Candy Crush

by Tami Lund

  At the front door, Brandon said, “Get your dog. We have skunks out here. You shouldn’t leave her outside alone after dark.” So Gabriella called Butter and the three of them walked into the house.

  Brandon flipped on two light switches simultaneously, brightening both the foyer and living room. Gabriella saw gleaming wood floors and lots of crown molding. A stained glass door was propped open and led to the left and into the living room, which was large and pentagon-shaped, matching the outside wall. She saw a giant flat screen television, a leather couch, two reclining chairs, a coffee table and two end tables. The stairway leading upstairs was directly in front of her.

  “You look beat, so I’ll save the grand tour for later. Living room there,” He nodded to his left. “Through the living room is the dining room and then kitchen. There’s a small half bath off the kitchen, and the laundry room doubles as the mudroom and leads to the backyard. I suppose you drink coffee?”

  Gabriella nodded.

  “I usually drink mine at the office, but I’ll make some in the morning. Coffee pot will be on at seven a.m., so if you aren’t an early riser, you won’t get fresh coffee.”

  Gabriella was indeed an early riser, although she’d had to endure a lot of late nights in her former life. She realized she was looking forward to getting back into a routine of her own choosing. Fresh coffee at seven a.m. sounded wonderful.

  “I usually leave for the office around seven forty-five,” Brandon went on. “I’ll leave you a key. You’re welcome to make yourself at home.” He looked at her, presumably waiting to see if she had questions. When she didn’t say anything, he continued.

  “Come on, I’ll show you to your bedroom. You can help me put sheets on the bed. I wasn’t expecting company.” He placed the bag of dog food and Butter’s bag of supplies on the floor in the foyer, pulled the suitcase out of Gabriella’s hand and walked upstairs. Gabriella followed, with Butter on her heels.

  “My bedroom is down there,” he nodded to the left. His bedroom was directly above the living room. Gabriella wondered if it was shaped like a pentagon as well. “I’d be happy to give you a tour,” he said, promise dripping from the words. Gabriella quelled any ideas he may have been forming with a frosty look.

  “Okay, then, your bedroom is down here,” and he led her down the hall to the right, pointing out the bathroom, which they would be sharing, on the way.

  The guest bedroom was small and cozy, and had a window seat that overlooked the front yard. While they were by no means in separate wings, as Brandon suggested earlier, they were on opposite ends of the house, and Gabriella noticed the door had a lock.

  She decided she was safe enough. For some inexplicable reason, in the last twenty minutes she managed to come to the decision that she could trust Brandon Sarantos. It was an odd feeling, since the only men in her life she had been able to trust for the last few years had been her brother and her father.

  Brandon stepped back into the hall and reappeared with an armful of sheets. He pulled the comforter off the bed and Gabriella helped him put on the sheets.

  “The middle bedroom is my office. I’m going to check my emails and then probably head to bed myself. Just knock if you need anything.” He watched her for a long moment and then said, “Good night, Sweet Pea.”

  He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Butter jumped onto the bed and laid down, head on her paws, watching Gabriella, who slowly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

  “Well, this is certainly not what I expected,” Gabriella said to the dog, and then she began unpacking her suitcase.

  ***

  Instead of going to his office, Brandon went downstairs to the kitchen. He opened a cupboard door and pulled out a bottle of Maker’s Mark, which he considered Kentucky’s finest bourbon. He splashed some into a glass and finished it in one swallow. Then he leaned against the counter and let his thoughts drift to the woman who was upstairs in his guest room.

  Bathroom, he corrected, as he listened to the creaking floorboards above his head. He heard the water switch on and realized she was taking a shower. Which was annoying because now he was picturing her naked and wet. He splashed more Maker’s Mark into the glass.

  Gabriella Hadley was something else. She was just his type: beautiful and alive. On top of that, she had that sexy southern drawl and he’d discovered it was relatively easy to get under her skin. That was good, because he planned to thoroughly enjoy teasing her.

  Until he made the comment about biting, he had begun to worry that she was immune to his charms. Since he’d never met a woman whose pants he couldn’t get into, the thought was a little unsettling. But the way she’d stiffened and blushed told him she had been worried about what might happen between them if she spent the night in his house. That was good, he decided, because he had every intention of seducing her.

  Not tonight, of course, because she was clearly beyond tired and as skittish as a newborn colt. He needed a little time, to allow her to relax, convince herself that the little town of Holly wasn’t such a bad place and Brandon Sarantos wasn’t such a bad guy.

  He was sure he could talk her into staying at his place at least until Saturday, which gave him three days to work on her. Chip at her defenses. Convince her to let him in.

  He finished his drink and went upstairs to check his emails and go to bed.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Much to her own surprise, Gabriella did not wake up until after nine on Wednesday morning. She stretched and remembered that she was now in Michigan, which was in the Eastern Time Zone, so as far as her own internal clock was concerned, it was actually eight a.m., which was a little closer to what time she would normally rise. She’d slept for more than ten hours and she could honestly say she felt worlds better than she had the day before.

  Good enough to head over to her new candy store to take stock and figure out how to get the place into shape. She heard scratching at the bedroom door and realized Butter was not in the room. She climbed out of bed, gasping as her bare feet touched the cold wood floor and then walked across the room to open the door. Butter bound in and acted as if they’d been separated for days. Gabriella rubbed her back for a few minutes and then padded down the hall to the bathroom.

  After she did all the morning necessities, she went back to her bedroom to get dressed. At the moment, she wore thin pink pajama bottoms and a white cotton tank top. On the off-chance Brandon was still here, she felt it was best to be fully dressed. Besides, it was freezing in this house.

  Once she was dressed in jeans, a blue sweater and a pair of socks, Gabriella followed the smell of coffee downstairs and into the kitchen. The coffee pot was turned off but the coffee was still warm enough. She noticed a cup and a bowl of sugar sitting next to the coffee pot and thought, how considerate. She poured coffee into the cup, ignored the sugar and opened the refrigerator. She found creamer and added it to her coffee. As she sipped coffee, she read the note perched next to the coffee pot:

  Sweet Pea - I let your dog out and fed her. There’s creamer in the fridge. If you stop by my office around noon, I’ll take you to lunch. B.

  The term of endearment made her smile, even though she knew she ought to tell him to stop using it. It was far too affectionate. There was no good reason why he could not call her by her given name.

  Then she thought about how considerate it was to let Butter outside and feed her this morning, before he left for work. And now the invite to lunch. Memories of her ex-boyfriend came unbidden to the forefront of her mind.

  Miguel had barely tolerated Butter’s presence, and it never would have occurred to him to let the dog out first thing in the morning, on the exceedingly off chance that Gabriella was sleeping later than him. And Miguel’s invitations to lunch or dinner were more orders than invitations. She was pretty certain that if she did not show up at Brandon’s office today at noon, he would simply shrug it off and go on about his day. She did not like to think about how Miguel handled it
when she did not accept one of his “invitations.”

  The term dangerous popped into her head. It could be used in context of both men, but with very different meanings. She hadn’t yet decided how she felt about that, but she found herself hurrying upstairs and spending far more time than strictly necessary fixing her face and hair, before finally stepping out of the house, with Butter at her heels, and heading towards the small downtown district.

  Gabriella wore two sweaters and her heaviest jacket, which was only lightly lined, and she was still freezing. Definitely needed to invest in a warmer coat, pronto.

  She flipped open her cell phone and dialed her parents’ number. It was always best to call when she had a limited amount of time, otherwise her mother would go on and on and ask a bunch of questions, and Gabriella did not want to inadvertently tell her anything that might let them know where she was living.

  “Hi mama,” Gabriella said warmly when her mother answered the phone.

  “Gabriella! It’s so good to hear your voice. Did you make it okay? How is everything? Are you safe? Happy? Where are you?” Leslie Hadley began firing off questions like shots from a semi-automatic weapon.

  “I’m fine, mama. I’m just fine. I’m all settled in and I’m on my way to work. I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to check in, so you wouldn’t worry.”

  “I’ll always worry about you, sugar. It’s a mother’s prerogative.”

  “I know, but you don’t have to. I’m fine. So far, this place is pretty nice. Although the weather is significantly cooler. I need to add to my winter wardrobe.” As soon as she said it, she cringed. She’d just given away an important clue to her whereabouts, and just as she expected, her mother zoned in on it.

  “You’re up north somewhere? How far? Why did you have to go so far away? When will we get to see you again?”

  “Don’t worry about where I am, mama. You haven’t heard from Miguel, have you?”

  “Not since the last time we spoke, when I told you his brother stopped by. Such a nice young man. I can’t imagine why you think you had to run away from them. Such a good family.”

  Leslie Hadley was heavily involved with Dallas social circles, and as far as she was concerned, Miguel was a fine, upstanding pillar of society. Of course, that’s what Miguel wanted everyone to think. Leslie did not understand why Gabriella did not want to marry Miguel, and why she felt she had to run away from him.

  Gabriella remembered that last phone call, when her mother informed her that Miguel’s brother, Hector, stopped by the house to inquire about Gabriella. He’d told Leslie that Gabriella had disappeared, and they were concerned for her safety. Since Gabriella hadn’t yet told her mother she was leaving, Leslie had been nearly hysterical, and wanted to call the police. Hector calmed her down, convinced her he’d be better at finding Gabriella than the police, and left to report back to Miguel.

  Gabriella had called the next day and reassured her mother she was fine, but refused to say where she was going or what she was doing. She just needed to start her life over, far away from Miguel. Personal reasons, she said. And then she had cut the call short, hating the fact that she was lying to her parents.

  Still, she’d been relieved that Miguel sent people to inquire before she called. Her mother’s hysterics had been very real, and hopefully Miguel would assume Gabriella had left without contacting her parents, and would therefore leave them alone.

  “I know, mama. I just had some personal issues to work out, and I realized I’m not in love with Miguel anymore. Listen, I have to go, I’m almost to work. I just wanted to check in, let you know I’m fine. I’ll call again in a few days. I love you.”

  “I love you too, sugar. Touch base with your brother, too. You know how he worries.”

  With a heavy heart, Gabriella disconnected the call.

  By the time she arrived at the candy store, she was almost warm, thanks to the walk, and ready to forget the melancholy she felt about being so far away from her family. She opened the front door and let herself and Butter inside. She considered pulling the butcher paper off the windows and door, but the place was a bad enough eyesore from the street, without adding the vision of the mess within. She flipped on the lights and sighed.

  It looks even worse in the daylight.

  She picked her way through the mess and walked back to the door that led to the storage room. She opened the door hesitantly, and when no animals scurried out, she pushed it wide.

  She was startled to see large amounts of overstock piled in boxes, taking up more than half the room. “What a shame,” she said out loud. “All this candy gone to waste.”

  At least she’d have names and numbers of suppliers though, she thought, deciding to try to find a bright side. With a firm resolution, she walked back into the store and began the task of straightening up.

  Two hours later, the front door opened and sunlight spilled into the room for a moment. Gabriella looked up from sweeping old candy into a pile and saw Brandon framed by the sunlight, before the door closed behind him. He whistled as he walked towards her.

  “Wow, you work fast,” he commented as he looked around. Butter was frantically trying to get his attention, so he obligingly crouched and scratched her head.

  Gabriella had upended all the shelves and containers that had been lying on their sides or upside down on the floor. The cash register sat upright on the counter. Everything had been dusted, at least a quick, cursory dusting. And now she was sweeping and throwing away all the debris.

  Gabriella straightened and pushed an errant hair out of her face. “I’m motivated,” she said. “I poured everything I had into buying this place. I need a form of income as quickly as possible.”

  “I’ve made some calls. You should have a full crew here by nine a.m. on Saturday.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Thank Aunt Korina. And the U-Haul has been emptied and returned to the local rental place.”

  Gabriella looked startled. “Where is my stuff?”

  “In my garage. Hopefully you move it out before it snows. I hate clearing snow off my truck.” He smiled to show he was teasing. “Did you sleep well last night?”

  “Yes, thank you. I didn’t wake up until nine. It was heavenly.”

  “I checked on you before I left and you were still out cold. I imagine driving across country wears a person out.”

  ***

  Gabriella nodded noncommittally and Brandon wondered not for the first time what she was hiding. She was not at all inclined to talk about where she came from. And when he’d introduced himself as the head of the DDA, he was sure she thought he was some sort of law enforcement, and she’d been scared.

  “Come on, take a break and have lunch with me.”

  She looked down at herself. “I’m a mess.”

  Brandon’s eyes swept over her person, taking in the snug sweater and tight jeans, the flush in her cheeks and the mused blond hair. His imagination shot straight to the gutter. Or bedroom. Same difference, right?

  “You’re beautiful, Sweet Pea. Come on.”

  “I’m sweaty, which is saying something as cold as it is here, and my hair is a mess and I have dirt all over me. If we go anywhere it had better be McDonald’s.”

  Brandon made an impatient noise. “I’m not taking you to McDonald’s. I’ll tell you what: I’ll go get a couple of sandwiches to go from the deli down the street. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do you drink diet or regular?”

  “Regular.”

  “Want me to take the dog, give her some exercise?”

  “Sure,” Gabriella said with surprise.

  She stepped over to her purse and pulled out the leash.

  “Thanks.” Brandon clipped the leash onto Butter’s collar and refused to accept the cash she offered before he walked out the front door.

  He returned fifteen minutes later and said, “I just got made fun of because of your dog’s name. I’m going to start lying to people. From now on, her name is Butch.”

&nb
sp; Gabriella laughed as she accepted the food and drink he offered. “She won’t answer you. Besides, Butch is a lousy name for a cocker spaniel.”

  “And Butter is better?”

  “She’s five years old. You can’t change her name now.”

  Brandon whistled, said, “Here Butch,” and held out a piece of ham.

  Butter wagged her tail, trotted up to him and ate the ham. Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him and Brandon laughed. She’d unearthed two barstools from somewhere, so they sat down together at the counter and ate lunch.

  “You’re a hot topic of conversation already,” Brandon commented as they ate.

  “That was quick. I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours.”

  “It doesn’t take much here in Holly. Word spreads fast, especially when the gossip is juicy.”

  “How could I possibly have created juicy gossip already?”

  “Well, for starters, you bought the jinxed candy store, so the bets are already being laid to determine how long you stay in town. I think a week is the lowest so far. Six months is the highest bet.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  Brandon shrugged. “Nothing more exciting going on at the moment. Not until the football game Friday night. And second, you’re beautiful, so all the guys in town are eager to meet you.”

  “How do all the guys in town know I’m beautiful? I’ve only been here since seven o’clock last night and the only place I went was Main Street Pizza Parlor, and there were only about ten other people there.”

  “That’s all it takes. You aren’t from a small town, are you? I’m getting more and more curious, so you might as well just tell me.”

  He looked at her expectantly and she simply chewed and looked back.