All I Ever Wanted by Marilyn Brant Caisey Quinn Rhonda Helms & Lexi Ryan

Author:Marilyn Brant, Caisey Quinn, Rhonda Helms & Lexi Ryan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Marilyn Brant, Caisey Quinn, Rhonda Helms, and Lexi Ryan
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Oliver

Felicia Morgan Hale, the mayor’s mother and all-around self-important busybody, stepped closer to the mic, a confident smile on her face as she rambled on and on about the importance of restoring Hale Bridge, the town’s claim to fame. Weak sunlight filtered through a peek of clouds and lit up the mayor’s stage. The snowflakes on the Winterfest banner glittered in the soft glow. “The Hale Family Trust will match the collective contribution of this year’s Winterfest proceeds, but we’re going to need a significant amount of help funding this latest renovation.” She paused to draw in a quick breath. “Especially so if the bridge is going to last to the end of our century and remain a standing monument in our town for our great-grandchildren and beyond.”

Polite applause.

Her speech went on for another several minutes but she finally wrapped it up with a rousing, “Now, go forth and enjoy the festivities!”

Hoo boy. Another winter festival where I’d be running my ass ragged as my dad and I sold four billion cups of hot cocoas and hot cider, plus a ton of brownies and croissants over the course of three days. As Mom and Sami handed out samples of free hot cider to enthused attendees, I sighed and elbowed my way out of the large crowd gathered on Main Street. The whole downtown area was blocked off for the festival, which meant people roamed everywhere freely.

I trudged across the salt-stained sidewalk, brain whirring in a thousand different directions. Right now, I needed to grab the trays of baked goods from the bakery and set up our family’s table for the Bake Sale-slash-contest. Then run home and take care of a few things before heading back to Village Hall and selling the hell out of my dad’s famous brownies. Once the Bake Sale was over, I’d have just enough time to hustle back to the bakery, shape the dough for my chocolate-stuffed croissants, and pop those in the oven.

The thought made me smile, despite the pressing mental fatigue about how busy I was going to be today. I knew those treats would be popular. And this year, I was offering some with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, too. Maya would probably eat a dozen; she loved my croissants more than anything else.

“Oliver!” a light voice said behind me.

Speak of the devil. I spun around and my grin widened. “I was just thinking of you,” I told her, elbowing her in the side.

She bent over and gave a fake wheeze like it hurt. Her curls tumbled over the shoulder of her puffy black coat and sent a waft of strawberry-scented shampoo my way. The familiar, welcome presence of my friend. Finally, something good about today.

“Oh, come on. You didn’t feel a thing through that massive polar bear coat,” I declared. “Hey, walk with me to the bakery to grab the trays for the Bake Sale.”

She straightened up and looked me dead in the eye. Now that we were closer, I noticed something…different about her.

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