Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop

by Jessica Redland

  ‘Oh my God, Charlee, it was the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced. You and Ricky should try it.’

  I blushed as I thought of our afternoon on the sofa. He’d barely touched me since then, though. I couldn’t fathom him out. But I needed to stop thinking about my problems and focus back on Jodie. ‘And his girlfriend caught you like that?’

  ‘The poor woman. That’s a sight you really don’t want to arrive home to. I lay there, handcuffed and blindfolded while they yelled at each other. She knew who I was. Apparently he was “obsessed” with me. Karl told her that she shouldn’t be surprised and that she’d always known he was still in love with me and was only with her for a bit of fun.’ Jodie shook her head. ‘He was so nasty to her, Charlee. It was like listening to a stranger. He told her she could come back later and get her stuff because I was going to be moving in instead. She ran off sobbing.’

  I put my arm round Jodie’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. ‘You weren’t to know it would end up like that. I take it you told Karl where to go?’

  She giggled through her tears. ‘In a roundabout way.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘Well, you know how actions speak louder than words? He tried to make out that she wasn’t really living with him, that she meant nothing, and that I’d always been the only one for him. I just smiled and said, “No more talking. I understand what’s happened.” I told him that he’d given me what I needed and it was my turn to give him what he needed. I handcuffed him to the bed and blindfolded him. I got dressed, telling him that I was going to get some chocolate spread from the corner shop, but I’d squirt some cream on him ready for my return. I wrote WANKER across his body with the cream, took a photo of him, then left.’

  ‘You didn’t!’

  She took her phone out of her jeans pocket and I squealed at the image. ‘Did you just leave him there?’

  ‘I was tempted, but I called his brother and suggested that Karl might need a hand, and that he should approach him with caution, preferably with his eyes closed.’

  I looked at her phone again, giggling.

  ‘If I ever find myself thinking fondly of my time with Karl, I can look at this picture and remind myself who he really is.’

  I hugged her to me again. ‘I’m so proud of you.’

  ‘It’s only taken four years, eh? I’ve finally got my closure, though. I just wish I hadn’t been so weak to fall for his charms again.’

  ‘You wouldn’t have got your closure without that slight lapse in judgement. And you wouldn’t have had the best sex you’ve ever had.’

  Jodie laughed. ‘Every cloud…’ She stretched her arms out and yawned. ‘Karl and Hull are firmly behind me and we have a shop to get ready. What’s first, now that Niagara Falls has stopped?’

  ‘I need to get my store cupboard sorted out. Ricky’s been promising help all week and was finally going to do it today after you moved in but he’s abandoned ship again so it’s down to us. I’ve got some power tools and I know how to use them. Are you up for it?’

  ‘I certainly am.’

  I stood up and pulled Jodie to her feet. ‘Thanks,’ she said.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘For not having a go at me for getting back with Karl, albeit temporarily.’

  ‘It would have been your decision to make and I’d have supported you whatever you’d decided to do.’

  ‘Speaking of support, what’s going on with Ricky?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I’m sensing trouble in paradise. You don’t talk about him as much as you used to and, when you do, there’s an edge to your voice.’

  ‘That’s probably because I’m seriously pissed off with him today. He went to work when he’d promised he’d do the shelving and help you move in, he recommended some incompetent muppet to do my plumbing, and he hasn’t returned my calls.’ I counted each point off on my fingers, very much aware that Jodie was right and there was a definite edge to my voice.

  She gave me a gentle smile. ‘Tell you what, let’s get on with the shelving and save the man-bashing for a bottle of wine later.’

  ‘Sounds good.’ I pointed Jodie towards the drill that I’d put on to charge that morning while I picked up a box of wall plugs. Was she right? Was there trouble in paradise? I hated to admit it, but there probably was.

  10

  ‘Charlee!’

  I stopped drilling and turned to see Matt. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach yet again and I frowned. Why was I having that sort of reaction to a complete stranger?

  ‘I knocked but there was no answer,’ he said.

  ‘Sorry, Matt. I’m on a shelf-fitting frenzy.’ I put the drill down on the floor. ‘My friend Jodie’s nipped out to get some cold drinks or she’d have heard you.’

  ‘You’ve got dust on your cheek,’ he said.

  I wiped at my left cheek.

  ‘The other cheek.’

  I wiped at that one. ‘Got it?’

  He smiled, revealing really cute dimples. I love dimples on a man. ‘Not quite. Do you want me to…?’

  ‘Go ahead.’ I held my breath as he gently swept his hand across my cheek a couple of times. Wow! Serious belly flop moment!

  His eyes met mine. ‘It’s gone.’

  ‘Thank you.’ I had to pull my gaze away before I melted into those chocolate eyes of his. ‘So, er, thanks for coming back to sort out my dodgy plumbing.’

  ‘Pleasure. Do you need a hand with the shelving first?’

  ‘It’s slow-going but I think we’re okay. Thank you.’

  ‘Looks like you’re doing a great job. I’ll go upstairs, then, and fix that mess but do shout if you need another pair of hands down here.’

  I tried Ricky’s phone several times across the afternoon, feeling more and more frustrated with him each time my call connected to his voicemail. What the hell was he doing? He was only meant to be working this morning.

  Shortly after four, Matt reappeared in the shop. ‘You’re all sorted now,’ he said. ‘I’ve soaked up the water that had leaked and everything’s now properly connected. I checked your kitchen sink too which is just as well because that was also bodged but it’s all fixed now.’

  ‘I never even thought about checking the kitchen. Wait till I get my hands on Toadie. Thanks so much for checking it.’

  ‘I could tell you’d had a full refurb so I figured the kitchen sink could be at risk. I’ve run the shower, both sinks, and flushed the toilet. Everything’s running perfectly now.’ He glanced up at the ceiling where there were a couple of brownish stains. ‘That should paint over easily once its dried.’

  ‘Coffee?’ I asked.

  ‘That would be great. How’s the shelving going?’

  I wrinkled my nose. ‘Still very slowly and there may be one or two holes where there shouldn’t be any, but I keep telling myself that it’s a storeroom so it’s not like customers will see them.’

  ‘I could finish it for you if you want.’

  I was going to protest that he’d done enough already but Jodie had obviously been listening and came through from the back. ‘Yes please!’ she said. ‘My arms are killing me. How about I make the drinks and you two finish the shelves?’

  I swear the little minx winked at me when Matt wasn’t looking. I’d filled her in on a couple of the incidents with Ricky between drilling holes. She hadn’t said much, but I could tell that she wasn’t particularly impressed with his recent behaviour. As I spoke, I realised that I wasn’t either. Jodie had evidently decided that Matt was a more worthy candidate for my affections and that was before she’d even heard the full story.

  After Jodie made the drinks, I suggested she might like to return to the flat to properly unpack. She gave me a look and I knew exactly what it meant: you’re deliberately trying to get rid of me so you can be alone with Matt. That absolutely wasn’t the case. I had a boyfriend and he had a fiancée so nothing was going to happen. I was thinking of her. That was all.

 
‘So, what sort of shop are you opening?’ Matt asked after he’d put up the next shelving unit frame with ease and, it has to be said, in about a tenth of the time it had taken Jodie and me to put up one. Although, to be fair to us, it had been our first time and he’d probably done it before.

  I passed a shelf up to him as he rested on the stepladder. ‘A chocolate shop.’

  His expression suggested that he was impressed. ‘Are you a chocolatier?’

  I grinned. ‘No. I’m a master chocolatier.’

  ‘Get you! What’s the difference?’

  ‘The word “master”.’

  Matt laughed. ‘Very funny. There must be some other difference like qualifications or something.’

  I shook my head. ‘Not really. Officially, a chocolatier makes confectionery from chocolate. A master chocolatier does that too but is also more creative with chocolate, making figures and structures, for example. It’s kind of down to experience and talent.’

  He placed the shelf in position and twisted round to receive another. ‘Have you always wanted to be a chocolatier… sorry, master chocolatier.’

  ‘Yes and no. I was brought up by my grandparents and my Grandpa had a chocolate shop so I learned the craft from him when I was quite young. I worked part-time in his shop throughout school and the plan was for me to take over eventually but I stupidly decided I wanted to become a pastry chef instead…’

  I continued to pass shelves to Matt as he listened to me talking about how I’d loved being a pastry chef but had felt like something was missing. By the time I’d realised that the missing piece of the puzzle was the interaction with customers that I’d had at the shop, it was too late. Grandpa had taken early retirement and sold the shop to Pierre.

  ‘What about you?’ I asked. ‘Have you always wanted to be a plumber?’

  He nodded. ‘A bit like you, it was the family business. My dad’s a builder, joiner and qualified electrician. When my brother, Tim, and I were kids, we went onto building sites with Dad and helped out. We both loved it. Tim trained as a plasterer, painter and decorator and I trained as a plumber and gas safe engineer. The three of us formed a company about a decade ago and it’s doing really well because, between us, we can tackle pretty much anything. I couldn’t imagine working in an office and I couldn’t imagine working with anyone but my family.’

  ‘I know what you mean. I loved working with Grandpa. He was so talented and he had such an easy way with customers. He taught me everything I know. I thought you said earlier that your parents lived on a farm, though.’

  ‘You’re a good listener. Yes, they do, and I was brought up on the farm. It was my granddad’s and he expected Dad to take over, but Dad wasn’t interested in farming. When Granddad retired, he passed the farm to Dad, hoping he’d change his mind when his hand was forced, but Dad appointed a farm manager instead. Mum helps out a bit and Dad, Tim, and I do any maintenance needed, but the animals and crops are left to the farm manager, Nigel. It suits everyone and even Granddad admitted he probably should have taken that approach himself. Far less stressful.’

  The warmth in his voice conveyed how much his family and the business meant to him. ‘Sounds ideal,’ I said. ‘Do you have any other siblings?’

  ‘Just Tim. Mum wanted a girl but she joked that she wouldn’t have been able to cope with the testosterone if she had another boy so they stopped at two. Tim has two little girls, though. Mum’s in her element being a grandparent to them although she keeps going on that she wants a grandson and staring pointedly at me. Never gonna happen.’

  ‘You and Libby can’t have children?’ I put my hand over my mouth, realising how intrusive that had been.

  Thankfully, Matt didn’t look bothered. ‘I don’t know whether we can or can’t. It’s more of a case of won’t. Libby doesn’t want kids. Reckons the expense, hassle, lack of sleep when they’re babies, and attitude when they’re teenagers isn’t worth the occasional “aw moment” so I guess that’s the decision made.’

  ‘Is that what you want, though?’ I put my hand over my mouth again. ‘Sorry. That’s absolutely none of my business.’

  Matt smiled. ‘It’s fine. I don’t mind talking about it. To be honest, I always assumed that I would have kids but, when Libby said she didn’t want any, it didn’t feel like something that I wanted to fight her for.’ His face took on a wistful expression for a moment, then he smiled again. ‘Although on days like today when she’s being massively high maintenance, I do question my choices.’

  I didn’t like the sound of Libby at all and I certainly hadn’t felt any positive vibes from our brief meeting at the door. Matt, on the other hand, seemed to be the exact opposite to Libby: incredibly warm, friendly and laid back. Perhaps that was what made their relationship work; his relaxed approach balanced out her frenzied one.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Jodie asked, returning to the shop and poking her head round the stockroom door a little later. ‘Wow! You’ve nearly finished.’

  ‘Last one,’ Matt said.

  ‘I’m impressed. Do you want another coffee?’

  ‘Or there are some lagers in the fridge upstairs,’ I suggested. ‘Can I tempt you with one when we’re done?’

  ‘I was going to say yes to the coffee but a lager’s even better. I’ve got the van, but I’m okay with one. Thanks.’

  Twenty minutes later, I unplugged the vacuum cleaner and stepped back to admire our work. Tall racks of dark grey metal shelving ran round the perimeter of the large storeroom and four sets of shelves stood back-to-back in the middle of the room, making the most of the floor space.

  ‘I’d have been here all night finishing that off,’ I said. ‘I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done today, Matt. Beer o’clock?’

  He nodded. ‘Definitely.’

  Jodie was waiting for us upstairs. Two opened bottles of lager sat on the kitchen worktop, and she was already halfway down hers. I noticed that she’d plonked herself down on the single chair, which meant that Matt and I would need to share the two-seater sofa. She’d done that deliberately. I indicated that Matt should take a seat and sat beside him, feeling quite hot at being in such close proximity. Ridiculous! He was attached and so was I.

  ‘So, Matt,’ Jodie said. ‘You’re a plumber. I’m guessing you’ve encountered some pretty rancid toilets in your time.’

  ‘Jesus, yes! I swear I’ve lost some of my sense of smell now and I can pinpoint it down to the time when I got called to an incident in a hotel in town…’

  Matt regaled us with tale after tale. He had a gift for storytelling, full of dramatic pauses, accents, and acting out customers’ mannerisms. Tears rolled down Jodie’s cheeks and I got the hiccups from laughing so much, which set us all off even more.

  ‘What’s going on here?’

  We’d been laughing so hard that we hadn’t heard the door open or his footsteps on the stairs.

  ‘Ricky! Where’ve you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day.’

  ‘Working. I left my phone at the flat and I got back to a million missed calls from you. I called you but there was no answer.’

  I felt like I was being told off, despite it being him and his useless mate who should have been the ones in trouble. ‘I might have left my phone in the shop,’ I said, trying to keep my tone light as I noticed Jodie and Matt squirming.

  ‘That’s helpful,’ Ricky said.

  ‘About as helpful as you leaving your phone at the flat,’ I muttered.

  Ricky flashed his eyes at me then nodded his head towards Matt. ‘Who’s he?’

  ‘My new friend, Matt.’ I could have said ‘the emergency plumber’ but the words slipped out and I was aware that I’d said them to get a reaction. ‘He managed to sort out the bodge job that your mate Toadie did on the shower and the kitchen sink, flooding my shop.’

  ‘Toadie did a great job.’

  ‘Yes he did… if the job had been to create a water feature, or rather several water features, in the shop. But gi
ven that the job was to properly plumb in the bathroom and kitchen, not so much.’

  Matt stood up. ‘I’d better go. Thanks for the drink, Charlee.’ He headed over to the kitchen area with his unfinished bottle.

  I stood up too. ‘You don’t have to leave.’

  He walked back towards me, smiling. ‘It’s fine. My nieces are having a sleepover at the farm and my bedtime story duties will be required.’

  ‘I bet you tell an amazing bedtime story,’ I said, realising too late that it might have sounded flirty.

  Matt seemed to take it as the latter too because his eyes sparkled as he said in a teasing tone, ‘Maybe one day I’ll tell you one.’

  ‘And maybe you won’t.’ Ricky grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and yanked me towards him, as though staking his claim on me. I tried to shrug him off but he spun me round and lunged at me, forcing his tongue into my mouth as he aggressively kissed me. What the hell had got into him? He was hurting me and he was humiliating me in front of my friends although I couldn’t help wondering if that was his intention.

  I pushed him away and glared at him as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand in disgust. I couldn’t even begin to find words to convey what I thought of him at that moment but I’d find some later when we were alone. Nobody manhandled me like that and got away with it.

  I swallowed down my anger and turned to Matt, fighting to keep my voice steady. ‘I’ll let you back into the shop so you can get your stuff, Matt.’

  ‘Okay. Thanks.’

  I glared at Ricky. ‘You can wait here. If Jodie’s okay with that.’

  Jodie nodded. ‘It’s fine. You go.’

  As I set off down the stairs with Matt following me, I heard her snarl, ‘What the bloody hell was that all about, you stupid twat?’ Yay, Jodie! She’d never been one to mince her words.

  ‘I’m so sorry about that,’ I said to Matt when we were in the shop and out of earshot.

  ‘He wouldn’t…?’

  ‘God, no! He’s not violent. He’s not normally full of attitude like that, either.’ But I thought about how he’d been with Neil Winters. It would appear that my boyfriend had a nasty jealous streak and, although I’d found it quite sweet that he felt so insecure around Neil, there was nothing sweet about what had just happened. He’d left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth.