Sweeter Than Chocolate: Valentine's Day Anthology

by Gina Kincade

  Right off the bat, Beatrice had put him at ease during her matchmaking interview. When it was over, she’d handed him a photograph from the console behind her desk of a gorgeous young woman, then announced that she was fixing him up with her daughter. Miranda and he hit it off immediately and wound up seeing each other exclusively just a month later. Everything had been perfect. Or so he’d thought until she’d brought his world crumbling down around him when she announced she was moving to Texas.

  She’d come over after work on a beautiful September afternoon. The sky had been a perfect robin’s egg blue, not a cloud in the sky, and the leaves had just begun to change color. When she’d suggested they take a drive, he’d thought nothing of it. Even when she’d told him they needed to talk, he hadn’t been worried. Like a fool, he thought she was going to tell him they should set a date to get married. They’d talked about it a number of times, and she was well aware he was ready whenever she was. How could he have known that instead of becoming his bride, she wanted to move across the country?

  And now she was back in town.

  It hadn’t taken Beatrice longer than, “Hello, Ian. It’s nice to see you again,” to inform him that Miranda’s job in Texas hadn’t worked out and she was living in a little condo on the west side of town. Now with Beatrice being a matchmaker and her having fixed them up in the first place, it wasn’t a stretch to assume the reason she’d come into the shop wasn’t only to purchase a music box but to get them back together. There was no way that was ever going to happen. Miranda might still encompass his dreams, but he’d never let her back into his life. He’d been a fool once. Never again.

  “What else would you like me to do?” Holly asked, jolting him back to the present. She draped the dust cloth over her arm and looked at him with a smile.

  “I have to go through the rest of the boxes from the Douglas estate sale. Care to watch the front of the store?”

  “Go on,” she said, playfully waving the cloth at him. “If someone comes in with two thousand dollars looking to buy the Japanese sideboard, I’ll come get you. Otherwise, I can hold down the fort.”

  “What would I do without you?” He chuckled as he walked toward the back room.

  “Good thing you don’t have to find out,” she called after him.

  Holly was right. Her friendship meant a lot to him and was certainly easier to maintain than a love relationship.

  ***

  Miranda’s head ached. She’d been bothered by it all day. No doubt due to worrying about seeing Ian. She washed down two pain relievers with a cup of black coffee, then turned off her computer.

  “Have a good night.” Sue Thomas, a coworker from across the hall, poked her head in Miranda’s office. “Doing anything exciting for Valentine’s Day?”

  “Nope. Not a thing.”

  “Well, this is only Thursday. There’s still time for Prince Charming to show up.”

  “Not going to happen,” she said firmly.

  “I thought your mom would’ve hooked you up with someone.”

  Miranda shook her head. “I’m not interested in dating, and I’m certainly not interested in going out on Valentine’s Day.”

  “Me neither. Always thought it was an overrated holiday anyway. Candy and flowers. Who needs them? One makes you fat; the other makes you sneeze.”

  Miranda laughed. “See you tomorrow.” She’d gotten her old job back at Patterson Advertising and had been staying late every day since. She wanted to make sure her boss knew how much she appreciated him taking her back. Today, however, she was leaving on time.

  She pulled a mirror from her handbag, then applied fresh lipstick and removed a smudge of mascara from under her eye. After she tucked the mirror back in her purse, she took the carousel music box off her desk and headed out the door.

  The drive to Yesterday’s Treasures seemed to take forever. She hit every red light, giving her way too much time to fret over her meeting with Ian. When she entered the shop, her hands were trembling and her heart was pounding hard against her chest. A very attractive young woman got up from behind Ian’s desk and walked toward her.

  “Hello,” the woman said. “What can I do for you today? Is there something that you’re—” Her jaw snapped shut as she stared at the music box in Miranda’s hands.

  “This was a gift from my mother. She bought it here,” Miranda said awkwardly.

  “Yes, I know. It was just the other day. I was here when she purchased it. You must be Miranda.”

  The way the woman was looking at her made her uncomfortable. “Yes, I am.”

  “Your mom is quite chatty. She had a lot to say about your move back here.”

  “I’ll bet she did,” Miranda grumbled under her breath.

  The woman held out her hand, and Miranda shook it. “I’m Holly. Ian’s assistant.”

  A spike of jealousy shot through her as she studied the pretty brunette. Was that all she was, Ian’s assistant, or was she something more? Perhaps his girlfriend too. Miranda wouldn’t be surprised. After all, she didn’t expect him to be pining away for her. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Are you looking to return the music box? Don’t you like it?” Holly asked.

  “No, no. I love it. It’s just that I need to find out who sold it to Ian?”

  “You’ll have to talk to him about that. He’s in the back going through some boxes. I’ll get him for you.”

  Before Miranda could reply, Holly spun on her heel and hurried to the back of the shop. Any minute now she’d be face-to-face with Ian. Her heart pounded so fast her head started to spin. She grabbed the back of an overstuffed chair to steady herself. Just take a deep breath. If Ian finds you passed out on the floor, you’ll never get over that embarrassment.

  Chapter Three

  When the knock sounded at the door, Ian set the vase he was holding on the table. “Come in.”

  Before he could turn around, the door opened, and Holly said, “There’s someone here to see you.”

  “To buy the Japanese sideboard?” he joked. However, his smile quickly faded when he saw the worried expression on her face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Miranda’s here.”

  A gamut of emotions raced through him. He never expected to see Miranda again, let alone in his shop. Yet she was here. Confused, he began to pace the room. Could she have come here to make amends? Maybe even to try to get back together? Warning spasms of alarm erupted within him. No matter how much he might still desire her and long to feel her in his arms, he couldn’t go back to her. The past was the past and needed to stay there. His wounds were still healing. He couldn’t risk having them torn open again.

  He swallowed with difficulty and found his voice. “Do you know what she wants?”

  Holly shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. “She wants to know where you got the music box her mother bought from you.”

  He lifted his brows in surprise. “Why?”

  Holly shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  So Miranda hadn’t come here to make up. He hated to admit it, but a part of him was disappointed and even a bit angry. “Tell her I don’t give out customer names.”

  Holly stared at him, her face clouded with uneasiness. “Oookay. I know we usually don’t give out personal information, but this is Miranda. Your Miranda. This is your opportunity to go out there and talk to her.”

  He clenched his fingers into a fist. “She’s not my Miranda.”

  Holly placed her hand on his sleeve. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. You’ll kick yourself if you don’t see her.”

  She was right. The sooner he met with Miranda, the sooner he could be rid of her.

  ***

  Miranda glanced at her watch. The more time that went by, the more nervous she became. Maybe he wouldn’t see her. What then? Her anxiety increased. She could deal with him snubbing her, but she had to return the ring to its owner. And if he didn’t come out in the next two minutes, she’d go back there and get him. She tapped the to
e of her boot on the hardwood floor as she waited. A few seconds later, she heard the door open and the footsteps of someone wearing heels clicking over the floor. Holly. So Ian wasn’t going to see her after all. Despite her disappointment, it was probably for the best. It would have been awkward seeing him and trying to appear nonchalant. As long as Holly came back with the information she needed to find the ring’s owner, she’d be happy.

  Except that when Holly rounded the side of a huge armoire, Miranda could see that she wasn’t alone. Ian—handsome as ever—was with her. The way he smiled down at Holly as they walked, his head bent to catch her words, sent a wave of jealousy flowing through Miranda. Stop it. He’s not your boyfriend. She sucked in a deep breath, then slowly let it out, hoping it would still the rapid beating of her heart.

  “Miranda.” The way he said her name sent her heart pounding even faster. He stood before her, tall and muscular, with shoulders as wide as a football player’s. His dark blond hair was tousled, just as she remembered, and his deep brown eyes were questioning.

  “H-hello, Ian.” She could kick herself for the tremble in her voice. He scanned her from head to toe. It was impossible for her to tell what he was thinking, for his stone-faced expression gave nothing away.

  “Holly tells me you’d like to know where I got the music box your mother bought from me.” He shifted his gaze to the box in her hands.

  So that was how it was going to be. No small talk. Just business. Well, that was fine with her. The faster she could get out of there, the better. She gathered her nerve and looked straight into his gorgeous eyes. “Yes, that’s right. I’d like the name and address of the woman who sold you the box,” she replied in an equally businesslike manner. Two could play this game.

  “I’m sorry, Miranda. I can’t help you.”

  “What?” She glanced at Holly, hoping the woman might come to her assistance, but Holly avoided Miranda’s eyes. “Why not?”

  “I don’t give out customer’s private information,” he said as if she were a stranger.

  Miranda swallowed the bitterness brewing inside her. “I see. Maybe this will make you change your mind.” She set the music box down on Ian’s large oak desk and then popped open the drawer in the back of the box. When she took out the diamond ring, Holly let out a gasp, but it was Ian’s reaction she was interested in. His jaw was clamped shut, and a vein pulsed at the side of his neck as he studied the twinkling engagement ring in her hand. She knew she’d triggered his memory. They’d looked at rings together quite a few times, and it was no secret that Ian had been planning on purchasing one, but then her job offer had changed everything.

  “Where did you get that?” His naturally baritone voice was pitched a good octave higher than usual.

  “I found it inside the music box. Whoever sold it to you must have forgotten it was in there.” Miranda twisted the ring between her fingers, making the diamond sparkle and twinkle in the light.

  “It was part of an estate sale.”

  Her chest tightened. So the ring’s owner had died.

  “Most items are still in boxes,” Ian went on to explain. “I’d just unpacked the music box when your mom came into the shop and spotted it on my desk, which is why I didn’t notice the drawer in the back of it. I usually inspect every item very carefully before it’s put on sale.”

  “Even though the poor woman’s passed on, there must be someone in her family I could give it to?”

  “Oh, she’s not dead. She’s in a nursing home,” Holly piped in.

  Relief flooded her. “I’m so happy to hear that.”

  Ian shot Holly a dirty look and held out his hand, palm up. “Give it to me, Miranda, and I’ll see that it’s returned,” he said flatly.

  She could give Ian the ring and be done with the whole matter, and that was probably what she should do, but Miranda was a hopeless romantic. Always had been. She wanted to be the one who gave the woman her ring so she could see the look on her face when it was returned. She closed her fingers around the diamond and popped it back into the drawer. “No, I’m not going to do that.”

  Holly stared at Miranda with eyes as big as saucers.

  “Why not?” Ian asked icily.

  “I’m the one who found the ring, so I’m the one who’s going to return it. Just give me the woman’s name and what nursing home she’s in, and I’ll be on my way.”

  He gave her a black layered look. “I already told you I don’t give out personal information.”

  Holly tugged on his sleeve. “Ian, I think in this instance—”

  “Sweetheart,” he draped his arm across Holly’s shoulders, “I can’t make an exception. Besides, you don’t know Miranda.”

  What! He was making her sound like someone who couldn’t be trusted. Like a criminal… Her blood began to boil. “I can’t believe you’re acting this way. Regardless of your bitterness toward me, I thought you’d be decent enough to put your own feelings aside. Instead, you’re acting like a jerk. Try thinking of the woman who lost her ring and how desperate she must be to get it back, rather than yourself.”

  He glared at her. “Jerk? You come into my shop and then call me names?”

  “Why don’t you just give me the information I need—”

  “I don’t owe you anything,” he interrupted, taking a step closer to her.

  Holly put her hands out between them. “Stop it. You’re acting ridiculous. Why don’t you both return the ring?”

  “What!” Miranda and Ian shouted in unison.

  “You heard me. Put your feelings aside for one day and return the ring together.” She sounded very much like a mother talking to two stubborn children.” Without waiting for either of them to respond, she said, “You two are going to Summerville.”

  “That’s at least forty-five minutes away.” Ian groaned. Holly lifted a brow at him. “Fine. But I can’t go today. I have too much work to do.”

  “Tomorrow, then.” Holly turned to Miranda. “Does that work for you?”

  “I guess.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I can be here by four.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind closing up the shop alone tomorrow, darling?” Ian draped his arm across Holly’s shoulders, then kissed her cheek.

  If Miranda had had any doubts about them being a couple before, she had none now. Without waiting to hear Holly’s response, she turned and walked quickly toward the front door. Her hands were trembling and her knees felt like jelly. Ian had moved on, but she hadn’t. No matter how much she might have been in denial before, her reaction to seeing him with Holly was proof she still had feelings for him. Strong ones. But she wasn’t about to let him know that. No, those feelings had to be kept to herself. After they returned the ring tomorrow, she planned never to see him again; then she would start working on ways to forget him.

  Chapter Four

  Holly twisted out of Ian’s embrace. She looked at him as if she thought he’d lost his mind. “Why did you do that? Now Miranda’s going to think we’re a couple.”

  “That was my intention. Since I have to spend most of tomorrow with her—thanks to you—I wanted to make sure she knew that I’ve moved on and that I’m not carrying a torch for her.”

  “But you haven’t moved on. You’re still crazy about her. I think you wanted to make her jealous.”

  Ian shrugged. “What if I did? After what she did to me… There are worse things I could have done.” His tone was edged with bitterness.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Holly said sadly. “You know what they say. If you play with fire—”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You get burned. Well, not this time. And that’s exactly why I wanted her to believe you’re my girlfriend.” Ian squeezed her arm. “Thanks for going along with it, by the way.”

  Holly shook her head. “I think you’re making a mistake.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I know what I’m doing. Now let’s get back to work.” But he didn’t know what he was doing. Miranda was like a drug he couldn’t
quit. He pictured her lovely heart-shaped face—model perfect, with porcelain skin, full rosy lips, and gorgeous catlike green eyes. Her hair was longer now, falling to the middle of her back in soft auburn waves. She was thinner too, but still very shapely with gently rounded hips, a small waist and generous bust.

  Memories of fun times they had together sprang to mind. Like when they went swimming in Miller Lake in the middle of December, then both came down with terrible colds, but laughed it off while they snuggled on the couch, eating homemade chicken soup. Or when the car broke down out in the middle of nowhere, and they made love in the backseat while waiting for the tow truck. It didn’t matter what happened; as long as they were together, they always managed to have a good time. No wonder he’d been unable to forget her, and now with her back in town and back in his life, even if it was just to return a ring, things were going to become very interesting, if nothing else.

  He walked over to his desk and filed through a stack of papers, then pulled out the one with Spencer Douglas’s number. He took a deep breath and dialed the phone. It took only a moment to get an answer.

  “Hello.”

  “Spence, it’s Ian Anders from Yesterday’s Treasures.”

  “Hey, Ian. How’s it going?”

  “Good, good. Listen, I sold your mom’s music box, and the customer who bought it found your mom’s engagement ring inside a drawer in the box.”

  Spencer sucked in an audible breath. “Oh thank God! I was going to call you, hoping you could check her belongings for the ring. She has no idea where she put it and is beside herself with worry.”

  “How’s your mom doing?”

  “She has good days and bad. She only recognizes me about half the time. I try to visit a little each day. It’s the kids who have the hardest time. They can’t understand why their grandma doesn’t remember them.”

  “I’m sorry. Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease.”

  “Thanks for calling, Ian. This is a huge relief. I don’t think I’ll be able to swing by the shop for the ring until next week, though. I’m going out of state on business, and I’m leaving later today. Karen’ll have her hands full with the kids and all.”