As he looked at where she pointed, Penelope managed to free her sweaty hand from his grasp.
“Nellie!” Christian called after her, but she slipped through a gap of people, blocking her from view. Hastily, he grabbed onto Isla, tugging her away from the jewelry. “Come on.”
They left the booth. His heart pounded as they crossed the central path toward the toys, skipping several beats when he didn’t see any sign of her. Seriously, where could she have gone in only a second?
Hurrying his steps, he scanned both sides of the path, relief flooding his senses when he spotted her two booths past where they’d come. She stretched on her tiptoes, reaching toward a crate of cookies. Man, that girl was quick.
“Come here, you little cookie monster,” he play-growled, plucking her off the ground. He tossed her in the air, and her infectious giggle cut through the commotion around them.
As he caught her and pretended to gobble her cheeks, awareness pricked at the back of his neck. Shifting his daughter to one arm, he took a good look at his surroundings, realizing for the first time whose cookies Penelope had attempted to snitch.
Christian’s heart thumped against his chest. He hadn’t stopped thinking of Hallie since their conversation outside the nail salon last Friday. Why did seeing her cause him such a gut reaction? She’d told him herself she’d have a booth this weekend. Had that been the reason he’d brought the girls in the first place?
Don’t encourage this,he reprimanded himself even as his feet brought him closer to the table of baked goods.
Hallie stood behind it, a soft smile on her lovely face as she watched him approach. He tried squashing the subtle stirrings taking root in his heart. This strange preference to his buddy’s sister couldn’t make him surrender the choke hold around the organ. Doing so would only bring more pain he didn’t need and certainly didn’t want.
Speaking of that best friend, Tyler stood a few feet away, chatting with an older couple who looked familiar. Maybe Christian had seen them around town. The woman carried most of the conversation, herginger bob bouncing as she talked. None of them noticed Isla surveying the sweets, her nose inches from a display of cakes sealed in plastic containers.
Confident that she wouldn’t wander off, Christian stopped directly in front of Hallie. “You have quite the set up here.”
“Thanks. Can I interest you in something sweet?” Her tone held a slight teasing quality, and she swept her arm above the orange-and-white checkered tablecloth filled with pumpkin bread, cupcakes, and other sweets. Three wooden crates of cookies took up the right side, each set at varying heights created by small hay bales. Leaning into the whole fall theme, she’d scattered miniature pumpkins around the table. It all looked very … festive.
“Based on those cookies you dropped off last week, that’s a pointless question if you ask me. Which is your favorite.”
She opened her mouth to respond but didn’t get the chance before the red-haired woman cut into their conversation.
“Hallie, these are simply marvelous,” she said, holding up a partly eaten cookie shaped like a maple leaf. “I could eat a dozen of these right now.”
Christian stomped down the prickle of annoyance percolating in his gut. He’d finally succeeded in starting a normal conversation with Hallie. Couldn’t he have a few minutes to talk to her without being interrupted?
What would it be like if he just pulled her away for a few minutes? Maybe an hour? Isla and Penelope loved Tyler. And he could handle the customers too, right? Getting to know Hallie while browsing the booths together sounded like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
You shouldn’t want to get to know her better.Still, the noose around his heart eased a little more.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hawthorne.” Hallie flashed the woman a pleased look. “You’ve always been one of my favorite customers.”
Hawthorne! He knew he’d recognized the woman. She worked in the youth section at the library.
“That’s good to hear. We’re ecstatic to see the finished order forour Halloween party. Aren’t we, Lawrence?” Mrs. Hawthorne leaned toward her husband, her hair brushing forward slightly to reveal the festive leaf clip pinning her locks back from her face.
Mr. Hawthorne mumbled an agreement around a mouthful of his own cookie.
“I’m saving my calories for all the yummy treats.” She patted her already plump stomach.
I’m pretty sure caloric intake doesn’t work like that.Though Christian secretly loved the way Hallie glowed at the praise the woman gave her cookies. As she should.
Mrs. Hawthorne finally seemed to notice they weren’t alone in the booth. “Well, we won’t take any more of your time. I think sweet Penelope needs a treat.”
“Thanks for coming by,” Hallie said to the Hawthornes. “It was good seeing you both.”
“You as well,” Mrs. Hawthorne waved her cookie in farewell. “We’re off to catch the hayride.”
Munching on their sweets, the couple walked away, heading in the direction of the community center where the horse-pulled trailer waited out front to take passengers on a leisurely ride down Main Street.
With the booth now empty besides Christian and the girls, Tyler came around the table, holding out his hand. “It’s good to see you, man.”
Christian accepted the greeting as his friend slapped him on the back.
