Viola’s grandma nodded. “I haven’t heard that name in almost thirty years, but yes, I did know his family. He and his wife divorced sometime in the early seventies, and she moved to Alabama, but their daughter came out here every summer, and nearly every holiday too.”
“I didn’t know you knew The Old Grand owner, Grandma,” Viola said.
“I honestly hadn’t thought about it,” she replied. “It was so long ago.”
“There’s an article that quotes your daughter about being good friends with his daughter, Jenny.”
“Really?” Viola leaned forward between the seats, her seatbelt pulling tight against her chest.
Her grandma smiled softly, “Oh, they were thick as thieves, those two, every summer. Your mom was devastated after the accident.”
“What accident?” Viola asked.
Her grandma glanced back at her, surprised again. “I forget how young you were when it all happened. They were in a plane crash.”
“Marcus was the pilot,” Liam added quietly. “He lived, but his daughter and granddaughter died.” Viola gasped. How horrible. That poor family.
“Your mom died only a few months later, but she grieved deeply for her friend. And for the theater when it closed. Some of her best memories had been going there.”
Viola soaked in every element of the story like a dry sponge. It was rare she heard a new story about her mom, and she treasured every single one. “My first memory is walking to the theater with Mom and Dad.”
“Yes, they loved taking you to the movies. Those were simpler days.” Her grandma smiled sadly toward her. “I never heard what happened to Marcus. Viola’s mom died and her dad left, and everything is a bit of a fog in my memory for the next year—except for the bright spot Viola brought with her.”
She reached between the seats for Viola’s hand and squeezed it.
“Marcus died a few years later,” Liam told her. “Heart failure.”
“Broken heart, maybe,” Grandma murmured. A heavy silence fell over the car, but her grandma, not one to let heavy silences linger for long, changed the subject quickly back to Liam.
She got him telling stories from his childhood that soon had them laughing. Xander had been the precocious one, and hearing about how Liam had attempted to keep him from trouble, and often failed, managing to get himself in trouble as well, time and again, was delightful and endearing. “And I thought he was so shy,” Viola said.
Liam smirked. “He is until you get to know him.”
Grandma had such a gift for getting people to open up about themselves. Viola knew she took after her grandma, but what her grandma had perfected, Viola only skimmed the surface of. Grandma had let the hurt of her past make her more open to others; Viola had put up high walls.
They arrived at the chocolate store in Bentonville, set in a newer, modern complex of stores. It definitely had a different vibe than the old-timey feel of downtown Eureka Springs. A closed food court boasted foodie-type restaurants that made Viola’s stomach growl. Liam led them down a tree-lined walkway, lit with white Christmas lights, to the chocolatier shop. He rapped lightly on the door, and a moment later, it opened to a woman in an apron who introduced herself as Diane. She ushered them inside and handed them each an apron, a net for their hair, and plastic gloves.
“How do I look?” Viola asked once she was all robed up. She turned to Liam, sucked in her cheeks, and crossed her eyes. He laughed.
“Gorgeous,” he replied, a little too seriously. Her stomach flipped, and she busied herself with tightening her apron strap.
The three of them listened to the rules—basically not to touch anything they weren’t given permission to touch—and then they followed Diane behind the counter. A buzz of excitement rushed through Viola. She hadn’t liked their chocolate, but something about being behind the scenes had always appealed to her.
Diana handed them each a small pod. “This is a cacao bean,” she told them. “We get ours directly from the countries they come from and keep them separated. You can taste a distinct flavor difference in a chocolate bar made from a Costa Rican bean and one from a Guatemalan bean. One will taste a little nuttier, the other more fruity, for example.
They moved deeper into the small, open-air kitchen. They could still see the retail portion of the store through the shoulder-high glass panels that made it possible for people to observe the chocolate being made.
“We crush the beans and then shake off the shell, and what’s left are these nubs.” She held out small, brown, powdery bits in her gloved hand. “Would you like to try one?”
“Sure,” they all replied. Viola popped hers straight in her mouth, regretting it instantly. Her eyes watered at the bitterness that coated her tongue. Liam chewed his thoughtfully, as if he was contemplating the undertones of it, and her grandma reached for a second one.
Viola tried to discretely cough into her elbow when it burned on the way down her throat. This was not convincing her to like this chocolate.
“You okay?” Liam asked her quietly while they moved to the next portion of the tour.
“Poison,” she rasped, grabbing at her throat. “Save me.”
He grinned, as she’d intended, and his arm brushed against hers and remained there as they stood in front of two huge cauldron-like pots of melted chocolate.
“After the beans are roasted and smashed into a paste that we process for a day, letting the natural fats come out, we start to add butter, cream, and sugar. We want the fullness of the flavor of the cacao bean to be on display, so we only add the smallest amounts of each. This mixture is then constantly mixed.”
The scent of the chocolate was delicious. She leaned a little closer to the massive pot and inhaled. “A little better?” Liam asked. His hand brushed hers, and she lost all coherent thoughts.
“Hmmm?” she asked.
He stared at her intently for a beat longer and then slowly slid his fingers between hers, sensation sparking within her at every bit of skin that touched. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” she said, breathless. Diane and Grandma had already moved on to the next portion of the tour, and Viola and Liam strolled over, hands still linked, to catch up.
In all their time in Hawaii, had they ever just held hands? They’d kissed behind doorways, in closets, and late at night on the beach, instantly attracted to each other with a passion that burned fiery-hot, but they’d never been publicly intimate like this. Holding hands, being together, this feeling of belonging—Viola both craved it to her very marrow and lived in fear of it being yanked away. But tonight, she wanted to experience it without layering it with meaning. She didn’t want to be like the cacao bean, still in its hard shell. She wanted to be the sweet, melty chocolate that had been through pressure and heat, and come out even better for it.
Diane demonstrated pouring chocolate into the molds and then let them each add their own toppings to a mold of bars. Viola reluctantly let go of Liam’s hand to add black salt and a teaspoon of crushed, candied pecans to her bar. Liam added some fruit to his. And grandma added a little bit of everything.
“You only live once,” she justified, when Viola curled up her lip at how gross it looked. “Maybe I’ve invented the new bestselling chocolate bar.”
They moved to the retail area of the store, removed their aprons, hair nets, and gloves and sat at a table while Diane brought out a tray filled with small plates, cups, and chocolate bars.
Viola sat beside Liam, their hands clasped together again, making it difficult to concentrate on anything Diane was saying. The only thing her mind could process was her hand in Liam’s, their fingers linked, the intense heat that shot through her every time he moved and his palm or fingers brushed or squeezed hers. After passing out water—which Viola downed, still unable to get the bitter taste of the cacao bean from her mouth—and giving them a brief history of chocolate, she began to describe each chocolate bar before breaking it into pieces on the plate. They started with the darkest chocolate—90%.
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“I’ll take a whole box of these,” Liam told Diane, who smiled, pleased.
“Those are my favorite too,” Diane said. Even Grandma took a second square.
Viola wanted to spit hers out, but managed to swallow it, along with another full cup of water.
They then tried the 80%, 70%, and 60% cacao varieties of bar.
“This one is okay,” Viola declared at the 60% one, relieved to finally have tasted something that didn’t make her eyes water or her stomach revolt.
“Just okay?” Liam murmured quietly beside her ear.
“I don’t want a box of it or anything, but after all those bitter chocolates, it was nice to have something sweet.”
“Okay, that’s the tour,” Diane said. Liam had to reluctantly drop Viola’s hand to go to the front and settle the payment. He hadn’t been kidding when he requested to buy a whole box of the 90% chocolate.
“I like him,” Grandma whispered.
Viola watched his back as he chatted and laughed with Diane. “Me too,” she replied.
✽✽✽
They went to dinner in Bentonville at a restaurant in downtown, near where Callie’s original pet shop had been located. Liam had called ahead, so a corner table was waiting for them when they arrived.
Viola didn’t want the night to end, happy and relaxed in a way she hadn’t been in a long time. Her grandma regaled them with stories from her friends and from Viola’s childhood that had them laughing. Viola had heard them all before, but her grandma was a great storyteller, and she loved listening to them again. Liam’s laugh filled her with warmth, and she realized how rare it was to hear it, so unfettered, so relaxed. This was a new side to him, one she was dangerously drawn to.
“I’ve had a wonderful night,” Liam said as they finished the last of their meal. “Thank you for joining me.”
“Thank you for inviting us,” Viola said.
Liam leaned closer across the table, toward Viola. “Did I win you over to dark chocolate?”
“I’m sorry to report that dark chocolate and I still have major issues that may be impossible to work out.”
“What about as a friend?” he ventured. “Did I win you over to that?”
An electric zing went through her body, and she inclined her head slightly in a nod. Liam as her friend. She never would have imagined that happening.
The corners of Liam’s lips twitched, bringing her eyes straight to them. They were very kissable lips—as she knew from experience. Would it be the same to kiss him in Arkansas as it was in Hawaii?
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
Then again.
And a few moments later, they heard it again. Liam frowned, but to Viola’s surprise, he didn’t pull out his phone.
“Someone is trying really hard to get a hold of you,” Grandma pointed out.
“It can wait.” Liam’s smile seemed more strained now. The phone buzzed again.
“Something might be wrong.” Viola hated to even suggest he look at his phone, but to be messaged so many times in a row might be a bad sign.
“I’m working on being fully present when I’m with people,” he said, “which includes not checking my phone. Especially not during a meal with two beautiful women.”
His laughing lightness was gone though. “Liam. We appreciate it, but just this once, it’s okay. What if something’s wrong with Xander or Callie?”
He frowned, then pulled his phone out and looked down at the screen. His face seemed paler.
He stood, and her heart dropped. “It’s my CFO. She never calls like this, unless something’s wrong. I’ll be back momentarily.”
He left with the phone already to his ear, work-Liam firmly back in place. She’d been the one to insist he look at his phone, and now she wondered if that meant she was going to lose him again, just when she’d started to let her shell crack.
Chapter 14
“Oh, thank goodness, Liam.” Fiona sounded out of breath, and a gentle whirring noise hummed steadily in the background. He knew that when she was stressed, she hopped onto her treadmill, and it sounded like she’d been there for a while.
“What’s wrong?” he asked without preamble.
“It’s the fourth quarter projected sales report,” she replied. “Our numbers are down double what we’d expected with the competitor’s business opening up.”
“They should still pop back up once the novelty of the new store wears off.”
“That’s just it,” Fiona said. “They’re going after our investors, Liam. If we don’t show a solid, strong face to our company, we may lose more than our fourth quarter sales. We’re still recovering from the Albuquerque mess, and now they’re worried about a lack of strong leadership.”
“You are a strong leader,” he insisted.
“I know, but they want to see you.”
Liam winced. “So, how do we do that?”
“We need you back, Liam.” Her breathing slowed, and he heard the treadmill turn off in the background. “I hate to do this to you, because I know how much you need the break, but Pets! Pets! Pets! is spinning your panic attack as a sign that the whole company is falling apart.”
“I’m just one person. There’s a massive team running Pets and More.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, wishing he’d followed his therapist’s advice to ignore his phone while out with people. He’d been having such a wonderful night for it all to come crashing down now.
“Yes, Liam,” Fiona said, sounding a little impatient for the first time. “But you’ve been the face of the company for a couple of years now. And you’ve missed meetings, events, dinners, and appearances for the last month.”
“The company can run without me.”
“It can, if our investors and the public think it can. They need to see you again, Liam, see that everything is okay.”
When Liam didn’t respond, Fiona continued, “We’re putting on a year-end banquet to honor your father. I’ve already put you down for a speech about your father. Callie and Xander will be there as well.”
“Is it going to be televised?”
“It’ll be streamed to our website.”
His chest tightened. He couldn’t have another panic attack in front of cameras, and he didn’t feel confident that he was in a good enough place to for sure avoid one. He hadn’t been able to control the one at the board meeting, and if this was the first public appearance he was making since then, he knew the reporters wouldn’t be able to resist asking him about it, nor would the cameras give him any leeway. They wouldn’t want to miss another melt down.
“I would never ask you to do this, Liam—you know that—if I didn’t think it was absolutely vital.” Fiona’s voice had gone quiet, and he pictured her pacing through her house, always unable to sit still.
He closed his eyes and leaned against the outer restaurant wall. “Can I bring someone?”
“Of course,” she said quickly. “I’ll have my assistant arrange everything: flight, hotel reservations, and transportation to and from the dinner. All you need to do is show up and convince everyone that you’re fine.”
“What if I’m not fine yet?” he asked quietly.
She let out a long breath. “It’s one night, Liam. I have complete confidence in your ability to pull this off, okay?”
“Okay.” He hung up the phone and took a few long, deep breaths, trying to clear his mind of this new stress.
The drive home with Viola and her grandma was quiet, his mind full of the things he was going to have to do. Could he go for just one dinner and leave again? Or would the tentacles of his business wrap around him and drag him back into it before he was ready?
He knew he’d have to go back at some point, but he needed more time. He’d just started realizing how it felt to breathe easy, and he couldn’t go back to that life just yet. Besides, there was Viola, and the thought of walking away from her again was impossible. Something his mind couldn’t even compute.
“Thank you for a wonderful night
,” Viola’s grandma said. She hopped out of the back seat and went to the house before Liam could reply.
“She’s fast,” he said. Viola smiled, but it was missing the light. She knew something had changed after his phone call. When she went to follow her grandma, he placed his hand on her arm. “Wait.”
She paused and turned to look at him. He caught his breath at how gorgeous she looked, the light of the moon making her skin and hair look almost silver.
“They’re honoring my father at a year’s-end banquet, and I’m speaking. Will you go with me?”
Her guarded eyes widened. “When?”
“This weekend. In New York City.”
She swallowed, her lips pressing together as she did. “Okay.”
He had been expecting her to turn him down, so it took him a moment to realize what she’d said.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Relief rolled through him so visceral, it almost made his bones turn into jelly.
“Thank you,” he said. Maybe with Viola—and Xander, Callie, and Fiona—by his side, he could make it through this.
Chapter 15
Viola had never been to New York City, never traveled much of anywhere, really, outside of college and going to Hawaii for Callie’s wedding.
The giant skyscrapers towered above her, making her feel dizzy. She wasn’t afraid of heights—she’d spent her fair share of hours up on scaffolding to do her restorations—but there was something about being so tiny among things so big that nearly took her breath away.
It was cold enough that Viola was glad she’d thought to pack her coat and boots, and even got to wear the scarf her grandma had crocheted for her.
“Fiona’s assistant is going to get our bags to the hotel and get us checked in to our rooms.” Liam strode beside her with long, purposeful steps, weaving in and out of the crowds of people walking here and there along the sidewalk. She reached out and snatched his hand to get him to slow down. He had on his standard disguise: t-shirt under a long, wool coat, jeans, baseball cap, and sunglasses. “Sorry,” he said, chagrined. “Nervous energy.”
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