Chocolate Goodies (2 page)

“No problem,” said the man seated over at a desk in the far corner.

Ransom left the center and glanced across the street. He was always looking for ways the boys could perform the community service requirements that were part of his program. He had been considering going over to the Stanley Chocolates factory to see if they would allow his students to come in and work in some capacity for a few hours a day. Many business owners in the small outdoor mall where he was located hadn’t been real receptive to having boys with baggy pants and hats on backward in their workplace.

Ransom was never one to give up, so he walked briskly across the street and strode into the plant with purpose.

“May I help you?” the receptionist asked.

“I’d like to speak to the manager, please. I don’t have an appointment, so if he or she is busy, I’d like to schedule one. I’m the owner of D-Unit across the street.”

She smiled at him. “What is your name, sir?”

“Ransom Winters.”

“Michael, there’s a Mr. Ransom Winters here to see you. He’s the owner of D-Unit.”

She hung up, saying, “Please have a seat. Michael will see you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Stanley Chocolates had been around for as long as he could remember. Ransom glanced about the reception area, studying the pictures.

A man walked out from the back. “Hello, I’m Michael Stanley. You’re Ransom Winters?”

Rising to his feet, he nodded. “I am.” He followed Michael to his office.

Closing the door, Michael said, “I saw a message where you’d called me last week. You were actually on my list to phone today. We had a lot of orders that needed to go out and I was short staffed.”

Ransom sat down in the visitor’s chair facing Michael. “I completely understand. I really appreciate you seeing me without an appointment.” He gave a quick overview of his program.

“I applaud your efforts,” Michael responded when he finished his presentation. “I’m sure the response to the center has been overwhelming.”

Ransom nodded. “So much that we’re opening another one in Inglewood soon. The schools seem to fully be on board. Now if I can just get more of the local businesses to lend their support…”

“You can certainly count us in,” Michael said. “However, I would like to have an orientation with the boys who will be coming here, and they must adhere to the rules I set for them. If they don’t, I will have them leave immediately.”

“Understood,” Ransom said. “Thanks so much,
Michael. I appreciate it, man.” He stood up. “I won’t keep you from your work any longer. Thanks again.”

Michael rose to his feet. “I’ll walk you out. By the way, my sister owns the chocolate bar next door. You should go over and introduce yourself. She thought you owned a music store.”

“Really?” Ransom asked. “Is the music too loud?”

“I don’t really hear it unless your door is open,” Michael said. “Nobody’s complained, have they?”

“No,” he responded. “But I’ll cut the volume. I didn’t realize you could hear it all the way over here.”

A young woman walked into Michael’s office just as they shook hands.

“Hey, I was just talking about you,” he said to her. “Coco, this is Ransom Winters. He’s the owner of D-Unit.”

She looked surprised, but recovered quickly and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Constance, but everyone calls me Coco. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he replied.

Ransom was struck silent by Coco’s beauty. He estimated her to be about five-seven. Her body wasn’t too thin or too thick—just the perfect size, in his opinion, and her clear complexion was a golden-butternut color. Coco wore her hair in a sassy, short style that gave her a youthful look. He guessed she was in her mid to late twenties.

He finally pulled his attention away from her and glanced at Michael, to find him smiling. Busted.

He had been caught ogling the man’s sister. Hopefully
this would not cast him in a bad light. He wanted to leave them with a good impression.

“Sis, I think you need to hear exactly what D-Unit is,” Michael told her, sending a wave of relief through Ransom. “It’s not what you thought it was.”

He smiled at Constance. “I heard that you believed I’d opened a music store. That’s not what D-Unit is about.”

“I did,” she confirmed. “So if you don’t sell music, what do you sell?” Coco scanned his clothing. “Are you selling clothes?”

He shook his head. “I don’t sell anything. D-Unit is a center for teens. Right now we’re geared to helping boys in particular, but plan to add services for girls by next year. We offer a structured day program.”

She regarded him with somber curiosity. “What exactly is that?”

“It’s a program designed to help boys stay in school and on target even when they have been suspended.”

“So all those teens I’ve seen coming in and out of your shop are your students?” Coco asked, trying to hide her astonishment. To her they looked more like gangbangers than students.

“Yes,” Ransom answered. “When they’re suspended from school, they usually do nothing but run the streets or stay home playing video games. Neither is the best choice for them.”

She nodded in agreement. “Wow, you’re definitely not a music store. I totally had you figured all wrong.”

“I guess with the music always playing, it was natural you made that assumption,” Ransom said. “The students seem to relate well to music.”

He liked that she seemed interested in his pilot program. Hopefully Coco would allow one of his boys to put in some volunteer hours at her store. “I haven’t been to your shop, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m pleased with the way things are going. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.”

Michael snapped his finger. “I knew that I recognized your name. You won a Grammy earlier this year.”

Ransom smiled and nodded. “Most people have never heard of me.” He could feel the heat of Coco’s gaze as she quietly observed him.

“You’re one of the biggest songwriters out there,” Michael said. “I know because I have a couple of friends in the industry. My sister here plays the violin.”

Ransom glanced over at her. “I’d love to hear you play sometime.”

She gave him a smile that caused his heart to flip. “You might regret it afterward. I haven’t played much in years. I’ve had my hands deep in chocolate.” They laughed.

If her brother had not been standing there, Ransom most likely would’ve asked Coco out on the spot. But he decided to keep it professional between them. He still held out hope that she would allow one of his students to fulfill his community service hours in her shop. She was one neighbor he was happy to have.

Coco could hardly keep her eyes off the handsome man standing before her. He was not at all what she expected. Ransom had to be at least six-four or-five, his
shoulders broad and muscular. His skin was the color of delectable dark chocolate and his eyes a dark brown with a hint of hazel.

He looked familiar, but Coco was sure they had never met. There was something about his eyes. She searched her memory and came up with nothing. She knew some Ransoms but it was their surname.

“I need to get back to the center,” he said. “But before I go, I was talking to Michael about community service.”

Her brother quickly gave her a recap of their conversation.

“Part of the program includes my students volunteering for community service hours,” Ransom interjected.

“I’m going to have some of them help out in the plant,” Michael announced.

Guarded, Coco met his gaze. “Really?”

He nodded. “I think it’s a good idea, sis.”

Although she was very attracted to Ransom, Coco was not about to have a bunch of teens she didn’t know working in her shop.

“Would you be interested in having one of my students come in a couple hours a day?”

“I’m sorry, Ransom. My shop brings in a certain type of clientele and, well, I’m not sure how…” Coco looked to her brother for help.

Ransom gave her a polite smile. “Thank you for your time. I need to pick up lunch for my students and get back to the center.”

“You left me hanging, Michael,” she said after
Ransom left the plant. “Now he probably thinks I’m nothing but a snob.”

“Ransom is doing a good thing with those teens,” her brother responded. “It wouldn’t have hurt to let one come over to help you.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t a good program, but he can’t change those kids overnight. Michael, you are taking a great risk by bringing them into the plant. You need to discuss this with Dad and see what he thinks.”

A flash of anger ignited in Michael’s eyes. “I’m the one in control, Coco. I don’t need to report to Dad—not about this.”

“Those boys lead troubled lives and if they are involved in gangs, who knows what will happen?”

“Maybe all they need is to know that they matter in this world, sis,” Michael pointed out. “We grew up with two wonderful parents. Most of those kids are from low-income, single parent homes.”

“So you think I’m wrong for not letting them come to my shop?”

He met her gaze. “I never said that, Coco. I can’t tell you what to do in your shop.”

“And you don’t want me telling you what to do in this plant, right?”

“Right,” he confirmed. “I have everything over here under control.”

Coco released a soft sigh of resignation. “Michael, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

R
ansom was attracted to Coco, but he was disappointed in her stuck-up attitude regarding her clientele. He really hadn’t expected her to have any of the students waiting on customers, but she didn’t give him a chance to tell her.

He shook his head sadly. He knew too many people like her.

Ransom knew some boys gravitated to gangs because they were looking for something they didn’t have at home—a sense of family. But he hated the way people sometimes tended to prejudge teens. There was always a reason for bad behavior, but most adults didn’t want to dig deep enough to find it. No one had given up on him, so Ransom vowed to do all he could to help out in turn. He was never going to give up on any child.

Before he ended his canvassing, Ransom picked up two more companies willing to give volunteer hours, so
he considered his venture successful. He walked to the deli in the next block to pick up lunch before returning to the center.

Some weeks he had as many as ten boys at D-Unit, but he averaged around four or five. He currently had four students, and decided two would go to the Stanley Chocolates factory, one to the grocery store, and the other would do his community service at the restaurant across the street.

Ransom paid for the sandwiches, chips and sodas. He picked up the box and carried it back to the center. One of his staff members ran out to assist him.

“Thanks,” he said.

His eyes traveled over to the fancy lettering in mint green and brown over the door of Coco’s shop.

She really was a beautiful woman, Ransom thought to himself. Even if she was stuck-up. Maybe once she got to know him better, he might be able to change her mind about community service for his students.

That wasn’t the real reason he wanted to get to know Coco. Ransom couldn’t forget that smile she’d awarded him earlier, or the gleam of interest he’d glimpsed in her eyes. They were attracted to each other.

Moving to the Brentwood area had been one of the best ideas he’d had in a long time.

After a light dinner of spinach salad and grilled salmon, Coco settled down in her den and pulled her violin out of the back of the downstairs closet.

She blew a layer of dust off the instrument.

What am I doing? I haven’t played this thing in almost two years. Some fine man tells me that he’d
like to hear me play and what do I do? I run home and pull out my violin.

Ransom was just being polite.

I’m doing this for me,
she kept telling herself.
It has nothing to do with him.

Coco made sure to hold the violin properly, with her left arm curved underneath the instrument, the chin rest placed between her left shoulder and jaw. She began playing softly.

She had forgotten how much doing so soothed and calmed her. Coco had been playing the violin since she was ten years old and loved it, although in recent years she’d put it away to focus on building her business.

She drew the bow across the strings, creating a rich, mellow sound. Every now and then she would pluck a string with her index finger, creating a totally different sound. She played until she felt nice and relaxed, then decided to leave the violin out, because she’d really missed playing it.

Still feeling the effects of the busy day, Coco walked through her house to make sure it was secure. Then she headed upstairs to her bedroom and prepared to take a long hot shower.

Her oldest brother, Daniel, called her not too long after. “Are you in bed?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Coco answered, putting him on speakerphone while she slipped on her robe.

“I’m not going to keep you, but I promised Grace that I’d call you tonight. She wants to know if you’re coming over on Saturday for Cinnamon’s birthday party.”

Coco smiled at the mention of her niece’s name. “Of
course I’ll be there. Cinna’s going to be the big five. I can’t miss that.”

He gave her the time and location of the party, and then they ended the call.

Coco slipped on a pair of pajamas, then stretched out on the sofa in the sitting room to watch some television before she called it a night. She always watched the news before going to bed.

She frowned. A couple of teenage wannabe gangbangers had attacked a woman, who’d later had a heart attack. She was in the hospital in critical condition.

Coco thought about the types of teens hanging out at D-Unit and felt a growing concern for Ransom. It was admirable how much he wanted to help them, but did those boys really want help? Did they want a better life, and were they willing to work toward it? She wasn’t sure, and with all the gang activity spreading, she couldn’t help being skeptical.

Her brothers were always after her to stop prejudging before she had all the facts. She didn’t have any children, so her only connection was through her friend’s children and her niece, who was only four, soon to be five. The only teens that frequented her shop usually came with their parents.

“You can’t save the world, Ransom,” she whispered.