Recipe for Kisses

by Michelle Major

  “Don’t go near her,” the man shouted, pointing the knife at Chloe. She froze. “Don’t any of you people move.”

  Chloe’s gaze flicked to the one customer in the store, a mother hugging her baby and toddler close to her chest by the stuffed animals. Karen stood behind the register and as Chloe watched, Abby shuffled from the doorway to the office closer to the older woman.

  “I said don’t fucking move,” the man roared at Abby.

  “Jimmy, don’t do this.” Tamara was on her knees now, blood dripping from her nose. “These people have nothing to do with us.”

  The man’s savage gaze darted around the store, as if he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten to this point. “They hid you from me, baby.” Sweat rolled down the forehead of the man Chloe recognized as Tamara’s ex-boyfriend, and his eyes were dilated like he was on something. “I been looking for you for months. I drove all night from Dallas to find you. To bring you home.”

  They’d talked about this in meetings, made a plan for what to do if one of the men came to the store. Most of them had restraining orders in place against their abusers, but Chloe knew that was no guarantee of safety. She had a Taser gun in the drawer behind the counter but had been too intent on making sure Tamara was ok to grab it before she’d run out. They had protocols and procedures in place—who would call the cops, how to diffuse the situation, code words in case one of the women was in trouble. None of it had prepared her for the bold threat of violence facing them.

  Tamara slowly got to her feet. “How did you find me?”

  “There was a picture on the Internet. Some famous chef in this store. You were in the background.”

  The picture of Ben that Abby had posted online. Why hadn’t Chloe thought of that? It was part of the reason she hadn’t done much advertising before now—so the women could remain anonymous.

  It had all gone out the window with her need to save the store, but this moment made it clear how irresponsible that decision had been. She glanced at the front door, praying no other customers would walk in until this crisis was diffused. Praying she could bring an end to it with no one getting hurt.

  “I’m not going with you, Jimmy.” Tamara threw back her shoulders, all bravado and strength.

  Chloe hoped it wasn’t just an act. She felt chained by her fear. The preparation and training she’d done to keep herself and the women around her safe seemed to dissolve in the face of this man’s anger, just as it had that night in the restaurant with Jonathan.

  “Don’t say that.” He shook his head, the hand that still held the knife aloft trembling. “I just want to talk to you. You have to give me another chance to make things better. I love you, baby. So much. Things will be better this time.”

  “Look at my face.” Tamara pressed her fingers to her cheek. “You haven’t changed.”

  “I have,” Jimmy argued, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before focusing on Tamara again. “You have to believe me. I’m tired now, that’s all. It will be different once we’re home.”

  “What’s different is me,” Tamara said, her voice steady even as a muscle under her eye twitched.

  “You have to come with me.” Jimmy’s voice cracked then turned angry again. “Either you walk out that door with me or I’ll start hurting people, Tammy. I don’t give a shit what happens to me if we’re not together. My life isn’t worth crap if you’re not in it.”

  Chloe saw Tamara glance around the store, then she closed her eyes and took a breath.

  No, Chloe wanted to shout. She knew if Tamara walked out the door with her ex-boyfriend they’d likely never see her again. With the shape Jimmy was in he’d want to make sure Tamara remained under his control, one way or another. The majority of homicides related to domestic-violence situations happened at the point of separation or when the victim refused to return to the relationship. She couldn’t let Tamara put herself at risk that way.

  “First let everyone—”

  “No!” Chloe shouted the word and ran to Tamara’s side before Jimmy could move. “You’re not leaving with him.” She shoved the other woman behind her, hearing Tamara let out a muffled sob. Chloe knew she wasn’t the only one who understood what would happen if Jimmy was allowed to take Tamara out of the store.

  “She’s not going anywhere with you.” Chloe’s whole body started to shake as Jimmy’s fury-filled stare narrowed on her. But she didn’t back down. “Walk away, Jimmy, while you still have a chance. Before the cops get here.”

  He threw a look over his shoulder then back at Chloe. “There are no cops.”

  “I called them from the back,” Chloe lied. “They’ll be here any minute, and it won’t be good for you.”

  “I’m taking Tammy,” he said in a deadly voice.

  “No.” Chloe made her voice clear, the way she’d been taught in self-defense class. She filled her lungs with air then exhaled completely, forcing her chest and abdomen to rise and fall to keep her breathing slow and steady.

  “Bitch, you’re going to regret this.” Jimmy took one step forward and Chloe braced herself. If Jimmy’s attention was on her, maybe Karen could get Abby and the customers out of the store. She had to keep them safe.

  At that moment, the chimes above the door rang. Her focus had been Jimmy, who whirled toward the front of the store.

  Panic gripped Chloe as Zach walked in, unaware of the drama playing out inside.

  “Zach, run!” Abby’s scream split the charged moment, sending the store into chaos.

  Zach’s eyes widened as he took in the scene, but before he could turn, Jimmy had closed the distance between them and grabbed him by the arm, yanking him toward the middle of the store. Something primal reared up in Chloe as her panic for the boy’s safety overcame her own fear of the brutal man in front of her.

  “Let him go,” she yelled, taking advantage of Jimmy’s attention being focused on Zach to give him a hard shove. When he stumbled, she wrenched Zach away from his grasp, pushing the boy toward Tamara. She didn’t wait for Jimmy to regain his balance before unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks aimed at Jimmy’s neck, face, and groin. Doubling over, he dropped the knife and she snatched it off the floor. Somewhere in the back of her brain she heard sirens wailing, but Chloe’s focus remained on Jimmy.

  He straightened and started to lunge for her, but she pointed the knife at him, gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  His enraged eyes met hers. “You’re going to regret this when I—”

  At that moment two uniformed officers burst into the store. One of them grabbed Jimmy, hauling him to his feet as Chloe dropped the knife. It clattered to the floor and the second officer scooped it up. “Are you ok, ma’am?” he asked, his concerned gaze trained on Chloe.

  Her mouth opened and shut several times as she tried to process what had just happened. She gave a jerky nod then turned to survey the others inside the store. Tamara was holding tightly to Zach as she pressed a sleeve to her face. Karen had an arm wrapped around Abby’s thin shoulders.

  “It’s over,” Chloe whispered. Both kids ran forward and she wrapped them in a tight embrace.

  Through the window she saw the officer cuff Jimmy and shove him into the back of the patrol car. She released Zach and Abby long enough to check on the mother and her kids, who were shaken but not injured. The ambulance arrived along with more police. One of the paramedics checked Tamara’s nose, which was not broken.

  The husband of the woman who’d been shopping in the store came to pick up his family. Their reunion made Chloe’s eyes water. The baby seemed oblivious to the commotion, but the young boy broke away to approach Chloe.

  “You were like a superhero,” he told her solemnly. “You beat up the bad guy.”

  Chloe crouched to his level. “Everyone in here was a hero. You were brave to stay quiet and not cry when I know it must have been scary.”

  “Boys aren’t supposed to hit girls.” He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s what Mommy says.”

 
“You’re right, sweetheart.” Chloe’s voice caught. If only she and the women at the store had learned that lesson years ago. “I’d like you to pick out a toy—anything you want—to thank you for being so brave today.”

  “Can Aubrey get something, too?” He pointed to his sister. “She likes elephants.”

  “Of course she can.”

  Chloe apologized again to the parents. The woman was still shaken, and after the boy picked a toy for both him and his sister, the family quickly left the store.

  “That was a close one,” Karen said, coming out of the back office.

  “It was more than a close call.” Chloe gazed at the destruction of her store, and not just the physical mess, but also the emotional fallout this afternoon was bound to have. The Toy Chest was supposed to be a safe haven, not just for her but also for the women she worked with and the customers they valued.

  This was her tie to the community, but she feared that details about the women she employed were bound to leak. Already one news crew had arrived, with a reporter stationed on the sidewalk in front of the store. As she watched, the reporter stopped the family and shoved a microphone in the mother’s face.

  “I need to call Kendall,” she muttered.

  “She’s on her way,” Karen said. “After I talked to Ben, I called her. I know Sam’s still up at camp and thought you might need the support.”

  Ben. Of course he’d be coming to pick up the kids. “How are Zach and Abby?” she asked, ignoring Karen’s comment about needing support.

  “Ok, I think. Tamara is talking to them now in the back.” Karen shrugged. “Those kids have been through way more in their lives than they should.”

  “I know,” Chloe whispered. “I was supposed to keep them safe. I was supposed to keep all of us safe.”

  She heard a male voice coming from the office.

  “I told Ben to come in through the back,” Karen explained quickly. “If people were to see Ben Haddox arriving at the store after everything that went down—”

  “It’s fine.” Chloe took a breath, trying to steel herself for the reaction she expected Ben to have. How could he do anything but blame her for putting his niece and nephew in danger? But no matter what he thought or said, it couldn’t be any worse than the words spilling through her own head.

  As she walked into the back office, Ben’s steely gaze landed on her. He held both Abby and Zach in his big arms, and she wanted nothing more than to run to him and let him swallow her in his embrace as well. His mouth thinned as he took her in from head to toe. Feeling self-conscious, she ran a hand through her hair, tucked a few errant curls behind her ears. Her blouse was torn at the shoulder where Jimmy had grabbed at her, and if she looked as unsettled as she felt, she must be quite a sight.

  “I’m sorry,” she mouthed, and he gave a sharp shake of his head in response. Chloe felt the emotions she’d been holding back start to spill over, tears rising in her throat. She bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. It was better to focus on the physical pain instead of the heartache of being so close to him yet with a whole world separating them.

  Ben watched as the two women, Tamara and Karen, came to stand on either side of Chloe. Circling the proverbial wagons around their friend and employer.

  “Chloe was a hero,” Tamara said as if daring Ben to contradict her. Chloe hated her friend’s swollen nose and the fact that her eyes were already blackening, but Tamara ignored her injuries. “She fought off my dirt ball ex-boyfriend single-handedly.” She gave Chloe a quick hug. “I’m going to check on things out front.”

  Ben’s gaze was riveted to Chloe. “You fought him?” he choked out.

  All Karen had said in her frantic call was that Tamara’s ex-boyfriend had stormed the store. The police came, and the kids were shaken but fine.

  Only an hour ago he’d dropped off Zach in front of the store then headed home, thrilled to have some time to himself. The kids had wanted to go to the water park today, but Ben had been too busy wallowing in his own disappointment over losing Chloe to take them.

  Instead he’d lost his cool, yelling about everything from socks left in the upstairs hallway to the volume on the television. It had been stupid and petty, but he’d effectively chased them out of the house with his temper. Now he kicked himself for not walking the boy into The Toy Chest. The truth was Ben hadn’t wanted to see Chloe. He’d been too worried about his reaction to her so he’d pulled to the curb while his nephew hopped out of the car. Ben’s anger and cowardice had put Zach and Abby in danger, and he hated himself for it.

  Chloe frowned. “I had to keep everyone safe.”

  Abby moved in his arms, taking a step away from him to look at Chloe. “Would he have killed Tamara?”

  Chloe seemed to consider her answer. “I don’t think that was his plan, but sometimes when people lose control like that, they do bad things.”

  “The guy had a knife, Uncle Ben.” Zach tipped up his head, but Ben continued to stare at Chloe. “He grabbed me when I walked into the store.”

  Now Ben did look at Zach. “That man held you at knifepoint?”

  Zach nodded. “Until Chloe put the karate moves on him.”

  “It was from my self-defense classes,” she murmured, but Ben barely heard her.

  Ben hugged Zach to him once more. “If anything had happened to you,” he said, feeling emotion rage inside him even as he kept his voice calm. “To either of you . . .” He smoothed the heavy bangs off Abby’s forehead. “It’s my job to protect you both. I promised Cory, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

  “We’re ok.”

  “Because of Chloe’s ka-ra-te,” Zach said again. “Show Uncle Ben your moves, Chloe.”

  “I think your uncle has seen them already,” Karen said dryly.

  “It should never have gone down like this.” Ben kept a hand on each of the kids but spoke to Chloe.

  “I know,” she whispered, and he was at once both horrified and furious. The two emotions warred within him, struggling and churning until one finally overcame the other.

  She moved closer to him as his desire, worry, and frustration coalesced. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We’d prepared for—”

  “There’s no excuse,” he yelled, and her mouth clamped shut. He let go of the kids and shoved them back as anger overtook him.

  Karen stepped closer, but Chloe waved her away. Brave woman.

  She was going to face him on her own. Stupid woman.

  He hadn’t felt this out of control in years. What he really wanted was to find Tamara’s ex-boyfriend and annihilate him. “This is not a shelter for abused women,” he roared, “although that’s how you treat it. It’s a fucking toy store, Chloe. A place where families with children gather.”

  “I know,” she murmured, and the sound of her voice, sad and broken, made another wave of outrage pulse through him.

  “You don’t know.” The words came tumbling forth like a landslide. “You’re too afraid to live so you’ve holed yourself up here, pretending to make a difference to people, but it’s nothing. This whole thing is nothing.”

  “Ben, stop. You’re being mean.” He felt Abby’s small hand on his arm but shook her off.

  He was worse than mean. He was a man with a black soul. The accusations his critics had leveled at him over the years, the words he’d been called—beast, monster, bastard—flooded his brain. He was each of those things in this moment, because he was lashing out at the one person who’d wanted more from him and for him. He accused her of being afraid, but it was his own fear that made the nasty words keep pouring forth. “You put them in danger.” He continued to bellow the words, unable to stop. “Every person in this store.”

  Chloe swiped one hand across her cheeks and he saw the cuts and scrapes on her knuckles. She’d been hurt. It was more than just a threat. The man had hurt her, and it could have been worse. Ben should have been here. He’d let his pride and ego get in the way of taking care of Abby and Zach. In that moment
, the anger inside him swooped and turned, almost knocking him over with its force. He wasn’t mad at Chloe, he was furious with himself for failing the people he loved.

  “Now wait just a minute.” Karen stepped forward, tugging on her heavy braid, her gaze wary but blazing. “You don’t know how much Chloe has helped us.”

  “He’s right.” Chloe put a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “You don’t need to defend me, Karen.”

  “He isn’t—” the older woman began, but Chloe shook her head.

  “This is a toy store, not a community service center.” Chloe spoke to Karen, who shook her head and stormed to the front of the store. Standing alone, Chloe turned her gaze to Ben. It was cold and blank. He’d done that. He’d stripped the emotion from her. He’d ruined her, like he contaminated everything around him. “Abby and Zach, thank you for everything you’ve done for The Toy Chest these last few weeks. It has been such a blessing to have you here, and I can’t say enough how sorry I am that it’s ending this way.”

  “It’s not ending,” Zach argued. “Uncle Ben, tell her you’re sorry for being a jerk. Make this better.”

  “He’s protecting you,” Chloe said quietly, “the best way he knows how.” She looked at Abby. “I will make this right.”

  Ben heard his niece suck in a breath but didn’t understand the significance of what Chloe had just said to her. But he certainly understood the significance of his tirade.

  Shit.

  Why was he so messed up that he couldn’t separate his emotions and allow himself to feel anything except anger?

  He opened his mouth to say something, anything to stave the panic eating away at him. Panic that he’d irrevocably screwed up the best thing that had ever happened in his life.

  “No.” Chloe held up a hand. “You don’t get to speak anymore.” A tremble ran through her and she swallowed, straightening her shoulders. “I’m doing the best I can, Ben. I’m trying to make my life better, different than it was before. Maybe it’s not a total success. You’re right, I’m scared, and when that happens I hide away. But I would never put Zach and Abby or any of the women who work for me in danger. Bad things happen, and we move through them the best way we can.”