by Jean Oram
Acknowledgments
I had a blast writing Ginger and Logan’s story and I hope my readers absolutely adore them as much as I do. The six of us authors had a ton of fun writing the Indigo Bay world for you, our readers.
A special thank you also goes to the team who help me write the best story I can; Margaret, Emily, Erin, Lucy, Rachel, Donna, and Mrs. X. I’d also like to thank fans Lenda Burns and Jaime Deming for helping me name Logan Stone. You rock, ladies!
As well, a big thank you to my fans for patiently waiting for me to get back to your favorite characters from Blueberry Springs—I hope you enjoy this Indigo Bay adventure!
And finally, thank you to my husband for stocking up on frozen pizzas so those nights when I didn’t have any dinner ideas after sitting in at my computer writing all day I still looked like a hero to our kids. XO.
Happy reading,
Jean Oram
Sweet Illusions
Sweet Illusions
By Jeanette Lewis
She hoped Indigo Bay would be a safe haven. But the cult wants her back.
Eva Malone was very young when her mother forced the family to join a violent doomsday cult, but she remembers a little about how normal life used to be. As a young woman, she escapes the cult and relocates to Indigo Bay, South Carolina to pursue her dream of peaceful anonymity.
After several tumultuous years as a policeman in Atlanta, Ben Andrews has had enough. He returns home and joins the Indigo Bay PD, where the most exciting part of the job is getting a kitten out of a tree or rescuing tourists who lose their keys at the beach.
Eva and Ben are immediately drawn to each other. But as the prophesied date of the apocalypse draws near and the cult steps up its efforts to find her, Eva realizes she can’t maintain her sweet illusion forever.
Chapter 1
There was something hypnotic about working with chocolate—swirling the wooden spoon through the silky liquid, then lifting the spoon and watching the thick chocolate ribbon back into the copper bowl, the ripples folding on each other as they sank beneath the shimmering surface. Eva stopped stirring and took a deep breath, letting the sweet, sharp scent wash over her. Before coming to Indigo Bay, she’d never known such delicious chocolate. But then, she’d never known a lot of things.
She stiffened as the electronic chime on the front door sounded; pulling her out of her thoughts. A customer had come in. Frantically, her eyes darted to the clock over the metal shelves, where chocolate molds were stacked a dozen high. Miss Eulalie wasn’t due back from the dentist for at least another fifteen minutes. Customer traffic was light this late in the day, and so far Eva had avoided having to talk to anyone. But her luck had just run out.
“Hello?” A deep voice rumbled from beyond the double-hinged door separating the shop’s salesroom from the workroom.
Inside her plastic work gloves, Eva’s hands began to sweat. Bad enough that she had a customer, and even worse that he was male. She ripped off the gloves and wiped her hands on a damp towel, fixing a smile on her face as she stepped through the swinging door.
The afternoon sunlight came through the front windows of the shop, momentarily blinding her and throwing the customer into silhouette. Eva moved toward him just as a loud hum of static tore through the air, followed by a female voice speaking in a rapid monotone.
With a startled shriek, Eva fell back.
The customer was a police officer. He wore a navy blue uniform with thick-soled black boots, and a wide belt hung with a pistol and an assortment of other tools. The radio was clipped to his shoulder and he’d hooked a pair of aviator sunglasses by one earpiece from his breast pocket. His light brown hair was cut short and sun-bleached at the ends.
The man’s deep-set eyes were the same color as the chocolate Eva had been stirring in the back room. His skin was well tanned and his sharply squared jaw held a hint of a five-o’clock shadow that glimmered gold in the sunshine.
“Sorry, did I startle you?” He reached to turn the radio down. His voice was deep and smooth, like a dark chocolate truffle, and when he smiled, a dimple creased his right cheek.
“No. No problem,” Eva said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Can … is there something I can help you with?”
The man glanced around the shop. “I’m looking for a present for my mom; she loves this place. Anything you can recommend?”
The Indigo Bay Chocolate Emporium was sandwiched between a T-shirt shop and an art gallery on Indigo Bay’s Magnolia Avenue. The shop’s weathered wooden front was accented by the bright yellow door and the matching trim around the windows. It was only mid-April, but Miss Eulalie had already filled the flowerboxes mounted under the store’s windows with yellow-and-white-striped petunias that would grow until they engulfed and overflowed the boxes in flowery cascades.
The inside of the store continued the color theme with white display cases and marble countertops, set upon pearl bamboo floors. Several antique armoires, all painted Miss Eulalie’s favorite shade of lemon, held even more merchandise—boxes of dipped chocolates, molded chocolate suckers, chocolate covered Oreos and gummy bears, and the store’s specialty: caramel apples drenched in chocolate and a variety of other toppings. Eva had been working at the store for four months and still hadn’t sampled everything.
“The caramel apples are always popular,” she said in answer to the man’s question.
His radio squawked again, a bit quieter this time, and Eva’s pulse notched up again.
“She doesn’t really like fruit for dessert,” the man said. He wandered to one of the armoires and picked up a box of dipped Oreos Eva had made yesterday. She’d spent hours painstakingly creating the lattice design on top with white chocolate, then adding the tiny frosting flowers.
The casual way the man handled the box sent a jolt of irritation running through her. Did he have any idea how much work had gone into it? “The caramels are really good, and the toffee is always a favorite,” she offered a bit stiffly.
His black boots thumped on the hard floor as he crossed to the shelf with the toffees. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you new in town?” he asked, sending her a sideways glance as he plucked a box of dark chocolate toffee from the display and examined it.
Eva’s throat went dry. “There’s dark or milk chocolate toffee. Most people prefer the milk.” She edged toward the register, hoping he’d take the hint.
He looked up from the box, and his gaze locked with hers. “What do you like?”
Seriously? She had a bowl of newly tempered chocolate in the back room and absolutely no desire to get into a personal conversation with a policeman. “It’s all really good,” Eva said.
“Sounds like Miss Eulalie has taught you well.” He grinned, sparking the dimple. “Have you worked here long?”
“A couple of months.” Eva fiddled with the mug of pens sitting near the register. If Miss Eulalie were here, she’d have this guy laughing and chatting and probably buying five times the amount of chocolate he’d come in for. But all Eva could do was stand behind the counter like a statue with a plastic smile on her face and sweat beading along her hairline.
“Okay, I’ll take some toffee,” the man finally said. He swapped the box of dark chocolate for milk chocolate and crossed the store to set the candy on the countertop. The box was one she’d wrapped yesterday and she’d had trouble with the yellow bow. As he came nearer, she caught a trace of his cologne above the smells of chocolate and sugar that filled the room, something dark and masculine she couldn’t identify.
“But you still haven’t answered my question. What do you like? I’m curious.”
“I-I really like the orange creams,” she managed.
“Okay.” The man nodded. “I’ll take a couple of those too. Milk chocolate, please.”
Her hands shook as she slipped on a new pair of plastic gloves and pulled the tray of orange creams from the display case. “How many?”
“Half a dozen.”
Quickly she counte
d out six chocolates, weighed them, and stuffed them into a small paper bag stamped with the brown-and-yellow Chocolate Emporium logo. Her fingers were sticky inside the gloves as she punched the keys of the register. “Thirty, thirty-two. Please.”
He pulled a leather wallet from his back pocket and reached inside for a card. His fingers were long and tanned, graceful as he swiped his card and punched the PIN into the card reader. “Thanks for your help,” he said, and his dimple flashed with his smile as he reached for the bag. Their fingers brushed.
Eva jumped back, releasing the bag before he had a firm grip. It thumped to the counter and the orange creams rolled everywhere. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, and scrambled to gather up the chocolates, her hands darting over the polished marble. There seemed ever so many more than six.
The man stood silently. Once or twice he started to reach out, as if to help, but then seemed to think better of it. She didn’t dare look at him, sure she’d see laughter in his eyes as he watched her struggle.
At last she had the chocolates corralled. “I’ll get you some new ones,” she said, and her cheeks burned as she dumped the candy into the garbage and went back to the case. Technically, she should weigh them again and refigure the price, but there was no way she would keep this guy around any longer. She stuffed the new chocolates into a bag, folded the top down firmly, and pushed it across the counter toward him. “Thank you for coming in.”
There was a moment of silence. Then the man cleared his throat. “Just so you know, I don’t bite or anything,” he said lightly. “In fact, most people think I’m a pretty decent guy.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks and she forced herself to meet his velvety brown eyes. “Would you … would you like some chocolate-covered blueberries?” She gestured to the tray sitting by the register. “They’re free.”
He studied her for a moment, then grabbed a couple of the blueberries and popped them in his mouth. “I don’t know why Mom doesn’t like these. They’re fantastic,” he said as he chewed.
Oh great. Now would he stay longer to buy blueberries? Miss Eulalie would appreciate the extra business, but Eva’s fingers squeaked in the plastic gloves as she clenched her fists.
The man’s eyes drifted to the name tag pinned to the strap of her yellow apron. “Thanks for your help … Eva. Guess I’ll see you around.”
Her name on his tongue sent her heart racing, but she only nodded and gave him a small, tight smile. He responded with the dimple and as the door whooshed shut behind him, Eva tore off the gloves and pressed the back of a shaking hand to her sweaty temple. There was probably a way for that transaction to have been worse, but she couldn’t imagine it.
“How was business?” Miss Eulalie asked, breezing in twenty minutes later. She was a plump, older woman with bright red lipstick and skin the color of the sea salt caramels. She loved chunky necklaces and usually kept her curly, graying hair tied back with a colorful scarf.
“Only one customer,” Eva said. “He bought toffee and orange creams. Thirty, thirty-two.”
Miss Eulalie’s dark eyes softened. “You don’t need to remember the totals, honey,” she said. “I’ll see when I do the books tonight.”
Eva flushed and ran the dishcloth over the large copper bowl in the sink, plowing through the mountain of soap bubbles.
“Eva, look at me,” Miss Eulalie commanded, and Eva raised her eyes. Her boss’s smile was full of understanding. “You’re doing a wonderful job,” she said kindly. “I wish you’d try to relax and have some fun. This is a chocolate shop; it’s supposed to be a happy place! And I’m going to need you to be on your game when the summer season begins in a few weeks.”
“I’m sorry; I’ll try,” Eva said quickly. She took a few deep breaths in an effort to release the tension curling up her spine like a snake, winding tighter and tighter. It was so important she do well and keep Miss Eulalie happy. She needed this job.
There was a long silence. Eva dropped her eyes back to the dishwater in the sink, though she knew Miss Eulalie was studying her.
Finally, the older woman sighed. “If you’ve got everything under control back here, I’ll go straighten the displays.”
Eva nodded. “Sounds great.”
Miss Eulalie left, and Eva went back to the pile of dishes—copper bowls, wooden spoons, molds, trays, dipping utensils, and aluminum pots, all covered with crusted sugar and hardened chocolate, leftovers of the candy making she’d done all day. She grabbed the nearest pot and plunged it into the hot dishwater, releasing a tangy orange scent from the residue clinging to the pot’s sides. The candy she’d used to form the centers of the orange creams.
The policeman’s deep brown eyes and quick grin rose to her memory. He’d said his mother didn’t like fruity chocolate. Did he buy the creams for himself? Or could they be for a girlfriend?
The flash of his dimple almost made up for the threat of the uniform with its heavy black gun and shrill, squawking radio. His cheek had been dusted with a five o’clock shadow. What would his whiskers feel like under her fingertips?
Eva leaned forward and pushed the pan to the bottom of the sink, letting the hot water sting the sensitive skin on her forearms. Good. The last thing she needed to do was fixate on the sexy cop with the chocolate eyes.
Chapter 2
Ben turned a corner and reached out to steady the bag of chocolates in the passenger seat. One set of orange creams had already gone for a tumble today across the countertop at the candy store; the second batch didn’t need to fall onto the floor mats of his car. He spun the wheel to turn off Magnolia and headed toward the ocean. The window was down and the breeze brought the tang of salt air he’d always associated with Indigo Bay … with home.
He drove slowly, savoring the familiar sights and sounds—the call of the gulls, the scent of brine, the bleached look of the shops and houses. Even fresh paint faded quickly in the ocean air and the warm Southern sun.
Indigo Bay was set on a peninsula off the coast of South Carolina, a slender finger jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. While the town wasn’t large, it boasted several motels, a handful of B&Bs, plenty of locally owned shops, boat and watercraft rentals, fishing outfitters, and several antebellum mansions that had been renovated for various purposes. The row of brightly painted summer cottages along the coastline were favorites with locals and tourists alike, but the summer rush hadn’t started yet, and at the moment, Indigo Bay was left mostly to the locals.
The woman in the chocolate shop, Eva, was evidently a local, though he didn’t know her. Of course, he’d been gone for a while, so there were probably quite a few new people he didn’t know.
He drove slowly, letting his mind linger on Eva. She was pretty, in a not-quite-traditional sense. In a town full of beach beauties, she stood out and there was something…otherworldly about her, like a Disney princess come to life, with thick, dark hair that brushed her shoulders and huge eyes which were brilliant blue against her pale skin. Her eyes held an unusual look—innocence tinged with sadness.
She’d certainly been jumpy. Had she been afraid of him? The thought nettled. He’d cultivated his big city cop swagger and an air of authority, but now that he was home, he’d been trying to tone it down. Had he come on too strong? And why did it matter so much?
Sighing, Ben turned in to the parking lot of the Indigo Bay Police Department. The single-story building was sided in weathered gray wood and the flowerbeds were filled with red scarlet sages and short palms, their long leaves blowing lazily in the breeze. He parked his black-and-white squad car and killed the engine.
In the lobby, framed portraits of past police chiefs stared sternly at him from the walls. Ben moved quietly, but he may as well have been wearing tap shoes, because the front desk clerk glanced up with a squeal.
“Hey, newbie! We’ve been waiting for the report all day.” Amelia Johnson pumped her eyebrows. She hadn’t changed in the six years he’d been gone, except perhaps to grow slightly rounder as she edged toward middle age. F
rizzy blonde hair framed her face like a lion’s mane, and her green eyes flashed behind hot-pink-framed glasses. Long nails painted a matching shade of pink drummed on the countertop as she sized him up. “You’re looking good in that uniform, Officer Andrews. Any trouble today?”
“Two dozen speeding tickets, and a swimmer locked his keys in his car,” Ben reported. He held up the Chocolate Emporium bag. “I brought these for you.”
Amelia’s eyes lit up as she reached for the bag. “Aw, what a sweetie. Looks like you know the way to a woman’s heart.” She pulled a fat chocolate from the bag and took a bite. “Mmmm! These are even better than usual.”
Ben wondered if Eva had made them, and his mind conjured up her image, dark hair swinging against the delicate skin of her neck. Would the spot behind her ear be sensitive? Would she break out in goose bumps if he kissed her there?
He pulled his focus back to his job. The police station was unchanged in the six years since he’d been here. Four metal desks ringed the room, backed by towering filing cabinets; in the center, a couch and two chairs formed an informal waiting area. To the right were doors to the chief’s office and the breakroom, and to the left were the private interview rooms.
Officer Paul Moore sat studying his computer screen at one desk, but the others were empty. The Indigo Bay Police Department only had four officers, and Dwayne Ashland and Tara Powell were on the night shift this week.
“Man, I never thought I’d be back here,” Ben murmured.
“Too boring for Mister Big City?” Paul’s drawling voice cut through the air.
“That’s not what I said,” Ben replied evenly. He and Paul weren’t enemies, exactly, but they’d never gotten along well.
“Come on, boys, no arguing,” Amelia chided. “We’re glad you’re here, Ben.”