Dalton’s crack of laughter drew stares from others around the lounge. “Man, I knew you were good, but this...” He shook his head. “This is Cooper-Hewitt Award good.”
Gavin accepted the praise with a nod of his head. He signaled for a waiter, ordering a beer and Angus beef sliders.
“So, what do you see happening with you and these guys?” Gavin asked.
“Well, first thing I plan to do tomorrow is book a booth for the expo. In fact,” Dalton said, pulling the laptop closer, “I might just do it right now.”
“I mean long term.”
“Why? You thinking about leaving the chocolate business?” Dalton chuckled. When Gavin didn’t join in, his ex-partner looked up. “That was supposed to be a joke.”
“You don’t see me laughing, do you?”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Dalton closed the laptop. “What are you saying, man? I thought you were done with the computer business?”
“So did I,” Gavin said. “But working on that program...” He shook his head. “I’m thinking maybe I was too hasty in leaving Technology Concepts.”
“What about the chocolate store?”
Gavin shrugged. “I’ve been tossing around the idea of putting more of the business side of things into Tonya’s hands, but now I wonder if maybe I could become a silent partner and she just take over the shop completely,” he said, his mind recoiling at the words, but Gavin continued. “Tonya is probably a better chocolatier than I am. She can find someone to run the front of the store. It would work out.”
But even as Gavin spoke the words, a heavy weight settled in his gut. He didn’t want to walk away from his business. He’d been in that position before, and the thought of facing what he’d been through after leaving Technology Concepts churned like a raging sea storm inside of him. But after this week, being in his kitchen just wasn’t the same anymore. Something was missing.
Or, rather, someone.
“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” Gavin said. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about.”
“Well, when you’ve made the decision, let me know,” Dalton said. “The possibilities are vast, my friend. We could make another run at it. Who the hell knows, this time around we may build something even better than Technology Concepts.”
***
Erica stared at the man sitting across from her, sharing his awkward discomfort. She held her hands up. “Understand that I am not judging you, Mr. Aristophonicholi, but I could not, in good conscience, not say anything.”
“You didn’t say anything to my wife, did you?”
“No,” she quickly assured him. “That’s not my place. But you can understand the catastrophe that could have taken place if your wife had set up a Your Wildest Dreams experience on the same day you had one scheduled, right?”
He nodded. “Thank you,” he said. He sat back in his chair and let out a weary breath. “I guess I need to make a decision.”
Erica gave him a small, understanding smile. “Let me know if you want me to cancel one of the experiences,” she said. “There are usually no refunds at this late stage, but your circumstances are different. I’ll refund everything minus the hotel cancellation fees.”
“Cancel the Valentine’s Day experience I planned for Rebecca.” He looked up. “And, if you can, add a dinner cruise on the Steamboat Natchez to the experience Amelia planned. She’s always wanted to do one of those, but I’ve always put it off.”
It took every bit of self-control Erica could summons not to pump her fist in the air with a whoop. “If you don’t mind my saying, I think you made the right choice. Your wife is lovely.”
“She is,” he said. “I’m lucky to have her.”
Erica saw Steven Aristophonicholi out of the office. When his elevator arrived, the doors opened to reveal Hilton Banks and the other two consultants from The Hawthorn Group. From the expressions on their faces, Erica had a feeling they had thoroughly enjoyed the Your Wildest Dreams experience they’d been treated to the previous night.
All three accepted the coffee she offered. While she poured their beverages, they regaled her with tidbits about their night.
“I thought your business concept was impressive on paper, Ms. Cole, but after actually experiencing it, I think Your Wildest Dreams may be the most exciting enterprise I’ve come across in the past twenty years.” Hilton Banks accepted his cup of coffee, and continued. “What you’ve created is very special indeed. The probability for success is enormous.”
“Thank you,” Erica said. She took her seat, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” he said.
“What was the best part of the night for you personally?”
“The Haunted French Quarter tour,” he said. “Hands down.”
“I figured you’d say that,” she said. “In our previous meeting, you were very excited about the idea of creating experiences centered on Halloween, which led me to believe that you like being scared out of your skin.”
Erica turned to the woman sitting at her right. “And you, Mrs. Henderson. During that same meeting you mentioned that you had just returned from an antiques-hunting trip with your husband. That’s why that tour of the Royal Street Antiques shop was included. If the only option available to you was a menu of ready-made packages, neither of you would have experienced the two things that you probably enjoyed the most.”
Erica set her coffee cup on the table and clasped her hands together. “You see, the thing that makes the Your Wildest Dreams experience special is that it is your wildest dreams. It’s all about the client having a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even if the franchise offered an à la carte option, something would still be lost because you wouldn’t be able to offer every single person’s wildest dream.”
“We spoke about this before, Ms. Cole,” Sheena Henderson spoke up. “There would have to be a trade-off. Tailoring experiences to each and every customer just isn’t feasible on such a large scale.”
“I know,” Erica said. She lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. “And that’s the problem, because that’s what Your Wildest Dreams is all about.”
Chapter Twelve
Gavin placed the last heart-shaped chocolate in the red-leather oblong candy box he’d had especially made for Your Wildest Dreams’ special Valentine’s Day chocolates. The boxes could be kept as special keepsakes once the contents had been enjoyed. He folded the protective tissue over the chocolates, holding it in place with a Decadente gold foil sticker.
He added the box to the fifteen others lined up on the counter in the kitchen. A courier would deliver them to Erica’s office in an hour.
It had been over a week since he’d heard from her. Gavin thought he’d experienced agony before, back when Whitney had ripped his heart out and stomped on it with her spiked stilettos, but the pain he’d felt then was nothing compared with what he’d endured these past few days. Erica Cole had become as essential to his everyday existence as air, and without her he’d been slowly smothering to death.
After thinking back on their argument, Gavin realized how overbearing and insensitive he’d been. It wasn’t his place to tell Erica what to do with her business, or to make her feel like a sellout just because he didn’t agree with her choices. He’d left a half-dozen messages on her voicemail this week, apologizing. But she had not returned a single one.
The only reason Gavin had decided not to deliver the chocolates himself was because he knew she was probably wound tighter than a piano string with all of the work she had on her plate. This being the day before Valentine’s Day, she was no doubt up to her ears in last-minute details. But after tomorrow they were going to talk. Whether the talk ended with them as lovers or as just two people who needed to rebuild their friendship, it didn’t matter. But he couldn’t go this long without seeing her again. She meant too much to him.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Gavin pulled it out. It was Dalton.
“What’s up?” he
greeted him.
“That’s why I’m calling,” Dalton said. “Have you put in your two weeks’ notice at Decadente?”
Gavin chuckled at the thought of giving himself two weeks’ notice, given he was the owner. “No,” he answered. Dalton’s disappointed sigh came through the phone line loud and clear. “But I’m not saying no to you, either,” Gavin continued.
“So, what are you saying?”
“I’ve thought about it, and I realized that I love making chocolates too much to give it up,” he said. “But I also love writing code. The work I did for you reminded me how much I missed it. So, I’ve decided to freelance.
“Tonya and I talked about it. I’m making her business manager. I’m going to delegate some of Decadente’s behind-the-scenes duties to her so I can concentrate on making the chocolates, which is the reason I started this business in the first place. Not having to tackle all of that paperwork will free up a lot of my time. I plan to use that to take on some freelance coding and design jobs. That was always my first love. It was when I started doing more of the CEO stuff that I started to lose my edge at Technology Concepts.”
“Damn, man. Sounds like you’ve come up with the perfect solution,” Dalton said.
“I think so. I can have the best of both worlds.”
“Let it be known right now that when you start freelancing, I get first dibs.”
“Sounds good.” Gavin chuckled. “I’ll catch up with you later. Good luck at the expo,” he added before ending the call.
Thinking over the conclusion he’d come to the other night brought with it a bit of solace. His personal life was still in a state of upheaval, but at least he was clear about what he wanted to do professionally.
When he’d approached Tonya with his idea, she’d actually hugged him. Then she’d whipped out a binder filled with plans she had for Decadente, including expanding their online business. Apparently, Gavin had been stifling the company’s growth.
He was more than willing to take a step back and allow Tonya to bring some of her ideas for Decadente to life. He could do what he loved best, lose himself in making chocolates.
Although he hadn’t had much success in losing himself in it today, not when the chocolates he’d prepared were specifically for the person he’d been trying not to think about. He was a fool to think that he could stop thinking about her. Erica had occupied the top spot in his brain for nearly three years; what made him think he could just turn off those feelings?
Gavin went over to the storage closet and pulled out the supplies he needed for making the Grand Marnier truffles. Now that he was done with Erica’s chocolates, he needed to get back to replenishing the store’s stock. A record number of people had walked through the doors of Decadente this week, helped greatly by the fifty-percent off coupon. But, to his and Tonya’s utter surprise and relief, most of those who’d used the coupons had already returned to buy more chocolates at full price and promised they would return in the future.
Gavin was infinitely relieved that the incident with the coupon hadn’t cost Decadente to lose profits, but, in a way, he was grateful it had happened. That mishap had brought home that he was taking on too much, trying to control everything. He should have started sharing the load with Tonya a long time ago.
He had never been in danger of losing this business. If he played his cards right, Decadente would satisfy taste buds in New Orleans for a long time to come.
There was a knock on the kitchen door, followed by a softly intoned, “Can I come in?”
Gavin whipped around at the voice that had haunted his every waking moment for the past week. Erica stood just inside the door, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her stylish black skirt.
“Hi,” she said, her smile hesitant.
“Hi,” Gavin returned. “Long time no see.”
She nodded. “Too long, I think. I’ve been going through chocolate withdrawal.”
He stared at her for several long moments before speaking. “Is that the only reason you came back? For the chocolates?” he asked, his chest tightening as he awaited her answer.
Erica shook her head. “No, Gavin.” She started toward him. “The chocolates have nothing to do with it. Well, almost nothing,” she said, and her smile broadened.
She stopped a couple of feet away from him. He had to stop himself from reaching out to her and pulling her into his arms. He just wanted to feel her against him again, to know that she was here, in the flesh, and not a figment of his imagination.
She motioned to the leather boxes on the counter. “Are those fancy boxes for Your Wildest Dreams?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was supposed to be a surprise. I had them specially made. The boxes can be used to hold jewelry or other trinkets once the person is done with the chocolates.”
Erica shook her head. “You’re too much, Gavin Foster.”
He stared at her for a long time before softly whispering, “I was hoping I was just enough.”
“I think you’re more than enough,” she said.
He knew he’d missed her teasing; he just hadn’t realized how much.
“It’s been strange not having you around,” Gavin said. He looked over at her and grinned. “We’ve got a lot more inventory.”
She choked out a laugh, and the wall of awkwardness crumbled.
But then Erica sobered, her eyes filled with regret. “Gavin, I’m sorry,” she said.
“I’m the one who should apologize. I had no right to tell you what to do with your business.”
“You had every right,” she said. “I’ve come here seeking your advice for the past year, asking you to do exactly what you did. Just so happens we didn’t agree.”
“That’s to be expected from time to time.”
“Yes, it is. And from now on, maybe I can try not to fly off the handle when you say something I don’t agree with,” she said. She tilted her head to the side, a soft smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “I really, really missed you, Gavin.”
“Same here,” he said, and then he pulled her to him, unable to stand another minute of not touching her. She freely accepted his embrace, wrapping her arms around him.
“I realized this week just how much I’ve come to rely on you,” Gavin said. He smoothed his hand down her hair and along her cheek, hooking his fingers under her chin and lifting her face to his. “And not just as Decadente’s new quality-control officer,” he said.
Her smile warmed Gavin from the inside out.
“Is that an official job offer?”
“I’ll have to talk it over with my new business manager, but I think she’ll agree. She’s in a hiring mood. I think we’re going to get another permanent employee, and Tonya is going to take over a lot of the paper work.”
“So, what will you do?” she asked.
“What I do best, work my magic with chocolate.”
“As the new quality-control officer, I think that is an excellent idea,” she said. “Speaking of which, I think I see some chocolates that need inspecting.”
Chuckling, he reached over and picked up a kalpasi-flavored truffle and brought it to her mouth. Instead of taking a bite, Erica grabbed his hand and pulled it away.
“Before I accept this new job offer, I have a couple of demands.”
Gavin’s brow rose.
“First, these special chocolates must become a regular offering here at Decadente. I don’t care if you have to charge one hundred dollars a pound. Once people taste them, they’re going to pay.”
He nodded. “I have a bit of kalpasi left over. Maybe we can do a trial run. If it’s profitable, they’re on the menu,” Gavin said. “What’s the other demand?”
“I get unlimited access to the magic room and the head chocolatier.”
Gavin leaned over and placed a gentle, yet smoldering, kiss to her lips. “I think I can handle that.”
Epilogue
Erica ended her call and set her cell phone on the coffee table in Gavin’s living room. She
resumed the position she’d held for the past hour, leaning back and nestling herself against Gavin’s chest. He wrapped his arm more securely around her and nuzzled her neck.
“That was the director at the Audubon Zoo,” she told him.
“Is everything okay?”
“Perfect. He was calling to say how much the Lohmans enjoyed their safari-themed dinner. He said he couldn’t wait until tomorrow; he had to tell me right away. I also had a text message from Beverly Jones. She said two of Your Wildest Dreams’ guests have already mentioned that they will book future stays.”
“Sounds as if this is the start of a beautiful friendship between you and Mrs. Jones,” he said.
Erica elbowed him in the gut. “I doubt the two of us will ever be friends, but I have no problem being a business acquaintance.”
“You’re very good at being a business acquaintance,” he remarked.
She burrowed herself more firmly against him, needing to be as close to Gavin as possible to make up for the week she’d missed with him. It would probably go down as one of the most miserable weeks of her existence.
“How did Hilton Banks take it when you called to say you were passing on the franchise offer?” Gavin asked.
“He said that he thinks I’ll eventually change my mind.”
She felt Gavin shrug. “Maybe you will. Who knows what the future may bring? Maybe you’ll come up with another business concept that they’ll flip over.”
“Or maybe I’ll just forget about being in business for myself and sign on as Decadente’s quality-control officer full time.”
“Hey, the job is yours for the taking.”
She laughed. “I don’t think I’m ready to give Your Wildest Dreams up just yet,” she said. “But, after a while, I started thinking that The Hawthorn Group was onto something with their à la carte idea. I put together some ideas for a Mardi Gras–themed experience this week and ran it by a few of my contacts. They went crazy over it.”
In Her Wildest Dreams Page 11