The morning started with a rush on the hot chocolate, making Rosie glad she’d already prepared her first batch of the day in the heavy copper pan used solely for that purpose. The cooler autumn mornings seemed to be putting people in the mood for a warm and comforting beverage to start their day. The trend would only continue as they counted down the days to Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas.
After the morning cocoa rush there was a quiet hour, then a steady pickup in business that kept Rosie on her feet all through lunch hour.
Though Rosie was glad to be busy, she couldn’t help but wish for a few lulls so she could work on her brother’s script. What with the time she was spending with Sara Maria, working on the house with Brant—not to mention having a new roommate—she was finding it harder than ever to keep up with Daniel’s output.
Last night, instead of helping Brant with the scraping, she should have kept fleshing out the scene Daniel needed. She’d only made it halfway through—no matter what, she had to finish it tonight after work.
But when she arrived home shortly after six and found Brant on a ladder, priming the window frames, she almost forgot her resolve. His long lean muscles were clearly visible under his basic white t-shirt and the smile of welcome he gave her was full of temptation.
“Want to join in the fun?”
“I’d love to. But I have a little project to work on tonight. Something for my brother.”
He paused, obviously waiting for her to elaborate.
Rosie knew Daniel wouldn’t mind at all if she told people she was working on the script with him. In fact he was keen for her to take her share of the profits and credit.
But up until now, she hadn’t felt worthy, somehow. Daniel was the one with the ideas, he shaped the story and had the contacts and know-how to get a project accepted for production. She just filled in a few of the blanks with dialogue.
Lately though, she’d been doing a lot more. Soon she would have to come clean about her involvement, especially if their screenplay actually went into production.
But not yet.
At the kitchen table Rosie found another note from Portia.
“Aunt Sage needs me to babysit tonight because Dawson is working and she’s at a critical stage with her chocolate. I’ll probably sleep over, so the house is yours!”
Rosie blushed at the implication.
But she also smiled, and continued to do so as she opened her laptop and picked up the scene where she’d left it last night.
Soon she was lost in the alternate universe of the small town drama devised by her brother. When Brant knocked at the screen door over an hour later, she was surprised to see it was dusk already.
“I’ve got to call it a day,” Brant said. “I have an early morning tomorrow. Lots to do before I take my week off.”
“Wait a minute. You’re going on a holiday?” She saved her document and shut the laptop, before opening the screen door between them.
“Yeah, a relaxing holiday spent painting the house of this cute girl I just met.”
Her face went hot and she couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks for the compliment, but I don’t want you using up your vacation doing this work for me.”
“We’re running out of time darlin’. According to the weather network we’ve got a beautiful window of sunny, warm weather to get the job done now. Besides, I’ve got a bunch of banked vacation days.”
Rosie didn’t argue anymore, because she was running out of time as well. If her house was still on the market come November she might not be able to sell it until next spring. Maddie Cash had warned her it was difficult to sell a house during the holiday season.
“That’s very sweet of you.”
“Yeah. Isn’t it?”
Oh, she loved that cocky smile of his. When he stepped forward to kiss her, she found herself melting even more.
“I wish I had more stew to offer. But we finished it last night.”
“That’s okay. I’m going to pick up a burger on my way out of town. See you tomorrow?”
One last kiss and he was gone.
*
Friday morning when Rosie awoke she found a text message from Portia confirming she’d stayed the night at Sage’s and wouldn’t be home until later that morning. She’d set up a lunch meeting with the owners of the Two Old Goats wine store—could Rosie meet her there at quarter past twelve?
“Yes, if Sage covers the shop for me.”
A minute later Portia responded. “Just asked her and she said sure.”
Rosie was putting on her mascara when she realized she hadn’t seen Huck yet this morning. She put down the wand and went to look in her parents’ bedroom. Sure enough Huck was fast asleep in his usual spot.
“Hey, Huck. Want to go out and then have some food?”
The old dog opened his eyes but didn’t lift his head.
Her stomach tightened with concern. “Huck? Come on old boy. We can go for a walk if you want. How does that sound? Want to go for a walk?”
None of his favorite words—go out, food, walk—roused him.
This general pattern of apathy was really starting to worry her. She decided she would have to take him to the vet this morning if Dr. Sullivan could squeeze him in. A quick phone call confirmed he would.
“Okay, Huck, I’m going to have to insist you get up. Can you do it boy, or do I need to carry you?” Lifting him wouldn’t be fun since Huck weighed an awkward forty-five pounds. So she was relieved when he finally, unsteadily, rose to his feet.
She didn’t try to rush him as he slowly made his way to the back door. When he was finished his constitutional she filled his dish with his favorite food, laced with gravy. He sniffed but didn’t partake.
“Okay. Into the car with you.” Normally she walked him to the vet, it wasn’t that far, but today that wasn’t an option. With a boost he managed to scramble into the passenger side of her vehicle. A few minutes later, she was coaxing him into the front door of the clinic.
Despite a room full of waiting clients, Veronica, the older, white-haired receptionist was really sweet. She came out from behind her counter and gave Huck some TLC. “Not yourself today, are you, Huck?”
“He refused his breakfast. I had to struggle to get him to go outside to pee.”
“Could be psychological. I’m sure he still misses your father. But we’ll have to rule out medical causes, too. Dr. Sullivan is going to want to run a few tests. He suggested you leave Huck with us for a few hours, so we can squeeze the work in between our scheduled appointments. You okay with that?”
“I have to open the chocolate shop in ten minutes, so that would be awesome. You’ll call me if there are any problems?”
“Absolutely.” Veronica patted her arm. “And you, honey? How are you doing? I heard you aren’t having much luck selling your family’s old house.”
“Not yet. But hopefully soon.” Veronica was lovely, but she could be a bit too chatty. “I should get to work now.” She crouched down to stroke her dog.
“Bye-bye, Huck. I’ll be back soon, okay?”
The old lab gave her such a dejected look, she almost couldn’t leave. But Veronica promised they’d take good care of him. So with one last pat, she finally left, saying a silent prayer that whatever was wrong, it wouldn’t be serious.
*
The Two Old Goats wine store was on Front Street beside the bridal store, Married in Marietta.
“For good reason.” Clifford Yerks, one of the two sixty-plus-year-old men who owned the place, joked. “Anyone contemplating marriage is going to need to pair that insane decision with a well-aged and elegant cabernet sauvignon.”
Rosie looked at Portia. Both laughed.
“Let me just say,” Emerson Moore said, “we’re really excited about this idea of yours. We frequently do wine tastings, but partnering with Sage’s chocolate shop really has us inspired.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” Portia placed a large copper-colored box on the center of the round ta
ble at the back of the store where all four were seated. “Sage included samples here of ten of our most popular chocolates. From these she was hoping you could choose five that would make good wine-pairing menu items for our event.
“Oh, yummy. We get to sample?” Clifford rubbed his hands together.
Of the two men—who’d moved to Marietta five years ago after retiring from jobs on Wall Street—Clifford appeared to be the one with the biggest sweet tooth, since his girth was about double his partner’s.
“Absolutely,” Portia said. “We’ve brought along two of each type of chocolate.”
“That would mean ten chocolates each!” Emerson protested. “We’re going to need a knife.”
“Are we?” Clifford checked his partner’s expression then added in a resigned tone, “Yes, I guess we are.”
Once the knife had been procured, Rosie donned a pair of latex gloves then expertly sliced each sample chocolate into halves. One by one the men took their tastes, jotting down notes on each chocolate before cleansing their palates with small squares of French bread and sips of water.
Just watching them taste the chocolates was comical. Rosie had seen lots of happy customers savor Sage’s chocolates. But these men seemed to become one with the chocolate.
“Did you get that hint of tobacco in the single origin?” Emerson asked.
“Yes. I’m thinking merlot, something with concentrated fruit notes.”
On and on the discussion went, and they hadn’t moved past the first five samples. Rosie realized that the hour she’d agreed upon with Sage wasn’t going to be nearly enough time.
A glance at Portia confirmed she was thinking the same thing.
“How about we leave these with you,” Rosie suggested. “And you get back to us with your ideas on which would be most suitable?”
The men were so focused on their task they didn’t seem to hear at first. Finally Clifford took note and rose from his chair.
“Thank you so much, lovely ladies. We are going to come up with a kick-ass menu for your event.”
“Elegantly put,” Emerson said drily. “But I’m sure they get the gist. We will call you soon.”
“Wonderful,” Rosie said. But the men had already turned their attention back to the chocolate.
*
Rosie wondered if Brant would show up at five-thirty as usual that Friday afternoon. She was alone in the shop, Sage having left hours ago along with Portia who wanted to use her aunt’s color printer to make a poster for their event.
Rosie told herself it didn’t really matter, since she’d be seeing Brant every day for the next week as painted her house.
Still, her heart jumped happily when she saw him stride by the display window, pausing as usual by the chocolate shop door.
Also as per usual, he removed his hat after he entered the store. The smile he gave her this time, though, was a lot more personal.
“Good afternoon, cowboy. May I offer you a sample of our chocolate mint melt away today?”
His smile broadened. “No ma’am, you may not. I’m here for my regular.”
“And nothing I can offer will tempt you…”
He lowered his voice and it came out sounding rich and husky. “We’ve already determined you can tempt me. Just not by anything currently for sale in that chocolate counter of yours.”
“Is that so, sir,” she said demurely. She pulled a box from under the counter, already wrapped and ready to go. “Your dozen salted chocolate caramels, as per usual.”
Before he could pull out his wallet, she shook her head. “This one is on me, cowboy.”
“There’s no need for you to do that.”
“Yes there is when you’ve been spending every spare hour you’ve got painting my house.”
“I’d still feel better—”
“I insist, cowboy. This one is on the house. So to speak.”
They both chuckled, and Brant leaned an arm on the divider between them. “How about you join my sister and me for our pizza and movie tonight?”
She hesitated. Friday night was the one bit of dedicated time Brant reserved for Sara Maria. She wasn’t sure she should bust into it.
“Trust me, you’ll make Sara Maria just as happy as me if you say yes.”
Sadly, she believed that was true. So she agreed.
“Awesome.” He took the bag with the chocolates. “You’re closing at six, right? Want me to help?”
“No, I’ve already taken care of everything. I just need to lock up and go. Why don’t you take the chocolates to Sara Maria. I’ll meet you both at the pizza parlor. I need to take Huck home from the vet first.”
Brant frowned. “He sick?”
“Wouldn’t eat anything this morning and was so lethargic I could hardly coax him to go out and do his business, so I dropped him off for a checkup this morning. Dr. Sullivan called me a few hours ago. The good news is that physically he’s fine. The bad news is the vet believes Huck is suffering from a prolonged depression after the death of my father. And there’s not much I can do about that.”
“Poor fella. I hope he perks up soon.” Brant slapped his hat back on his head. “See you in about thirty minutes?”
“Perfect.” Once he was gone she hustled to the kitchen and whipped off her apron. Not only did she want to make sure Huck was okay, but she also planned to change into one of the outfits she and Portia had ordered online.
Chapter Thirteen
“What do you say if Rosie joins us for pizza and a movie tonight?” Brant knew he was pushing his luck, talking to Sara Maria while she was watching her program.
Without taking her attention off the screen, though, Sara Maria calmly said, “That’s good.”
He’d already given her the chocolates and now he was just waiting until the credits rolled on the game show so they could get moving.
“What is China,” Sara Maria said.
And, yes, she was correct.
A growing sense of pride warmed his chest as he watched his sister nail the world history category. Recalling Rosie’s comment about Sara Maria’s reading choices, he glanced around the room until he spotted the book of writings from Immanuel Kant, bookmarked well beyond the half-way point.
Why was his sister so smart in some ways—so extraordinarily smart—yet stunted in others? Undone by change in routine, curtailed by disabling anxiety, forgetful, and careless regarding certain rules of basic safety…
When she’d had that breakdown after their mother’s death, he’d thought that was it for her. That she’d be unable to function at the level she’d been maintaining up until then.
He had to admit she’d proved him wrong. She was almost back to her normal now and, in some ways, actually growing stronger, as if, without Mom around to cushion her, she was learning new coping strategies.
There was no doubt this home was no longer the right place for her. But where was? Even her doctors admitted she wasn’t a good candidate for independent living.
Finally the show was over, including the credits. Sara Maria powered off the television.
“Let’s go.”
He jumped to his feet. As usual they were quiet during their walk to the pizza parlor. They were placing their drink orders when Rosie made her entrance.
And it was some entrance.
His request for three colas and glasses of water died in his throat. Rosie looked incredible. She’d changed into a flowing skirt and silky blouse and was wearing heels that made her legs look even longer and slimmer than usual.
Best of all, she wore her hair loose and curly, the way he liked it.
Getting to his feet, he waited until she was seated next to Sara Maria before he settled back down.
“Looking pretty fine, Miss Rosie.”
“I’m glad you think so. Sorry I’m late. It was hard to leave Huck, even though I know I’m not the person he wants to be with.”
“Who does he want to be with?” Sara Maria asked.
“My dad. The vet says he misses hi
m a lot and that’s why he’s so depressed.”
“We shouldn’t leave him alone.” Sara Maria dropped her menu. “We can order our pizza to go and watch a movie on your television. That way Huck will have lots of company.”
“Hang on,” Brant said. “Who says Rosie wants us tramping over to her place?”
“But I do. I think it’s an excellent suggestion.” It was also pretty amazing that the suggestion had come from Sara Maria. Apparently she wasn’t as wedded to her routines as Brant had thought.
*
Thirty minutes later, they were all settled in Rosie’s living room with their cans of sodas and an extra-large vegetarian pizza open on the coffee table. Brant sat on the sofa cushion next to Rosie, letting his hand graze the back of her neck, creating shivers of pleasure she tried hard to hide. At first Rosie worried Sara Maria would notice and comment, but she was totally focused on Huck, calling and calling for him to join them.
Finally Huck made his appearance, his nails clacking on the hardwood as he ambled from his rug in Rosie’s parents’ room. When he settled on the floor at Sara Maria’s feet, Sara Maria slid down beside him. Huck promptly laid his head on her lap, and she rested one hand on his back while eating pizza with the other.
A less polite dog might have taken advantage of the situation, but Huck showed no interest in sneaking a bite of pizza.
Given his poor appetite lately, if he had, Rosie would have happily looked the other way.
But he seemed content just to be near Sara Maria. Nothing more, nothing less.
Picking a movie proved complicated. Sara Maria had seen everything she considered worthwhile that was available on Netflix. When Rosie brought out her parents’ old DVD collection, however, Sara Maria pounced on Jerry Maguire.
“I’ve always wanted to see that. It’s been highly rated by some of the better critics.”
Rosie did a double take. Sometimes Sara Maria sounded like a college professor when she spoke.
“I’d like to see it as well,” Brant said. “You, Rosie?”
“It’s one of my favorites. I never get tired of it.” Though it was definitely the sort of movie she’d have preferred watching just the two of them. Especially the scene where Jerry kisses Dorothy good night for the first time… On second thought it was probably too soon in their relationship to watch a scene like that alone.
Melt My Heart, Cowboy (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 1) Page 11