Love & Chocolate: Valentine's Day (Holidays In Hallbrook Book 4)

by Elsie Davis

  “Last year, I made him a tie. He doesn’t wear it much, but sometimes he does. Although, I did notice that when he comes home, he’s either not wearing it, or he’s wearing a different one. I think he’s trying to be nice and act as if he likes it, but I didn’t do a good job.”

  Lacy’s admission stunned Kevin, judging by the expression on his face. He’d been busted and now cornered. “That’s not true, honey. Sometimes I have to take my tie off because I can’t have it get near the chemicals. Other times, I change it because I don’t want anything to happen to it.” It was a gracious save on Kevin’s part.

  Lacy beamed. “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “Last year, I gave him a back massage. He really liked that,” Macy joined in the conversation, not wanting to be left out. “I haven’t decided what to do this year, but it’ll have to be something pretty special. He’s turning thirty and getting really old.” She shook her head and frowned.

  “Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to tell the age of grown-ups?” Kevin asked.

  “I think that rule applies after you turn fifty.” Amanda winked at Macy.

  “Can you help us figure something out, Miss Amanda? Maybe we can come by the bakery and talk about it after school.” Lacy wasn’t letting this one go. It couldn’t hurt to say yes, and it’s not as though making a cake would take long.

  “Girls, let’s just focus on your birthday tonight. Amanda’s got a lot on her plate with this contest, not to mention a lot going on with her business. Let’s not put her on the spot,” Kevin admonished.

  The twins shrugged. “Fine. We’ll talk about it later.” Macy winked back at Amanda.

  It was her decision, and it rankled that Kevin answered for her. Did he not want them spending time together? At first, it had been understandable because the girls didn’t want her around. But now? It would appear as if he were the only one who didn’t want them hanging out together. Not that she didn’t understand the dangers of it, but the benefits far outweighed the issues at this point. It wasn’t as though she was pining for him.

  They finished dinner, and Kevin graciously picked up the tab, refusing to allow Amanda to even leave the tip. Quite a few people had stopped by the table to talk to her, and there had been more than a few raised eyebrows at her dinner companions. By tomorrow, town gossips would have them marching down the wedding aisle.

  Kevin drove to the movie theater, but they were surprised to see the place dark and no one around.

  “It looks closed,” Amanda reported. That didn’t happen often. Around here, the movie theater was an iconic place that kept its doors open as a great place for family entertainment.

  “Let me check out the sign on the door,” Kevin offered, putting the vehicle in park. He made his way to the front door, read the sign, and returned just as quick. “Frozen water pipes. They might not be open for days. Sorry, girls.”

  “That stinks!” Macy groaned.

  “We could go back to the house and play games,” Lacy suggested.

  “Yeah! Games will be fun. Like charades,” Macy quickly fell in step with her sister.

  “I’m sure Amanda doesn’t want to come back and play games.” Was he hoping she’d say no? After all, she was the fourth wheel in their family circle.

  “Please, Miss Amanda. It’s still our birthday celebration, and you said yes earlier. You can’t just go home in the middle of the party.” It seemed Macy wasn’t above using any tactic she thought would work.

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.” All she had to do was keep remembering this was for the twins—just to keep her head straight.

  Amanda caught Kevin’s surprised expression and flashed a grin in his direction. When they arrived back at his house, the twins bounded out of the car, eager to get the next stage of their special night started.

  Once inside, Amanda and Kevin made hot chocolate while the girls picked out a game and set it up. She handed the twins their mugs, each one loaded topped with marshmallows.

  “You didn’t add vinegar, did you?” Macy joked.

  “Hardly. I’m not mischievous like two young girls I know,” Amanda teased. The setup in the living room was cozy. Family-ish.

  “Hmmm. This is yummy,” Lacy said, as she tried to pick a marshmallow off the top.

  “Okay, so we are going to play charades, and it’s you two against us. The rules are that you have to act out something on the card you pick and see if your partner can guess it. There’s no talking, but everything else is fair play.” Macy looked pointedly at Amanda. “Any questions?”

  “Did you pick this game because you two know everything about each other and know you’re going to win?” She couldn’t help but tease them. Adults against kids was always a family favorite, or it had been until her dad had left to play family somewhere else. The games had ended then, and she hadn’t played since.

  “Maybe. But it’s fun to see grown-ups try. And we never have two grownups here anymore, so we never get to play charades. And it’s one of our favorite games.” Lacy was shuffling the cards and placed them in two stacks.

  “Let the games begin,” Kevin said, waving his arms in a grand gesture. “I hope you’re better at acting than you are cooking beef Wellington.” He winked at Amanda as he sat down beside her on the sofa.

  “Haha. Old news and worn-out teasing, especially given it’s been established it wasn’t my fault. Let’s just hope you can act, and that you’re smart enough to guess right. Geeky chemistry teachers don’t strike me as the acting type.”

  “Ouch.” Kevin’s pretend surprise at her put-down made her laugh. So far, there was nothing geeky about the man, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “We get to go first because it’s our birthday,” Macy announced. She jumped up and went to the front of the room and drew a card. She glanced at her sister and scrunched up her face.

  “Hey, no early signals. Not until the clock is started.” Kevin was quick to call them out for a rule violation. “They are good at this game and don’t need special treatment, birthday or otherwise.” He chuckled.

  “Sorry.” Macy didn’t seem all that sorry, her Cheshire-cat grin making it look more as if she was pleased with herself.

  Kevin flipped the timer, and Macy went into acting mode. She scrunched up her face again and then acted like a bird flying through the air.

  “A Wrinkle in Time,” Lacy shouted, jumping up, positive she had it right.

  “Yes!” Macy high fived her sister

  Kevin hit the timer button, stopping it.

  “And we get five bonus points because we did it in under ten seconds.” Macy pointed at the clock.

  “I don’t remember hearing about that rule before we started to play,” Amanda quipped. “Are you making that up?”

  Kevin shook his head and laughed. “Technically, it’s a rule we added. House rule. But Lacy got that one faster because of Macy’s early start giving out a clue. But we’ll give you this one as a birthday special. And since Amanda thinks she’s a great actress, I’ll let her take the stage first.” Kevin sat back, content to letting her make a fool of herself first more than likely.

  “No pressure. Just a bit of advice, Miss Amanda. Remember, you’re dealing with the science geek.” Macy laughed as she took her seat.

  Amanda looked at her card. Sleeping Beauty was the easiest one on the card, and Amanda was sure even Kevin could get it.

  “Ready?” Lacy asked.

  Amanda nodded, and Macy started the timer.

  Lifting her arms, she danced around the room as if she was dancing with a prince, closing her eyes as she twirled when space permitted, aiming for the dreamy touch.

  “Shall We Dance,” Kevin shouted.

  Amanda opened her eyes to glare at Kevin and shake her head. It was actually a good guess, but it wasn’t the one she wanted. She laid down on the floor and placed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes.

  “Romeo and Juliet,” Kevin exclaimed. Amanda shook her head as she rolled to her knees and pretended to wrap her
arms around a human form on the ground and lowered her head for a magical kiss.

  “Dad, it’s a kid’s game,” Lacy shook her head and giggled.

  Amanda shot her a look of gratitude.

  “Cinderella. Beauty and the Beast. How do I know?” Kevin remarked, exasperated at this point.

  “Five seconds,” Macy jumped up and started doing a victory dance.

  Amanda stood and acted as though she poked her finger and fainted.

  “Time,” Lacy called out.

  “Sleeping Beauty.” Kevin jumped to his feet; positive he’d gotten it right.

  “Too late,” Macy reminded him, pointing at the clock.

  Amanda shook her head and looked at the girls. “I see what you mean, it’s not easy working with the scientist.”

  “What was all that gyration where you were on the ground trying to lift something up. I thought it might be Belle trying to raise the Beast.” Kevin was intent on justifying his guesses, and Amanda couldn’t help but laugh.

  “It was the prince delivering a magical kiss. I had just played the role of the princess lying there asleep under the spell. The natural jump should have been to the prince awakening her,” Amanda explained as if it all made perfect sense. It wasn’t her fault Kevin didn’t know Disney movies inside and out the way the girls did.

  “I guess I don’t have much experience with magical kisses.” He smirked, sitting back to take another sip of chocolate.

  Amanda had to laugh. She’d cut him some slack on that one because she’d never experienced a magical kiss, either. They were even on that score.

  The rest of the evening played out in almost the same way. The girls won far more often than the grown-ups, although Amanda was sure her partner was giving them an extra birthday edge.

  And she didn’t mind at all. It made him seem all that much sweeter to her. Kevin Thompson was one of the good guys. A guy who would put others ahead of himself, even in competition. For him, it wasn’t about winning, it was about loving.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kevin took advantage of his short school day and headed for the Sweeter Side of Life to see Amanda. Last night had been fun, more fun than he’d expected. Although, to be fair, he’d never envisioned Amanda out with them in the first place. Whatever she’d put in the cupcakes for the girls must’ve had some sort of kindness magic, because the change in the twins was nothing short of amazing.

  The only problem was if Victoria found out, but short of outright telling the girls not to say anything, he wasn’t sure how to prevent it. And telling the girls would require an explanation he wasn’t prepared to give.

  He pushed open the front door, the bell jingling above his head. Amanda glanced his way, her smile filling him with warmth. “Hey, there. Thought I’d stop in and grab a pastry and coffee, and to say thanks for last night. The girls slept like a rock and I had a hard time getting them up for school this morning.”

  “I know the twins cornered you and you felt obligated to let me tag along, but I hope it wasn’t too bad. I’m sure you wanted to enjoy the time with them alone.”

  “No, not at all. It was shocking, yes, but after I realized the sincerity of the offer, I relaxed and truly enjoyed the evening. Those two were hysterical.” After they’d gone to bed, he’d replayed the evening in his head. He couldn’t have imagined their birthday celebration being any better, and he owed it all to Amanda. Heck, before she’d shown up at his doorstep, Macy had barely been on speaking terms with him.

  “It was fun, and they are great girls. Cupcake will be looking for her playmates today, I’m sure.” Amanda came around the corner and handed him a cup of coffee and a plate with a pastry. “On the house. You went overboard paying for everything last night. This is called a lemon chiffon scone.”

  It wasn’t his normal jelly-filled danish, but he’d try it. “Thanks. Honestly, it was the least I could do. You were such a good sport about everything—even skating.”

  “Ugh. I hurt in places I didn’t even know I had this morning.”

  “Take a hot bath when you get home. You’ll be fine.”

  “And you’re an expert on this why?” The timer went off on the oven, and she moved back behind the counter to turn it off.

  “Because it’s the same thing I tell the girls for every ache and ailment they have, and it seems to work. Must be something medicinal in the heat and bath oils, I reckon. Speaking of medicinal, I want to know what you put in the cupcakes.” He chuckled. “I need to invest in whatever ingredient it is. Better still, if you have a magic recipe, I can invest in that.”

  “Invest away, my friend. Throw money my way, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” The tinkling of her laughter was genuine and a sound he would never grow tired off.

  “Your timing is perfect. I just finished baking the vinegar cake—if you can believe it.”

  “I can’t. The way I see it, no baker in their right mind would add vinegar. Even the name sounds unappetizing.” Sometimes it was better not to know the ingredients.

  “Well, you’re partially right.” She grabbed a potholder and took the cake out of the oven.

  “What do you mean?” Kevin leaned back against the counter to watch her work.

  “I did some research after I got home last night while I was trying to unwind. I discovered that back in the Great Depression when there was a shortage of eggs, butter, and milk, people used vinegar. I’ve never heard of such a thing and don’t recall my mother ever mentioning it. I looked through my grandmother’s recipes again and you’ll never guess what I found. There was a notation next to one of her cake recipes that mentioned using vinegar. My mother must’ve seen that and used it in the chocolate cake recipe.”

  “That’s crazy. I don’t understand it, but some things don’t need to be understood. Like why chocolate cake tastes so delicious. Telling me there’s vinegar in it could ruin it forever.”

  “Well, you’re just in time to be able to tell me. Give it twenty minutes to cool off, and I’ll put the caramel and nuts on it. Hopefully, you can stick around and do a taste test, since you’re a chocolate lover.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got time. The girls get out at three. The high school had an early-release day. I still can’t believe you’re not a chocolate connoisseur and you’re entering a chocolate contest.”

  “Me, too. My mother loved chocolate.” A tender smile crossed her face as if she recalled a fond memory. There was an inner peace within Amanda that drew him to her warm spirit.

  “You must get your ambivalence toward it from your father then. It’s not normal.” He grinned and then took a bite of the scone.

  Amanda’s smiled disappeared. “I wouldn’t know. He left when I was eight and never really spent any time with me after that. He had a new family to deal with. Pretty young wife and new children.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” He’d give anything to take back the comment and for her warm smile to return.

  “Don’t be. I’m over it. And it gave me the chance to spend a lot of quality time with my mother. Time I wouldn’t have had if he’d stayed in the picture and continued to make her unhappy.” Amanda shrugged, shooting him a pointed look. She always had a way of looking on the bright side, something else he admired about her.

  “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  “Only if you’re listening.” She flashed him a smile and returned to stirring the caramel heating on the stove.

  “I am.” Kevin made the connection and knew she was right, but sometimes, like when the girls were acting up, he regretted the impact the divorce seemed to have on them.

  “Good. It’s important for the girls that you understand, sometimes people being apart is better than them being together. It doesn’t make any sense, especially to the kids at first. But soon, they’ll understand, and they’ll appreciate the decision you made. Don’t get me wrong, it broke my heart when my dad chose another family over my mom and me, but it was his choice. And I’m not going to let m
y happiness rest in his hands. I moved on.”

  She crossed the short distance to his side and laid her arm on his. “The twins will need to do the same. It’s something they will eventually figure out on their own. At least for them, their mother is still in the picture. And that, more than anything, can be quite a healer when they’re ready to accept the situation.”

  He shook his head. She was wrong, but then she didn’t have all the information. “There’s just so much they don’t know, and if they did, it would crush them. How is that fair? As they get older, I prefer they were kept in the dark.”

  “I’m sure my mother did plenty to protect me from the reality of life. But the older we get, the more we see and understand without being told.” Amanda moved back to the counter, flipped the cake over on the cooling rack, and continued to stir the caramel. “I take it from the twins’ reaction to the idea of us dating that you don’t date much?”

  Kevin was suddenly alert. The conversation had taken a turn he hadn’t expected. “Not at all. By choice. I’d rather stay focused on the girls.” Not to mention, his promise to Victoria.

  “But that doesn’t help the girls to grow and understand real relationships. They get that by watching you. So far, all they have is divorce as a guideline, and that’s not healthy.”

  “I guess that’s for me to decide.” The arrangement he had with his ex-wife was odd, but it worked for him. He’d do anything to protect the girls from an unstable childhood, and if it meant not dating, then he wouldn’t date. Amanda didn’t understand why he thought it was better to just play along with his ex-wife’s rules. But the idea of the twins going back and forth to Paris with a mother who was more concerned for her own welfare wasn’t anything he wanted for them. Young girls lost in the big city. What if they got caught up in the glitz and glamour, the same way as his ex-wife? He didn’t want that life for them.

  She nodded, a faraway expression in her eyes. “Touché. You’re right. I just wish my mom had started dating again. Maybe then I wouldn’t be so cynical when it comes to men and relationships.” Amanda flipped off the burner and pushed the pan to the center of the stove.