Chapter 6

6

JACE

J ace's breath hung in the air, a misty testament to the chill that had seeped into his bones, despite the exertion of catching Felicity. Their proximity disrupted the stoic solitude he had been drowning in just moments ago. The crispness of the morning was suddenly laced with an underlying current of warmth emanating from her, and it sparked something within him—a yearning for a connection he'd long since tried to bury.

Her gaze lifted to his, eyes as wide and clear as the winter sky above them. "Oh! That’s the old ski lodge on the edge of town, right? Everyone was talking about the new owner coming to town.” Her voice trembled slightly, not from cold but from excitement—or was it curiosity? “Guess that’s you.”

"Guilty," Jace admitted, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile. There was a vulnerability he couldn't mask, a raw edge to his confession. “Not sure if that’s good news or bad yet.” His words hung between them, heavy with the specter of failure that had haunted his sleep the night before.

Felicity's expression softened, her lips parting as if she was about to offer comfort or perhaps share in his worry, but no words came. Instead, they stood in silent communion. The moment stretched out, tenuous and charged, their shared breath a rhythm that synced to the hesitant beat of possibility. And in that fragile instant, something undeniable settled over Jace—a sense of belonging he hadn't anticipated, found in the eyes of a woman whose name he knew he would never forget.

Brushing the last of the snow from the gingerbread, Felicity glanced up at Jace with a playful twinkle in her eye. “Well,” she started, her voice a warm melody against the chill, “if you ever need a break from the lodge business, you could stop by Cozy Cravings. I’m the baker and owner—when I’m not busy causing cookie casualties.”

The air between them was laced with the sweet scent of sugared pastries and the earthy pine that clung to his jacket—a confluence of aromas that seemed to echo the unexpected meeting of their lives. Jace couldn't help but smile, the corners of his mouth lifting in a way that felt both foreign and delightful. “I’ll keep that in mind.” His words came out softer than intended, a whisper lost in the dance of snowflakes around them.

Felicity’s cheeks held the rosy flush of the cold, or perhaps it was the warmth of the encounter, making her glow in the muted light of the village morning. The connection flickered like a hearth in winter, inviting and promising solace from the frosty world outside their small bubble of shared laughter and spilled cookies.

Snowflakes clung to his lashes as Jace watched Felicity manage to find better stability. His breath hitched slightly, fogging in the air between them, and for that suspended heartbeat, time lost its grip. The worries that had been clawing at him—his future, the lodge, the impending meeting—all receded into nothingness. There was only Felicity: her curls haloed by the winter light, eyes like fragments of the clear December sky.

"Jace?" Her voice, soft yet clear, tethered him back to the here and now, her gaze searching his for something he couldn't quite name.

He swallowed, finding words that felt both new and ancient on his tongue. "Yeah?"

Their eyes locked again, their breath mingling in the chill, and the world around them faded away once more. The bank meeting, the lodge repairs, and the weight of the future all felt distant and unimportant compared to the woman standing in front of him. In that moment, there was only Felicity—with her literary wit and the way snowflakes seemed to fear melting on her skin—and the electric charge of potential that hummed between them.

“Well,” Felicity said, breaking the spell with a playful grin that sent an inexplicable warmth spiraling through him, “I’d better get these poor gingerbread guys back to the bakery before they freeze solid.” Her hands cradled the survivors, the cookies' frosted grins belying their near demise.

"Of course," Jace replied, his voice husky with a cocktail of emotions he couldn't afford to indulge in just yet. He watched her scoop up the last of the gingerbread men, each careful motion reflecting her nature—deliberate, nurturing, attentive to every detail.

The simple act felt intimate, and watching her tend to the broken sweets, Jace realized that maybe she handled everything with a gentle touch, be it fragile pastries or, perhaps, fragile hearts. The quiet strength in her empathy and the resilience behind her smile struck him as traits that resonated deeply with his own guarded spirit.

Felicity gave the cookies a final, maternal pat before standing, brushing snow from her knees, her movements as fluid as the stream in springtime.

"Need a hand?" he offered, his own reaching out instinctively.

"Thanks, but I've got it," she assured him, her independence another thread in the intricate tapestry of who she was. "You've done enough heroics for one morning."

"Heroics?" Jace raised an eyebrow, amusement warming his tone despite the cold. "I think you give me too much credit."

"Maybe," she conceded with a shrug, her lips quirking in a secretive smile. "But you caught me, Jace. That makes you my hero, at least for today."

"Then today, I'll wear that title proudly." His own smile mirrored hers, a silent acknowledgment of the spark that neither of them could deny.

As Felicity turned toward Cozy Cravings, her steps sure despite the ice, Jace stood rooted to the spot, watching her retreating figure. The fluttering in his chest refused to still, a reminder that sometimes the unexpected detours brought the most promise. And as the distance grew between them, the hope that had sparked in the chaos of spilled gingerbread ignited into a slow burn, guiding him through the cold toward a future suddenly alight with possibility.

Jace’s nod was slow, deliberate, as if he was committing the moment to memory. The chill was biting, but it was nothing compared to the sudden void that Felicity left behind. She was warmth and laughter, a beacon in his stormy sea of doubts. His hands, now absent her touch, found refuge in the depths of his coat pockets, seeking solace in the fleece lining.

"Take care, Felicity," he murmured, the words thick with an unspoken longing.

She paused, a delicate balance of grace and mischief, her breath dancing between them. "You too, Jace. And good luck with the lodge." Her voice carried the soft promise of shared secrets, the kind whispered between lovers beneath quilted covers.

Their gazes lingered, a silent conversation stretching across the space that was growing between them. The morning sun caught in her hair, turning the curls spun gold, framing her face like a portrait he'd hang in the heart of the lodge—if only to keep her near.

Felicity stepped away, each footfall on the icy pavement echoing in Jace's chest. The distance grew, yet the connection remained—a tether unseen but palpable, binding him to the hope she'd unknowingly planted within him.

Felicity's form receded into the distance, her red hat a vibrant spot of color against the bakery's quaint exterior. Jace's gaze lingered, tracing the sway of her coat as it whispered promises of warmth against the chill. A smile played upon his lips, unbidden, untamed—a rare guest that seemed intent on staying awhile.

The cool air filled his lungs, but it was her laughter that breathed life into his morning. For the first time since he’d turned the key in the lock of the Northwind Lodge, there was a lightness to his step, a buoyancy to his spirit. The worries that had been his constant companions seemed to fall away like the snow from Felicity's scattered gingerbread men.

Jace felt it then, deep in his chest—a spark, a flicker. Hope. It was as though Felicity's near tumble on the ice had cracked something open within him, allowing the light to seep in where before there was only shadow.

He watched as she reached the bakery door, turning back for a moment with a smile that spoke of new beginnings. The sun, ever so sly, peeked through the clouds, casting a warm hue over everything it touched, including his thoughts.

Christmas Valley, with all its festive cheer and unexpected encounters, suddenly held more promise than just the fate of an old ski lodge. It held the possibility of rediscovery—of joy, of connection, of something akin to magic. That was something a corporate entity like Sapphire Development would never understand or appreciate.

As Felicity disappeared inside Cozy Cravings, Jace knew the day ahead carried more than just a bank meeting. It carried the potential of paths crossing again, of shared smiles and perhaps even shared tomorrows.