“Now be honest. What’s going on between you and Piper? And don’t tell me it’s simply friendship. I was born at night, but not last night.” Beulah cocked her head to the side and studied him with a critical eye. “I watched the two of you in the diner after the caroling, and there was something simmering in the air between you. Are you falling for her?”
There was really no point in trying to hide anything from the town’s biggest know-it-all. Of all people, he could never fool his grandmother. “I think it’s safe to say I’ve already fallen. But we’re just friends.” Just saying the words out loud caused his pulse to skitter like crazy. It felt a little bit terrifying to admit how far gone he was. Although he thought Piper’s feelings mirrored his own, he had no proof. Anyway, his secret could ruin everything.
“Have you told her?” Beulah pressed.
“Not in so many words,” he admitted, instantly regretting being so candid. Beulah was known for being forceful. The very last thing he needed was to have her butting into his love life. “There’s something important I need to tell her that I should have come clean about a long time ago.”
“What are you waiting for? Time waits for no one. If you want to move forward with your life, it’s important to get that off your chest. You’re a North. Be bold like your grandfather was when he courted me.”
“I agree,” he said, realizing Beulah was never wrong. If he wanted a future with Piper, he needed to lay his heart bare. Staying in the friend zone would no longer do. “I just don’t want to mess up our friendship. What if she doesn’t reciprocate my feelings?”
“Trust your gut. And if you care one whit about my opinion, Piper thinks you hung the moon. The way she looks at you...if that isn’t a look of love, I don’t know what is.”
Braden grinned. He felt a bit sappy, but Beulah’s words served as encouragement. He didn’t know how he was going to express his feelings to Piper, but he was intent
on doing it as soon as they could share a private moment.
If Beulah was right, Piper would be receptive to what he had to tell her, and they could move forward together. He’d made one big decision this morning. In order to start fresh in Owl Creek, he needed to come clean with Piper. And it terrified him because he knew in doing so, he might kill any chance they had of a future together.
* * *
Piper looked around the crowded diner with a feeling of contentment. Business had been steadily increasing over the past few weeks due to the holiday stroll and the countdown to Christmas events. She couldn’t even guess the number of milkshakes they’d served or the specialty pie orders that had been placed since they’d added them to the menu. Things had gotten so crazy with the pies that they’d been forced to set up a separate baking location at Birdie’s house to complete the orders. It seemed everyone wanted to take home a holiday pie for Christmas.
Thank you, Lord. She felt blessed beyond measure. Her faith in the Snowy Owl’s future had been restored. For so long Piper had been living in fear. At the moment she was hopeful for a new chapter at the diner. She no longer had to walk around on eggshells waiting for the bottom to fall out. Now she felt as if she could truly enjoy Christmas without fearing what was coming down the road. She still had a lot of work to do in order to keep the diner in good financial straits, but if business continued at this pace and if Pie in the Sky was successful, her establishment would be secure.
God was good! He had shepherded her through the storm and brought Braden back to Owl Creek where he belonged. It was beginning to look like a very merry Christmas indeed. What had sparked between herself and Braden was exciting and full of promise. Thinking of him in a romantic light was new to her. It still felt surprising to her that their friendship was morphing into something else. Perhaps she’d always had a little bit of a crush on him.
Hadn’t her mother always told her that the best relationships started off as friendships? Braden was trustworthy and kind, as well as being extremely easy on the eyes and humorous. If she had to make a list of attributes a romantic partner should possess, Braden would check off all the boxes. Lately she’d had a serious case of the butterflies every time he was around. It was scary to even acknowledge it to herself, but she was in love with her best friend.
Although she’d had crushes before and dated a little bit, Piper had never in her life felt anything remotely like what she felt for Braden.
“What has you smiling like that?” Clara asked as she popped into the kitchen to check in with her regarding the lunch menu. “You look as if you just won the lottery.”
“Can’t a girl be happy? Christmas is coming, Clara. The most wonderful time of the year,” she said in a singsong voice. For good measure, Piper spread her arms wide in dramatic fashion.
Clara looked at her skeptically. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Piper headed back out to the dining room. She loved seeing all the familiar faces settling in for a good meal. This was her favorite part of owning the Snowy Owl. The people were at the heart of it all. For the next hour, Piper busied herself on the floor, helping seat customers, taking orders and cleaning up the counter area.
“Hi, Piper. I just wanted to come over and say hello before I leave.” The deep voice quickly brought her out of her thoughts. Tim Carroll, the tall, handsome man who had just approached her at the counter had always had a boyish charm. He’d been in the same class as Piper throughout their childhood and teen years. He was one of Braden’s buddies.
“Hey, Tim. Long time no see. How have you been?” Piper asked, feeling nostalgic at the sight of him. As small children they’d chased each other around the playground and attended each other’s birthday parties. It had been way too long since she’d seen Tim.
“Pretty good, Piper. I can’t complain. I’ve been living in Homer for the past few years. I came back to visit my parents for the holidays.”
“Aww. They must be happy to see you back.” Christmas was a time for family and togetherness and festivity. And this year, it heralded new beginnings for both the diner and her relationship with Braden.
“I’ve thought about you and your family a lot since that day on the trails.”
“Thanks for saying so. We’re holding up as well as we can. The holidays are tough. But this year I’m trying to focus on our blessings and carrying on daddy’s legacy with the diner.”
“You’re doing a great job. Everyone is raving about the new additions to the menu. The Oreo milkshake is my favorite.” Tim patted his stomach. “Jack would be so proud of you.” He made a face. “I was snowmobiling that afternoon with Braden. I know how broken up he was about Jack’s death. One moment they were arguing and the next Braden was heroically giving him CPR.”
Piper frowned. What was Tim talking about? She bristled against the suggestion. He had to be mistaken. “Arguing? No. You must be thinking of someone else.” Suddenly, she felt flustered. Why would he say something like that about Braden and her father? It made no sense.
A look of confusion crossed over his face. “No. I was there. I heard the whole thing. I’m sure it would have blown over later, but unfortunately the crash happened. I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Well now that you have, what was the argument about?” she asked. She needed to know the details. Her father and Braden had always gotten along so well. What could have happened that day to change things?
