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“Oh my gosh,” Charli moaned as she licked her fingers. “You’re like a sorceress with chocolate.”
Caro, one of Charli’s best friends, smirked and buffed her shiny red nails on her shirt. “I know.” Her Southern drawl made the quip all the more cute, and the two women broke down in laughter.
“Seriously though,” Charli said as they calmed down. “How do you come up with so many new ideas? And all of them good?”
Caro rolled her eyes. “All of them aren’t good. I bomb out all the time in the kitchen.” She tilted her chin down and gave Charli a look. “But do you really think I would bring the yucky ones out front? Of course, what you’re eating is good. I wouldn’t dare bring it out otherwise.”
Charli made a face and tilted her head from side to side. “True enough.” Her eyes went to the glass display case. “I’m trying to decide if I love Felix enough to want to bring something home to him.”
“Charli, you mean old thing,” Caro scolded. “You take that heavenly hunk of man something good.” Still muttering, she grabbed a small, mint green box and began stacking a few truffles inside of it.
“You did not just call my brother good-looking,” Charli said with a scowl.
“Of course, he’s good-looking,” Caro shot back. She pursed her lips at Charli. “Looks obviously run in the family, but still...I’d have to be blind and deaf not to see that.”
“Blind and deaf? What does being deaf have to do with anything?”
“Hon, have you ever listened to the deep tone of your brother’s voice?” Caro shook her head and tsked her tongue.
Charli covered her ears. “No more. I don’t want to hear that you’ve got the hots for Felix. That’s just weird.” She paused. “Huh. I guess I know how Benny felt when Mel and Jensen got together.”
Mel and Jensen were two others within their friend group that had become a couple last year. Now they were engaged, along with Cooper and Genni, and everyone had two huge weddings to look forward to at the end of the summer.
Caro rolled her eyes so hard Charli completely lost track of the bright blue color of them. “Geez, Charli. Don’t you know anything? I don’t have the hots for your brother. I’m just good at appreciating a fine male specimen when I see one.”
Charli pretended to wipe a sweaty brow. “Whew. Dodged a bullet there. I love ya, Caro, but you and Felix just don’t work for me.”
“Or me,” Caro said cheerfully, setting the candy box on the top of the counter. “I need a man who will love me more than his boat.”
“Don’t we all,” Charli mumbled. “What do I owe you?”
Caro’s perfectly manicured nails went over her heart. “My dear, dear Charlize. Did I just hear you offer to pay me?”
“Knock it off, Caro,” Charli said wryly. “I offer to pay you all the time. You just never take payment.”
Caro tapped her plump lips with her finger. “Maybe I should rethink the whole ‘friend policy’ thing.”
“You really should,” Charli said, gathering the box. “Come on out for dinner and I’ll pay for it out of our freezer.”
Caro put a hand to her stomach. “If I eat any more fish, I think I might head into the water and swim away. I know we live on the ocean and all, but still, a body needs something with legs once in a while.”
Charli laughed so hard she snorted just as the bell rang over the door. Up until that moment, the two women had been alone in the store, leaving them to talk freely, but now a customer interrupted them.
“See ya later, Caro,” Charli said, giving a little wave. She paused when she noticed Caro’s expression. Turning to see what the candymaker was looking at, Charli felt her whole body go cold. Then hot. Then cold again.
Standing in the doorway was a Greek god.
Or at least, a man who looked like one. He was tall and thickly built. Big enough that he would give Charli’s friend Ken, who was the police captain, a run for his money. His nearly black hair held a blue sheen in the sunlight coming through the glass doors and it almost matched the blue of his eyes. Charli squinted slightly, because his eyes weren’t just blue. There was something else there...gray, maybe.
His collared shirt had a button open at the top, just enough to see that his skin was sunkissed everywhere and his worn jeans looked worn and stylish at the same time.
“Hello.”
Oh, good heavens. Charli was sure she was going to melt into a puddle. Caro might think Felix had a good voice, but it was nothing on Mr. Handsome standing in the entrance.
“He...llo,” Caro purred.
Caro’s voice snapped Charli out of her lust-induced staredown. She felt her cheeks flush and she spun toward the counter to give herself something to look at other than the stranger.
“I hate to bother you, but I’m a little lost.”
Charli felt her eyes go wide as Caro began to primp and preen herself. It was like a bucket of cold water slapping Charli in the face. With her short, sassy hair and athletic build, Charli knew she was no match for Caro’s perfectly curvy frame and Southern hospitality. And she loved her friend too much to even try.
“Tell you what,” Caro flirted with a few rapid blinks of her eyelashes. “You buy a four-pack of truffles and I’ll tell you what you need to know.”
A deep, rich laugh came from behind Charli and she fought the sensation to close her eyes and drown in it. It was so open and carefree, so opposite of how she lived her life. It was glorious.
“I think I can manage that,” the man said.
Charli could hear his footsteps coming up behind her. Holding her breath in an attempt to be quiet, Charli began stepping to the side, attempting to sneak out and leave Caro and her well-curated flirting skills with their prey. The thought brought an unexpected rush of jealousy to Charli’s stomach.
She gave her friend a discreet wave, which Caro didn’t seem to notice, then spun when she thought it was safe to do so and practically lunged for the door. She miscalculated, however, and nearly ran over the tourist.
“Excuse me,” he said in that dreamy tone of his.
Charli’s mouth flopped and knew she must look like Felix’s catch of the day. “Uh...yeah...”
He gave her a funny look, then smiled. The look was just as good as his laugh. Heaven’s above, this is stupid. Since when do I fall for handsome strangers? The word stranger brought Charli to a halt. Something about the man’s handsome face looked familiar, yet she couldn’t place him.
His eyes, which she could not tell were indeed gray and blue, meandered down then back up to her face. “On your way out?”
Charli nodded, her words still lost at sea.
He turned toward the door. “Let me get that for you.” Taking a few steps away, the man held the door open for her while she walked out, still gaping like a largemouth bass.
“What a gentleman,” Caro gushed from behind Charli, helping bring Charli’s mind back where it belonged.
“Thanks,” Charli squeaked before darting out the rest of the way and rushing down the street. She leapt into her car and dropped the candy on the seat before putting both hands on the steering wheel. “I. Am. An. Idiot.”
Leaning forward, she planted her head against the wheel and began to laugh. The whole situation was an absolute disaster, which meant she could either cry or laugh, and there was no way she was going to cry. Charli almost never cried and when she did, it certainly wasn’t because of overly pretty strangers with chocolate fondue voices who were soon to be caught in Caro’s womanly trap. Absolutely not.
*****
BRONSON COULDN’T HELP but watch the fit, gorgeous woman walk past him and climb into an old beat-up truck. Her dark hair framed her oval face perfectly and added a little edge to her looks. Large, dark eyes and plush pink lips had barely responded to his act of chivalry. If he hadn’t seen her laughing and talking with the store clerk before he’d entered, Bronson would have wondered if she actually spoke at all.
“She’s something, isn’t she?”
His head whipped around. For a moment, he’d actually forgotten his purpose for slipping into the cute candy shop. He gave the clerk a crooked smile and shrugged. “That obvious?”
“Only if the drool dripping from your mouth is considered evidence,” the blonde said with a smirk.
Bronson laughed, a little uncomfortable with the woman’s forthright way of speaking. “Sorry about that.” The woman behind the counter was a very attractive woman herself, but her blonde hair and blue eyes were an everyday occurrence in California, and definitely didn’t stand out as much as the woman who’d just left.
She waved him off. “No biggie.” She straightened her shoulders but tilted her head to the side expectantly. “So?”
Bronson raised his eyebrows. “So?”
She laughed and pointed her head toward the display case. “I do believe you agreed to a four-pack in exchange for information.”
Bronson’s smile widened. “So I did. I guess I got sidetracked.” He walked up, his hands in his pockets as he studied the goodies. “These look great.”
The woman fluffed her hair. “Thanks. I’ll tell the baker.”
Something about the way she said that made Bronson narrow his gaze. “Are you...” He pointed to the chocolates. “Did you make these?”
“Guilty as charged.” Her Southern accent was a fun addition to their little conversation. It wasn’t something he heard very often back home.
Bronson reached over the counter. “Bronson Ramsay.”
She smiled sweetly. “Caroline Douglas. My friends call me Caro.”
“Is that a way of giving me permission to do the same?”
“I don’t know. I don’t usually make friends with tourists.” Caro put a hand on her cocked hip.
“It just so happens I’m not a tourist.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose high.
“I’m here to renovate a home.” He slapped his pockets. “Speaking of which, that’s why I need help.” He finally found the piece of paper he’d been looking for. “I’m looking for this address.” Bronson handed it to Caro.
She eyed it and nodded. “I know that house.”
Bronson waited.
She waited.
The silence began to grow awkward until Caro cleared her throat and pointed at the treats again.
A rumble of laughter worked its way up Bronson’s chest. This woman wasn’t one to give up. “Excuse me, Ms. Douglas. It seems I lost my head today.” He looked at the case again. “I’ll have a mint, a sea salt caramel, an orange and the vanilla creme.”
She boxed it up, tied a pretty white bow on top and rang him up.
Bronson handed over his credit card. “So...am I forgiven? Can I get those directions now?”
She handed the card back and scooted the box across the counter with a grin. “It’s always nice to get business out of the way first, isn’t it?”
Bronson chuckled and nodded. “It is.”
“What you’re looking for is the old Miller residence. Go north on Main, turn right on Alder. It’s about a half-mile off the main street. It’ll be on the left-hand side of the street.”
Bronson nodded and took his candies. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“Good luck,” Caro called out. “You’re gonna need it.”
Bronson frowned. “Why’s that?”
Caro smiled, a little bit of the devil in her look. “You’ll see.”
He shook his head and turned to go.
“And feel free to call me Caro.”
Bronson looked back one more time to find her resting her chin in her hands as she leaned over the counter. “Thanks, Caro.”
“Can I ask why you’re headed out that way?”
Bronson held in a sigh. Obviously he wasn’t going to be able to escape as quickly as he’d thought. He turned to give her his full attention. “I said I was here to renovate a home. That’s the one I bought.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow. You’re a construction worker, then?”
Bronson felt heat rush up his neck and was grateful his tan usually kept such reactions hidden. “Uh, not really. I’m planning to hire a local handyman to help me.” He gave her an imploring smile. “You wouldn’t happen to know who I could call?”
Caro laughed. “That’s easy. You’ll want Charli.”
“Charlie?”
She nodded. “Yep, you know the one....” Caro waved her hand toward the door, then stopped quickly and dropped her head to look under the counter. “Hang on. I’ve got a card and that’ll be easier.” After fumbling around under the cash register for a moment, she emerged. “Got it! I knew I had a few left over.”
Her smile was extra wide as Bronson retrieved the small piece of paper. “Thanks,” he said, reading the name. It was spelled a little funny, lacking the ‘e’ on the end like normal, but he figured that wouldn’t affect whether or not the guy could actually do the work. “I’ll be sure to give him a call.”
Her laughter followed him all the way out the door. “You do that. We’ll see if he can speak by then.”
Bronson shook his head. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the petite and pretty candy maker. He was, however, grateful for her instructions. Climbing back into his SUV, Bronson backed up and followed everything she’d said. Once in the driveway, he finally understood why she’d wished him luck.
The house looked absolutely nothing like the pictures online. “They must have gotten them from when it was first constructed,” he grumbled as he stared up at the dilapidated old thing.
The roof was half-missing, the siding looked like it hadn’t been painted in fifteen years and any minute, a leprechaun was going to jump out of the overgrown landscape. “This might have been a mistake.”
Slowly, Bronson got out of the vehicle and walked to the front door. He’d thought the low price was because of a motivated buyer, but that was apparently not the case. All his hopes of cashing in on a major real estate deal were looking like they might go up in smoke.
But what will happen to your inheritance if you back out now?
The question was valid, though Bronson wasn’t happy about it. Taking a fortifying breath, he unlocked the front door and stepped inside, then promptly came back out. “Cats,” he groaned.
The more he studied the inside from his perch on the porch, the more he realized he had bought the home of the town’s crazy cat lady. From the smell of the interior, she’d had enough felines to fill an entire animal shelter.