Hard Candy

by Jade Buchanan

  Penny nodded. “Yeah, that works.”

  He placed a plate with a steaming waffle on it in front of her before setting up the strawberries and whipped cream. They talked about nonsense for the time it took for them both to finish breakfast. Craig inhaled deeply. They needed to get this out in the open now. Last night had been comforting, but she was right. They needed to talk about it and he knew Penny wasn’t going to be happy unless she had some kind of closure.

  “In for a penny, in for a pound. No pun intended. Is it time to talk about your dad, yet?”

  “Can we talk about it outside?”

  Craig nodded. “Of course. You want a robe?”

  “Sure.”

  He went back into the bedroom and grabbed his robe off the back of the door. He was fine in just his soft cotton pants, though it was a little cool out there this morning. He could practically feel winter nipping at the front door. It wouldn’t be much longer until the snow came.

  Wrapped up in his robe, Penny sat herself down on the front porch loveseat with a mug of coffee. Craig flopped down beside her, urging her to lift her legs over his lap so she could curl up against him. Man, this was nice.

  He turned and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, his hand wrapped in her ponytail, the move so instinctual he couldn’t hold back. “So?”

  “Well, I think you know most of it.” Penny shrugged before taking a sip of coffee. “When Dad died, I was given access to his safety deposit box at the bank. It took me a long time to actually go over there but I did about two months ago. I found a journal inside, one of mom’s, from when we used to live here. Mom had been having an affair with one of the guides that was working here that summer. She wrote about it in graphic detail. Details I really wish I could erase from my brain, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.”

  “I still don’t get how we didn’t know that. I mean, we had the run of the place back then. That would have been our final year, and lord knows I tried to sneak you out everywhere so I could see what was under those blouses you used to wear.”

  “Perv.”

  “You know it.” He huffed out a laugh. “Seriously, though. How was it possible we didn’t know about it?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what to believe. If mom had been having an affair, I just… I never in a million years thought she would do something like that. It doesn’t make sense. And it makes even less sense that my dad might have killed her for it.”

  “But, if nothing happened, why’s your Aunt Gertie so tied up in knots that you read the journal? And why did your dad keep it in the first place?”

  “If we’re going to go over all the what-if’s I’ve been repeating like a mantra since I read the journal, then why did my dad up and leave the minute my mom died?”

  “You said it yourself, he got the job transfer.”

  “Did he? Shit. I don’t know, Craig. I don’t even know who to talk to. Aunt Gertie won’t tell me a damned thing, and I’m not going to drop this like she wants me to. I admit I probably shouldn’t have confronted her with the journal but I was pissed. And confused. What would you have done?”

  He shrugged. “She’s your dad’s only sister. Besides, from what you told me, your mom wrote about her a lot in that journal and they didn’t exactly like each other. I remember how close your Aunt Gertie used to live to you guys. She was, what, about ten houses down? She was the nosiest person I ever knew, too. It’s natural that you’d ask her if she knew anything about what happened that summer.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. I think she was more pissed that I admitted I’d told you about it, though.”

  Craig snorted. “Yeah, she did seem to be upset about that when she called me to ask if you’d gotten here, yet.”

  Craig honestly didn’t like thinking about that summer, but he wanted to give Penny some kind of closure. Whatever had happened still affected her, and he didn’t blame her for wanting to know the truth.

  Still, from his perspective that summer had sucked ass. They’d had their whole future ahead of them. About to head into their final year of school, making plans for where they’d go to University. He thought he’d be with Penny forever back then. But, her mom had disappeared only to turn up dead on the lakeshore after days of the police searching for her. Shortly after that her dad had gotten the transfer to Houston, and Penny ended up leaving. Never to return. It was serendipitous they’d reconnected on Facebook, and the rest was history now.

  The minute they’d started talking again it was like the years had been stripped away. Now he wanted to know what kind of future they could have together, whether they could even date now that they were older. He wasn’t talking marriage, or anything that serious, yet, but he was fascinated by this older version of his girlfriend. She’d gone on to University in another state, becoming an engineer and working for the same company as her dad. While Craig had stayed here, going to the University of Montana in Missoula to get his MBA with a minor in Accounting.

  They were all grown up.

  There were other reasons he didn’t like thinking about that summer, but those had nothing to do with Penny and everything to do with Mack. Why had his old friend come home? Craig had spent too many nights laying awake thinking about Mack, and now he didn’t know what to do. Nothing serious would have happened between them back in high school, and Craig was mature enough to see that for what it was worth. But, when Mack had come home for a visit last year and Craig had seen him again… It had stirred up all sorts of feelings that Craig hadn’t realized were there.

  He wasn’t sure what it meant. He was obviously bisexual. Or maybe it was just Mack. He’d never felt this way about any other man. Sure, he hadn’t exactly been knocking doors down to experiment with anyone else, but he wasn’t sure what that meant.

  Mack was amazing. His feelings for Mack were tied up in a complicated knot work of history that he couldn’t begin to unravel on the best of days. Not to take away from Penny at all. Craig couldn’t honestly think of a future that didn’t have her in it. He’d fallen for her hard, and he looked forward to seeing what their lives could be like together.

  That didn’t mean he’d suddenly stopped caring about Mack. But, he’d learned his lesson last year. Mack wasn’t interested in being in a relationship. But, even if he was, it wouldn’t change how Craig felt about Penny. He just didn’t know what to do.

  “So, what do we do?” Penny asked.

  Craig started. He shook his head, drawing together the threads of their conversation. “I don’t know. Go talk to the cops?”

  “I already phoned the Sherriff’s office before coming down here. Deputy Medicine Crow said he checked mom’s file and there was nothing in it. She disappeared without a trace. They interviewed dad and he claimed he didn’t know what happened to her. Then they found her body on the lakeshore a few days later. Open and shut case. Accidental drowning.”

  “Open and shut until you read that she was having an affair and your dad confronted her about it.”

  “Yeah.”

  He didn’t know what to tell her. She loved her father. But, even Craig had to admit that things seemed fishy. Why would her dad keep the journal all these years? Was it to remind himself about his wife cheating on him with someone else? She was unfaithful to him, so what did that do to a man?

  “Did you ever find out what happened to the guide?”

  “No. Mom only ever called him Ed. No last name. Nothing to go on. I figure he probably left.”

  Yeah, unless...He was interrupted from his next thought by the car that turned onto his driveway. He recognized that vehicle. Mack was here. He glanced at Penny. Shit, he wasn’t sure this was a good time. He didn’t know where his head was and it was too early in the morning to figure anything out. His feelings for Penny and Mack weren’t humorous at all. And, unfortunately for him, he had feelings for both of them. He thought he’d have a few days to get used to Penny being here before he added Mack into the mix. He should have known Mack would push first, whet
her he realized it was what he was doing or not. It was high school all over again. Mack never knew when to let things go.

  Chapter 4

  Penny studied the man getting out of the car that pulled up in front of the house. Douglas McKenzie sure looked all grown up. Instead of his old buzz cut, his hair now swung in a shaggy style that brushed his shoulders at the longest point. As he got closer she made out a nasty scar on his chin and familiar laughing brown eyes. The scar was new. Jeans and a navy plaid shirt were complemented with a pair of cowboy boots.

  He finally stopped at the base of the porch and placed one booted foot on the lowest step. The action served to stretch out his body in a way that was guaranteed to have women from eighteen to eighty checking him out. What she could see of his body was even more athletic than the last time she’d seen him. It made sense, considering what he’d been doing over the past twelve years.

  “Penny Anderson. Look at you.”

  She smiled at the man standing in front of her. Christ, he was gorgeous. He always had been, but now the years had improved on it. “Douglas McKenzie. As I live and breathe.”

  “Craig said you were coming in. I figured I’d stop by before getting to work so I could say hi.”

  Ah, that explained it. She was wondering why he’d pulled into Craig’s driveway and not the construction site next door. Craig had obviously told him when she would be here.

  “Well, get your butt up here so I can hug you. I’m not wearing any shoes, so this is as far as I go.”

  Mack laughed and came up the stairs with a loping jog. He bent down over the loveseat and gave her a squeeze. She held on for a moment before letting him go.

  “Good to see you, Mack. What’s new with you?”

  “Don’t know if Craig told you, but I’m starting a microbrewery. Figured it would go over well in these parts. My specialty is the huckleberry ale, but I’m also going to have a few others as well as some sodas. You haven’t lived until you taste my homemade root beer.”

  She grinned. “Never thought I’d see you opening up something like a microbrewery, but I think it’s awesome.”

  “Well, we’ll see if anyone else agrees with you. I’m still trying to figure out whether I should get one of the locals to help me with having some eats in the place. We’re going to do tours, and tastings, but I’m not sure whether I’ll have food yet. I can’t cook to save my life, so it won’t be me supplying it.”

  “Why on earth are you doing it out here?”

  Mack laughed. “It seemed like the best place. I couldn’t do it in town, and I’m just renting a little place off of Walnut. I wanted something I could potentially expand if things go well.”

  “Well, good luck with it.”

  “We should all go down to the Powderhorn some night while you’re here. It’ll just be like old times.”

  Craig grinned, before finally joining the conversation. “Yeppers. It’s nice getting in touch with old friends again. People tend to move away and stay away, so seeing one of the old gang actually coming home is a great thing. Not to mention it gives me the opportunity to hit them up for business.”

  She snorted. Yeah, she could see that. Craig was far more ruthless than his parents when it came to finding patrons for The Candy Store. Hell, she even understood it. The whole thing was sitting on his shoulders now that his parents had sold it to him. If he didn’t make any money he’d be out finding another job and she clearly remembered just how much he liked waiting tables at Lou’s Pizzeria.

  Of course, her old boyfriend did have his MBA so there wasn’t anything stopping him from picking up and moving somewhere else to start over.

  Like Houston...

  “What goes around comes around, bud. I’m going to be remembering that in a few weeks when we open up shop, and I’m looking for customers to come have a pint.”

  Penny turned her attention back to Mack. “You’re starting that soon?”

  “Yeah, we’ve got everything ready. Just doing some cosmetic stuff to the outside, but I want to get it all done before the snow comes. Summer would have been better because of the tourists, but I’m hoping to get a little bit of business over the winter and hopefully work out the kinks. Besides, I’m taking a page out of Craig’s business book and getting something set up online. We’ll see how it works.”

  Craig leaned forward. “I’m telling you it was the best thing I ever did. I’m sending candy into other states now. I even had a shipment cross the border a few weeks back. People will pay to have stuff shipped if they can get it somewhere. I just need to figure out how to get the ice cream shipped and that’s another thing I can start on.”

  “Speaking of ice cream...how’s that recipe I gave you?”

  “I’ll have it ready for you in a few days. I need to do a few more test runs.” Craig turned to Penny. “We’re going to do up a sample of his beer combined with my ice cream. See what we can come up with. The bacon ice cream was a complete smash thanks to the leftovers from the Powderhorn, so I’m thinking of expanding what I’m doing and come up with new flavors that incorporate local businesses. Doing the same with the candy. I can’t keep the huckleberry chocolate on the shelves. People love it.”

  “And why haven’t you shared any with me, then?” She mock-pouted.

  She couldn’t keep her gaze off Craig. He was so passionate about this, it was nearly taking her breath away. The way his hands moved, the way his smile just about lit up his face. It was all combining to have her wanting more. Wanting something she wasn’t sure she could have. They lived in different states, but she wanted this grown-up version of her old boyfriend. She’d gotten to know him in a way she hadn’t expected through emails and phone calls over the past year.

  She wanted to be able to spend time with him in person. She needed it.

  “Ah, come on. Don’t be like that. I’ll bring you into town after we get dressed. You can have the run of the store. Speaking of which, we better get over there soon or I’ll be late opening up.”

  Penny grinned, before looking up and catching the questioning look in Mack’s gaze. She quickly looked back down, realizing what this probably looked like. She’d just gotten back to Bandit Creek last night and already she was curled up on Craig’s front porch wearing his robe, while Craig was in nothing but a pair of cotton pants. Christ, Mack was probably thinking they’d slept together last night.

  Which they had… but that’s all they did. Sleep. Besides, what did it matter what Mack thought of them? She wanted to be with Craig, anyway. The only reason they hadn’t had sex last night was because she’d felt so emotionally bruised. If anyone could heal her, it was Craig.

  “Well, I better get back to the brewery. I’ll catch up with you two later.” Mack backed down the steps with a wave. “Stop in on your way back home, and I’ll give you guys a drink. You can be my first customers.”

  “Sure thing,” Craig replied.

  They watched Mack drive away. “Well, that was awkward.”

  Craig frowned. “Why?”

  “He thinks we had sex last night.”

  “No he doesn’t.”

  “You saw the way he was watching us.”

  “So what? Say we did have sex last night? Who cares? We’re both adults. He’s not exactly going to judge us. You know how Mack is.”

  It was her turn to frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Pens, I’ve been friends with the guy for thirty years. His sexuality is, let’s just say it’s fluid. He’s not going to judge anyone for sleeping with anyone else.”

  Fluid? What exactly did that mean? Was he gay? She didn’t care one bit, but it was the first she’d heard of it. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course I’m right.”

  “Wait. How long has Mack been...fluid? What does that even mean? Is he gay? I don’t care one bit, but how do you even know that?”

  Craig started to cough. “We’re friends. Why wouldn’t I know? Besides, I wouldn’t say he’s gay. He’s been with both
men and women, so he’s gotta be bi.”

  Penny nodded slowly. How much had she missed over the years?

  “Do you have a problem with that?” He glanced at her before staring at the ground.

  She wasn’t sure what that look meant. “Of course not. Heck, I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I judged everyone else for who they fall in love with. If Mack is happy with men, women, or whatever, then that’s great for him.” Besides, two men together was just fucking hot.

  “I agree. In case you were wondering. In fact—”

  “I never doubted you.” Penny grinned. “Hey, didn’t you say you had to work this morning? Shouldn’t we be getting out of here?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. You’re right. Well, come on, lazybones. Up and at ‘em. Let’s go get dressed and I’ll take you downtown.”