Maybe she was in the kitchen and forgot to lock the door.Sometimes, when Carrie got busy with a new chocolate creation, she lost track of time.Abby opened the door wider and stepped inside.
“Surprise!”
The loud greeting and her friends jumping into the center of the shop had Abby’s heart leaping into her throat.Wow!
She turned a questioning gaze to Sadie, wondering what this was about.
Sadie smiled.“You surely didn’t think we’d actually forget your big three-O, do you?”
“This is all for me?”She smiled at about twenty of her friends that had gathered to wish her a happy birthday.After numerous people called out happy birthday wishes, Abby said, “Aw...Thank you, everyone.”She saw her mother, Carrie, and Kate.Happy tears rushed to her eyes.She blinked repeatedly.“I can’t believe you all did this.”
“It was Sadie’s idea,” Kate called out.
Abby turned to Sadie, who was standing a few feet away, and hugged her.“Thank you.No one has ever thrown me a surprise party before.”
“I just wanted to thank you for being a wonderful friend.”Sadie pulled back.“Go enjoy your party.”
When Abby turned around, she was immediately met by a pair of blue eyes.They were intense, and she could imagine getting lost in them.Brad.
What was he doing here?As the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile, her heart remembered to beat.In fact, it started to pound in her chest.
As he approached her, the rest of the guests faded into the background.She told herself he wasn’t in Bayberry just to see her.She told herself he must be in town to see Reed, but her heart wasn’t listening to what her mind was saying.
When he came to a stop in front of her, he said, “I hear it’s your birthday.”
She nodded.“Well, it was on, um...Thursday.”
“I’m glad I could be here for your party.”
“You are?”When she accidentally vocalized her thoughts, heat rushed to her face.
“I am.”He smiled, and she noticed his dimples.Her heart fluttered in her chest.He was so cute when he wasn’t frowning.
“Abby, come here,” her mother called to her.
She was torn between staying with Brad and going to speak to her guests.She was afraid if she moved away from him, he’d disappear.And she didn’t want that to happen.Because if she were brutally honest with herself, she’d missed him.
“Go ahead,” he said.“I’ll be here.We’ll catch up later.”
The wordsdo you promisehovered on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back.She didn’t want him to think she was falling for him—even if she might be.
“Okay,” she said.“I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Soon she was surrounded by friends that she’d known all of her life.She strained to pay attention to the conversation because she was constantly looking over her shoulder for Brad.Every now and then when their gazes would connect, her heart would skip a beat.
She knew it was foolish to let her guard down with him.After all, he lived in a different town in a different state in a different time zone.Nothing good would come of letting herself get caught up in whatever this was between them.And still she kept looking in his direction.
She was breathtakingly beautiful.
Brad was glad he’d flown in for the party.Even from a distance, he took pleasure in watching Abby smiling and enjoying herself.He loved the way she could go from person to person and put smiles on their faces.
The chocolate shop was crammed with well-wishers.And the gift table was heaped with wrapped gifts in pastel shades of pink, white, blue, and green.There were gift bags and frilly ribbons and impressive bows.He felt bad that all he had for her was a card.But he’d put something in the fridge that he knew she would enjoy.
“And what are you smiling about?”
Brad looked to his side to find Reed standing there.“I’m not smiling.You’re smiling.”
“You never smile like that unless we’re closing on an important deal.And even then, you don’t smile like that.”Reed followed his gaze directly to Abby.“You have it bad for her.”
