“Coming right up,” she said cheerfully, taking all the menus but Doug’s, which he was still holding onto.
“She’s right,” he said quietly. “An awful lot of these items have notes about which farms the ingredients come from. She does like to support the locals.”
Ash nodded, feeling excitement well up in his chest.
His guests were getting the message he’d hoped they would—and seeing for themselves how great it was to be on the ground in a place like Sugarville Grove.
“Lot of city folks find their way out here, huh?” Doug asked, finally placing the menu at the end of the table.
“Yes, sir,” Ash told him. “Some of the locals call usflatlanders, but mostly we’re accepted, especially if we don’t try to change the way things are done.”
That earned him a flat laugh from Doug. Geraldine and Patrick were too busy scrolling on their phones to pay anyattention.
This is going well,Ash told himself.
But he was still filled with a bubbling energy that had nothing to do with his business.
Allie had agreed to meet him at the ball tonight. And he knew from Barbara at the shop in Burlington that she and Charlotte had been in to choose dresses.
He knew these investors were important, but couldn’t help picturing Allie every time he closed his eyes.
Maybe my plans will all come to fruition,Ash told himself.Maybe I’ll end tonight with a firm deal to take my business to the national level and a real fiancée.
Tara came back with their drinks and he tried to focus on the meal at hand.
But his mind kept going back to Allie, her face shining as the lights of the town Christmas tree reflected in her eyes, her arms around Maya like there was no place she’d rather be.
He knew now that there could be no holding her at arm’s length. He was lost for her, heart and soul.
Please let there be room for me in her heart…
22
ALLIE
Allie took a deep breath as she, Tag, and Charlotte stood in front of La Danza, the former dance hall that had been transformed last year into an incredible restaurant. Allie hadn’t had a special enough occasion to visit the restaurant yet, but the impressive facade of the building made it look almost like a castle and she couldn’t wait to go inside.
People she had known all her life were heading in, dressed in finery like she’d never seen them in before. She was happy to see that she wasn’t the only one who didn’t own a fancy jacket. There were plenty of other women in beautiful dresses with faded puffer coats on top.
The weather was supposed to be iffy, but for now the snow seemed more picturesque than dangerous, and the whole thing looked like something out of a snow globe.
“Are you ready?” Charlotte asked her gently.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Allie said, smiling gamely.
“Are we going in or not?” Tag growled.
“All right, all right,” Allie laughed.
“Not if you’re going to act like a bear who just woke up from hibernation,” Charlotte told him briskly. “I thought we agreed that you were going to enjoy yourself tonight. You deserve this. You’ve been working hard all year.”
“Fine, fine,” Tag said. His voice was gruff, but Allie could hear the love in it. Charlotte had an incredible effect on the man. He was so changed now that she was in his life.
Charlotte looked absolutely radiant as she turned back to La Danza.
Allie and Tag exchanged a look and she almost burst out laughing when she squared her shoulders before taking her first step toward the event and saw that her brother was already doing the same.
I guess we’re not fancy event people,she thought to herself.Or at least, we haven’t been. Maybe it will turn out that we love this kind of stuff.
