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“Me too,” I said, barely able to get the words out over the massive lump in my throat. Mars had been my right-hand man for the last few months—how was I going to survive without him?
“But the new girl is good. I like her. You’ll be fine without me, right?” he asked, pulling back to look at me.
I nodded. “Yes, I’ll be fine. Plus, I already have my plane ticket booked for next month. You’re going to need help with the layout and the menu, and I want to be there to sit in on interviews.”
“For sure,” Mars said, squeezing my arm. “We’ll be good. We make a great team, even if we’re in different zip codes.”
Buzz, buzz.My phone vibrated in my apron pocket.
“It’s Quinn,” I said, checking the text.
Q: Meet me at the tree
“Don’t let me hold you up,” Mars said, patting me playfully on the bum.
“Thanks. Get some rest, Mars. And Merry Christmas.”
“Thanks, babe. I’ll lock up. Go.”
Snagging the keys off the counter, plus the gift I had for Quinn, I hopped in the van and headed towards the town square.
Five minutes later, I parked and made my way across the cobblestones towards the tree. A cold wind whipped around me and I wrapped my puffer coat tighter around my body. It was late now, and the square was empty, all the children and their families safe and warm in their beds, waiting on Santa and his reindeer.
Only one person stood in front of the sparkly town tree.
Quinn.
“Hey,” I said, smiling even as my stomach swooped at the sight of his handsome face, illuminated in the white glow of the tree lights.
“Hey, beautiful. Thanks for meeting me.” He placed his warm lips on mine, instantly heating me up all over. His cologne mixed with the crisp air and the smell of pine as I breathed him in, happiness rushing through me.
After a few minutes, he pulled away. “I wanted to make sure we remembered something.”
“Oh?” I asked, my brows raised.
He linked his fingers in mine, leading me around the tall tree until we came to a familiar spot. Reaching up, he unhooked our wooden ornament, dangling it out to me.
“Something to remember our first Christmas by.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that,” I said, leaning up and kissing him softly on his mouth. “I have something for you, too.” I pulled the gold box out of my pocket, handing it to him. “Go ahead—open it.” I nudged his elbow.
Quinn ripped through the paper, crumbling it in his large hands. Lifting the lid off the box, he stared down at the gift, then a slow smile crept over his face.
“Delaney, is this the key to your bakery?”
“Mmm-hmm. And the second one is the key to my apartment.”
“Just to be clear, that’s in Peachtree Grove, right?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.
I laughed. “Yes. The bakery and the apartment. I’ll have to get you the key to the bakery in Midtown, but Mars doesn’t even have his yet.”
“Whew, that’s a relief,” Quinn said, exhaling, his breath a white puff against the inky night.
“I’m not planning on being in New York that much, to be honest, but we should definitely get keys.”
Quinn wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his hard, warm body. “Thank you. I appreciate that you would trust me with the keys to your place.”
“You’re welcome. But I was kind of hoping for more.”
