Assaulted Caramel

by Amanda Flower

  Through gritted teeth, I asked, “Who is Vivian Cone? Does she not hurt your image?”

  He stopped yelling.

  “What? You don’t have an answer for that?” I asked.

  “I can explain.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment. “There’s nothing to explain, Eric. It’s over. All of it. The lies. The relationship. Everything.” I ended the call and threw the phone into the backseat of the car. Almost immediately, the phone began to ring again.

  “Don’t answer it,” I told Cass.

  “I couldn’t answer it if I tried. You threw it way back there. I’m surprised it didn’t go through the back window.” Her voice was quiet.

  I bit my lip and felt tears gather at the corners of my eyes. I had known that I was going to end things with Eric after my first conversation with him while I was in Ohio, but knowing it and actually doing it were two very different things. I hadn’t expected it to hurt so much. I started the car again and eased it onto the street. We were less than a mile from the airport now. We’d be able to see it when we came around the next turn.

  “Bai, how long have you been dating Eric Sharp?” Cass asked.

  I kept blinking. “A few months.”

  “Just a few months?”

  I didn’t reply.

  When I didn’t say anything, she said, “Fine. I’ll just ask Eric when I get back to New York. I have a feeling he’ll tell me.”

  I tightened my hold on the steering wheel. “Don’t talk to Eric about it.”

  The private airport came into sight, and I could see Jean Pierre’s plane on the tarmac. I pulled the rental car to the guardhouse, and the man inside came out. Cass handed me her ticket to give to him.

  He looked over her paperwork and checked her ID. “Have a nice flight,” he said, and opened the gate in the eleven-foot-high chain link fence that surrounded the airport.

  “If you won’t tell me, I don’t have much choice, do I?” Cass said quietly as we drove through the gate.

  I shifted the car into park twenty or so yards away from the plane. “Fine. Eric and I were dating. Secretly.”

  “For how long?” Her voice had the quiet tone to it again.

  “Almost a year.”

  “Almost a year! And this is the first I’m hearing about it?”

  I felt tears gather in my eyes again, but I didn’t know if they were over breaking up with Eric or fighting with Cass. Most likely, it was a combination of both.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

  “I didn’t tell anyone. Neither did Eric.”

  “I’m not anyone. I’m your best friend. As your best friend, I have a right to know things you wouldn’t tell anyone else.”

  “Cass, he’s on the selection committee for the head chocolatier. You know how it would look.” It sounded like a practical reason to keep the secret from her, but I knew it was not.

  “And you think I would betray you and tell the world about it. Is that how little you trust me?” She was hurt.

  “You would’ve talked me out of seeing him.” My answer was barely above a whisper.

  She threw up her hands. “Of course, I would have tried to talk you out of it! Eric Sharp is the most egotistical man in Manhattan, and that’s saying something, isn’t it?”

  I rubbed my forehead. I could feel a headache forming behind my eyes. The plane’s engine was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think.

  Cass jumped out of the car before I could stop her. The pilot waved to her, came over, and removed her suitcase and the bags of cheese from the trunk as I slowly got out of the car. I felt like I was moving under water.

  Cass adjusted her purse on her shoulder.

  “Cass,” I began.

  “I think it’s good that you’re here in Amish Country, Bailey King. You need to figure out what you want, what career you want, what man you want—I saw you watching the deputy—and—” Her voice caught. “What best friend you want, because if you can’t tell me that your grandparents are Amish or who you’re dating, I’m not sure it’s me.”

  “That’s not true. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have trusted you.” A tear rolled down my cheek.

  “Yeah, you should have.” With that she climbed the steps into the plane.

  I stepped back and watched Jean Pierre’s jet take off with my best friend inside, or maybe my former best friend was a more accurate description. I kept my eye on the plane until it disappeared out of sight. I had a sinking feeling that I’d ruined more than one relationship that day, and the person in that airplane was the greatest loss.

  Chapter 39

  I drove out of the airport after the plane took off. When I passed the guard house and turned onto the road, I took no care to watch my speed. I wanted to return to Swissmen Sweets and see my grandparents, and have a good cry alone in the guest room. After that, I would get up and try to put my life back in order.

  Blue and red flashing lights reflected in my rearview mirror, and I said a word that my grandparents wouldn’t be happy with. I pulled the car over to the side of the road. My cry would have to wait.

  I watched through the rearview mirror as Deputy Carpenter climbed out of his cruiser. I groaned. It would have to be Carpenter, wouldn’t it?

  I powered down my window.

  “Miss King, what are you doing speeding down the road like your tail is on fire?” He smiled and rubbed his bald head.

  “I know I was speeding. I’m sorry. I’ll take the ticket and go.”

  He wasn’t going to let me off that easily. “Where were you headed so fast?”

  “I wanted to get back to my grandparents.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “License and registration.”

  I reached for my purse and removed the documents from my wallet. As I handed them to him, I noticed the shiny eagle pin that I’d seen the first day I had met him was no longer on his breast pocket. There was an impression on the fabric where it had once been. “What happened to your eagle?”

  He scowled. “My what?”

  “Your eagle. You were wearing an eagle pin that afternoon when I first saw you at my grandparents’ candy shop.”

  He frowned and peered down at his uniform. His scowl deepened. “I don’t think you are in any position to be asking questions, Miss King.” He held up my license. “This will be just a minute. I need to give you a thorough checkout.”

  I didn’t argue, although I knew he had already given me a thorough checkout because of Tyson’s murder.

  “This will just take a minute.” He strolled back to his cruiser without another word.

  While I waited for Carpenter to return, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for my phone in the backseat. Cass had been right. I’d thrown it way back there. Finally, I wrapped my fingers around it and settled back into my seat. I had ten text messages and three voicemails. All were from Eric. None were from Cass. I dropped the phone on the passenger seat.

  Carpenter came back to the car and handed me my license and registration through the open window.

  “Find anything interesting on your computer about me?” I mentally kicked myself for allowing my smart mouth to get the better of me.

  “I found plenty,” he said. He handed me a ticket.

  I blinked. The cost was two hundred dollars. I hadn’t been going that fast, but I knew better than to argue.

  He leaned on my car and peered inside. “I heard Eileen Hutton got arrested because of you.”

  “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “According to another deputy, you were there.”

  “Aiden?” I asked.

  He smiled. “Not Deputy Brody. I didn’t know you two were on a first name basis.”

  He must have heard it from the other deputy who had been there. His radio crackled, and he tipped the edge of his patrol hat at me. “Have a good day, Miss King. I’ll be seeing you.”

  In the rearview mirror, I watched as he strolled back to his patrol car and drove away.
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  I was pulling out onto the road, too, when my cell phone rang. I grabbed it from the passenger seat. “Eric, this isn’t a good time. Can we talk about this later?”

  “Bailey, it’s Aiden. I’m calling from the hospital.” His voice was tight.

  “The hospital? What happened? Is my grandfather okay?”

  There was a pause. “He collapsed again helping out at the church and was brought here by ambulance.”

  My hands felt suddenly so cold, I dropped the phone onto the floor of the car. I jerked the steering wheel sharply to the right to get off of the road, and the phone slid under the passenger seat. I swore. “Aiden, hold on, I dropped the phone. Stay on the line.”

  I heard a muffled reply. I shifted the car into park and turned on my hazard lights before unbuckling and reaching under the seat for the phone. It was just out of my grasp so I lay across the seat, and the gearshift dug into my ribs. Finally, I came up with the phone. Still half lying across the front two seats, I put it to it my ear. “Aiden, are you still there?”

  “I’m still here. Are you all right? Did you get into an accident?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “You shouldn’t be driving while you are on the phone. What happened?” His voice was tense.

  “Calm down,” I said. “I dropped the phone and it slipped under the seat. Before you ask, I pulled to the side of the road and parked the car before I looked for it. Now, please tell me what is going on with my grandfather.”

  “He collapsed again. It was at the church. He insisted on helping clean up after the wedding was canceled.” He paused. “He fell down the front steps.”

  “He fell down the steps?” My voice trembled and I could feel the blood drain from my face. “How is he?”

  “He’s alive. The doctors say that his foot should be all right, but it’s his weak heart they worry about. Your grandmother needs you. You have to come.”

  “Can you give me that address?” I put the phone on speaker and typed the address into the phone’s GPS app while he rattled it off. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

  “All right. Be careful, but hurry. You’re going to want to hurry.” There was such urgency in his voice, I felt sick to my stomach.

  Despite the speeding ticket in my purse, I pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

  Chapter 40

  When I reached the hospital, I was surprised to find Juliet—without Jethro—standing by the emergency room doors. I guessed the hospital was the one place in the county where Jethro wasn’t welcome.

  Juliet clasped both of my hands in hers. “Thank heavens you made it just in time.”

  “In time for what?” My voice trembled.

  She took me by the hand and led me through the automatic glass doors. She waved at the nurse at the desk. “This is his granddaughter.”

  The woman nodded as if that meant something to her.

  Juliet ushered me into an elevator.

  “Juliet, what’s happening?” I asked.

  She only shook her head, and a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. I knew what was happening, and I felt lightheaded. The floors ticked by with painful slowness.

  Finally, the doors opened on the fifth floor. Juliet took my hand and dragged me down the hall. I stared at the beige tiled floor that matched the beige walls. The only color in the place was on the crash carts lining the wall.

  I spotted Aiden standing outside the last room on the hallway. His sheriff’s department ball cap was folded in his hands.

  “Aiden,” Juliet called.

  He looked up, and I saw such raw pain in his eyes, I lost my breath. “You made it just in time.”

  Again, I wanted to ask what I’d made it in time for, but I knew.

  “Go in,” he whispered. “You’re the one who should be in there.”

  I peeked into the hospital room. My grandmother, looking so small, sat beside my grandfather’s bed. She held my grandfather’s hand in hers, and her head was bent as if in prayer. I tried to stop them, but my eyes traveled to my grandfather’s face. His breaths were halting. There were great pauses in between each gasp.

  Aiden squeezed my hand and didn’t let go.

  I don’t know how long I stood there in the doorway holding the deputy’s hand, but, finally, I pulled my hand away and stepped into the room. “Maami?”

  My grandmother turned to me, and there were tears in her bright blue eyes.

  “I’m so sorry, Maami.”

  She smiled through her tears. “Come here, child. He waited for you.” She stood up and offered me the chair. “Take his hand.”

  Wordlessly, I did as I was told.

  Juliet stepped into the room and enveloped my grandmother in a hug. I watched my grandfather’s chest go up and down. Each time, I counted the seconds between his labored breaths; they were becoming further and further apart. I leaned close to his ear. “I’ll take care of Maami. I’ll take care of everything. You don’t have to worry. I love you.”

  He took another breath that filled his whole chest, and then nothing. I counted, but the next breath never came.

  A nurse entered the room then, and shook her head.

  I stared at my grandfather’s face. It was without animation. It was peaceful, but empty. He wasn’t there any longer.

  “I’m sorry, Miss King, he’s gone,” the nurse said. Her voice had an echolike quality as if she were talking to me through a long cylinder.

  I stood up and marched out of the room. I fell to my knees in the middle of the hallway. This couldn’t be happening. It was as if someone had reached into my chest and yanked my heart out from the root. Oddly, I wondered if anyone had felt like this when Tyson Colton was killed. In the two days I had spent investigating his death, I was certain the answer was no. As much as this hurt, I found that to be terribly sad.

  “Bailey.” Aiden stood over me and held out his hand. There were tears in his eyes. I took his hand and gripped it as if it was a lifeline. He pulled me to my feet.

  His grip was gentle but firm, and there was a slight tremble in it.

  “I should have been here,” I said. “I should have been here with her this whole time.”

  He squeezed my hand, not letting it go. “It happened so fast. You couldn’t have gotten here any quicker. He never woke up from his fall.”

  I pulled away and went back to the room, where I found Maami, her head bent in prayer. I went to her chair and knelt beside her, but I didn’t pray. I doubted I would ever pray again. She stroked my hair while I cried, just as she used to do when I was a small child, and my heart broke.

  “It was Gotte’s time,” she said. “Gotte’s gut time.”

  I jerked away from her. “God’s good time? How can Daadi’s death be good?”

  “That is the way,” she said.

  I stood up and marched to the corner of the room. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe any good can come from any of this.”

  “Gott uses everything for the gut of those who love Him,” she said.

  “How can you love Him when he’s taken your husband from you?” I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry. Maami, can I take you home?”

  My grandmother’s blue eyes pooled with tears. “Nee. I want to stay a while longer.”

  I stared at my grandfather’s body. I couldn’t stay. He was gone. Holding his cold hand wouldn’t bring him back. “I have to go.”

  “Do what you must, child.”

  I kissed her cheek and fled the room. In the hallway, I heard heavy steps behind me. “Bailey,” Aiden said.

  I didn’t turn around. Instead I ran away from him.

  Chapter 41

  I unlocked the front door to Swissmen Sweets and stepped inside. Usually the smell of cocoa soothed me, but I didn’t know if I could ever be soothed again. I still couldn’t believe that Daadi was gone, and on the day the police released the candy shop’s kitchen, the same day I lost my boyfriend and my best friend. If God cared for me at all, this would not have happened.
At least he wouldn’t have taken my grandfather so quickly. He could have given me a few more days at the very least. He could have let me say good-bye.

  “Nutmeg!” I called for the cat.

  “Meow!” The cry came from the kitchen. I followed his meows and stepped into the kitchen. The blood stain had been expertly removed from the tile. All the appliances and surfaces were sparkling clean. One of the huge mixers was turning a vat of hot caramel over and over. My grandfather must have started the caramel before he and Maami left for the church. It was so like him to set right to work so they could open the candy shop the next day. Using a wooden spoon, I scooped some of the hot caramel into a stainless steel bowl. The least I could do was start the next day’s candies. I would start with my grandfather’s famous salted caramel fudge. Maybe I was more like my grandparents than I thought. Maybe I needed to always be working too.

  “Meow!” Nutmeg called again.

  “Where have you gotten to?” I asked the cat, who I could hear, but not see. Not for the first time, I wondered what would happen to the cat when I went back to New York. Would my grandmother keep him? My life in New York had no room for a cat, and that was assuming I still had a life in the city to go back to. By this point, I had surely forfeited the head chocolatier position to whomever else the committee thought was worthy. I’d disqualified myself the moment my relationship with Eric hit the New York Star. Jean Pierre must know of it by now.

  I set the bowl of caramel on the counter and went in search of the cat. I found him tucked behind the other mixer, the one that was empty. The space wasn’t much bigger than the width of a novel. He stuck one white paw out of the tiny cavity.

  “How on earth did you get yourself wedged back in there? More importantly, how am I going to get you out?”

  He poked his paw out again, and this time it was behind a golden eagle pin. My chest clenched. I had seen that pin before.