I turned to go back inside, but then I stopped when the handsome stranger looked over his shoulder once more. And all of my embarrassment went away. Our eyes met and held… before he finally turned back around and headed inside the pizza shop.
I didn’t recognize him, but I could tell he wasn’t anyone from Jingle Junction. Trust me, I’d have known, because there was no way someone like him would be sneaking into town without all the eligible ladies talking up a storm.
The only troubling part was, we were known to be a friendly community of people, and from the scowl I had just gotten, he certainly wasn’t.
So, what was he doing coming to a happy little town like ours?
3
Ihurried back inside the bakery kitchen and found Ella decorating the last of the heart-shaped sugar cookies. I was dying to tell her about our new handsome, kinda cranky-looking neighbor and all the commotion outside. I turned on the sink to wash my hands and was just opening my mouth to tell her about my encounter, when the front door’s overhead bell jingled again.
“I’ll go wait on them,” I said, hurrying into the front of the shop. The moment I spotted the approaching customer through the kitchen doorway, I groaned internally. Jingle Junction’s biggest gossip, Betty Dorion, was standing by the display cases with a knowing smirk on her face—as if she knew something I didn’t. Stifling my emotions, I plastered a smile on my face. “Hey, Betty.” I had a bad feeling about her visit but held my good humor in place, wiping my hands on my apron. “What can I get you today?”
Betty glanced through the contents of the display case as though she were the reigning high school homecoming queen, and I was a bug she was about to crush. “Ivy! Look at you, all friendly and perky. Good for you for putting on such a happy face.” She was smiling, too, but it wasn’t a nice smile. It wassmug and tight, and I didn’t like it. “I’ve come to pick up my cookie order. Oh, and can you throw in a box of croissants, too?”
“A dozen?” I asked, and she nodded.
I grabbed a white flat box from under the counter and began to fold it, all while wondering just what she was implying. I was always nice to customers, even her, and I got extra brownie points for that.
As Ella stepped out from the kitchen carrying the last tray of iced sugar cookies, I sent her a grateful smile as I put together the extra order of croissants. Unlike me, Ella loved conflict and confrontation, which was exactly what a conversation with Betty was like, more often than not.
“Well, I must say I’m very glad to see you’re taking the news so well,” Betty said, giving me another of her fake smiles, “but, then again, with your dad being mayor and all, I guess he’d have told you first, right?”
“Told me what?” I avoided eye contact and carefully closed her box, fairly certain whatever it was she had to say would amount to the kind of ridiculous gossip she tried to use as a weapon. I didn’t usually take the bait, but she seemed to think it would bring me discomfort, so this time I’d let her have her moment.
Betty’s laugh was loud and shrill. “Why, about your competition moving in across the street, of course. Haven’t you heard? It’s all over town!”
My what?
I glanced out the window. The moving trucks were still there, but the tall, handsome stranger was nowhere in sight. Just three or four guys unloading boxes and tables. I narrowed my eyes at the furniture being lugged inside, puzzled. They didn’t look like the sort of restaurant tables you’d find in a pizza shop. These were delicate and ornate and painted pretty pastel colors.
“What competition?” Ella spoke up, asking the question I hadn’t yet as she hurried to the front window, apparently wanting to see for herself.
“Oh, dear,” Betty said, doing her best to sound like she was sorry when it was clear she wasn’t. “Didn’t you know? That’s not a pizza shop anymore.” She paused for effect. “It’s some kind of candy store. The owner is a fancy candy maker from the West Coast.Famous.” She gave me a thin smile. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”
I swallowed past the tightness in my throat that suddenly appeared. Candy maker? Thatwasa bit too close for comfort. Why hadn’t my dad told me about this? As the town mayor and honorary leader of Jingle Junction, he pretty much had the last say-so regarding who could and could not open a shop in town. There was a bit of an unwritten rule that didn’t allow for direct competition. It was a way to keep peace and offer visitors and those who lived here the best variety, considering how small of a town we were. Since we already had a bakery, adding more sweets was kind of a step over that agreed-to line. Did we really need a candy store when I already offered a selection of popular desserts?
Whatever the case, I was sure Dad had thought it through and, despite the hurt Betty’s reveal handed me, I wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions. I also wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing any reaction from me. Instead, I cleared my throat and handed her the box of croissants and cookies she’d ordered, smiling wider just to prove to her I wasn’t ruffled. Even though I was. “Well, that sounds lovely. I’m sure there’s plenty of room in Jingle Junction for a bakeryanda candy store, Betty.”
Betty handed me a twenty, her joy dampened, eyes narrowing. “Keep the change, Ivy.” She raised one eyebrow. “You may need it now that you have competition.”
What I really needed was for her to leave already. “I don’t need your—”
But I didn’t get a chance to finish. Deciding her work was done, Betty turned and strode out the front door.
Ella’s eyes were wide as she sidled next to me, her hesitation making things worse. “Wow, that’s news. Why wouldn’t your dad say something to you?”
So, I wasn’t the only one wondering about that, apparently. I tried to shrug off the question that had been circling around in my own head as the last of my customers exited just behind Betty, waving as they went. Usually, I hated it when my store was empty, but today I was grateful they all left at the same time. I didn’t want anyone to see just how truly upset I was.
That included Ella, but she knew me better than that. Instead of trying to hide my feelings from her, I sighed, looked at her, and jerked my chin toward the front door. Without a word, we both hurried over to the display window and watched as a sign was hoisted above the door for all to see.
The Sweet Shoppe.
From inside the store, a pair of hands hung a banner in the window—The Sweet Shoppe, Best Sweets in Town, Opening Soon.
And something in my stomach started to hurt.
4
