by Elyse Riggs
Vivian’s eyes get as big as saucers.
It shouldn’t have been possible for me to make this situation even worse than it was a few seconds ago, but I’m just that good.
“What surgery do you need? Maybe we can raise money to help. I know some people.”
“No!” I blurt out. I must have looked terrified because she came in for a hug. I can’t even object because I’m still holding all of the chocolates in my hand. “There, there, Vivian. I’m going to be okay. Probably. Maybe? I just don’t know.” Oh shit. I just made it worse. Again. Shut up, Kaylee. I have to get out of here. “Look, it’s a tiny operation. No big deal. I’m going to be fine, okay? Please, just don’t tell Ralph I was here.”
I rush off to find Chase.
“Wait, why would you be in a bikini if you’re sick?” Vivian calls out after me.
I panic. Again. “Um, I’m supposed to get a bunch of Vitamin D- or else!”
Without looking back, I dart out of there just as fast as my legs will take me. Before long, I nearly run into Chase, making his way back to his post. Presumably returning from my pastry display area.
Anger flares inside me at the smug look on his face. At the very least, he should be sorry for screwing this up so bad. “What the fuck, Chase?”
“What?” he asks defensively.
I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. “The one person I absolutely couldn’t run into ran into me!” I whisper-yell at him.
Then I take a quick breath. “Okay, the second worst person. I mean Ralph would be the first absolute worst person for me to run into. And we’d better get out of here before that happens. The point is that you didn’t even warn me.”
“I did! I cleared my throat very loudly. Just like we agreed. There’s no way you didn’t hear me. It was loud.”
He seems very certain of himself. If he did clear his throat like he says, then why didn’t I hear him?
Because I was in the freezer. Obviously I wouldn’t hear him clear his throat if he were anywhere out here and I was inside the freezer. I feel my shoulders sag. I thought it was a good plan, but there was a flaw in it big enough to drive a truck through.
Fine, so I bear some responsibility in this crap show. Plus who knows what Vivian’s going to do now. At least I got the chocolates I need. That is literally the only good thing to come out of the last few minutes.
I hear footsteps and grab Chase by his tee shirt. “We have to go. I’ll yell at you more later.”
Once we get out into the hallway, he does a double take at me carrying everything. “Oh, hey, let me grab those.”
“They’re not that heavy,” I protest. Now that the danger is over, he thinks he’s going to swoop in and help? No way.
He stares at the boxes in my hand. “Scrumptious Chocolates is a good name. Did you come up with it yourself? Clever.”
“That’s me alright, clever,” I say, as I rush him through the lobby and then out of the building and into the sunshine where my car is parked.
“And yes, I came up with it myself. I don’t have a marketing team. And my chocolate may have a clever name, but the competition here is brutal. I’ve been slogging around trying to get a foothold for a year or two. I do weddings, special events, charities, that kind of thing. Mostly for friends or if a holiday gets overbooked with the other guys.”
“Can I have one?” he asks as we get to my beat up, red, ten-year-old Honda Civic.
I hand him the boxes so that I can open my car door. Then I frisk myself for my key, but remember I am currently in a bikini, flip flops, coverall, tee shirt and goofy hat. That means I have no purse and therefore no keys.
“Forget something?” Chase watches me frisk myself, sucking in his lower lip in while he waits for me to come to the obvious conclusion that I don’t have my keys.
I sigh loudly and yank uselessly on the door handle. “Only my keys. And my purse. And my clothes.” All of which are back at the lounge chair for two. Or are they in Chase’s room?
Chase shrugs. “It’s okay, we can take my car.”
“I need clothes, Chase.”
He shifts the boxes of chocolate in his arms. “But you were just about to get into your car like that. Ten seconds ago. Before you realized you didn’t have your keys, remember? Besides, if you ask me, I vote for the no-clothes option.”
“Funny,” I shoot back. “I was about to leave in this outfit. That doesn’t mean it was a good idea.”
“Back to my suite, then?” He smirks at me as he tightens his grip on my chocolates.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kaylee
Now we have to hurry to Chase’s suite and back to get my keys and change. I can’t have those chocolates melting in the late afternoon summer sun. It’s a sauna out here. And Fi needs them soon.
As soon as we get back inside, the air conditioning hits us like an ocean wave.
Good thing, too, it’ll cool down the chocolates. We head for the elevator. I check my watch. We have time, but not a lot of it.
Finally, we make it to Chase’s suite. He slips me his key card, refusing to let go of the boxes of chocolates.
I let us in, frowning at him. “Can I trust you with those boxes while I change? Because you’ve been looking at them like they are the possessions that you would save in the event of a fire. You’re a freaking billionaire, I’m sure you’ve had amazing chocolate before. Probably from France or whatever.”
He enters and sets the boxes on the kitchen table. “Sure, I’ve had chocolate before. But believe me, yours are special. And they smell so good. Please tell me there are a few extra in here.”
I roll my eyes as I run into his room to change. “Fine, I did pack extra, but go easy, okay?” I turn back toward the kitchen and do the watching you sign with two fingers from my eyes to his.
He fake salutes me. “Yes, ma’am. Deal. I’m talking two or three chocolates, tops. Maybe five. Well, six or seven because that would be half of a baker’s dozen, right? That sounds reasonable.”
I barely hear the last part because his mouth is full.
“Oh my gosh,” I call from his bedroom, “when it comes to sweets, you’re a hopeless child. Ralph was not lying.”
I start to take off my bikini when his face appears around the corner of the door. “Who’s Ralph again?”
“Hey, I’m changing. Get out!”
He takes one more long look at me and then backs out of the doorway with a smirk. “Sorry, I totally timed that wrong. You still had your clothes on. You should shut the door. But seriously, who’s Ralph.”
“Are you jealous?” I call teasingly.
“Maybe.”
“Ralph’s the head chef here at the resort. My boss, remember? One of the two people we were trying to avoid on our disastrous kitchen heist. He had you and your family pegged as sweet obsessed in the morning meeting. Are your brother and sister as bad as you in that department?”
“I assure you we are all completely hopeless.” Then he moans loudly.
I throw on my jeans and shirt and walk out to see what he’s doing. Because right now he sounds exactly like a man version of When Harry Met Sally. “What are you doing?”
“It’s not my fault. These chocolates are fantastic!”
I raise my voice and an eyebrow at him. “OMG. Is that your chocolate eating noise? Because if it is, you’re banned from my chocolate shop. When I have one. Honestly. You’re moaning louder right now than you were last night. You’re lucky these walls aren’t as thin as the rest of the resort.”
“I’m serious,” he says, ignoring the teasing. “I truly don’t understand why Scrumptious Chocolate isn’t blowing all the competition in this town away.”
That brings back bad memories for me. I sigh. “I’ll tell you later, we have to go. Fi’s expecting me soon.”
“We can take my car if you want.”
It’s only like the third time he has offered his car. And with my Honda Civic struggling lately and also out of gas, the last thing I
need is to break down before I can get the chocolate to Fi.
I turn to him and smile. “Fine, I give in. Spoiler alert, my car’s fuel gauge is sitting on empty anyway.” I cross the room and glance down at the stacked boxes of chocolates.
The box on the top that Chase is working his way through is down to a quarter of what it was originally. “How many of those did you eat? I was only in there for five minutes.”
“It’s not my fault,” he says, swallowing. “As we’ve already discussed, they’re amazing.”
“Fine,” I take the box on top that he’s eaten most of anyway. and set it by itself on his suite’s kitchen counter. “You can have this box, there are too many eaten to bring with us. And you’re damn lucky I made extra.”
A few minutes later, we’re downstairs and being whisked away in his Lincoln Town Car Limo. After a few quick directions to the driver, we’re on our way.
When the limo finally stops it’s in front of a bingo hall in a strip mall on Riley Street. I grab the remaining boxes, wrestle them away from Chase, and open the limo door. Chase opens his.
“Oh no,” I object, “I’m going in alone. No friends can know about us, remember?”
He smirks at me. “Is this still because I’m a tourist? Aren’t we passed all that?”
“No,” I shut the door.
I carry the boxes to the door. Somebody sees me and opens it. And then I’m inside. Immediately, I’m hit by a wall of sound. Music blares, alcohol flows, and the place is loud because it’s packed.
Fi’s charity events are always beloved and well attended. In fact, she has single-handedly managed to keep me afloat though my toughest times the last few months with events like these and I am forever grateful.
I weave my way carefully through the old wooden tables as I make my way to the bar in the back. The floor is tacky on the bottom of my shoes for some reason, and that’s concerning. But the crowd is loud, boisterous, and fun.
Everything a person wants on a Friday night in this town. If Chase weren’t waiting for me in the car, I’d stay.
Out of nowhere, Fi finds me and pulls me into a hug so tight I nearly drop all the boxes. I lean into it, a big smile on my face.
“Kaylee! Thank goodness, your chocolates are always the hot item on the auction block. You’re going to stay, right? Drinks are on me.” She winks like that makes it a done deal. Normally, it would be.
I feel bad turning her down. “I can’t tonight.”
She raises a suspicious eyebrow. “Hot date?”
“No way, you know me. Still in a rut,” I lie as we walk together to the bar and I set down the boxes.
Fi frowns. “Well, if you’re busy, doesn’t that mean you landed your kitchen crush? I already told you, no man can resist you in that red bikini. That’s why I bought it for you. You’re welcome.”
That makes me laugh and now that I set the boxes down, I give her a proper hug and kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Fi. You’re the best.”
Then I see the stack of pizzas and my stomach rumbles. I’m lucky that I’m surrounded by loud music or I’m sure the loud rumbling coming from my insides would have startled everyone around me.
“I don’t know,” she says, still studying my face. “Something’s up with you. You sure you can’t stay? Can I at least walk you out?”
That’s when I know for sure that she isn’t going to let it go. If she walks me out, then she’ll see the limo. And Chase.
I take a deep breath and prepare to tell another lie. “Okay, I can’t fool you. I have a thing. But it’s not a date.” Not exactly. It’s more like a fake engagement. I lean in to whisper to her, which is totally unnecessary given the noise level around us, but who doesn’t love a secret? “It’s new, and I’m not sure whether it’s going to turn into anything. That awkward stage, you know?”
“Well, I hope it works out. You’ll be at lunch tomorrow, right?”
“Yup, I’ll be there for sure. Good luck with the auction.” Grateful that went well, I wind my way back through the tables and the throngs of people and back toward the exit.
Once outside, the heat hits me again in a blistering, humid wave. I walk to the limo and open up the door while I breathe a sigh of relief. The last thing I want to do is let Fi down or have her find out I’m lying to her.
As soon as I shut the limo door and slide back onto the baby smooth leather seat and click in my seatbelt, my stomach gives off another loud growl.
That brings a smirk from Chase. “Hungry?”
“Starving. Aren’t you?”
“I could eat,” he grins. “You’re the local, what do you have in mind?”
It’s my turn to smirk. “Driver, please set a course for Banana Burger.” That brings a worried stare from both Chase and the driver.
I decide to tackle the driver first, metaphorically speaking. “Turn left on the main road and go a mile and a half, then turn right on Wabash. It’ll be on the right. There’s a giant banana on top of the building. Trust me, you can’t miss it.”
“You’re serious?” Chase asks as the limo driver dutifully speeds off.
“Absolutely, yes. I need a good burger.”
He makes a face. “You did say that the burgers aren’t actually made out of bananas, right?”
“No, that would be weird.”
“Hey, this whole thing is your idea.”
“Look, the burgers are just regular burgers. Well, no, they’re really great burgers. The best in the city if you ask me. And you don’t have to get bananas on them. But if you let go of your preconceived notions and you’re adventurous enough, you can get sliced bananas on top of your burger. Don’t give me that face, it’s actually quite good. You know, the sweet and the salty together. It can be quite the combo. We talked about this, but we’re like a real couple now almost, and you don’t listen anymore.”
Chase chuckles at me. “I guess you’re right,” he concedes. “I am hungry, and I could use a great burger. In my defense, I really did think you were kidding earlier. Do you eat it with the bananas on top?”
“Sometimes I do. And sometimes I feel like a regular burger.”
“Well, what about tonight?” He asks. “Are you feeling adventurous?”
That is the moment the limo turns off of Wabash. “You’re about to find out,” I tease him.
Once the limo halts in front of the entrance, I jump out quickly because I’m so hungry. I laugh as I notice that Chase and I are getting quite a few stares as we head inside, but at this point, I don’t care.
Once we get inside and I think about it, I decide to order the burger with the bananas. I figure if I’m pretending to be something I’m not, I may as well live a little.
Surprisingly, he orders the same, and we slide into a booth with our sodas as we wait for our food.
He takes a sip and sets his hands down on the table like he’s serious.
“What?” I ask.
“Earlier, you said you’d explain to me exactly why you aren’t kicking this entire town’s ass in the chocolate department. I need answers.” He runs a hand through his hair and sits back.
I sigh. “Oh, yeah, that.” He’s obviously not going to let it go. Then again, if it has to do with sweets, this guy is all in.
“Well, you asked for it, so here goes. Not too long ago, Scrumptious Chocolates was actually starting to show some progress. I got some exclusive bookings and things were starting to take off. You see, I had a small nest egg left to me by my great aunt Deb when she passed away a couple of years ago. I rolled most of it into the business and got off to a decent start.”
“So far, so good,” he says, nodding. “That sounds like a perfect scenario. What happened?”
“Well, at the time I was dating this guy.”
“Uh-oh.” He takes a noisy sip of his soda, but he’s hanging on every word. I’m searching those sea-green eyes for signs that he’s making fun of me, but so far, he looks legit interested. Concerned, even.
“He got laid off and mo
ved in with me.”
“Oof.” His lips flatten into a thin line.
“Oh, that’s not nearly the bad part. A month into that arrangement I started having second thoughts about it. But the trick is, how do I get him out?”
Chase takes another sip. “What did you do? Call the cops? Did they taser him?”
That makes me laugh. “I wish. As it turned out, he got rid of himself. One night I made the mistake of falling asleep with my laptop open. He transferred all the money from my nest egg plus everything I had saved up plus that week’s paycheck out of my bank account. He was gone when I woke up.”
Chase is caught in mid-slurp by my story. The soda goes down wrong, and he starts coughing. For a guy who seems to live in suits, he sure does slurp his drink a lot. When he recovers and starts breathing again, he blinks at me. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. The job at the resort is the only one in town that pays enough money for me to have a chance to dig myself out of the hole I’m in. Even so, I’m on a strict ramen-noodle, three-year plan to get back on track.”
I grin at him. “One fake fiancé later and look at me. I’m about to eat a burger with sliced bananas on it. Things are looking up. Actually, my backup plan is this paradise,” I gesture to the restaurant around us. “It wouldn’t dig me out of any financial holes, but I have a standing job offer here because the owner is a peach. It’s good to have friends.”
“What the fuck?” Chase asks at last, processing the conversation. “That’s one of the worst stories I’ve ever heard. For the record, I would have taken you to any restaurant you wanted. And on behalf of all men everywhere, I am so sorry that happened to you. And to the chocolate. So what happened when you figured it out the next morning, did you call the police?”
“Yes, I did. They said they would look into it and let me know as soon as they had any actionable leads.”
“And?”
“That was six months ago. I never heard back from them.”
A muffled voice on a microphone calls out number two-hundred and thirty-four. Chase looks down at the receipt on the table. “Hey, that’s us.” He looks excited as he slides out of the neon orange booth and makes his way to the counter to collect our food.