Baking in a Winter Wonderland

“You’re kidding me, right?” Samantha asked her friend and business partner, Liz. “You mean we have to work with Jake Wells for the Holiday Festival?”

 Liz nodded, looking at her friend in resignation.

 “I know,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it either, but Mayor Gloria told us businesses needed to share booths this year for space reasons. Jake argued against it too.”

 “He would,” Samantha said, sneering. “He’s scared that once everyone tastes our pastries together, they’ll realize our bakery is better, and he’ll end up out of business!”

 “You know it,” Liz said, holding her hand up.

 Samantha slapped it, then said, “Let’s get to work planning what to make to outshine him.”

 On the other side of town, Jake measured out ingredients while talking to his partner, Steven. 

 “Can you believe we’re sharing a booth with that hack Samantha Warren?” he asked, stirring the batter so roughly, it almost spilled over the side of the bowl. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face when her trays are still full while ours are empty because everyone in town knows we’re the better bakers.”

 “Whoa there, Jake,” Steven said, holding his hands in front of him. “Beat that batter any harder, and you’ll be scraping it off the walls. What would Samantha think of that if she found out?”

 Jake put down the spoon and glared at Steven.

 “And just how would she find out?” he asked.

 Steven rolled his eyes and said, “You know I’d never tell your biggest rival any of your secrets or any of your mistakes.”

 “You think I make mistakes?” Jake asked. 

 “Well, there were those muffins,” Steven said.

 “They would have worked if I’d used less pumpkin,” Jake huffed, picking up the spoon again and stirring the batter.

 The booths for the festival started going up at the end of the week. Samantha went out to the pond to look at their progress. Looking at the map of the festival, she was glad to see her booth would be near the enormous pine tree that the town decorated every year. 

 Walking to the booth, she stopped and groaned as she spotted an unwelcome familiar figure looking around her booth. 

 Gritting her teeth, she continued to walk toward the booth. She passed the man looking at the nearly finished booth and walked closer to it. 

 She could tell when he spotted her as his posture straightened, his shoulders tensing. She ignored him and looked inside it.

 “What are you doing here?” he asked.

 “Same thing as you,” she told him, not looking at him. “Inspecting the booth.”

 “Don’t you think the workers know what they’re doing?” he asked her.

 She turned to look at him, hands on her hips.

 “So why are you out here then?” she asked, glaring at him. 

 He flushed and looked up at the roof of the booth, then said, “I don’t think both of our names are going to fit up there.”

 She walked out and looked up, frowning. 

 “You’re right,” she said.

 “So she admits it finally,” he grumbled.

 She shot him a quick glare, then looked back up at the roof, cocking her head to the side. Looking over the front of the booth, she rubbed her chin, then turned to look at him.

 “How about we both hang signs on the poles on either side?” she asked, pointing out the support poles.

 He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, studying the poles.

 “You may be on to something there,” he said, begrudgingly as he nodded.

 “So he admits it finally,” she muttered, looking at him. 

 He shot her a look, then asked, “Do we have enough time to get signs ready by the opening of the festival?”

 She nodded and said, “I may even already have one that would work.”

 He looked at her and said, “You know what? I may have one too.”

 “We should make sure they work before the beginning of the festival,” she said, looking at him.

 Nodding, he said, “That makes sense.”

 Looking at her, he stared into her eyes and thought how green they looked in the sunlight. Catching himself staring, he gave his head a shake, then looked around at the other booths going up around the pond.

 “It looks like it’s coming along nicely,” he said.

 Turning to follow his gaze, she looked around and nodded, saying, “I remember coming here with my parents when I was little. I always had the best time.”

 Looking back at her, he asked, “What was your favorite part?”

 She turned to look at him, then glanced at the tree behind him, and said, “The lighting of the tree.” 

 He turned to look at the tree and grinned.

 “That was my favorite part too,” he told her. “There was just something about everything being in darkness, then with a flip of a switch, everything is lit up in different colors.”

 “You’re right,” she said, smiling at him. “There’s something magical about that.”

 He looked at her and smiled. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his chocolate brown eyes. He took a step toward her, then stopped as someone called out to them. 

 They turned to see Steven and Liz walking toward them. 

 “Hey, Liz,” Samantha called out. “What are you doing here?”

 “I could ask the same thing, Steven,” Jake said, moving to stand beside her.

 She glanced at him, then shifted away, flushing as she did. She saw Liz’s eyes narrow and looked away.

 “We’re here for the same reason you two are,” Steven said, then waved his arm toward the booth. “We’re here to see how the setup is going.”

“It’s coming along right on schedule,” Jake said, turning to look back at the booth.

 “Are you two going to be civil to one another while sharing the booth?” Liz asked, looking back and forth between them.

 Samantha and Jake glanced at one another, then looked away. 

 “Yeah, I think I can manage,” Samantha said. “As long as he can.”

 He looked at her, then said, “If she can, I can.”

 Liz and Steven looked at one another, then shrugged.

 The days flew by as the two bakeries made treats for the festival and ran their businesses.

 The day before the festival, they drove their vans to the booth and unloaded their supplies. Samantha and Jake barely spoke to one another as they set up everything they would need for the next day. Liz and Steven shook their heads at one another.

 The next day, Samantha and Jake arrived at the booth at the same time. 

 “Early to start, huh?” he asked, taking his jacket off and tying on his apron.

 “These muffins don’t bake themselves,” she responded, hanging up her jacket.

 They worked in silence for a few moments, then he asked, “Are you making anything special for the festival?”

 She gave him a sharp look and asked, “Why? So you can steal the recipe like your grandmother stole mine?”

 He glared at her. 

 “You know very well that it was your grandmother who did the stealing,” he said, anger in his voice.

 “My grandmother did no such thing!” she said, glaring back at him, her hands on her hips.

 “According to my grandmother, she did, and my grandmother doesn’t lie!” he said, his voice rising.

 “Now you’re calling my grandmother a liar?” she shouted, waving her hands in the air.

 “Well, I’m certainly not saying my grandmother is!” he shouted back.

 “Guys! Guys! Calm down!” Liz said, coming up to the counter. “What’s going on here?”

 “He started it!” Samantha said, pointing at him.

 “No, her family started it!” Jake said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 “You take that back,” Samantha said, glaring at him.

 “I will not,” he said, glaring back at her.

 “What are you, five?” Liz asked, throwing her hands up in the air. 

 They both turned to glare at her. 

 She glared back and said, “Let’s try to solve this like the adults I know we are. Why don’t we start at the beginning? Being fairly new in town, I don’t know the story of why your bakeries are rivals.”

 Samantha and Jake talked at the same time, but Liz held up her hand. 

 “Samantha, you go first,” she told her partner.

 “Figures,” Jake grumbled.

 “She’s my friend, so she gets to go first,” Liz said. 

 Samantha stuck her tongue out at Jake.

 Liz pointed her finger at her friend and said, “Samantha Warren, you apologize to Jake for being a two-year-old right now.”

 Samantha looked down at the ground, then rubbed her foot across the dirt and muttered, “I’m sorry.”

 “Good,” Liz said. “Now, tell me your side of the story.”

 Samantha looked up again and said, “About sixty years ago, our grandmothers were friends. They wanted to start a bakery since everyone loved their baking. They thought new recipes would make them successful. My grandmother came up with a cake recipe that was the most delicious she’d ever tasted. She knew it would be a hit with the customers and couldn’t wait to show his grandmother. When his grandmother tasted the cake, she knew she’d never be as good a baker as my grandmother, so she stole the recipe.”

 “That’s not what happened, and you know it!” Jake said, angrily. “It was the other way around. My grandmother came up with the recipe, and your grandmother stole it.”

“What? That’s ridiculous,” Samantha snapped. “My grandmother never took the recipe.”

 “Well, neither did mine,” Jake snapped back. 

 “Wait a minute,” Liz said, waving her hands to get their attention. “Wait a minute.”

 “What?” Samantha and Jake yelled, looking at her. 

 “If neither of your families has the recipe, then where is it?” Liz asked.

 Samantha and Jake’s mouths opened and closed, then they turned to look at each other. 

 After blinking a few times, Samantha asked, “You mean, your grandmother doesn’t have the recipe?”

 Jake shook his head and said, “She swears your grandmother took it, but you’re saying she doesn’t have it?”

 Samantha shook her head, her eyes wide. 

 “What does this mean?” she whispered.

 Jake looked dumbfounded and shook his head again.

 “I’ll tell you what it means,” Liz said. “Somehow it got lost, and they blamed each other for it.”

 Samantha and Jake looked at her, and she added, “What’s worse is it’s caused a family feud for two generations. Isn’t it time to put it behind you?”

 Jake and Samantha looked at each other. Jake gave a tentative smile. Samantha smiled back.

 “Now, I think you should take some time to work together to make this booth a success, then go enjoy the festival and get to know one another,” Liz said.

 After a brief hesitation, Jake said, “Your partner has a point.”

 “She always thought she was the brains behind the business,” Samantha said.

 Liz cleared her throat. They looked at her to see her staring up at the ceiling, nodding. 

 “Maybe she’s not wrong,” Samantha added, grinning. 

 “Maybe not,” Jake said, grinning back. 

 “So, how about you two get baking, and I’ll deal with the front,” Liz said.

 “Need any help with that?” Steven said, walking up to the booth holding a carrier with four steaming drinks. 

 “What do you have there?” Jake asked, looking at the cups.

 “I figured you’d need a jolt of caffeine to help you today, so I brought us all coffees,” he said, looking at Liz. 

 “It will definitely come in handy when we’re manning the booth while these two enjoy the festival later,” Liz said, jerking her thumb at Jake and Samantha.

 Steven looked from them to Liz and raised his eyebrows.

 “Oh?” he asked. “What kind of magic have you performed here?”

 Liz giggled and said, “No magic. Just a clearing of the air.”

 “Whatever you did, I’m glad it worked,” he said, setting the coffees down on the counter. 

 Later that afternoon, Samantha and Jake wandered around the festival. They’d spent the morning in the booth, baking for the day, then Liz and Steven took over, so they could enjoy the festival.

 “So, what do you think about Liz and Steven?” Samantha asked after they had gotten soft pretzels.

 “Oh, he definitely likes her,” Jake said, taking a bite of the pretzel.

 “And she definitely likes him,” Samantha said, licking salt off of her fingers. “Do you think he’ll ask her out?”

 He shrugged, then said, “Either that, or she’ll ask him out.”

 Samantha chuckled and said, “I can see that happening too.”

 They walked in silence for a moment, then he asked, “Speaking of asking out, would you like to go for dinner tomorrow?”

 She stopped and looked at him, forcing him to stop.

 “Are you asking me on a date, Jake Wells?” 

 His eyebrows raised, and he asked, “What if I am, Samantha Warren?”

 Giving him a cheeky smile, she asked, “Whatever will our families think?”

 “You know what?” he asked. “I really don’t care.”

 “Neither do I,” she said in a low voice, leaning forward.

 He looked into her eyes, and their smiles faded. They leaned closer until their lips almost touched. 

 “Come on, everyone! It’s almost time for the tree lighting!”

 They broke apart, then grinned at one another. 

 “Our favorite part of the festival,” she said, softly.

 Nodding, he grabbed her hand and said, “Let’s not miss it!”

 Hurrying to join the crowd gathered in front of the tree, they waited with anticipation.

 Mayor Gloria stood on a platform next to the darkened tree. 

 She gave a brief speech, then said, “I’m sure you all don’t want to hear me talk any longer since it’s dark enough to light the tree, so without further ado, light that tree!” 

 The tree exploded in colors as the lights turned on. The crowd gasped in delight, and Samantha turned to Jake with the biggest grin on her face. 

 “It’s beautiful,” she said, breathlessly.

 “Not half as beautiful as you, Samantha Warren,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and brushing his lips over hers.

 They shared a booth once more at the next year’s Winter Festival, but this time, it was for their new business.

 “You know, my mother told me Grandma can’t believe we’re partners,” Samantha said, taking cupcakes out of the oven.

 Jake nodded, saying, “My mother told me the same thing.”

 “They don’t believe we’ll be successful, but with two successful businesses between us, this one will be just fine,” she said.

 Liz and Steven walked up to the booth. Steven carried drinks, and Liz set a bag on the counter.

 “What’s that?” Samantha asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

 “Just some things we found in the building you bought for the bakery,” Liz said. “We thought you might be interested in seeing them.”

 They glanced at each other, smiling. 

 Samantha frowned as she reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of papers. 

 “Jake?” she called out as she read the first one. “Come look at these.”

 “What is it?” he asked her, coming over.

 “These are plans for the bakery our grandmothers were going to build,” Samantha said, handing him the papers.

 He looked them over, his eyes wide, then looked at her.

 “So, we’re opening a bakery in the very building they were going to?” 

 She nodded and said, “It looks that way.”

 Pulling out a book, she opened it and said, “This must be one of their cookbooks!”

 Flipping through the pages, she stopped and gasped.

 “What is it?” Jake said, looking up from the papers.

 Samantha showed him the page she found, and his mouth dropped open.

 “Is that…?” he asked, looking at her.

 She nodded, not saying a word.

 “What is it?” Steven asked, frowning.

 Samantha showed him the book. Liz crowded close to see, then they looked up at Samantha and Jake.

 “Is this…the recipe?” Liz asked.

 Samantha and Jake both nodded. 

 “Oh my goodness,” Liz said, grinning. “Do you know what this means?”

 They shook their heads.

 “This means you two can continue what your grandmothers couldn’t,” she said.

 “Where did you find this?” Samantha asked.

 “I found it wedged behind a shelf,” Steven said.

 “It must have slipped behind the shelves, then our grandmothers thought the other had taken it,” Jake said, looking at Samantha.

 She nodded and said, “You’re right.”

 “It was fate, I swear,” Liz said. “If it wasn’t for you two running the booth last year, you wouldn’t have cleared up the family rivalry. Now, you’re dating and opening a bakery together in the same building your grandmothers were going to but didn’t because of this little book.”

 They grinned at each other. 

 “Just wait until our parents find out about this,” Jake said. 

 Samantha nodded and said, “They’ve been angry over nothing this whole time.”

 “And now, we’re going to unite the families,” Jake said. 

 “We can use the recipe as our signature recipe,” Samantha said, then looked at Jake with a question on her face. “Wait, what did you say about uniting the families?”

 Jake looked at Liz and Steven, then back at Samantha. 

 “I was going to wait until the Christmas tree lighting, but I guess now is as good a time as any,” he said, reaching into his pocket.

 Getting down on one knee, he held up a small box. He opened it, revealing a diamond ring. 

 “Samantha Warren, would you marry me?” 

 She gasped, then looked at Liz, who grinned and nodded. 

 Looking back at Jake, she smiled at him.

 “Yes, Jake Wells, I’ll marry you,” she said.

 He put the ring on her finger and stood up.

 “It’s beautiful,” she said.

 “It was my grandmother’s,” he told her. “Now that we found the recipe, she’ll be fine with you having it.”

 Samantha looked at her friends, then back at Jake and said, “I think both of our grandmothers will be.”

 She reached up to cup his face and pulled him down for a kiss.