"You'll figure it out. I believe in you," Steph said, giving Amy another hug. "I've got to get to the hospital. See you at six?"
"Definitely." Steph and Amy and Cleo were meeting up for drinks after work.
Amy grabbed an empty box and got back to packing. Whatever chocolate candies she didn’t sell today would go to a homeless shelter tomorrow, and she needed to get everything ready.
As the morning rolled along, Amy got the rest of the body products packed. A few customers trickled in and out, but she was mostly alone. Containers were ready to be filled for the homeless shelter.
Around lunchtime, Mitchell came in to the store and grabbed the five remaining boxes of salted caramels.
"Ames," he called her. "It's the end of the road for us. How about some sweet stuff for my pantry?"
"How about 'no'?" Amy said, reaching to grab the boxes from him. "How about, 'get out of here'?"
Mitchell held out his palm, keeping her at arm's distance while he kept the boxes away with his other hand. "Sure, I'll leave. I'll take these and get out of your hair," he said.
Amy didn't know what she had been thinking, falling for a guy like him. She pulled her phone out of her dress pocket. "If you take anything from my store, I'm calling the police."
"Babe, I am the police," Mitchell said with a chuckle.
Amy couldn't believe him. She reached again for the boxes. "You're delusional. You're the mall cop at a mall that is going out of business."
"Mitchell," a voice boomed. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" They both turned toward the door to see a huge man looming over them. He was seriously tall—at least 6' 4"—gorgeous and muscular, with gentle brown eyes, wavy brown hair, and biceps that wouldn't quit. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans.
Amy had never seen him before. He made Mitchell look like a preteen boy.
"Amy and I are old friends," Mitchell said. He slid his hand around her waist.
"Get off me!" She elbowed Mitchell, shoving him away. "He's not my friend," she said to the huge man. She felt like she wanted to make that very clear.
"Mitchell. I’m waiting," the man insisted.
"Amy, Zach." Mitchell pouted as he introduced them. "Zach, Amy."
"Something smells heavenly," Zach said, offering Amy his hand.
"Are you a chocolate lover?" She reached out and took his hand and gave it a steady shake, marveling that he could be so huge but also so sweet. His touch was warm and electric.
"I love sweet things," he said, staring deeply into her eyes. He leaned toward her.
Amy felt heat rise. She gulped. "Me too."
They took a moment and really looked at each other, still holding on as if they had forgotten everything else. He was gorgeous, way out of her league, but wow! He felt so good and she did not want to let go.
"No wonder you have men trying to claim you," Zach said. "You're a stunning woman."
"What? No, I'm not," Amy laughed, dropping his hand. Her pulse shot up and she could feel her heart banging in her chest. No one had ever said that to her before and there was no way she would believe it from this incredible man. She'd never even seen a man this insanely handsome in real life. His arm muscles were so distinct they looked like they'd been carved in marble. Amy could see chest hair peeking over the top of his T-shirt.
Mitchell cleared his throat, but they both ignored him.
"Don't you know how beautiful you are?" Zach said. He seemed genuinely confused, tilting his head and frowning.
"Want to try some chocolate?" Amy asked, changing the subject. She held up the sample bowl for him. "Everything is half off. My business is closing."
"You're closing?" He selected a candy and put it in his mouth.
"Yes, an evil corporation bought the mall and kicked out all the stores. Today is my last day open."
His eyes widened as he chewed and swallowed. "That's delicious," he finally said. "Can't you find another space? I must have passed a dozen vacancy signs on the way over here."
"I can't afford it," she said, putting the bowl back down on the counter. "Not right now."
"With candy this amazing, you're bound to bounce back in no time."
"These are my last few boxes."
"I'll take them all." He pulled a clip of folded hundred-dollar bills out of his front pocket. "But full price. I insist."
"I won't argue!" she said.
Amy placed the candy into a big bag. As she was tying a bow on it, her trembling fingers barely cooperated. She felt so self-conscious it took her three tries, and she was blushing ferociously before she was done. Whenever she gazed up at him, Zach was watching with a tender look on his face.
"I really don't need the ribbon," he said in his deep voice. "I just like watching you tie it. These will be inhaled twenty minutes after I get home."
Where had this man come from? He was handsome and sweet! Amy slipped in a free bottle of chocolate body lotion and presented the bag to him. "Thank you again, Zach. I hope you enjoy them."
"I intend to enjoy every single bite," he said, brushing her fingers as he took the bag.
Amy pushed her hands across her hot cheeks, praying she didn't have chocolate on her face. "I hope you do," she said, smiling.
"We should finish the tour," Mitchell said to Zach, hitching up his belt. "We still have the rest of the mall to inspect."
What could Mitchell possibly have in common with Zach? Amy put away her scissors and ribbons. "You're on a tour?"
"Zach! Mitchell! There you are," a woman said from the doorway. She was elegant and tall, with angular cheekbones and sleek dark brown hair, the exact opposite of pink and blond Amy.
"Diana!" Zach exclaimed.
Girlfriend? Amy wondered. Or worse, his wife? Amy felt her heart ache a little and her face flush.
Men like Zach didn't love women like Amy.
Even men like Mitchell didn't love her.
She couldn't let herself be attracted to a huge, gorgeous man like Zach! That would be such a mistake. She might as well ask for a broken heart. She felt on the verge of tears.
Amy was so emotional today. This wasn't like her at all.
She pulled in a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. She just had to make it through the weekend. "What kind of tour?" she asked.
"Are we inspecting? Or are we eating chocolate?" Diana asked, holding her hand out to Amy with a friendly smile. "Hello, I'm Diana Harris from Harris Enterprises. I see you've met my nephew Zach Harris."
Her nephew? Diana looked at most five years older than Zach. Amy shook Diana's hand.
Wait. Zach Harris?
Amy's heart dropped as the awful news sunk in.
"Zach Harris?" And she had given him chocolate body lotion? She felt her anger rise.
Zach turned to Amy. "I can explain," he said.
She grabbed back the bag of chocolates and pulled out the bottle of body lotion she'd given him. "You don't deserve this!" she said, shaking the bottle. She shoved the bag back at him.
"Amy," he said. "Please…"
Her temper flared hotter and hotter. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're the person who kicked me out of my lease!"
They hadn't just screwed her, but also all the other merchants. The yogurt hut. The sporting goods outlet. The dollar store.
"It was a month-to-month rental agreement. We were completely within our rights to end it," he said, looking miserable.
Now that the responsible person was standing right in front of her she realized how furious she actually was. "You destroyed the business I'd spent years building! Who cares if you were within your rights?"
Amy couldn't believe she'd been hot for him!
She finally had someone to receive the rage that had been building ever since she'd gotten the letter announcing the sale of the mall.
Zach Harris.
He was the person responsible for everything that was wrong in her life. Or, almost everything.
Diana looked from Amy to Zach. "What's the pro
blem here?" she said.
"I've been trying to talk with you people all month! Losing my lease with no notice has destroyed my business. You are business destroyers!"
"Just lease another store," Diana said, shrugging. "Have a grand opening at the new space so everyone knows you moved. Easy peasy."
Easy? Diana's calm demeanor infuriated Amy. "Not for me, it's not. I don't have the cash to rent another space. It took almost my whole life to save the deposit on this store. Now I'm starting all over again."
"If you were that close to bankruptcy, then losing your lease was not your biggest problem," Diana said, pointing a finger at Amy.
"It's not personal," Zach said, shaking his head. "It's just business."
Maybe Amy wasn't being exactly reasonable, but she didn't care. She loved her store. She wiped away a tear before it could fall. "My mama gave me the recipes for this chocolate. There's nothing more personal. Not to me."
Zach looked genuinely sorry.
But, so what?
"Sell your products online, that's my advice," Diana said.
"I'll never sell online. I believe in looking my customers in the eye and knowing them!"
Diana grimaced. "If you don't want to sell online in this day and age, then I'm not surprised you're going out of business. I'm sorry, but that's the reality." She turned away and looked at her wristwatch. "Mitchell, you guaranteed we could inspect the entire property in one hour. You’re behind schedule."
"Let's go then," Mitchell said. He rocked his hips at Amy and mouthed, I'll be back.
She sneered at Mitchell and then turned to see Zach staring at her.
"There's nothing we can do," Zach said. "It's just business. I'm sorry."
Maybe it was just business to him, but Amy’s store was her life, and her memory of her mama, and—just everything! She gulped back tears. She would not let these people see her cry. She stormed to the back room of the store for a fresh box of tissues.
Once she was alone, she gave in and let the tears flow, hoping they would wash away all the sadness, as her mama used to tell her.
As she was blowing her nose, Amy's phone chimed, alerting her to check her e-mail.
She'd been sending e-mails back and forth about a rental at 152 Market in downtown Seattle.
The exchange had started with a promising Craig's List ad for a retail space. A brand new building was under construction and would be available for viewing this coming weekend. Amy had driven by the address and it looked perfect for her: a huge brick building that was right downtown in a neighborhood bustling with potential chocolate-lovers.
She'd been corresponding with the landlord, even though the deposit was twice what she could afford. Since it was so good otherwise, she'd kept writing and asking about the details. She'd hoped she'd be able to write today and tell him she had enough money.
But now she knew that wasn't realistic.
Amy sniffed.
When your business held your connection to the past and all hope for the future, what were you supposed to do when it failed?
Her heart ached. She pulled out her phone and typed an e-mail.
It was time to admit she wouldn’t have enough money to rent a new store. But what was Amy going to do now?
Keep reading You’ve Got Bear! Click here.
Newsletter
Sign up for Carrie’s newsletter here! And if you loved the book, please leave a review on Amazon. It really does help. Thank you for reading!
Books by Carrie de Croix
Enchanted Shores
Shifting and Bewitching
Vamping and Glamping
There’s Something About Shifters
You’ve Got Bear
Bear with Benefits
Bear Actually
About a Bear
About Carrie de Croix
Kindness is magic. Carrie de Croix is the author of paranormal cozies and romances that make you smile. She is more than slightly obsessed with books, rain, gardens, and the ocean. She also loves a good cry at the movies.
Stay in touch:
www.carriedecroix.com
[email protected]
Shifting and Bewitching (Enchanted Shores Book 1) Page 14
