Chapter 17
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WERE HECTIC at Kenworth’s leaving Anika and Carlos little time for the flirting they’d been accused of. Anika yearned to be near him in a way that should have had alarms going off but she had finally quieted the doubts circling her mind about men— at least one man.
With Cecilia still out of town, Anika helped Carlos with some of the finish work on the soda fountain. The late nights were wearing on her, but the exhaustion was pushed to the edges whenever she was near Carlos. He lit up her insides like a Christmas tree, and Anika wished there was mistletoe hanging from every aisle in Kenworth’s. He hadn’t kissed her yet, but every time they were together Anika felt an almost magnetic pull toward him.
On Wednesday, Anika arrived at Kenworth’s early. Christmas w
