Candy Crush

by Amelia C. Adams

  He chuckled. “I actually haven’t for a long time.”

  “Good. So, what did you do after you were done taking your life in your hands as a hitchhiker?”

  “I worked in a record store for a while, and then I ended up in Riston. Had a few odd jobs here and there, and then I saw the ad for the floral delivery driver job at River’s End Ranch and decided to go for it. It was something new to try.”

  “I always wondered about that, you know. If you’d fritter away your entire life or find something useful to do.”

  He tensed up and glanced around, wondering who could overhear them, but she didn’t say anything more incriminating than that, and no one could hear them anyway. “You say ‘fritter,’ and I start wanting a donut.”

  She laughed. “It is a funny word. Do you like it here on the ranch?”

  “I do—a lot. Whitney’s great to work for, and the Westons are good people. I’m tired of tripping over lighting cables and stuff since they started building the set for the TV show, but hey, if that’s all I’ve got to complain out, things are good, right?”

  “Right.” She studied him over the top of her second slice. “And you’re happy?”

  He thought about that for a second because he knew she didn’t want a flippant answer. “I am. I’ve always been happiest just doing my own thing, so that’s what I’ve been doing.” He paused. “And what about you? What have you been up to?”

  She gave a little laugh. “Not what I thought I would be doing. I went to Idaho State, got a degree in history, thought I’d go on and get a teaching certificate, and then I ran out of money. I fell right between the cracks of qualifying and not qualifying for financial aid, so I decided to work for a while and save up. And that’s what I’m doing right now—saving up.”

  “So, you’ll go back?”

  “Absolutely. This is what I want more than anything. And Idaho State isn’t very expensive if you’re a resident, so I figure, another year of working and I’m set.”

  Oz nodded. “I can see you as a teacher. You’ve always been so good with kids.”

  “Thanks. Remember how I used to want to be a vet? Yeah, I took a tour of a vet clinic and got turned off that idea really fast—I got to observe a surgery and had to throw up in the bucket by the door. Being a teacher has its own nauseating factors, but it shouldn’t include intestines. I say ‘shouldn’t,’ realizing that when it comes to kids, anything is possible.”

  Oz laughed. “I haven’t spent a lot of time around kids, but I’ve noticed that too.”

  They finished their pizza and gathered up their takeout boxes. As they walked outside, Oz said, “Listen, Alicia. I missed you a lot. I mean, a lot. I’ve thought about you every day since the last time I saw you, and I can’t let you fade into the background of my life again. Can I see you again tomorrow night?”

  She leaned on the porch railing that surrounded the main house. “Are you sure we haven’t changed too much? It’s been a long time, and we’ve each had so many different experiences . . .”

  “And you’ve been mad at me for so long,” he interjected.

  “That too.” She smiled. “I know, I know—I should have confronted you right away, but that’s all in the past now. Nothing we can do to change it.” She paused. “Yes, I’d like to see you again tomorrow, but I can’t promise that everything’s going to go back to the way it was. We’re not those kids anymore.”

  He nodded. “I’m not expecting anything, really. I just want a chance to be friends again.”

  “Okay. We can give that a try. Thanks for dinner, Oz.”

  “Thanks for coming out with me. Let me walk you to your car.”

  As he watched her drive away, Oz pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. His brain felt like it was on overload. Two thoughts kept colliding in his head—first, she’d had a crush on him. Second, she’d thought he knew about Cam. Well, no wonder she’d been so angry—he’d hurt her feelings on two levels without even realizing it. She hadn’t flat-out said it, but he probably needed to earn her trust again before they could go anywhere with this relationship, romantically or otherwise. He could do that. It was worth whatever it took to have her back in his life.

  Chapter Four

  Alicia couldn’t believe she’d told Oz about her crush. Yes, it had been five years ago and it was definitely water under the bridge, but still, it was embarrassing. He probably thought she was silly for feeling that way. It’s not like they ever would have dated back then—it would have been weird, for one, when their siblings were getting married. Plus, they ran in entirely different circles, and being almost related was the only thing that brought them together. She never would have known what a genuinely cool guy he was if they hadn’t hung out while the wedding planning was going on, and he never would have looked at her twice. He was too cool, and she was just too . . . Alicia.

  She pulled into the parking lot at the grocery store near her apartment. She’d just eaten a lot of pizza and she had a takeout box besides, but she was all out of ice cream at home, and even though it was the end of January and there was snow on the ground, she needed some ice cream. There was just something about embarrassing herself in public that made her want sugar. She grabbed some Moose Tracks and some caramel ripple, then decided she’d better be responsible and picked up toilet paper, orange juice, and tin foil.

  When she got back to her apartment, she checked her email. She’d put out an ad for a new roommate over a week ago, but she hadn’t seen any replies. Nope, none tonight either.

  She put away her groceries, changed into some flannel pajamas, and curled up with a bowl of ice cream and Netflix. That was always her go-to whenever things got tough, but tonight, she couldn’t concentrate on the show and ended up turning it off, letting her mind wander instead. That was dangerous—she watched shows to keep her mind from wandering, but maybe some thinking time was what she needed.

  Oz Burton. She still hadn’t gotten over the surprise of seeing him at the general store. The funny thing was, she’d imagined that very scenario tons of times—she’d be working and she’d look up and he’d be standing there, usually in a tux and with a dozen red roses, and he’d beg her forgiveness and proclaim his undying love. There were only a few problems with that. First, there was no way in the world he’d be caught in a tuxedo. Second, it would appear that he didn’t owe her an apology at all. The roses were a possibility—it was almost Valentine’s Day and he did work for a florist—but the rest of it? Nope. And she’d never once imagined throwing candy through the air and making a huge mess, and that’s what had really happened.

  She groaned and shook her head. There was absolutely nothing romantic about their reunion—not one thing. She’d even noticed a spot on her shirt from lunch halfway through dinner. Who walks around with ketchup on their shirt all day and doesn’t know it? A nerd. That’s who—a nerd. And totally hot guys don’t go for nerds. Unless you’re watching a rom com. But they didn’t even make good rom coms anymore . . . probably because they never came true.

  Her phone buzzed with a text just then, and she picked it up.

  Sorry for texting so late. Just got into town and want to make an appt to see your place tomorrow if possible.

  She glanced at the time. It was nine thirty—yeah, a little late, but not terrible. And it was the first bite she’d had, and she was getting a little anxious because rent was due soon. She texted back. Mind if I call?

  No, not at all.

  She hit the call button, and the phone was picked up after one ring. “Hi, this is Tamlyn.”

  “Hi, Tamlyn. You just texted about the apartment.”

  “Yes, I did. I’m here in town as part of the crew for a television show that’s getting ready to film at River’s End Ranch, and they don’t have all the accommodations set up yet, so we’re having to find places to stay, and I didn’t know that until just now. I can probably get a room at the hotel tonight, but could I come over tomorrow and take a look at your place? I’d rather not stay in
a hotel forever, and . . . and I’m babbling, aren’t I? I’m sorry—I’ve just been in the car all day and I’m really tired.”

  Alicia laughed. “No, I get it. Listen, why don’t you just come over now instead of going to the hotel, and if we decide to give this a try, you can move in tonight?”

  “Really? Are you sure? That would actually take such a load off my mind.”

  “Yeah, come on over.” Alicia gave her the address, and Tamlyn thanked her three or four times before hanging up. Under ordinary circumstances, Alicia wouldn’t have let someone come over without asking more questions, but very few people knew about the TV show at this point, so it’s not like a creeper would have used it as their in . . . unless they were a really good creeper and knew how to get insider information . . . she wouldn’t think about that too hard. And there was something about this girl she automatically liked. Maybe the way she babbled—she just sounded friendly.

  Alicia got up to answer the door a few minutes later, and her jaw dropped as she let her visitor in. “You look just like Princess Jasmine! Only without the poofy pants and the impossible-looking shoes.”

  Tamlyn laughed. “I get that a lot. Except no one brings up the shoes.” She held out her hand. “It’s good to meet you, and thank you for letting me come by.”

  “Not a problem. I’m not crazy about hotels myself.” Alicia stepped back and let Tamlyn walk down the short hallway into the living room. “As you can see, it’s pretty basic—kitchen’s through there. I’ve always had an agreement with my roommates that we clean up after ourselves and that we take turns doing deep cleaning in the bathroom, kitchen, and living room. There’s a tiny little laundry closet right here, so we don’t have to go to the laundromat, and utilities are included with the rent, which we split fifty-fifty.”

  “That sounds great,” Tamlyn replied. “These are the bedrooms down here?”

  “Yeah. Mine’s at the end, and the empty one’s right here.” Alicia flipped on the light.

  “I’m so relieved that it’s furnished,” Tamlyn said. “I was worried that I’d have to go furniture shopping or something.”

  “Nope, everything’s here.” Alicia leaned against the doorframe while Tamlyn looked around the room. “So, you’re with the TV show?”

  “That’s right. I’m the assistant wardrobe supervisor.”

  “Wardrobe? That sounds so fun!”

  “It really is.” Tamlyn grinned. “We’ve got a whole trailer full of vintage-looking dresses and suits, and some of the gowns are to die for. My job is making sure that each costume is labeled with the name of the actor and also with what scenes they’ll be wearing that costume in, and when it comes time to shoot, I often help them change. We sometimes have to sew them in if it doesn’t fit or if a closure breaks. It gets a little crazy sometimes, but it’s so much fun.”

  “It sounds like it.” Alicia thought Tamlyn would be a good fit, but she had a concern. “Are you going to move onto the ranch when the accommodations are finished, then? How long would you need to stay here?”

  “I don’t know, but to be honest, I’d rather stay here than with the rest of the crew. I love my coworkers, don’t get me wrong, but when I’m already with them for hours and hours at a time, I need a little space. It would be worth it to me to pay rent here and get that space.”

  Alicia nodded. “I understand. I’m just a little hesitant to rent to you when you might need to leave soon—then I’d have to start the roommate search again.”

  “And that would really stink.” Tamlyn laughed. “I’ll check with the bosses tomorrow and see what they think, and then I can get back to you, all right? I definitely don’t want to complicate this for you unnecessarily.”

  “Thanks. I’d really appreciate that. If they’re good with it, I’d love to have you move in.”

  Tamlyn grinned. “I’d like that. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out, okay?”

  “Great. And I actually work at the general store there on the ranch, so I’m not too hard to find.”

  After Alicia saw Tamlyn out, she flopped down on the couch and exhaled. It would be so nice to bring an end to her search—she just hoped this worked out. She had almost offered to let Tamlyn stay the night, but she appreciated the way Tamlyn understood her position and left to get more information before involving Alicia more than she already was. That showed a degree of respect and professionalism that would be so nice in a roommate. Goodness knew she’d had her share of completely disrespectful roommates in the past.

  ***

  When Oz got back to his place, the first thing he did was walk over to the fridge to put away his takeout box. Cold spaghetti made a great breakfast. He had to laugh, though, at Alicia’s hatred of wasting food. It was like she was physically incapable of leaving anything behind at a restaurant. She’d probably have an aneurism if she tried.

  He took off his shoes and chucked them into the front closet, and then he sat down and opened his laptop. The stock market had been fluctuating as of late, and he’d had a few tense moments deciding whether to sell. He’d hung in there, though, and was glad he did. He’d made a little more than he’d expected to last month, and it looked like the trend would continue.

  Not that he needed his investments to pay off—he was independently wealthy, and the stock market was something he did on the side so he wouldn’t have too much cash floating around. He’d also invested in several small businesses here and there, and had created a few scholarships. He’d nearly lost track—he let his accountant and his business manager worry about that and only focused on it when he received monthly statements.

  No one knew how rich he really was—Alicia was the only one who’d known about his invention, but she didn’t know about all the rest. He was so glad she hadn’t said more than she did at dinner—that would have been fairly awkward.

  When he was in high school, Oz had invented a security system that scanned any moving objects and analyzed their height and body mass. It could also determine if the intruder was carrying any sort of metal large enough to be a weapon. All this data was sent to the main computer, allowing the owner of the system to know immediately that someone six feet tall carrying a possible weapon was now on the property. If the intruder got away and had to be tracked down, the police would know that they were searching for someone of a certain height, with a two-inch variable, and of a certain weight, with a ten-pound variable. Combined with a camera to record any facial features and clothing, this security system was an amazing law-enforcement tool, and Oz had been commended by the chief of police in his area.

  He’d ended up selling his idea for ten million dollars. Alicia knew about that—all this had happened their senior year of high school. What Alicia didn’t know was that he’d also negotiated for life-long royalties every time a system sold. And she didn’t know about his other inventions. Or his stocks. Or anything else he had going on. He could live like a king forever without lifting a finger again, but that wasn’t his way. He wanted to stay busy. He just didn’t want to do it the way everyone else thought he should.

  His father had told him that he looked more like a displaced beach bum than one of the richest entrepreneurs in America, and that was totally fine with Oz. If no one knew about his money, no one would pester him about it or try to incur favors. That way, he could use his money where he thought it would do the most good without getting distracted. Like his annual donation to Toys for Tots, his favorite charity.

  He pulled in a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. He would love to find a way to secretly pay Alicia’s tuition, but she was just as independent as he was, and if she found out, she’d probably lose her mind. He could offer her a loan that she could pay back over time, but she’d hate feeling like she was beholden to him. If they’d stayed close instead of drifting apart, she would have been more likely to accept his help—yet another thing that had been ruined. What a mess.

  ***

  When Oz walked into Pushing Daisies the next morning, he was a
little surprised to see Sheriff Clapper standing there in full uniform. The sheriff was married to Kelsi, one of the Westons who owned the ranch, so it wasn’t odd to see him around from time to time, but this visit looked official.

  “Morning, Oz,” the sheriff said. “I need to speak with you, if you have a minute.”

  Oz smiled. “I’m sure I do, considering that you’re armed right now.”

  The sheriff laughed. “We received a call at the station late yesterday afternoon from a lady named Dolores Green who says that you impeded traffic on a busy street by parking sideways and refusing to let cars enter or exit. She described you, your delivery van, and gave your license plate number. Can you tell me a little more about that?”

  “Well, I’d have to say that’s mostly true, but not the way it sounds.”

  Sheriff Clapper raised an eyebrow. “Just what do you mean by that?”

  Oz glanced over at Whitney, who was arranging some roses and looking a little bit amused. He wasn’t sure why. “The customer was worried that his girlfriend wouldn’t receive her flowers before she left with her mother, so I might have slowed their ability to leave just slightly.”

  “And you did that by . . .?”

  “By parking the van in a diagonal sort of way on a street that actually wasn’t very busy. It was more like a quiet residential neighborhood.”

  “But you did purposely impede traffic?”

  Oz glanced at Whitney again. She was now definitely smiling. “I would say that I purposely impeded that one car, and that any other cars that were impeded were completely accidental.”

  “You see, Sheriff, the girl broke her leg, and the flowers were from her boyfriend, and her mother didn’t want her to have them because she wants them to break up,” Whitney interjected. “I think what Oz did was horribly romantic.”