by Melody Grace
The Story of Us
Sweetbriar Cove: Book 11
Melody Grace
Copyright © 2019 by Melody Grace
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design copyright British Empire Designs.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Introduction
Also by Melody Grace
The Story of Us
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Also by Melody Grace
About the Author
Thank you for reading!
When the mysterious Natalie showed up in TWO HEARTS, I knew that she had a story worth telling. And when I decided she was in Sweetbriar Cove to open her dream chocolate shop, the holidays seemed like the perfect time of year to share her sweet treats with the town.
Natalie is starting over after a difficult relationship. But can the magic of Christmas — and a handsome Kinsella brother — heal her broken heart?
I hope you enjoy their (delicious) love story.
xo Melody
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Also By Melody Grace:
The Sweetbriar Cove Series:
1. Meant to Be
2. All for You
3. The Only One
4. I’m Yours
5. Holiday Kisses (A Christmas Story)
6. No Ordinary Love
7. Wildest Dreams
8. This Kiss
9. Always Be Mine
10. Two Hearts (Kinsella Family #1)
11. The Story of Us
12. Back to You
13. One More Night
14. Forever and Always
* * *
The Beachwood Bay Series:
1.Untouched
2.Unbroken
3.Untamed Hearts
4.Unafraid
5.Unwrapped
6.Unconditional
7.Unrequited
8.Uninhibited
9.Unstoppable
10.Unexpectedly Yours
11.Unwritten
12.Unmasked
13.Unforgettable
* * *
The Oak Harbor Duet:
1.Heartbreaker
2.Reckless Hearts
* * *
With Every Heartbeat
* * *
The Promise
Welcome to Sweetbriar Cove: the small town where happily-ever-after is guaranteed.
* * *
THE STORY OF US
Discover the recipe for love in Sweetbriar Cove with this delectable new standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace!
Natalie Diaz believes that life is sweet. It’s why she’s leaving heartbreak behind to start a delicious new chapter: opening her dream candy store on Cape Cod. Goodbye, break-up blues, hello, handmade chocolate truffles! She’s determined to make her fresh start count, which means no drama, and definitely no distractions—especially not from the mouthwateringly-handsome stranger who keeps crossing her path…
Luke Kinsella wasn’t planning on falling head over heels the moment he stepped foot in Sweetbriar Cove. With his business on the rocks, love is the last thing on his mind, but one look at the mysterious brunette sends his pulse racing… And when he tries her sinfully-sweet candies, he knows one taste will never be enough. He’s used to women swooning into his arms, but Natalie is different. Sure, Luke’s smile makes her knees melt faster than chocolate in the midday sun, but she’s been hurt before. She’s determined to resist the heat burning between them and stay just friends. But as their connection deepens, their red-hot chemistry becomes impossible to ignore.
Can Natalie take a chance and trust her heart again? And when the past she’s been running from finally catches up with them both, will these two hearts find a way to build a new future together, or will their sugar rush bring them both crashing back down to earth?
Find out in the delicious, swoon-worthy romance from Melody Grace!
The Sweetbriar Cove Series:
1. Meant to Be
2. All for You
3. The Only One
4. I’m Yours
5. Holiday Kisses (A Christmas Story)
6. No Ordinary Love
7. Wildest Dreams
8. This Kiss
9. Always Be Mine
10. Two Hearts
11. The Story of Us
12. Back to You
13. One More Night
14. Forever and Always
1
You always needed a little bitter to go with the sweet.
At least, that’s what Natalie Diaz’s grandmother used to say, mixing up her famous chocolate recipe in their cluttered kitchen, saucepans simmering on the range. People thought they only wanted sugary treats: rich and indulgent, or creamy and light. But people were wrong. A touch of cinnamon, a kick of chili heat, the smoky flavor from just a sprinkling of paprika . . . Those were the flavors that turned a simple square of chocolate into something rich and complex, to savor on the tongue and make you reach for just one more piece, over and over again.
Natalie wondered if the reverse was true. Because after the challenges of the past few years, she was definitely due a whole lot of sweetness in her life.
Luckily, she was making up for lost time.
She smiled as she pulled a tray of freshly chilled truffles from the cooler and took them out to the front of the store. These were filled with a hazelnut ganache, dusted with a fine espresso powder that she ground by hand every morning, filling her chocolate shop with the delicious scent of coffee and cream and lending that all-important bitter note to the indulgent, creamy truffle.
She arranged the chocolates carefully on a display plate and set them behind the gleaming glass counter along with all her other delicious treats. From chocolate bars with honey and chili flakes to crisp mint thins and heavenly drizzled bonbons and a dozen more besides, every inch of counter space was filled with a tempting display, adorned with ribbons and fresh-cut flowers, good enough to eat.
The only things missing were the customers.
Natalie looked around the empty shop and sighed. She’d known it would be a slow start getting her new business off the ground, but this was practically molasses. Outfitting the shop and kitchen in the back had taken longer than expected, so the summer tourist rush on Cape Cod had already slowed to a trickle by the time she’d opened her doors in Sweetbriar Cove last month. Halloween had helped, thanks to her bright pumpkin displays in the window and irresistible ghoulish-themed treats, but now, everybody must have been still sleeping off their candy hangovers, because she hadn’t had a single person through the door all day.
She grabbed a cloth and started polishing the display glass for something to do. Again. At this rate, it would be sparkling like a diamond by the end of the week. She wondered, should she pack up some gift boxes and take them around to the local stores to try and drum up some business? She didn’t know many people in town, so she hadn’t thrown a party to announce the grand opening, and with the shop tucked away down a leafy side street off the town square, perhaps people didn’t know she was here just yet—
Ding!
The bell over the doorway rang out cheerfully, and Natalie’s head whipped around. “Oh,” she said, relaxing when she saw the dark-haired woman who’d just stepped inside. “It’s only you.”
“Don’t I feel special?” Alice said, her eyes smiling behind her tortoiseshell glasses.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Natalie exclaimed quickly. “You know you’re my favorite customer.”
Alice laughed. “Customer implies you actually let me pay for anything,” she corrected. “Come on, this is no way to run a business. When are you going to stop giving me freebies and let me drop some serious candy-loving cash?”
Natalie shook her head firmly, her dark hair swirling around her face. “It’s the least I can do,” she insisted. “I know what a good lawyer costs, and it’s definitely not what you’re charging.”
“What are you talking about?” Alice countered. “Your triple-chocolate bonbons are priceless. I’m the one getting a bargain here. And an extra five pounds of candy weight, but we won’t talk about that.” She hopped up on one of the old-fashioned stools at the end of the counter and looked excitedly at the display. “Ooh, what are those pink ones? Are they new?”
Natalie smiled. “Fresh out of the kitchen. Well, the chiller cabinet. Raspberry and white chocolate with a sweet honey center, it’s a new recipe I’m testing. Want to try one?”
“Do you even need to ask?” Alice countered, laughing. “Yes! The answer to everything in this entire store is yes.”
Natalie used her antique silver tongs to pick a couple of the pretty, marbled treats and place them on a dainty white china plate. She slid them across to Alice and watched carefully as she popped one in her mouth. Her face melted into a rapturous smile, and Natalie felt a glow of pride.
She loved watching people taste her candies. She could see the world melt away, just for a moment, as their senses were flooded with a new flavor or they remembered the taste of an old, beloved one. The smiles, the sighs of satisfaction . . . It might have been just a few seconds out of their day, but Natalie loved being able to transport people with just a single bite.
“Oh, this is delicious,” Alice exclaimed, and Natalie made a note to add it to her regular rotation.
“It’s not too sweet?” she checked. “The honey can sometimes be too much.”
Alice popped another in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Not at all,” she replied eventually. “It has a kind of . . . mellow flavor. What is that?”
“Vanilla,” Natalie confided. “I let the bean pod infuse the honey for a few weeks; it gives it a really subtle flavor.”
“Well, it gets two thumbs up from me.” Alice finally pushed the plate away. “Please, stop me before I ruin my dinner. Jackson’s taking me out tonight, and at this rate, I won’t be able to even enjoy the bread basket.”
“Heavens, no,” Natalie said, laughing. She whisked the plate away. “So, what brings you by if not to thoroughly spoil your appetite?”
“Good news.” Alice’s expression turned businesslike. “Your petition for a legal name change is officially accepted!” She pulled a file from her bag and handed it to Natalie. “Congratulations!”
What?
Natalie gripped the file tightly, tears suddenly stinging in the back of her throat. “It’s final?” she asked, not quite believing it. She’d forced herself not to think about the application, because she hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up. But now . . . ? “Are you sure?”
“Signed, sealed, delivered,” Alice assured her. “You are officially Natalie Diaz in the eyes of the law.”
And just like that, Natalie was flooded with a relief so swift and overwhelming, she was lost for words. She sagged back against the counter, her heart pounding in her chest as the enormity of the moment sank in.
It was finally over. Done.
He wouldn’t be able to find her now.
“Everything OK?”
Natalie looked up to find Alice watching her cautiously.
She swallowed hard. “Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much,” she managed to say, still choked up. She hadn’t told Alice the reasons for wanting the change, and thankfully, Alice hadn’t asked.
Natalie wasn’t sure which she was most grateful for.
“Well, I’m happy to help,” Alice said, not pressing her. “You’ll still need to deal with transferring everything at your bank and the DMV—I’m a full-service firm, but even I draw the line at that,” she joked, and Natalie managed a giddy laugh.
“That’s fine. You’ve done more than enough.”
“Let me know if you have any questions,” Alice added, hitching up her purse. She turned to leave, but something made Natalie stop her.
“It’s my middle name,” Natalie blurted. “Natalie is, I mean. And Diaz was my grandmother’s last name. So, it’s not a change. Not really.”
Just enough to be overlooked by anyone searching for the woman she’d used to be.
Alice looked surprised by the confession. Then she smiled. “Do you have plans tonight?”
Natalie blinked. “Um, nope.” Not unless she counted taking a bath and watching cooking shows on Netflix, same as every other night.
“It’s movie night at the town hall,” Alice said, passing her a flyer. “Cheesy, I know, but it’s a lot of fun. Everyone comes and brings snacks, talks all over the movie . . . Tonight is The Thin Man. You should come. Bring some truffles.”
“Oh, now I see your ulterior motive,” Natalie teased.
Alice laughed. “I just meant it would be a great way to introduce yourself to everyone. I know you’re been busy getting this place ready, but it’s a fun community if you want to come say hi.”
“Thanks,” Natalie said slowly, folding the flyer. “Maybe I will.”
* * *
She waited until 5:30 and then turned the hand-lettered sign on the door to Closed. Natalie carefully stored the most delicate treats back in the walk-in refrigerator and then headed home. She didn’t have to go far, just up the back staircase to the cozy apartment above the shop. She kicked off her shoes, flipped on the lights, and happily looked around the empty rooms. The place was almost as empty as the day she’d moved in, just a small bedroom and open-plan living area, with a narrow galley kitchen overlooking the hydrangeas in her overgrown postage stamp of a yard, but to Natalie, it was a palace.
A kingdom all of her own.
She put on some music and reheated some leftover pasta from the night before, humming as she went. Dinner ready, she went to relax on the couch with her plate and a glass of wine, savoring every bite. She even put up her feet on the low coffee table—feeling a spark of rebellion at the gesture and then laughing at herself for the thought.
Sure, you’re a real outlaw now.
It was crazy, but even after living alone for several months, Natalie still felt like she was breaking all the rules. Her ex, Oliver, insisted on eating at the formal dining table every night, set with silverware and expensive flowers; interesting dinners made from scratch, because after all, what else did she have to do, waiting around the house all day? Natalie learned not to point out that he was the one who didn’t want her working, who’d urged her to quit her job running a successful catering company so they would have more time together. “I’m beginning to think you love that job more than you love me,” Oliver would say every time she had to stay late or work on the weekend, until Natalie felt so guilty, it made sense just to hand the reins to her old partner instead of fighting the same battle time and
time again. Besides, Oliver wanted her to be happy, not stressed and run off her feet. They didn’t need the money. He gave her everything she could possibly want. The least she could do in return was make a little effort and keep things the way he liked. He was trying to help her . . .
And so it went.
Natalie didn’t like to think about it. Even now, she found his voice still echoing in her mind, reminding her that she looked so much better with some lipstick on, and that only slobs wore jeans around the house. She played music every night, just to drown him out, letting the soothing sound of Norah Jones or Madeleine Peyroux drift through the apartment until finally, she could get to sleep.
Tonight, though, she felt restless. Natalie dug out the flyer Alice had given her and smoothed it out on the table, feeling torn. She’d been putting off meeting her neighbors, telling herself it was more important to get the store up and running first, but if she was honest, she was apprehensive, too. She’d gone to a costume party her first month in town and had to deflect people all night: friendly questions about where she’d come from and what had brought her to town, her plans for the future, and had she come with anyone, or was it just her on her own?
But with the legal documents all finalized, there was no excuse to keep hiding away anymore. And more than that, Natalie didn’t want to. She’d come to Sweetbriar Cove for a new beginning, and it was time that she actually began.
