Dogwood Hill

“Smart man,” she said approvingly. “I recommend you order the crab cake sandwich with coleslaw and fries before we run out, but could you please ponder that for a few minutes?”

He laughed. “You got it.”

She studied him for a minute, then asked slyly, “Have you dropped in on Liz today?”

The question probably should have surprised him, but he’d already grown used to how fast news of relationships—real or perceived—rocketed through town. “No, why? I imagine she’s as swamped as you are.”

“Exactly. And since she’s never been through a holiday crush before, I imagine she didn’t think to bring her lunch. How about I fix her one of those crab cake sandwiches, too, and you can take it by when you leave. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

Aidan nodded at once, probably a little too eagerly if the satisfied expression on Sally’s face was anything to go by. “I can definitely do that,” he responded.

Sally chuckled, her expression smug. “Thought you might grab the chance. I had to see for myself if the rumors were true.”

“What rumors are those?” he asked, though it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

She gave him a pitying look as she stood up. “Oh, please. Don’t try that innocent act on me. I’ve been around too long. I’ll get right on those specials. You can take your order next door while you’re at it and vacate this booth so I can cram in more customers—how’s that?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Aidan said. “I’ll wait for you at the register.”

She patted him on the shoulder. “Good boy. I like a man who can take a hint.”

Maybe what she really liked, Aidan thought as he headed to the register, was a man so easily swayed into going along with her devious plans. He was beginning to see what Liz had been trying to tell him about Chesapeake Shores being a haven for well-meaning matchmakers. For the moment, though, that suited him just fine. Sally had just shoved him in a direction he’d been wanting to go all day without being willing to admit it.

* * *

Liz was trying valiantly to keep her cool as she rang up sales, answered questions and tried to guide people toward merchandise. She’d always considered herself to be decent at multitasking. With a roomful of elementary school students, she hadn’t had much choice. They, however, could be ordered into a time-out when she started to feel overwhelmed. The customers and the unruly wave of questions just kept coming. She had no choice but to keep smiling and cope.

Not that she wasn’t grateful. Today was going exactly as she’d hoped it might. She’d just had no idea how exhausting success might feel a few hours into it. Her cheeks actually ached from keeping that smile in place.

To top it off, she was starving. She hadn’t thought to bring so much as an apple with her today. Until now, she’d always had time to at least call in an order to Sally’s, then run over to pick it up. Not that she would have had two seconds to eat something today, unless it could be consumed through a straw while she was ringing up sales and putting things into uncooperative plastic bags that seemed deliberately impossible to open. She barely had time to look up and make eye contact with the customers.

“Did you find everything?” she asked automatically, even as she handed off two bags to the previous customer.

“I was looking for the owner,” a male voice announced.

Her head snapped up. “Aidan! What are you doing here?”

He held up a bag. “Sally thought you might be hungry. Judging from the chaos in here, I’m guessing she nailed it.”

“You have no idea,” she said, eyeing the bag with longing. “What’s in there?”

“A crab cake sandwich and coleslaw. French fries, too. I’ve been here a few minutes, but it should still be warm.”

She closed her eyes and imagined it. Chunks of lump crabmeat seasoned perfectly and lightly fried with creamy coleslaw on top. Crispy french fries. She nearly moaned with pleasure.

“It sounds heavenly,” she murmured.

“I can attest to that. I slipped into your back room and took a couple of bites of mine, hoping the crowd out here might thin out any minute, but it seems pretty steady.”

“It has been all day,” she said wearily, then grinned. “It’s exhausting, but absolutely wonderful, even better than I expected.”

“How about this? I’ll take over at the register long enough for you to go in back and eat something. I left an iced tea back there for you, too. Sweet with lemon. Sally said that’s how you like it.”

She eyed the bag with real regret. “It is, but I can’t possibly take a break.”

He lifted a brow. “Are you worried I’ll take off with your cash?”

“Of course not. But you don’t know the system.”

“Is everything priced?”

“Of course.”

“And it has a bar code?”

“Sure.”

“And the register calculates the sales tax?”

Liz nodded.

“Then go. If I run into a problem, I’ll come and get you.”

Still she fretted. “Can you do a credit card sale?”

“I earned my spending money for college by working at Bloomingdale’s during the holidays.” He glanced around the store. As busy as it was, it hardly qualified as a holiday madhouse in New York. “I think I can handle this.”

Before Liz could think about what she was doing, she put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him soundly. “You’re an angel sent from heaven.” The impulsive gesture was a shock to her system, but she didn’t have time to linger over the sensation. She could do that just before bedtime.

Aidan chuckled. “There are some who’d dispute that,” he said, then handed her the bag with her lunch. “Enjoy your break. I promise not to give away the store.”

Since there were several customers in line, she left him to it and hurried into the tiny back room, kicked off her shoes and sat down with a sigh of relief.

Even as she noted that Aidan had come nowhere close to finishing his own meal, she opened her bag, took out a French fry, then took a long sip of the ice-cold tea. Nothing she’d ever eaten had tasted better, at least until she took her first bite of the sandwich.

“Oh, sweet heaven,” she murmured. Aidan might not be an angel, but he’d surely been sent by one. Sally couldn’t have chosen a better meal to send over. Liz would have to thank her profusely tomorrow morning.

As much as she wanted to stay off her feet and savor the delicious food, she hurried through it, washed her hands and headed back to the front of the still-packed store. Aidan was handling sales with an easy charm that had those in line laughing as they waited patiently for their turns.

As Liz was heading to the register to relieve Aidan, a woman stopped her to ask about the custom doghouses. She pulled a picture of a Great Dane from her purse along with a picture of her sprawling home.

“Do you think the designer could do something like this for my Petunia?” she asked Liz hopefully.

Petunia? Liz thought, barely stifling a laugh. “I’m sure he could. Why don’t I give Matthew the pictures and your number and ask him to give you a call? You can work out the details directly with him.”

“Will you still get a commission if I do that?” she asked worriedly. “I like to support small businesses whenever I can.”

“Matthew and I will work that out,” Liz promised her, appreciative of her thoughtfulness. She jotted down the woman’s name and phone number to pass along to Matthew. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”