doorframe seemed to shudder. Mayor Clark Whitcomb filled the space, his barrel chest puffed out and a brightly colored scarf wrapped around his neck.
“Mabel Bennett! Just the woman I wanted to see!” he boomed. He spotted the assembled group, and his grin widened. “Excellent! A full quorum!”
He clapped Leo on the shoulder. “Carter! Good man. And Jade Bennett! Welcome home! Your timing, as it turns out, is providential!”
Jade felt a prickle of unease. Mayor Clark’s enthusiasm was a known natural disaster in Frost Pine Ridge.
“As you all know,” the mayor began, “the Tree Lighting ceremony is in seven days. Seven! And it must be perfect!”
He paused dramatically. Leo looked resigned rather than panicked—the cookie seemed to have mellowed his mood.
“This year, we’re expanding the festivities! Sleigh rides! A festive procession! Refreshment stops! Which brings me to you three.” He pointed between Mabel, Jade and Leo.
“Mabel, your bakery will be the official provider of cocoa and festive treats. Multiple stations along the sleigh route!”
Jade’s mind spun. It was a huge opportunity for the bakery’s revival.
“And Leo, your magnificent reindeer will provide sleigh rides!” Mayor Clark pointed between Jade and Leo. “You two will have to coordinate the route and time the rides to culminate at nine p.m. for the tree lighting. I’m counting on you!”
He beamed at them, oblivious of the thoughtful silence. Lila looked between her uncle and Jade with wide, hopeful eyes. Felicity paused in her decorating to watch with interest.
“You can’t say no to the mayor,” Mabel whispered to Jade.
Jade glanced at Leo, who had stopped chewing his cookie and was staring at the mayor with growing alarm. “Wait,” he said slowly. “What kind of sleigh rides? How many people? The reindeer aren’t circus animals, Mr. Mayor. They’re working animals, not spectacles.”
“Details, details!” Mayor Clark waved his hand dismissively. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re the expert!”
“That’s exactly why I’m asking,” Leo said, his voice taking on an edge. “Reindeer have limits. They can’t just parade around for hours carrying loads of tourists. And multiple stations? How many stops are we talking about here?”
The mayor’s enthusiasm faltered slightly. “Well, I hadn’t worked out all the specifics—”
“You’re talking about using my animals for something you haven’t even planned yet?” Leo’s protective instincts were fully engaged now. “How many people per sleigh? What’s the route? How long are the rides? What happens if the weather turns bad?”
Jade watched this exchange with growing understanding. This wasn’t just Leo being difficult—this was someone who genuinely cared about his animals’ welfare going up against the mayor’s tendency to volunteer other people for his grand visions.
“Leo’s right,” she found herself saying. “We need to know what we’re actually committing to before we agree to anything.”
Leo shot her a surprised look, clearly not expecting support.
Felicity, who had been watching this exchange while hanging a garland, chimed in.
“But, Jade, think about it—this could be a huge boost for the bakery. All those people stopping for cocoa and cookies? It’s exactly the kind of exposure you need to let everyone know you are ready to revive the bakery. ”
Jade looked at Mabel, who was nodding enthusiastically. “She’s right, dear. It’s the opportunity we’ve been hoping for.”
“That’s settled then!” Mayor Clark declared, clapping his hands together as if the matter had been resolved. “The banners and ads are already made, so you two can work out the details! I knew I could count on you!”
And with that, he whooshed out the door, leaving them all standing in the sudden silence of his wake.
Jade and Leo looked at each other across the bakery, both wearing expressions of dawning horror.
“I have a feeling there’s no way we can get out of this,” Leo said slowly.
“Afraid not,” Mabel said cheerfully, already moving back toward the kitchen. “You know the mayor—once he gets his mind set on something, no one can change it.”
Leo rubbed his forehead with one hand. “The banners are already made. Of course they are.”
Jade sank into one of the café chairs. “What did we just agree to?”
“I don’t think we agreed to anything,” Leo pointed out. “I think we just got steamrolled by Hurricane Clark.”