by Jean Oram
The crowd around them cheered as they kissed like the world would never end.
“I love you, Frankie.”
“I love you, too, woman. Be mine today and forever.”
“Always.”
The End
Haven’t read the novel Whiskey and Gumdrops yet? Find out how Mandy and Frankie got together! Read it here:
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Vodka and Chocolate Hearts
Sweet Treats Story 3
By Jean Oram
One happy couple. One friend with a not-so-secret crush. One Valentine’s Day that could change it all.
Months ago, Amber Thompson returned to her hometown of Blueberry Springs with hunky newscaster Russell Peaks on her arm. But lately her boyfriend has been spending more and more time in the city as well as talking about moving back. No problem; Amber can work as a mail-order database lackey anywhere there’s internet—as long as Russell asks her to come along.
When the town’s first Valentine’s Day Love Extravaganza gets underway, Amber’s boyfriend gets held up in the city, causing her best friend Scott Malone to pick up his slack. Will Scott’s good intentions be noticed for what they truly are and create a Blueberry Springs love triangle, or will Russell find a way to redeem himself in time to reclaim his girlfriend?
Note to readers: This short story has been crafted to include no spoilers for any of the Blueberry Springs novels (but does include spoilers for the other Blueberry Springs Valentine’s Day short stories—read it third) and, like the other stories in the series, can be read as a standalone. It does have a mild cliffhanger that will lead you into the novel Vodka and Chocolate Drops.
Valentine’s Day roared in like a hurricane, with the single women of Blueberry Springs battening down the hatches to protect themselves from the stormy brunt of the despised celebration, and the well-intentioned, if not misplaced, sympathy. But for once, Amber Thompson had someone. And not just any someone. She had Russell Peaks, award-winning newscaster from the big city. A man who had been shot in the leg while getting the story, and sported a sexy limp as evidence of his dedication. He was larger than life. Gregarious. Handsome. And soon to be a published author. But most of all, he was hers.
All hers.
Now if only she could get him to quit working so hard on his book’s prelaunch and stay home, she could put that little whisper in the back of her mind to rest. The one that told her Russell was spending more time in the city not because of his upcoming book, but because he had grown bored with her. That he was putting distance between them so she’d stay behind in Blueberry Springs when he went back to his sublet urban apartment in two months. It didn’t help that family and friends kept hinting that something might be up between them since he hadn’t been around as often lately. On Amber’s less secure days—such as today—she hated to admit that she secretly feared that they were right. Something was up. Something about her was driving her man away.
Although, she was probably just being paranoid. Of course he loved her; they were living together and he hung on her every word as though he might be tested on it later. Today was Valentine’s Day and her boyfriend extraordinaire had promised to meet her in the community center for the town’s first annual Love Extravaganza. All day long they would hang out as a couple, perfectly in love, and she would finally be able to prove to herself that she was woman enough for a man like him. And after this little competition, which was starting in ten minutes, they would walk away with the title of The Greatest Couple in Blueberry Springs. Easy peasy.
Assuming he broke away from his Saturday morning meetings to make it back to town in time.
* * *
Okay, so Amber had to admit that the battle for the Greatest Couple might not be going so well for her and Russell. Mostly because he was still in the semi-near city of Dakota and not in Blueberry Springs.
She smiled and nodded at her friend Beth, who was waving her onto the stage for the second heat of the challenge. Beth and her husband were defending their new title—won from from her sister during an engagement party last year—and probably the biggest contender for the finals. “Come on!” her pregnant friend called, her brown curls bouncing.
Amber held up a finger and hissed into her phone, leaving a message for Russell. “I’m at the community center. We’re supposed to go onstage and knock Beth from her throne. With the contest being tied to the festival this year there’s actually a prize and she’s acting like she’s already won it. Where are you?” Amber took a deep breath, trying hard to not sound as if she was an insecure and desperate girlfriend. “Um, happy Valentine’s Day. Again.”
Where was he, and why wasn’t he answering his messages? He used to always pick up, even when in the middle of something important.
“Is Russell here?” asked Nicola Samuels, the festival organizer and town’s new community planner. The microphone was to her mouth, the whole community center in on her end of the conversation.
“He’s just a bit delayed,” Amber replied.
A murmur rose up from the seated audience, and sympathetic looks oozed her way. Yeah, yeah, nice of them to feel for her, but they didn’t have to show it.
“Should we proceed without you?” Nicola asked, her palm over the microphone this time.
Amber held up a hand again, scanning the crowd. She caught the reassuring eye of John Abcott, the town lawyer who was pretty much her life’s only father figure—which was comforting seeing as she had no clue who her father was. Even the gossip mill didn’t have the answer to that one. John raised his brows as if to say, Anything I can do to help? She gave a small shake of her head and kept searching for Russell. He could be here, his phone stuck on silent. He could be trying to find her, desperate to illustrate what a sweet and doting boyfriend he was.
When Nicola looked at her for a final answer, Amber shrugged and sadly shook her head. No Russell.
Her phone buzzed as Nicola got the round underway and Amber jumped, clapping the device to her ear. She shut out the applause as Beth and her hubby took the lead. They were already one point ahead of Beth’s sister and brother-in-law, driving the crowd wild as the siblings got competitive.
“Amber, babe, honey. I’m so sorry I didn’t pick up.” It was Russell. Beautiful, handsome Russell. He sounded out of breath and distracted.
“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, moving around the stage so she was behind the speakers and away from the noise so she could hear him better.
“I was getting new head shots. They did a focus group with librarians who thought mine were too pompous. The new ones are very casual. Kind of sexy, actually.”
“How could they not be?” Amber purred.
Her heart warmed as he laughed. “I think the public will be much more receptive to these.”
“They’d have to be crazy not to.”
“You’re such a babe.”
“Am I going to need to move to somewhere more private?” she teased. Russell laughed again, low and rich, sending tremors of anticipation up her spine. Why ever had she found a reason to be paranoid? Just because he hadn’t used the pronoun we when talking about moving back to his old apartment it didn’t mean he wasn’t mentally including her in his plans.
“You know,” she began, “if they’d just listened to me in the first place, you wouldn’t have to keep redoing all this promo stuff.” She might only be a mail-order database flunky, but some of this marketing stuff seemed pretty obvious to her.
“You don’t realize just how much this book couldn’t have happened without you, babe.”
“Now you’re just blowing sunshine. I haven’t done a thing.” She toyed with the zipper on her jacket. “So? Can you come out now?” The note of hope in her voice was embarrassing. “I have tickets for the dance tonight, as well as reserved a spot for us at the couples skating and picnic, which starts in two hours. If you hurry, you can still make it.”
Russell hesitated
before replying, and Amber swallowed her growing disappointment.
“Sorry, babe. I really am. But you know how it is. Once I get these guys to pay attention to little ol’ me I have to hog them. Publicity wants to brainstorm virtual tours this afternoon.” He gave an uncertain laugh and she could picture him running a hand through his sandy hair. “I have no idea what that is.”
“When do you think you’ll make it out?” Amber struggled to keep the whine from her voice. A warm hand touched her elbow and she turned, relaxing. Her best friend, Scott. Always there when she needed a pal.
Scott gave her a quick peck on the cheek and held out a corsage.
She mouthed, “Thanks.” Russell was supposed to have bought her one to show Blueberry Springs that she was taken. Instead, her best friend was picking up her boyfriend’s slack. What was her world coming to?
“I’ll be at the dance for sure, okay, babe?”
“I love you.”
“Gotta run. Bye.”
Amber slipped her phone into her coat pocket, a mix of emotions warring within her. Russell had called her back right away. That was good. He was still playful and fun. No reason to freak out. So, stop freaking out, right?
Right.
Chill pill taken. It was all going to be okay.
Smiling again, she tapped Scott on his uniformed shoulder. He’d filled out since she’d left town after their high school graduation, eager to achieve something more than her waitressing mother ever had. And she was getting there. Slowly. But Scott … he’d definitely changed. Her friend was no longer the shy boy she’d once built forts with, or raced sticks against in the river. He was all man. Blueberry Springs’s one and only police officer—hence the uniform on a Saturday. And yet, as sexy and sweet as he was, he was still surprisingly single.
Some things definitely did not compute in this crazy world.
“Thanks for the corsage.”
“Mary Alice told me Russell hadn’t shown.” Mary Alice was the town’s biggest gossip. Nothing got by her or her sister and, naturally, neither had this little tidbit, which made Amber worry they might see what she feared—that something wasn’t right between her and Russell. “Any word on when His Majesty will show up?”
“Don’t be a jerk, Scott. He’s busy and important.”
“I know. It was a joke, Amber.” Scott’s eyes had that serious look they often did when he was wrestling with something. He opened the corsage box and fumbled with the pin. The look was gone when he shot her a wink as he fastened on the cluster of miniature roses. “We don’t want Nicola trying to set you up with Devon Mattson.”
“I could handle him.” Her friend Mandy’s eldest brother was a daredevil. Always had been and always would be. It ran in the family, and even Mandy, who owned one of the town’s best restaurants, was a daredevil in her souped up 4x4. She had found romance, but Devon was likely going to have a tougher time.
The crowd grew quiet and Amber peered around the edge of the stage to see what was going on. Devon was down on one knee, pleading with Nicola.
“What is he doing?” Amber asked.
“He’s proposing,” Scott replied simply.
“Looks like you won’t need to worry about the eldest Mattson, after all, Officer Malone. Think she’ll go for him?”
“Not a chance. He’s in it for the money.”
“She’s rich?” Amber sized up the town’s newcomer with fresh eyes. She’d never pegged Mary Alice’s niece as a trust fund kind of gal. And honestly, if Nicola were, her aunts would have had that news up and down Main Street in no time.
“She put out a challenge,” Scott was saying. “Whichever new couple gets engaged today wins five hundred dollars worth of Blueberry Springs gift cards—valid in any store in town.”
“How new do they have to be?”
“I’m not sure.” Scott seemed uncomfortable.
Amber could totally propose to Russell today. That would put her worries to rest once and for all because you didn’t leave your fiancée behind, now did you? And the extra five hundred bucks would come in handy.
“I think you two may have been together too long,” Scott said, as if reading her mind. He cleared his throat, apparently unable to meet her eye. “Living together and all.”
“Oh.” Well, still. Getting engaged would be nice—prize or not.
“Amber, over here.” Her friend Jen Kulak called them over. She was wearing a red T-shirt that had a heart on the left sleeve and said This Is Me Wearing My Heart On My Sleeve.
Ever the romantic. Had to be another Jen creation.
“This guy does computer stuff like you. And he lives over in Derbyshire.” Jen tugged an obviously reluctant man closer.
“I only use a computer for work,” Amber replied.
“I thought you were a techie or something? A tele-something,” her friend said.
“I telecommute.” Not a computer wizard whatsoever unless you counted turning the computer off, then on again to resolve any issues, wizardry. “Work from home. Using a computer. It’s a mail-order thing. Databases and such.”
The tech guy was sizing her up. He might work at a desk, but definitely found his way to the gym. He was strong, built. Totally yummalicious.
Scott’s hand settled on Amber’s elbow. “She’s taken, actually.”
“What? You two are dating?” Jen beamed at them.
“No,” Amber said a little too forcefully. “Russell. I’m with Russell. Still.” Did her friend think she shouldn’t stay with him? Did she see something, too?
“Oh, right.” Jen glanced away, her eyes drawn back to Scott’s possessive hand on Amber’s arm. “Sorry.”
“I’m actually going to go and—” Amber’s phone lit up with Russell’s number. “Sorry! Just have to chat with my boyfriend. Valentine’s Day and all.” She stepped aside to take the call. The man had impeccable timing.
“Where did you put my computer cord?” he asked.
“Um, what?” Amber glanced behind her and noticed that everyone was eavesdropping. She lowered her voice. “I put it in your bag when you were done working last night. Are you on your way?”
“What? Oh, right. Yeah. Tonight for the thing. The dance. Oh, crap. I was supposed to get you a corsage to show you weren’t single. Amber, I’m such a … I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Her voice was betraying her, hollering out that it wasn’t okay and that she was falling apart. She could feel her insecurities crowding her, circling in for an upcoming attack where they would wrestle her to the ground, knocking her into an endless spiral of despair lined with double-chocolate-chunk ice cream and tidal wave tears.
“You sure?” Russell asked.
“Yeah, of course.” She took a deep breath. Him being busy did not mean he didn’t love her. She needed to get a grip or her needy, insecure side was going to drive him away for sure. “Scott got me a corsage when he heard you weren’t here yet. So it’s all good.”
“Scott?” There was something odd in Russell’s voice. He let out a long breath and his tone changed to one almost like relief. “Good. Good. I’m glad he’s there.”
“Yeah.” She turned to size up her hunky BFF. “He’s a good friend.”
“Babe?”
“Yeah?”
“I really can’t find the cord. It’s not in my bag.”
“I put it in there and then didn’t touch it.” She lowered her voice, feeling playful. “But I can touch other cords if you’d like.”
Russell laughed. “I may have to ditch all of these meetings and hustle over to your little town.”
“Please do. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I think I have a pretty good idea.”
“Good.” Amber grinned as she clicked off the phone.
Scott grabbed her elbow again and propelled her onto the stage. She turned, trying to push her way past him. “What are you doing? They’re holding a competition!”
He was big. Tall. And totally blocking her only exit.
/> “Scott!” She smacked his chest.
“Come on. Let’s show these old married bats a thing or two.”
“We’re not a couple. We have nothing to show them.”
“Who cares? Let’s have some fun and turn that frown upside down.” He gave her a goofy pout and she laughed, allowing him to succeed in forcing her butt into one of the plastic chairs on the temporary stage. The crowd roared their approval and Amber played it up with an exaggerated shrug. Scott was a damn show-off and was acting as though this was their high school rendition of Romeo and Juliet all over again. He was pushing her around and driving the audience wild. Pulling out his handcuffs, he pretended to lock her to the chair.
Cute.
Real cute.
“Scott. Come on. This is for couples.”
“That’s rather discriminatory.” He polished his badge with the cuff of his shirt and raised an eyebrow to the crowd. “Can we play?” he called out. The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Amber laughed and gave in. “Fine. If you think we can take them, let’s go.”
Nicola, who had been giving them hesitant glances, cleared her throat and tapped her index cards on the lectern. “We have our four couples squaring off for the final heat.”
“Final heat?” Amber whispered to Scott.
“One couple bowed out, leaving an empty spot. Nicola said we could challenge the leaders.” He grinned as he plunked himself in the chair beside Amber, draping an arm across her shoulders. She shoved him off, but he only grinned wider, while the audience chuckled at their shenanigans, clearly thinking it was all an act.
Nicola cast them another furtive look and Amber gave her a tiny shrug.
“Unless our reigning champs—yes, this competition has lived on longer than this festival and has been a game played at engagement parties—are beaten in this round, they will continue to hold the title of The Greatest Couple in Blueberry Springs,” Nicola announced. “They will also walk away with a hundred-dollar gift certificate to Benny’s Big Burger.”
