On several occasions Braden looked at her as if he wanted to say something. Each time Piper looked away and occupied herself with a task. She thought she might just scream if Braden brought it up. Right now even the slightest thing could push her over the edge.
Perhaps the Christmas countdown would help alleviate the tension. Today was ugly sweater day, and she was doing her best to honor the event by wearing the ugliest one she owned. In her opinion it was actually more adorable than ugly. Looking at the design reminded her of her father. Dancing penguins wearing Santa hats were emblazoned all over the fabric. Her parents had given it to her a long time ago, and she’d been wearing it every year since.
When she looked up from mopping up a coffee spill on the counter, Braden was standing in front of her, a quizzical expression stamped on his face.
“I was just wondering how long you plan to avoid me?” He tapped his watch. “We’re already going on five hours now.”
With a roll of her eyes, Piper responded, “Seriously, Braden. I have a lot on my mind with regards to the diner, so it’s pretty self-absorbed of you to think you’re the focus of my current mood.”
Braden shrugged. “It’s just that you’ve barely said two words to me all day. That’s not normal.” He plucked at his sweater. “And you didn’t even comment on my Christmas lizards.”
Piper looked up at the sweater. She honestly hadn’t even noticed he was wearing it. She could feel the corners of her mouth twitching with merriment despite her vow to remain indifferent toward him. Braden had worn this particular sweater since high school, and it had generated loads of jokes between them. Just as she was about to make a funny comment about it, she remembered he was planning to leave her in the lurch all over again. A feeling of frustration stoked inside her. Why did it always seem as if she was being left behind? Even though she’d hoped things were mending between them, last night had put another wedge in their friendship. If he left Owl Creek, she wasn’t sure their relationship would ever fully recover.
Piper shrugged. “Great sweater. I’ve got lots of work to do. These pies aren’t going to bake themselves,” she said.
“Piper—” Braden began before she cut him off.
“I’ve got to check in with Birdie and crunch some numbers. I need to see in black and white that they’re shifting in a positive direction. If they’re not, I might as well pack up and call it a day.” She turned away from him just as she felt the sting of tears pricking her eyes. Piper beat a fast path to the small office at the rear of the kitchen. The last thing she needed or wanted was for Braden and her employees to see her break down in tears. As the owner of the Snowy Owl, she needed to maintain a stiff upper lip and an air of professionalism.
For the next hour, Piper busied herself with a dozen things related to the running of the diner. Several customers sought her out to tell her how much fun they’d had at the restaurant’s tree trimming party. A quick scan of the numbers verified a big increase in profit due to their special promotions. While she’d lain awake last night, Piper had been hit with a grand idea. The pies were an undisputed hit. Even though the holidays would be over and done with in a few weeks, she needed to keep her eyes on maintaining a profit and not backsliding. Braden had been right. She needed to focus on the pies and become more entrepreneurial.
Pie in the Sky Pies. She would turn her pies into an actual business operating out of the Snowy Owl. Hadn’t her father always dreamed of coming up with an idea that could increase his business and heighten the establishment’s profile? She could start small and then build if sales justified it. And if it didn’t take off, there wouldn’t be a huge deficit. She would allow the pie business to grow organically and not take any major risks. Just thinking about this venture caused butterflies to soar around in her stomach. For the last four years, she’d been operating in the darkness without any foreseeable way out of the financial dilemma at the diner. Now, there was an opportunity to piggyback on the success of the pies and make a lasting impact.
Piper had a whole row of pies cooling on the counter while Clara and Jorge serviced the lunch orders. The increase in customers was sure and steady. Seeing all of the ugly sweaters served to uplift her. Everyone wanted to enter the ugly sweater contest in the hopes of winning the grand prize—a weekend at Trudy’s inn along with dinner at the Snowy Owl and afternoon tea at Tea Time.
Braden entered the kitchen and approached her. “This has gone on for too long. Can we talk now?” he asked in a frustrated tone.
“I can’t. Don’t you see I’m baking at the moment?”
She let out a little squeal as Braden grabbed her by the hand and began pulling her toward the door. She began flailing around. “What are you doing?”
“I need to talk to you in private. And since you’re not speaking to me at the moment, you leave me no other choice.” Braden led her outside through the back door despite her
vocal resistance.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and faced him. “It’s freezing out here! We could have gone into the back office to talk.”
Braden spread his arms wide and looked up at the sky. “Why stay indoors when you have a great big Alaskan sky with the promise of snow at any moment?”
Piper quirked her mouth. “In case you haven’t noticed, we already have enough snow on the ground to last till next Christmas. We hardly need any more.”
“Snow is part of the Alaskan culture. Embrace it.” Braden held out her coat, which she quickly shrugged into. “I want to show you something. It’s going to turn that frown upside down.”
She let out an exasperated groan. “Braden! I don’t have time for show-and-tell. We actually have an increase in customers today, so it’s all hands on deck. Plus I have to bake some more pies.”
He grinned at her. “I can’t dispute that those things are important, but you’ll definitely want to make time for this. Give me ten minutes and I promise you won’t regret it.”
She clenched her jaw. How had she forgotten how persistent Braden could be when he became fixated on something? “Will you stop pestering me if I agree?”
“Yes. I promise. And don’t worry about the diner. I already told the staff you were stepping out for a bit.”
“I guess you thought of everything,” she grumbled.
Undeterred by her snarky attitude, Braden motioned her to follow him as he began walking down Main Street. As she trailed after him, all Piper could think about was balancing the books and all the ingredients she needed to purchase in order to make more pies tomorrow. It was a never-ending cycle of work.
When Braden finally stopped walking, they were standing in front of Best Friends, a small veterinary practice with a lot of heart and expertly trained staff. Braden’s lips were upturned in a mysterious smile as he opened the door wide so she could step in first. Owned by Vance Roberts, the clinic had been around for as long as Piper could remember. Vance’s daughter, Maya, had recently returned to Owl Creek in order to help him run the practice after graduating from veterinary school.
A feeling of warmth surrounded her as soon as she stepped inside. Dogs were everywhere in the waiting room as they sat with their owners or playfully interacted with other canines.
