Better Than Chocolate (30 page)

“If shit didn’t happen there’d be no need for toilets,” Dot
said.

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means stuff’s going to happen,” Dot said. “You can’t be
prepared for everything. I don’t care what the Boy Scouts say.”

“Will you have enough money left after you sell the house to
buy another?” Olivia asked Muriel.

She’d be broke. She shook her head. “I’ll find some place to
rent.” At least she hoped she would.

“We don’t have very many rentals here in town,” Dot said.

“You could have a room at my place,” Olivia offered.

Muriel had never thought she’d be down to one room until she
was an old woman in a nursing home. But she’d also never envisioned herself
practically penniless. Even with selling her house she’d be on a tight budget.
If she’d spent the money her first husband had left her more wisely instead of
dribbling it away with Waldo, she wouldn’t be in this position now. Still, she
had time to make changes that would improve her life. She’d take that room. It
beat having to become a burden to any of her daughters, none of whom was really
in a position to help her.

This was the beauty of having friends. They saved you from so
much humiliation. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“I have another idea,” Pat said slowly. “You could rent the
cottage.”

“Your little guest house? But you use that for tourists,”
Muriel objected.

“It’s empty half the year. I’d love a full-time tenant. Let me
know if you need it. I’ll give you a deal,” Pat added with a smile. “It’s small
but you can’t beat the view.”

A lovely little vineyard with a mountain for a backdrop—the
view would more than make up for the size of the place. And while it wouldn’t be
as big as her house, it was more than a room. Muriel felt as if a weight had
been lifted from her. Selling the house would be hard, but she could do it. For
the first time in her life she’d be living on her own and learning to stand on
her own two feet. And that was a lesson well worth some discomfort.

“And meanwhile, tell me if you need money,” Dot said.

What was it Muriel hadn’t liked about Dot? She couldn’t
remember. “Thank you. Thank you, all of you.”

Dot shrugged. “No need for thanks,” she said. “LAMs stick
together.”

As the evening rolled on and the women shared their problems
and their dreams, she couldn’t help feeling that she had, somehow, turned a very
big corner. She would be fine, if not immediately, eventually.

She wished she could say the same for the family company. That
mess was her fault, too. What, oh, what was she going to do about that? She
spent the rest of the evening only half listening to the conversation as she
pondered this question. By dessert she’d come to the conclusion that there was
nothing she could do—other than pray that Samantha succeeded in tracking down
Mimi LeGrande.

* * *

Los Angeles. People lived here on purpose? Samantha
thought as Bailey threaded her secondhand VW Bug in and out of traffic on their
way down the freeway from LAX. “It’s like being in an ant farm,” she said,
looking around.

“Yes, but it’s warm,” Bailey said.

“Warm and smoggy.” Exactly like it had been the last time she
visited her sisters. What did they see in this place?

“But it’s exciting, full of movie stars and swimming pools and
palm trees. And there’s the ocean, too.”

It was just as smoggy and crowded there as it was everywhere
else, in Samantha’s opinion. And the traffic—how did her sister sit through this
without gnawing off her arm? She didn’t care how many palm trees they had here.
She’d take her small mountain town and clean air over this mess any day. And it
was nice to have four seasons. How long could a person look at palm trees
without getting bored, anyway?

“There is one thing it’s missing,” Bailey said.

Only one?
“What’s that?”

“My family.” Bailey sighed. “Sometimes I wonder why I came all
the way down here.”

“You listened to Mitzi and Bitzy,” Samantha said. Bailey had
been friends with the twins since grade school and when they decided to move to
L.A. and become stars they’d painted a picture of glamour and success she
couldn’t resist. So far, neither sister was a star. One had landed a bit part in
a B-movie. The other was waiting tables.

Bailey made a face. “You never liked them.”

“Because they’re airheads.” Sheesh.

Bailey dropped the subject of Mitzi and Bitzy, instead saying,
“It’s still fun here, but I hate only getting to see you and Mom a couple times
a year. Oh, well,” she went on before Samantha could suggest she pack it in and
come home, “when I’m a famous celebrity chef I’ll fly you guys down whenever you
want.”

Which would be never. “And you can fly up to see us,” Samantha
said. If she was still in Icicle Falls. If she didn’t have to move cross-country
for a new job. The idea made her heart contract and she took a firm grip on the
carton with the ice-packed box of candy sitting in her lap. There had been no
taking this box out to show anyone.

“Absolutely,” Bailey said. “Meanwhile, I’ve got great friends
to keep me company.”

Like Mitzi and Bitzy, the two most self-centered creatures on
the planet? “Friends can’t take the place of family. Family loves you no matter
what.”
Thank God.

That got Bailey nibbling her lower lip as she zipped from lane
to lane.

It was all Samantha could do not to cry, “Watch out!” and grab
the wheel. Jeez, these people all drove like maniacs. Of course, that wouldn’t
bother her so much if
she
was driving. “Bailey!
They’re braking up ahead.”

Bailey, who had been tailgating the red Corvette in front of
her so closely the two vehicles could have mated, eased up on the gas. “I really
am sorry about dropping the candy, Sammy.”

“That could have happened to anyone,” Samantha said. Especially
Bailey, but her heart had been in the right place and Samantha wasn’t about to
make her feel any worse than she already did.

“But it didn’t. It happened to me,” Bailey said miserably. “I
so wanted to be there for you, Sammy.”

“You were,” Samantha assured her. “And you still are, and I
appreciate it.”

Funny how she’d always had it in her head that her family
needed her. Now, remembering the past few weeks, she realized that door swung
both ways. Mom’s kindness and creativity, Cecily’s hard work, Bailey’s
unwavering confidence in her—they’d been a source of strength, a silent wind
pushing her forward. She owed them all a debt of gratitude.

* * *

The next day they went to Spoonie’s, the latest upscale
addition to restaurant row in Los Angeles. It featured soups, homemade breads
and, for dessert, all manner of exotic ice cream flavors. Decor was simple and
sweet. Wind chimes using vintage sterling spoons dangled from the ceiling, and
spoon collections hung on the walls. Tables were covered with linen tablecloths
and adorned with little vases holding silk daisies—a little bit of old-fashioned
in a sophisticated city. The place was packed and even with reservations they
got stuck at a table right by the kitchen. Bailey had to scoot her chair in
close to the table to avoid getting hit when the kitchen door swung open.

Still, in all that crowd it wasn’t hard to spot Mimi LeGrande,
a gamine, fortysomething woman with short, dark hair. There she sat, resplendent
in jeans, a black sweater and her trademark gorgeous jewelry, talking with a man
who could be either her producer or significant other. Samantha looked at Mimi’s
necklace, which consisted of pink and black pearls and crystals (probably
Swarovski) and practically drooled. Or maybe she was just salivating over all
that opportunity waiting across the room, sipping coffee.

“Good thing we got here when we did,” Samantha said to Bailey.
“Any later and we might have missed them.”

“They’re eating lunch kind of early.” Bailey checked her phone.
“It’s only a little after noon.”

Their waiter had come up to tell them about the specials when
Bailey pointed and said, “Oh, my gosh. They’re leaving. Quick!” She jumped up
and pushed back her chair just as another waiter emerged from the kitchen
bearing a large tray with a soup tureen and several bowls and, being Bailey,
managed to bump into the tray.

Like a juggler balancing plates, the waiter wobbled to the
side, trying to keep everything from sliding south.

He might have succeeded if Bailey hadn’t reached out to help
him steady the tray. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“I’ve got it.” He tried to move out of range as everything
slipped and slid.

“Look out!” their waiter called.

But it was too late. Yet another waiter came out of the kitchen
with another tray laden with soup. The two servers did a millisecond do-si-do
and then everything went to the floor with an impressive crash. And there stood
Bailey, gaping in horror at the whole mess while Samantha sat on her side of the
table, her whole face sizzling with mortification.

From across the room Mimi and her companion looked on with mild
interest as they moved away from their table.
Ah, the peons
are at it again.

Oh, boy. This was not the way to influence a chocolate mover
and shaker.

But it was the only way Samantha had. She took a deep breath,
left Hurricane Bailey to deal with the disaster and hurried after Mimi.

She caught up to her at the door. “Ms. LeGrande!”

The woman turned and arched an eyebrow.
Do
I know you?

“It looks like you didn’t have dessert,” Samantha said. “My
name is Samantha Sterling and my family owns Sweet Dreams Chocolates and I’d
love to give you a complimentary sample.” She held out the box, all wrapped in
pink ribbon, giving Mimi no choice (if she had any manners at all) but to take
it.

Mimi took the box. “Sweet Dreams?”

Obviously, she’d never heard of them.

“Our company is in Icicle Falls, Washington. We’re named Sweet
Dreams because my great-grandmother, who founded it, literally dreamed the first
recipes.”

That almost made Mimi smile. “Really.”

“These are our newest truffles. I hope I’m following in my
great-grandmother’s footsteps. I discovered the recipes in a dream just the
other night and I think you’ll like them. We’re calling this our chocolate
garden.”

Now Mimi was intrigued. To Samantha’s surprise and delight, she
stepped over to the reception area, found an empty chair and sat down with the
box.

Samantha held her breath as Mimi selected one and took a
delicate bite. Then both eyebrows arched. “What on earth is that flavor? I swear
it tastes like rose water.”

Samantha nodded. “Actually, it is.”

“Try one, Miles,” Mimi offered the box to her companion, who
was standing next to her.

The man took one and popped it in his mouth. And smiled. “Very
nice.”

“And you say these came to you in a dream,” Mimi asked.

Samantha nodded.

“And where is your company again?”

Samantha launched into a spiel that would have made both her
great-grandmother and her fellow Chamber of Commerce members proud. If the woman
didn’t want to come to Icicle Falls and check them out after this, there was
something seriously wrong with her.

“This is intriguing,” Mimi said. “Have you got a business
card?”

Yes, yes, yes!
“I do.” Samantha
calmly, like a true business professional, produced one while on the inside she
was doing the Snoopy dance.

She returned to the table to find the waiters cleaning up the
mess while Bailey sat there looking like a child who’d been sent to the
principal’s office. But when she saw Samantha she beamed. “She loved them,
right? I can tell by the way you’re smiling.”

“She asked for my business card.”

Bailey jumped up to high-five her with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”
just as another waiter came out the door with a laden tray.

As it went flying, Samantha said, “I think we’d better go eat
somewhere else.”

* * *

Mimi LeGrande’s producer, Miles, called Samantha the
next day as she was waiting for her plane to Seattle. Mimi would like to do a
segment on them the following week. Would Monday be all right?

More than all right. Samantha hardly needed the plane to fly
home.

Once more it was lights, camera, action, as Mimi’s crew hit
town to film.

Cecily had put together a huge gift basket, which Mimi accepted
as her due with only a minimum of thanks. Mom’s faint frown of disapproval was
barely noticeable. Not that Mimi would have noticed, anyway. She was too busy
looking around the gift shop. “Small,” she pronounced it, “but charming.”

Okay, they could live with charming.

After the filming, Mimi and Miles went off to lunch at
Schwangau, leaving Samantha and her mother and sister in shock.

“Did I hear him right?” Cecily asked faintly.

Samantha nodded. It was all she could manage since her throat
was choked with tears. The show wouldn’t air until May. Her mind closed the door
on the happy vision she’d entertained of orders (and money) flooding in. Oh,
orders would flood in after the show aired, but it would be too late to help her
family. The new owner of Sweet Dreams would reap the benefits of her hard
work.

This was a dark day for the Sterlings, indeed. There went their
last hope for keeping their company from floating down the River of No
Return.

The thought of Sweet Dreams Chocolates winding up in the hands
of Trevor Brown, the king of cheap chocolate, made Samantha want to throw
up.

So, what are you going to do about
it?

Good question. She went to the office and locked herself in to
eat truffles and think.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Love makes heroes of us all.

—Muriel Sterling,
Mixing Business with
Pleasure: How to Successfully Balance Business and Love

“I
wish you weren’t leaving, sweetie,” Mom
said as Cecily pulled her carry-on from the trunk of Mom’s car.

“It’s time. There’s nothing left here for me to do,” Cecily
said.

She wished there was, but the chocolate festival was over,
they’d finally lost the battle to keep the company and that was her cue to ride
off into the sunset. Yesterday they’d pulled their hopes off life support. There
was nothing more she could do for her sister now. They were out of options.

“Are you sure you have to go?” Luke had asked when she stopped
by Sweet Dreams to say goodbye to everyone. He’d walked her outside. Although
her mother was waiting at the curb, the car engine idling, and people were
passing on the street, it had felt like it was just the two of them standing
here.

“I’ve got my ticket,” she’d said.

“You don’t have to use it.”

“I have a life back in California.” Consisting of an
ex-boyfriend who still tried to hit her up for money and a business she’d shut
down. Some life.

“Overpriced real estate and shallow people?”

“You can find that anywhere.” And they weren’t all shallow.
She’d met some great people in the City of Angels.

“Not here,” he’d said. “Look, Cec, I know you made it pretty
clear that you weren’t interested in starting anything, but I think we could be
good together.”

Luke needed a woman who would appreciate him, not a woman with
a foolish heart who was constantly falling for bad boys, not a woman who was fed
up with love and men. “I’ve got to go,” she’d said, and backed away. “Take care,
Luke.”

“He’s a nice man,” Mom had said as they drove off down the
slushy street.

“Yes, he is.”

“He’s going to make some woman a wonderful husband.”

“Yes, he is. I wish I knew someone for him.”

“I do.”

It had been impossible to misinterpret that motherly
expression. “Not me.”

“Why not? You’re a lovely woman, he’s a wonderful man.”

“There’s just no chemistry,” Cecily had said with a shrug.
Well, maybe a little, but not enough.

“Maybe you haven’t spent enough time in the lab together.
Feelings can grow.”

So she’d heard.

“After the big city, Icicle Falls must feel ridiculously small,
but the people who live in it all have big hearts. I think it did you good to
get away, but maybe it would do you even more good to come back.”

Cecily hadn’t said anything to that and Mom let the subject
drop. Their conversation turned to other topics as they drove over the pass, but
her mother’s words lingered at the back of her mind.

Once she was in L.A. she’d pack up and sell her condo. And then
what? She had no idea. What did she want to be when she grew up? And where did
she want to be?

She wanted to be in Icicle Falls. She hadn’t realized how much
she’d missed the place until she’d returned and gotten involved.

Everyone says you can’t go home,
she reminded herself as her plane touched down in sunny California. But she
wanted to. Wanted to indulge her creativity and spend time with her mother,
wanted to start her mornings with lattes from Bavarian Brews or stop by
Gingerbread Haus to sample Cass’s cookies.

The plane finally taxied to a stop and cell phones went on all
around her. The whole plane buzzed as people told loved ones they’d arrived
safely, took their luggage off the racks and began to jostle their way off the
plane. Everyone had somewhere to go, someone waiting for them, and she felt
oddly alone in that crowd.

She couldn’t help remembering the fun she’d had planning the
Mr. Dreamy contest, of the nice people she’d met while working at Zelda’s. (What
was so wrong with being a restaurant hostess, anyway?) She remembered that dance
with Luke at the ball. And, unbidden, Todd Black’s smirking pirate face came to
mind.

Here she was in a big, exciting city and all she could think
about was a small town nestled in the mountains. But there was nothing for her
to do there, no real way to make a living and build a future.

Just get on with your life,
she
told herself as she picked up her luggage from baggage claim.

* * *

Just get on with your life,
Samantha told herself as she hung up the phone. Tears sprang to her eyes.
Sorry, Great-grandma. I tried, I really did.

At least it looked as if her company might end up in good
hands. If the Elegance Chocolates people liked what they saw when they came up
on Friday.

What was not to like? They were getting a fabulous company at a
bargain price. Yes, the past year had been a bit of a mess, but she’d sent them
the financials for the past five. Anyone with a head for business could see this
was a temporary blip.

She’d been assured her people would be able to keep their jobs.
The only one out of a job would be her. She could hardly stand to think of
someone else coming in and taking over Sweet Dreams but that was exactly what
would happen. After a brief transition period, she’d be history. The Elegance
executives would, naturally, want to move in their own person to run the
company. She knew that without even asking.
A new broom
sweeps clean. Out with the old, in with the new.

She’d never thought of herself as old before, but in this
instance that was exactly what she was.
You did the right
thing,
she reminded herself. If Elegance took over the company, all
would end well. Yes, Sweet Dreams would be no more, but their chocolates would
live on and her employees would still have jobs. That was what mattered. As for
her, she’d do…something.

And speaking of that, what would she do if, after seeing it,
the Elegance people decided they didn’t want her company? She felt sick.

Elena buzzed her. “Blake Preston is here to see you.”

That didn’t make her feel any better. This was how it felt to
be dying in the desert with the vultures circling.
Well,
we’re not dead yet.
She set her jaw. “Send him in.”

He entered her office like a man on a mission. “Blake, I don’t
know what you’re doing here but I still own this company till the end of the
month,” she said.

He smiled at that. “Till the end of the month and beyond,” he
corrected her, and laid a check on her desk.

“What’s this?”

“It’s about keeping a family company where it belongs—with the
family who started it.”

She felt like Alice after she’d tumbled down the rabbit hole.
“I don’t understand.”

“Merry Christmas early, or happy Valentine’s Day late. Or
whatever you want to call it,” Blake said, and nudged the check closer to
her.

She picked it up and stared at it. What in the name of— “A
personal check?”

“All you have to do is endorse it and deposit it. I’ll expect
you in tomorrow.” He turned to leave.

“Wait.” She jumped up from her desk and ran to him. “But where
did you get this kind of money?”

“Does it matter?”

“I need to know,” she insisted. How on earth had he come up
with it?

“Let’s just say I used my bank connections,” he said.

Her brows knit. “What do you mean?” Suspicion turned to
horrified understanding. “Tell me you didn’t take out a loan.”

He shrugged. “Even bank managers can qualify for employee
loans. I should have thought of it sooner. My only excuse is that there was no
way I could come up with what you needed at first, so this wasn’t even an
option. But after you left for California I got thinking and realized that,
thanks to the festival, we were down to a number I could manage.”

It was still a huge amount and a huge commitment, and she
couldn’t, with a clear conscience, let him make that kind of sacrifice. “I can’t
accept this,” she said, holding out the check.

“Why not?” The look in his eyes lit those sparklers inside
her.

“It’s too much.”

“Yeah? You’re saying your company isn’t worth saving?”

“I’m already saving it. I’m going to sell it to Elegance.”

He nodded, apparently thinking that over. “I assume they make
good chocolate.”

“Fabulous,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even.

“Is that what you want, Samantha?” he asked softly.

“Of course it’s not what I want,” she cried, “but I can’t just
take money from you.”

“Can you take a personal loan from a friend?”

How she needed a friend! She bit her lip.

He took a step closer. “From a friend who would maybe, someday,
like to be more?”

“I…don’t know.” Were there conditions that came along with this
loan? Would he want to run her company? Expect her to sleep with him? Hmm. Would
that last condition be so bad?

“There are no strings attached,” he said as if reading her
mind. “I think you can rebuild this company and that will be good for the whole
town. If you’re uncomfortable with doing this on just a handshake we can draw up
a contract. Either way, that money is yours. I went into banking to help people,
and there’s no one I’d rather help more.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” she said. She had to be
dreaming. Where was Great-grandma Rose with more recipes?

“I told you, Samantha, I’m not your enemy.”

Her mind was a Tilt-a-Whirl, sending thoughts zooming in all
directions. She’d tried so hard to keep this company, run down every blind alley
she could find, and in the end her solution was as simple as someone unexpected
coming through for her? How could that be? “I don’t know what to say.”

“How about thank you?” he teased.

“Thank you,” she said, and burst into tears.

He gathered her in his arms and she felt his lips brush the top
of her head. How wonderful it was to be held by her archenemy.
Make that former archenemy,
she corrected herself.

“There is one more thing you could say,” he murmured.

“What?”

“That you’ll go out with me.”

Now she was crying and laughing. “I might have some free
evenings on my calendar.”

They sealed the deal with a kiss, a big juicy,
melt-your-panties kiss. Oh, yes, there
was
something
better than chocolate and Blake had just given her a very nice sample of it.

He suddenly turned serious. “I do have a confession to
make.”

Uh-oh. Samantha braced herself. “What’s that?”

“I’m allergic to chocolate.”

She gaped at him. “Those chocolates I brought you?”

“My gram’s book club loved ’em. Everybody loves Sweet Dreams
chocolates.”

“Except you.” How ironic.

He grinned. “That’s okay. I’m more interested in the woman who
makes them.”

And to prove it, he kissed her again.

“So when do you think you might be open to that date?” he said
after they’d come up for air.

“Oh, maybe as soon as I call Mom and my sisters and tell them
the good news,” she said with a grin.

She called Cecily first. Her sister was happy for her but
didn’t sound all that surprised. “I just had a feeling,” she said.

“What else have you got a feeling about?” Samantha asked,
smiling at Blake.

“Well, I’ve got a strong feeling that Blake is still there with
you. Am I right?”

“Oh, yeah. By the way, we’re going to be pretty busy rebuilding
the company and I could use help with the marketing and advertising. I know
you’ve got a life down there but I’d love to have you back here. I don’t suppose
I could talk you into coming home?”

“I don’t suppose you could keep me away,” Cecily replied.

Oh, yes, life was looking good.

* * *

Samantha and Blake celebrated by going to dinner at
Zelda’s. “Are you having dessert?” Maria asked.

Samantha smiled at Blake. “Yes, but not here.”

Maria, no fool, cracked, “Let me guess. You’re going someplace
for chocolate kisses?”

“Something much better,” Samantha said with a grin.

* * *

Muriel was walking on Lost Bride Trail with both her
husbands. “It looks like Sweet Dreams will be around for a long time,” she told
them. “Samantha saved it.”

“That takes a load off my mind,” Waldo said.

“Mine, too,” Stephen agreed. “The only thing that would please
me even more is to know that she’s found someone who can make her happy.”

“I think she has,” Muriel said.

He smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.” He looked up the path. “We
have to go now. Will you be all right?”

She smiled at both of them. “Yes, I will. You two go on ahead.
I’ll be fine here.”

They both kissed her and then walked up the path. She stood
watching until a mountain mist swallowed them.

She awoke to find herself alone in her bed, morning sunlight
filling her bedroom. She smiled, then threw off the covers. It was a new
day.

* * *

May had arrived and the countryside was lush and green
with vineyards come back to life and blossoming fruit trees. This particular
Saturday was a perfect day for a hike, all blue sky and sunshine.

Blue skies or no, Samantha had planned to get caught up on her
laundry and maybe clean her apartment. And she said as much to Blake when he
suggested a hike. Cleaning had never sat high on her priority list but these
days, between running Sweet Dreams and spending her free hours with Blake, it
never happened. If she didn’t do something soon, her condo was going to be
condemned by the board of health.

“Come on, babe. On a day like this, that stuff can wait.”

When he put it that way… “I’ll get my camera,” she said.

Two hours later they were on Lost Bride Trail, the sun warm on
their shoulders, the thunder of the falls promising a stunning view right around
the bend. Normally it wasn’t a two-hour hike to the falls—unless you stopped
frequently to take pictures. Or kiss.