Charmed by Chocolate (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 6)

by Steena Holmes

  “We already discussed this, remember?”

  Grams’ brow furrowed as she looked at Leah with disapproval. “If you are insinuating anything about my memory or my age, you’d better think twice before you say anything else.” Grams was definitely irked. “Of course I remember. I also remember you telling me there was no hope. But there is. There’s always hope. I, for, one will never give up on you two.”

  Leah gave her grandmother a soft smile that said more than she could put into words.

  Thank you. I appreciate that. At least someone has hope. I’ll always love you for believing in us. She meant it all.

  Josie seemed to have understood because she gave Leah’s hand two pats before she stood.

  “Now, it’s time for tea and I promised the girls I would be there tonight. Leah, I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow with some of your home baking. The girls are going to hound you with questions, but you hold your head up high and tell it like it is.”

  Taken aback, Leah shook her head no several times. “I can’t…you don’t understand…”

  Why was it that whenever she tried to tell the whole story, her grandmother would take one small piece of information and assume it was all she needed to know?

  Grams placed her hands on her hips. “Then spit it out.”

  “I didn’t just say I wasn’t there for the bachelor or that…” She wanted to choke on her words again to stop them for being said. “Or that…” She couldn’t do it…couldn’t repeat that she’d been in love with Wade forever and only just realized it…too little, too late.

  Grams whisked her hands in the air. “Yes, yes, that you are in love with Wade. Spit it out, dear.”

  Leah bit her lip and looked to Dylan for help.

  “Oh no, you’re on your own for this one.” He held up his hands in mock surrender.

  Leah leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling, unwilling to watch the effect of her words on her grandmother’s face.

  “I said I was in love with Wade, but he lived-back-home-and-would-never-leave-the-town-I-never-wanted-to-return-to.” The words rushed out, jumbled all together in hopes Grams didn’t quite hear it all.

  When there was no response, Leah dropped her gaze and slowly looked toward her grandmother.

  Grams clasped her hands tight to her chest. “You criticized Marietta? On national television? Oh Leah, how could you?”

  And there it was. Another one of her unpardonable sins.

  No one talked down Marietta. No one. Especially not someone born and bred here. That was just not done. It was one thing to want to leave as a young adult, to desire to explore the world and expand one’s horizons…but to publicly say you never wanted to return…

  That just wasn’t done.

  “Dylan, love, take me home, will you?” Grams held out her shaking hand toward Dylan, her face ashen, her body stooped.

  In all her years, Leah had only seen Grams look…old…a few times in her life. At her parents’ funeral, at her grandfather’s funeral, and when Grams’ best friend, Linda, found out she had Alzheimer’s.

  “Grams…” Leah rushed over to her grandmother and wanted to give her a hug, to apologize, to express just how sorry she truly was, but she didn’t. She hugged her body as she stood awkwardly in the hallway, watching Dylan help Grams get her coat on.

  “Tomorrow, Leah. We’ll…we’ll deal with this tomorrow.” The sorrow etched on her grandmother’s face had tears pooling in Leah’s eyes.

  She would survive being a national embarrassment on television.

  She would survive losing her job if it was what happened.

  She would even survive remaining friends with Wade when she really wanted more.

  But what she couldn’t survive was knowing how much she’d disappointed the one person in the world who meant so much to her.

  “It’ll be okay,” Dylan mouthed as he held the door open.

  Leah shook her head.

  She wasn’t so sure it would be.

  Chapter Six

  Wade’s finger hovered over the send button.

  Why was he hesitating? It wasn’t like he was asking Leah to the prom or out on a date.

  Well, technically, it would be a date but, he didn’t get why this was so hard.

  The last time she’d come home, he’d sent a similar text message to her and there’d been no issues, so why now?

  Of course, the last time she’d come home, he’d met her at the airport and they were tied to the hip for the majority of her visit. Considering she’d never even told him she was here this time, he shouldn’t be expecting anything to be the same.

  Grab your mitts. The moon is bright, I’ve got a thermos of cocoa, and a new pair of binoculars.

  If there was one thing Leah begged him to do every time she came home, it was wildlife watching during a full moon.

  He hit the button and sent the message. Now all he had to do was wait.

  What was going on with her? He couldn’t put his finger on it. It was like she’d pulled away from him, but he wasn’t sure why.

  He’d sent her multiple text messages, emails, and even filled up her phone with voice messages after coming back from his trek into the woods. Now he understood why she’d never called him back.

  She’d gone on that ridiculous reality show.

  When he’d first heard about it, he’d headed to Grey’s Salon and did the one thing he hadn’t done in years. Ordered a beer. He’d let that beer sit in front of him until it grew warm. By the time Dylan showed up, he’d pushed the beer away and ordered suicide wings—killing not only his taste buds but also any sense of feeling in his body.

  He’d fallen in love with Leah when they were silly kids romping around the countryside in snowshoes.

  He’d fallen harder in love with Leah in high school as he watched the girl of his heart turn into a woman.

  He’d fallen even further in love with Leah after they’d reconnected following the stupid breakup of theirs where she ran. It took a bit, but their friendship had deepened after that.

  He knew then there was no one else he would want to be with.

  She was it. She was everything. She was his home.

  He checked his phone for a reply.

  Checked it again fifteen minutes later.

  She couldn’t be asleep already; she was a night owl like him, so either she didn’t have her phone close by or she was avoiding him.

  After everything about today, he tended to think it was the latter.

  She’d said she wasn’t ready for him.

  Since when did she need to be ready?

  Since when did it matter?

  Before he could give it a second thought, Wade had his boots on and was out the door and in his truck.

  Her bedroom light was on. Wade did what he’d done for so many years—he took a handful of small rocks he kept in the backseat cup holder, cupping them in the palm of his hand and tossing them toward her window.

  The first few fell flat, but the fourth rock hit the window with a solid ping.

  He lobbed another one in the air and heard the satisfying sound before there was a flutter to the curtain.

  He lifted his hand in greeting, fully expecting Leah to open the window or at least give him a sign she was coming down.

  Having the light turn off without so much as a glimmer of her silhouette…that was unexpected.

  He tossed more rocks. Maybe he’d imagined the flutter of the curtain. Maybe he’d just missed her leaving the room, so he leaned against his truck and waited, giving her time to come down the stairs and meet him.

  It irked him when she never showed up.

  Wade liked to think of himself as a simple man. He wasn’t hard to figure out, wasn’t the type to play games, tried to respect other’s space and time, but Leah…when it came to her, he was as twisted as a ball of twine.

  They’d once promised to be completely open and honest with each other, regardless of the situation. How she was acting right now…it di
dn’t make sense. It was like she was embarrassed, unsure, questioning their relationship. But why?

  He could count on one hand the number of times she acted like this toward him.

  When her parents died and she froze.

  When she thought he’d slept with someone else.

  When she started to date that douche bag in California, which thankfully only lasted a few months.

  When he told her he loved her.

  That one still ate at him. On one hand, he wished he could take it back, that he’d refrained from sharing his heart and waited…but, on the other hand, he wasn’t one to play games and she needed to know where he was at.

  He still dreamed about that night. Woke up sweating from the outcome.

  He used to text her afterward, just to make sure things were good between them.

  So why did he stop?

  Her window was still black.

  Did he push her or pull back?

  Pushing never worked out for him. Maybe it was time to learn his lesson.

  Wade climbed into his truck, but he didn’t start it. He was torn.

  He couldn’t handle the space between them again. It was one of the reasons why he promised he’d never tell her he loved her again, not unless she said it first.

  He’d surprised her one night after she’d finished speaking at a high school assembly in Spokane. It was only a six-hour drive or so, and he knew she wasn’t flying out until the next day, so why not? Right?

  The look on her face when she noticed him at the back of the assembly made that long drive worthwhile.

  The hug he’d received once they were alone confirmed it.

  They went out to eat and then went for a walk through a park, stopping for coffee along the way.

  He’d thought things had been good.

  He’d thought he’d read all the right signs. So, he took her hand and entwined his fingers through hers. She seemed a little stiff at first, but she’d eventually relaxed as they continued their walk.

  It didn’t take a lot of courage to pull her into his side. It felt right. It felt comfortable. They walked as they had for years, close.

  The moment he looked into her eyes and told her he loved her, everything changed.

  She pulled back. Away. Retreated within herself and wouldn’t open up to him.

  She begged him not to do it—not to ruin what they had. She’d seen it happen too many times to others and couldn’t bear to lose him, not again.

  He told her she never would, but she hadn’t been listening.

  So he did the only thing he could.

  He stepped back. He erased the tension within his own body, ignored the way his heart bled, and continued their walk. Nothing was said for the longest time. He knew she was trying to read him, trying to find the right words to turn back time, but he didn’t need to try to read her. He knew exactly what needed to be said.

  “You’ll never lose me. I’ll always be right here, the one who knows you best. The one who loves you most. But if I can only have your friendship, then that will be enough.” It tore at him to say the words he’d never wanted to say. It destroyed him to know that there would always be something missing, something between them…that there could have been more, but she was too afraid to even try.

  But he couldn’t lose her. Not then. Not now. Not ever.

  He’d made her a promise before dropping her off at her hotel.

  He would never tell her again how he felt, not like that, not until she was ready and not until she said it first.

  He knew by the look on her face he’d said the right thing.

  He also knew he’d be waiting a long time for her to get over her fear of losing him and admit how she really felt.

  He’d thought he had the patience of a saint. He’d thought he had all the time in the world to wait.

  He’d thought she would one day come around.

  But what if he were wrong?

  Chapter Seven

  Leah walked through the foyer of Kindred Place, bypassing the welcoming interior without a second glance. As if in a fog, she headed straight toward the dining area where she set her bags down and arranged her baked goods on one of the tables.

  A smile was plastered on her face, but she didn’t really see the small group of people who called out to her.

  She hadn’t slept a wink last night. She couldn’t.

  The look on Grams’ face haunted her. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see the disappointment in her grandmother’s eyes, hear the betrayal in her voice as she finally understood just how bad the whole situation was.

  So instead of sleeping, she baked.

  Cinnamon buns.

  Brownies.

  Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

  Lemon pound cake.

  And even an apple crumble because that was Grams’ favorite.

  Baked and then booked her flight home.

  Yes, she was running. So what? She’d been running when she came here and look how well that was turning out.

  She grabbed a tray from the side and filled it with a plate of one of each of the goodies she’d made, along with two cups of coffee. It was the best she could do as a peace offering.

  Leah wandered through the old Victorian house. Out of all the heritage buildings in Marietta, Kindred Place had always been her favorite. Her graduating class had taken their photo on the grand foyer stairs, she used to come trick-or-treating here every year, and even volunteered all throughout high school with the crafting group here every other afternoon—and by volunteering, it meant unwinding balls of yarn, refilling teacups, and attempting to knit her own socks, which turned out to be a massive failure.

  She had a lot of memories in this old house.

  Since it was early morning, things were on the quiet side. The low murmurs of TV shows hummed throughout the building, the occasional tap-tap of a cane as someone moved about, and the sporadic clumping of a pipe behind the walls were her only companions as she headed toward Grams’ room.

  Leah hit the tiny doorbell with her elbow while holding the tray in her hand. She could hear Grams moving around in her apartment and waited until the door opened.

  “I come bearing apology gifts.” Leah gave her grandmother a soft smile in greeting.

  Grams leaned forward and looked over the plates on the tray. “You must have been up pretty early to make all this.” She held the door open, inviting Leah to walk in.

  “More like up all night.” Leah walked through the cozy one-bedroom apartment and set the tray down on her grandmother’s small dining table.

  “The rest in the dining hall?” Grams pulled out a chair and sat. She took the offered coffee from Leah and sipped at it, a serene smile gracing her face that only another coffeeholic could understand.

  “I think I saw a small herd congregate toward the table as I was leaving.”

  Grams puffed. “Of course they would. Kathy has been focusing on clean eating for the past month, and we’re all dying for some sugar. Do you know she cleaned out all the cupboards of anything sweet and donated it to the local food bank?”

  Kathy was the head cook and no, it didn’t surprise Leah in the least.

  “I remember you being all gung-ho for the healthy eating. What happened to living longer, being healthier, and all that other stuff you told me on the phone last month?”

  Grams frowned before dipping her face into the mug of coffee. “That was before all the sugar withdrawals started happening. Twenty-five grumpy retirees in one room is never a good idea. She needs to bring that sugar back and fast. It’s no wonder we’re all congregating at Sage’s for her chocolates and cocoa or at the pastry shop for pies and cakes. Wade’s been sneaking in the odd cake here and there at night after Kathy has left the kitchen. Did I mention that?”

  “Well, I could always do extra baking and leave it in Dylan’s freezer for when I leave,” Leah offered.

  Grams sniffed. “That would be a good step in seeking forgiveness.”

  Ouc
h. Nothing like hitting where it hurts.

  “I didn’t mean any of the things I said,” Leah protested, albeit a little weakly.

  Grams knew it, too.

  “If it wasn’t how you felt, you never would have said it. Don’t be blaming the alcohol for what’s in your heart.”

  “But I don’t feel that way. I love Marietta,” Leah argued. “I mean, okay, I don’t love it in the winter.” She glanced down at the bright yellow rain boots she wore that did nothing, and she meant nothing, to keep her toes warm. “And no, I wouldn’t want to move back here, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love this town. It’s my home and it’s where my family is. I would never…” She held her hand over her heart. “Never—”

  “Just stop right there.” Grams held up her hand palm out. “I’m not the one you need to convince. It’s everyone else in this town that doesn’t know you like I do. Once this gets out…” She shook her head with dismay. “The folks of Marietta will forgive a lot of things, Leah, but you might have gone too far with this one. Folks here…they’ve done a lot for you and your brother.”

  Leah stared down at the table, chagrined, knowing her grandmother was right. One hundred percent.

  This small town had rallied around them after their parents had been killed by a drunk driver from a neighboring town. They supported the charity Leah worked for through multiple sponsorship drives and welcomed Dylan with open arms after he returned from college and started working at the local radio station.

  “What can I do?” Leah asked. She’d been wracking her brain all night, trying to think of how to rectify the situation, but she was at a loss.

  “You can stop hiding for one,” Josie said. “What happened to you, girl? I don’t like this defeatist persona you have on right now. Knock it off. Get out and about, talk to people, stop being shy and start being you. You can’t will this to go away, so you might as well face it and apologize.”

  Leah’s eyes grew wide at her grandmother’s suggestion. “Ap-ap-apologize?” Admittedly, she had a hard time getting the word out.

  “Yes. Apologize. Admit your mistake. Don’t bother trying to offer an explanation. Just say you’re sorry and show this town how wrong you were.”