I arrive to the bakery a few minutes early. Ever since my talk with Vixen I’d felt off. If I’m being honest it’s because I’m nervous. What if he doesn’t like me? What if he’s a creep? What if-

“Candy?”

I look up and my stomach flips.

“Nick.”

I stand and he plants a kiss on my cheek. His lips are warm and it feels… right.

He gestures for me to sit and then takes the seat across from me.

“I hope I’m not late.”

I laugh. “No, it’s me. I’m always early.”

“I usually am, but I got held up at work.”

I ask, “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m the CEO of a global toy company.”

“Wow. I bet this is your busiest time of year!”

He nods. “It is. But it’s nice to take a break now and then.”

We grin stupidly at each other. A waitress comes up and takes our order. I’m mesmerized with how handsome he is. Even the way he moves his hands when he speaks is elegant.

“Did you have to travel far to get here?”

I tried to pick a place that was in the center of the city.

“It wasn’t too bad of a trip. What about you?”

“I live a block over, in a condo.”

And for some reason I want to ask him over. But it’s too soon for that. We haven’t even really talked, for crying out loud.

He smiles. “This is a beautiful area. It’s really grown over the last few years.”

“That’s one of the reasons I moved here. I used to live closer to the lakes.”

I pause. Do I really want to go into why I moved? Nope. Not particularly.

I change the subject. “What do you do when you’re not busy making toys?”

“I like to travel. Here lately I’ve been really focused on work, though.”

“Why’s that?”

He frowns. “It’s a long story.”

I reach across the table and put my hand on his arm. “I’m a good listener.”

* * *

When she touches me I feel a spark. I wonder if she feels it, too?

“Basically my ex left me and I’ve been in a funk since then.”

She nods. “Had you been together long?”

“Yeah.” I don’t elaborate on how long. Instead, I say, “That’s actually how I ended up on Jingle Belles. My friend said I needed a distraction.”

She laughs. “And has it worked?”

I put my hand over hers. “Yeah. It has. And it’s been nice.”

We smile at each other as our drinks are delivered. It’s strange being out in public so close to my deadline. I catch glimpses of certain people’s thoughts and make mental notes for my lists. I try not to listen to Candy’s thoughts, though, but one keeps popping up in mind. She thinks I’m sexy.

“How did you end up working at Jingle Belles, if you don’t mind me asking?”

This makes her frown. “That, too, is a long story. One I’d rather save for another day.”

“Of course. I didn’t mean to pry.”

She says, “You’re not. It’s a natural question to ask. I usually tell people I’m in sales, which is a much safer answer.”

Her phone dings and she glances at it, lips twitching.

“Sorry. That’s my best friend checking up on me. She wanted to make sure I don’t need a rescue text.”

This makes me laugh. “And do you?”

“No. I feel I’m quite safe with you, Nick.”

We enjoy our drinks and get to know each other a little better. She has a great sense of humor and I laugh out loud several times.

Our waitress comes up and says, “I’m sorry to bother, but the bakery is about to close. The snow storm is picking up and we want the staff to get home safely.”

Candy and I both look out the window. Sure enough, heavy snow is falling.

“How strange,” Candy muses. “I didn’t know it was supposed to snow today.”

Neither did I. But I have a feeling Jack has something to do with it.

We stand and put our coats on. She looks adorable, faux fur and all. I put my hand on her back as we walk and it feels right. Once we are outside I realize it is sleeting as well.

Candy turns to me. “I don’t want this night to end.”

“Neither do I.”

Her face darkens in a blush. “Would you like to come over for a glass of wine?”

I nod. “Yes.”