by ID Johnson
Delaney nodded. “Sure.”
“Thank you,” Courtney said, offering a weak smile. “I’ll be on time today. I promise.”
“Okay,” Delaney replied. “Have a nice day,” she added, forcing a smile
“You, too.” Courtney stepped out into the cold, and Delaney tried to return to her muffins, wondering how it was possible that the two kids she trusted the most might be trying to take advantage of her.
It wasn’t too long before the door opened again, and Cameron came through. She could tell almost immediately that something was wrong. His disposition was not at all cheerful like it usually was. “Good morning,” he muttered as he went to hang up his backpack and grab his apron.
“Hey, Cameron,” Delaney said, turning to face him. “What’s the matter?” She wondered if Joanna had said no when he’d asked her to the dance or if he was about to tell her he’d helped steal the cocoa recipe.
He sighed, and brushing his hair out of his eyes said, “I’m not sure if I should talk about it at work.”
Delaney forced a smile. “You can talk about anything you’d like to to me.”
He managed a small smirk. “Well, I took your advice and asked Joanna to the dance. She seemed surprised. She said yes.”
Delaney couldn’t help but smile at that.
“But then… later, she looked really sad. I asked her what was going on, and she said she’d heard some really bad rumors about herself, like things I don’t even want to repeat. It turns out, they were started by someone she trusted, someone she considered a friend. She wouldn’t tell me who. Anyway, she was just so gloomy the rest of the day. I wanted to come by yesterday afternoon to check on her, but I couldn’t get away. I’m just worried about her.”
She couldn’t help but feel concerned for Joanna. Delaney had never been the victim of those kinds of vicious rumors, but she’d heard plenty of them when she was in high school. “Does Joanna know who started them?”
“She thinks so, but she wouldn’t say. She said she didn’t want me to worry about it. But I heard a few of them myself, Delaney, and they weren’t nice at all.”
Realizing she didn’t want to hear them for herself and that he likely wouldn’t repeat them even if she asked, Delaney wondered, “What did you say when you heard them?”
“I told the kids repeating them to shut up, that they weren’t true. I told them I know Joanna, that we’re going to the formal together, and I know for a fact none of it’s true. It’s just someone who’s jealous of her out to dirty her name.” He was shaking his head, looking down at the ground. “Delaney, I’ve met a lot of girls in a couple of different states, but I’ve never met anyone like Joanna. She’s so… nice. And smart. And she’s really pretty, too, even though she doesn’t like people to notice her. The fact that someone would treat her like this really… sucks.”
Delaney didn’t care for that word, but she agreed. It wasn’t nice at all. “I’m so sorry, Cameron. Hopefully, whoever is spreading these lies will let up now, especially if people like you continue to stand up for Joanna. Just try to help her focus on the dance, keep her mind off of it. It’ll blow over eventually.” She hoped that what she was saying was true.
Cameron nodded. “Thanks, Delaney. You really are a good listener. And thanks for telling me to ask her out, too. I’m so glad I did.”
“Me, too,” Delaney smiled. He went about his usual routine, and she returned to her muffins. She’d known Joanna for years. They even went to the same church. She’d never known her to do anything underhanded or sneaky. Likewise, Cameron was a nice young man who always went above and beyond to make sure he was doing the best job possible. He was working hard to help his family. She just couldn’t believe either of them would try and steal her cocoa recipe. There had to be another explanation.
Delaney fished out her phone and pulled up the website Courtney had shown her earlier. She had to do some searching to find the listing, but eventually she did. The mailing address for the company might be Joanna’s, but that wasn’t the address she was interested in. She might not know too much about technology, but she knew someone who did. She took a screenshot of the listing and returned her focus to the muffins. Once Cameron was off to school, she might have a chance to send what she knew to Josh. She was willing to bet he could figure out where the listing had come from. If anyone was able to track an IP address, she knew Josh could.
Josh had just finished unloading his second shipment of Christmas trees for the day when his phone rang. He was pleasantly surprised to see it was Delaney. Climbing back into the cab but not starting the truck, he answered, “Hello?”
“Hey, Josh. Sorry to bother you,” she said. The sound of her voice sent tingles down his spine.
“You’re not bothering me at all. What’s up?” he asked. Her voice sounded a little different than normal. He hoped she wasn’t calling to cancel their date. He’d already picked up the tickets earlier that morning.
Delaney sighed into his ear. “I was wondering if you knew how to track an IP address. Like really track it, not just pinpoint a town. I need to know who listed a certain homemade cocoa for sale on one of those sell-from-home sites.”
Josh now realized what the concern in her voice was about. “Sure, I can do that,” he replied, “although there might be other ways to figure out who listed it. Someone’s trying to sell your cocoa?”
“Yes,” she replied. “One of the girls who works here says it’s the other one, and maybe Cameron. I don’t know, Josh, I’m just not buying it. I don’t think Joanna would do something like that. She’s such a good kid. And Cam? No way.”
While he didn’t know Cameron personally, he’d been in the shop when Delaney had hired him, and he agreed, he seemed like a good kid. “Can you send me a screenshot of the listing, and I’ll take a look?”
“Yes, I have it all ready to go. I just wanted to talk to you about it first. Thank you so much, Josh. I really appreciate your help.”
“Of course,” he replied. “Any time.” Then, he added, “I’m sure you’re very busy, but I’m so glad you called. It’s nice to hear your voice.”
“It’s really nice to hear yours, too,” she replied, her tone completely different than it had been when he’d first answered. She seemed more relaxed and calm.
“I picked up the tickets while I was in Winchester this morning,” he continued. “It’s sure to be a great show—starring Lindel Hurst.”
“Ooh, who’s Lindel Hurst?” Delaney asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, “but I’m sure he’s Winchester’s finest.
She giggled. “You were in Winchester this morning, and you didn’t stop by on your way to say hello to me?”
“Well, it’s a lot faster if I take the interstate,” he explained. “And besides, my folks are very demanding. They get very angry if I don’t stay on schedule.” None of that second part was true, of course. He’d considered stopping by to see her both on his way this morning and on his way back, but the interstate did save him quite a bit of time, and while he was always excited to see her, he wanted to wait until Friday to see her again. He needed to attempt to focus on his work—not that he didn’t spend the entirety of his long drives dreaming of her brown eyes.
“Whatever,” she said in a teasing tone. “I guess I’ll let you get back to work and go help Edie out myself. She’s swamped over there.”
“I’ll call you back once I’ve had a chance to figure this out,” he promised.
“All righty,” she said. “Thanks again, Josh.”
“Talk to you soon.” He waited for her to say goodbye and then hung up the phone, still cradling it in his hand, thinking of how nice it had been to hold her hand in his. A few seconds later, a text came through with a picture of the listing in question and a message thanking him for being a “lifesaver.”
Josh peered at the picture for a moment and noticed the mailing address was in Charles Town. That didn’t necessarily mean the IP address came from the same residence
though. He’d need a computer to figure it out, but he assumed there were more clues in the posting, and once he had a chance to sit down and work on it, he was certain he could get Delaney an answer. The idea that someone was trying to pass off her cocoa as there own was troubling, and he knew she had enough on her plate right now without having to worry about hot chocolate thieves.
Putting his phone away, he started the truck and put on his seatbelt, letting his mind wander to what Friday night might be like. He had no idea who Lindel Hurst was either, but if this date ended up being half as good as he imagined it would be, Mr. Hurst would definitely be receiving a five-star review from him.
Chapter 16
Delaney hadn’t waited around the bakery to see how Joanna and Courtney interacted when they came in. By the time her usual departure time of 2:00 rolled around, she was ready to go. Edie said she’d stay and make sure the girls got settled in and call her if there were any problems, but she hadn’t called, and Delaney took that as a good sign, even though she was certain Edie wouldn’t have called her anyway unless there had been an actual fight on the shop floor of the bakery.
She’d come home to the wondrous aroma of Nana’s beef stew and sat on the couch with her while she strung popcorn chains for the tree, which already looked beautiful now that it was fully decorated. But if Nana wanted popcorn chains, then that’s what they would have! Delaney had declined helping since she was more likely to poke her finger with the needle than actually work it through a piece of popcorn anyway.
Nana was excited that Delaney had gotten to watch both episodes of Judge Judy and the evening news with her. They were calling for more snow, which made Delaney decide to go chop some firewood before it got too dark. She put on her coat and went out back, turning on the back porch light as she went.
Her dad was nice enough to bring wood down every few weeks, but it wasn’t chopped and corded correctly most of the time, and Delaney didn’t mind piecing it out so that it would fit in Nana’s fireplace. She had a gas heater, too, but the wood stove was cheaper, and that’s what they relied on most of the time. As Delaney picked up the axe and positioned one of the larger pieces of wood so she could break it into smaller pieces, she reflected on the day. With each swing of the axe, she felt more and more frustration leave her body. Whoever it was that was trying to steal her recipe, she knew Josh would figure it out. And whatever was supposed to happen with Josh, they would figure that out, too.
The sun had gone completely down below the mountain tops by the time she was satisfied that they’d have more than enough wood to replenish whatever they used of their reserves over the weekend, and Delaney put the axe away and headed back toward the house. She was a little sorer, a little more tired, and a lot more satisfied with life.
A little later, she was sitting in her room going over some numbers on her computer when the phone rang. Glancing down, she was happy to see that it was Josh. With a smile on her face, she answered, “Hello?”
“Hello, can I speak to the world’s finest hot cocoa maker, please?” he said in the type of voice a tell-a-marketer might use.
“This is she,” Delaney giggled. “How may I help you?”
“I’d like to order five thousand gallons of delicious hot cocoa, please, and I need it by 5:00 AM tomorrow morning.”
“Luckily for you, we have a tanker truck out back that holds just that much,” she replied, playing along with his little game.
“Wonderful! Let me give you my fake address, and you can go ahead and drive that on over.”
She started laughing, glad to be reminded of his sense of humor. “I’d rather have a real address, thank you very much.”
“You would?” Josh asked. “Good. Because I have one for you.”
“You do?” she asked, catching her breath. She thought he might be fast, but she didn’t realize he’d be that fast.
“Yes,” Josh replied. “I used the IP address to trace an actual address, but I just used that for confirmation. It really wasn’t that difficult to get a real address.”
Delaney was puzzled. “It wasn’t?”
“No, the shop the cocoa was listed in is new, but it was made from an existing account on the website, so I looked at the mailing address on that account, and it’s different. That original shop has been in existence for about five years, so I’m sure that’s the legitimate address. The shop sells various homemade craft items, and it’s owned and operated by a Shannon Tobak who lives on West Fifth Street in Charles Town. Do you need the exact address?”
Delaney knew he was still talking, but she’d stopped listening when she heard the name Shannon Tobak. She gasped, unable to believe her ears. “Did you say Shannon Tobak?” she repeated, once she was able to formulate a sentence.
“Yes,” Josh confirmed, his tone indicating his concern. “Everything all right, Delaney?”
It took her a moment to answer. “Yes, it’s just… that’s Courtney’s mom.”
“Okay,” he said slowly, the word coming out more as a question than a statement.
Delaney realized he probably had no idea why that was such a shock to her. “Josh, Courtney is the girl who told me that Joanna stole the cocoa recipe. It wasn’t Joanna at all. It was Courtney. Why would she do that?”
“Oh,” Josh replied, clearly thinking before he replied. “I don’t know. Is there some reason why Courtney would want to see Joanna get in trouble?”
Delaney had no answer for that. The girls had worked together for a year with no problems. “Maybe something happened at school?”
Josh was quiet for a moment before he asked, “Could it be Cameron?”
“No,” Delaney answered quickly before she even thought about a response. “I mean… I don’t think so. Courtney has a boyfriend. Kyle or Skyler or something. I can’t imagine she’d be upset at Joanna because Cameron asked her to the Winter Formal.”
“When did Courtney tell you about this cocoa posting?”
“The day after Cam asked Joanna, but whoever messed with my cocoa tin did it before that because I noticed it the morning I told Cam to ask Joanna out.”
“Is it possible Courtney knew Cameron liked Joanna and started formulating this plan in advance?”
Delaney’s head was beginning to hurt and her heart sank. How could Courtney do something so underhanded. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe. I guess I need to have a chat with Courtney tomorrow.”
“Maybe she’ll confess. She’s just a kid. She might not have really thought about what she was doing.”
“I guess so,” Delaney said, shaking her head slowly from side to side in disbelief. “She’s worked for me for almost a year. I just can’t believe she’d be so sneaky.”
“It might be possible that someone else is trying to frame her, but I find it highly unlikely. Especially since the IP address indicated a spot very close to her residence, and it is her mom’s account.”
“Right,” Delaney sighed. “Well, thank you so much for helping me out with this. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Josh replied, his tone changing from concern to a more sincerely content tone. “I’m glad you thought to call me.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked. “I thought of calling you immediately.” She realized what she was saying a moment to late, but then, surely he knew by now she was spending most of her time thinking about him—didn’t he? Before he could say anything else about her admission, she asked, “How’s your dad? Did you find a doctor?”
“My mom’s going to take him to a specialist right after the holidays,” he said, with a sigh. “He doesn’t want to go, of course, but she said she wouldn’t bake her pecan pie if he didn’t agree, and well, that did it.”
Delaney giggled. “Your mom must bake one amazing pecan pie then.”
“It’s the best in the world,” he replied. “I mean, unless you also bake a pecan pie, then it might be the second best.”
She burst out laughing again as he began to back tra
ck. “I do bake a good pecan pie, but Josh, don’t worry about having to choose between your mom’s baking and mine. I’m not jealous of other people’s skills—except for maybe when it comes to cocoa. That’s the one thing I will defend to the ends of the earth.”
“Is that because it’s a family recipe?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s Nana’s recipe, and it’s based off of her grandmother’s recipe, so it’s generations old. There’s a lot of Young family pride in that cocoa recipe.” She was thoughtful for a moment before she added, “I guess that’s why it hurts so much to see anyone try to take advantage of it.”
“Kids don’t always appreciate history and tradition like we do,” he reminded her. “Sometimes you’ve got to live a little before you can really understand what life is all about.”
Reflecting on his statement, she realized he was right. “How’d you get to be so wise?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Life will do that to you sometimes, I guess.”
She decided it wasn’t necessary to ask him any more about trials and tribulations at that moment. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you Friday.”
“Me, too. The show starts at eight, so I guess I should pick you up before seven to make sure we get there on time.”
“Okay,” she replied. “I’ll text you my address. Even though it’s out in the country, Google works.”
“Sounds good. I thought we could grab a bite to eat afterward, unless you need to get back home sooner. Or is that too late to eat? Should we eat before?” He sounded nervous as he shifted from one question to the next.
Delaney tried not to giggle at his indecisiveness. Perhaps he really didn’t date that much. “It will be a little late for dinner, but that’s okay. I can bring us a snack for the drive if you don’t mind crumbs in your truck.”
“I was actually going to drive my car for a change. It’s been in the garage for a while. But, no, I don’t mind a few crumbs.”
“I think Nana will let me stay out until at least midnight, although if I’m not in by then she might ground me,” Delaney teased.