Tis the season on Brookwell Island—and almost time for the annual Central Avenue holiday block party. Curl up with this cozy-sweet holiday story featuring Lila Copeland, owner of the Bread Basket, as she gets ready to wow the locals and tourists alike with a brand-new treat.
Enjoy this excerpt:
Chapter 1
The air inside the Bread Basket was thick with a delicious blend of rich cinnamon, bright orange zest, and the subtle, deep richness of yeast. It was the scent of a busy, successful bakery, whirling with the wonder of Christmas on Brookwell Island.
And it was heaven for Lila Copeland.
A cold front had moved in last night and seemingly put everyone in the mood for strudel, croissants, and more this morning. While the front of the shop was packed and a bit cool as people bustled in and out, the kitchen was plenty warm as she worked, monitoring trays of cookies and breakfast hand pies.
Lila checked the timer on the massive double oven for the fifth time, a flutter of nervous energy mixing with the bubbling joy of the holiday chaos. It was only eight, but Central Avenue was already a hive of happy noise. When she peeked out at the crowd in front of the case, her heart soared. She was doing it, carrying on the tradition her grandparents had started. By sprinkling new items into the menu loaded with traditional favorites, they were thriving again and business was booming.
They continued to get more orders from the surrounding areas too. And if she and Gram agreed on another contract collaboration in Charleston, they would need to hire help next year to meet the demand.
Daunting—and yet she was way more excited than concerned.
The first timer went off and Lila pulled out the trays of Gram’s iconic sand dollar sugar cookies, transferring them to the cooling racks.
“Lila, my love, a little help with the line?”
It was Gram’s cue that she needed a break from the noise. “Coming!” As they passed each other, she smiled at the woman who had raised her. Gram, known to everyone else on the island as Connie, looked as vibrant as the festive ribbon in her hair, effortlessly charming the crowd while juggling orders.
But Lila had come home so Connie could reduce her hours ahead of retiring for good. No matter how much she talked about her last official day, Lila would be happy to have her around whenever she wanted to be involved.
“Hand pies have about three more minutes.”
Gram patted her shoulder. “Got it.”
Lila wiped her hands on her apron as she stepped up to help their longtime employee Cassie and Cassie’s cousin Micah—an aspiring pastry chef who was interning over the winter.
The Bread Basket was sparkling—swags of evergreen and holly garland framed the windows, doors and display case, tiny white lights twinkling among the leaves. The front window was decorated with a small Christmas tree, fluffy fake snow, and platters of treats were on display as if someone had just unwrapped dozens of yummy gifts.
In the case itself, she could see they were running low on Gram’s famous strudel, the very heart and soul of the Bread Basket. “We’ll sell out early today,” she murmured to Cassie. “Push the sweet hand pies as an alternative.”
With a nod, Cassie smiled as she rang up the customer in front of her.
“Is Connie avoiding me?” a deep voice joked from somewhere back in the line.
“Probably so, Frasier,” another customer replied. “You’re here too often.”
Everyone laughed along with Lieutenant Frasier who was surely here to pick up an order for the police station. Connie would never avoid any of her longtime customers. More likely she’d spotted the lieutenant and planned to add an extra treat to the order.
“The cookies are a hit,” Micah said as he boxed up a dozen sand dollars. He added an empty coffee cup, finished the sale, and another happy customer was on their way.
Lila had convinced Connie to add a simple self-serve coffee bar in the corner, where folks could prep their own from the urns provided by the Java Fix shop across the street. In exchange, the coffee shop featured a selection of Bread Basket savory hand pies and brownies.
Having the coffee bar saved them loads of time on the busiest days.
Cassie handed a dozen ginger snaps in a festive box to a customer, with a cheery “Happy holidays.”
Lila marveled at the way shy Cassie was coming out of her shell with their customers, eager to help with the baking as well. She’d grown so much since Connie had hired her two years ago.
The three of them worked in tandem, deftly handling the rush. As the lieutenant approached, Lila checked the rack for call-in orders, but she didn’t see a box with his name on it. Just as she suspected, Gram was adding extra treats for the officers. “Your order is in the back,” she promised. “One second.”
She darted back into the kitchen. “You have Lieutenant Frasier’s order?”
“Right here and ready to go.” Connie’s hands quickly tied the holiday ribbon. “Along with an extra treat for his boys.”
“They love the Mexican wedding cookies,” Lila remembered. “Their mom made them, right?”
“That’s right.” Connie slid the box across the counter. “Doesn’t matter that they’re grown.”
“It’s about tradition.” Lila kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “You’re the best.”
***
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