Chocolate Goodies (8 page)

“I don’t know about this one, sis. Candy with pieces of applewood bacon in it?”

She nodded. “I have to keep trying.”

She mixed wood-smoked salt into the milk chocolate and bacon combination. “Since it’s bacon, I’m thinking this will do the trick.”

Michael didn’t look convinced.

“Try it,” she said.

“I tried the last couple of batches,” he told her. “I have to sing tomorrow at church. You’re not going to make me ill.”

“Chicken,” she muttered, and sampled the mixture. “Michael, you’ve got to try it. I like it.”

He shook his head.

“Please…”

Michael dipped a spoon into the mixture, then another. “This is good.” He gave her a thumbs-up.

“I hope Ransom’s ready for violin lessons,” she said, pouring the batch into the molds.

I win. I win.

C
oco pulled the folds of her sweater together as she and Ransom strolled along the beach. She could hardly wait for them to get back to his house so that she could give him the candy bar. She had even designed a custom label that read D-Unit’s Bacon Bar.

“Cold?”

“It’s a little breezy out here, but I’m fine,” she told him. “I love being out here on the beach. I can see why you bought a house in Santa Monica. It’s beautiful out here at night.”

Ransom agreed. “I like coming out here in the evenings. Not a lot of people.”

She looked up at him. “You come down here often?”

“In the evenings?” he asked.

When she nodded, he replied, “Not as much as I’d like.”

“I love it out here. It’s very romantic,” Coco said. “You know…moonlit walks and all.”

“So you consider this romantic?” Ransom teased. “Our walking on the beach in the moonlight.”

Coco gave him a playful slap on the arm. “Yeah, I do.” She savored the sultry sounds of Ransom’s laughter. The man was sexy through and through….

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“You and how you make me feel.” She rubbed her arms through the sweater, trying to ward off the goose bumps from the brisk ocean air.

“I don’t make you itch, do I?”

Laughing, she shook her head. “Not at all.”

Ransom wrapped an arm around her. “Better?”

Nodding, Coco replied, “Much better.”

After their walk along the sandy shoreline, she and Ransom sat down on a huge beach towel that he’d pulled out the trunk of his car, talking as they watched the waves splash toward them and retreat.

“What would you like to talk about now?” Coco asked.

“How about this?” Ransom leaned forward and kissed her.

His kiss was slow and thoughtful, and sent spirals of desire racing through her. “Mmm…I love the subject matter.”

“Why don’t we head back to the house?” Ransom suggested. “I know that you’re cold.”

“Thank you,” she said with a chuckle.

They left the beach and went to his house.

Coco loved the design of Ransom’s home and the amazing ocean, mountain and city-lights views from
the many rooms. He had given her a tour the first time she came to the five-bedroom house with its fabulous West Indies decor throughout.

From where she was standing now, she had a fantastic view of the outdoor-lit, colorful flower garden, the raging ocean and the sprawling deck out back. Ransom was having an outdoor kitchen installed. Grilling was one of his favorite pastimes.

Coco turned away from the window.

This area is so beautiful,
she thought. Her eyes traveled from the faux-finished stucco walls to the hand-painted furniture to the huge overstuffed sofas. She’d asked him why he had so many bedrooms, and Ransom responded that they came with the house. Then he’d told her that he wanted to marry and settle down, so he’d kept that in mind while searching for a home.

She glanced down at the marble floor. Coco loved hardwoods, but she had to admit Ransom’s flooring was really nice.

“So, remember that little challenge you issued to me?” she asked.

He grinned. “You want to back out?”

She shook her head. “Not at all, baby.”

“Then what?”

Coco pulled a candy bar out of her purse. “I’ve been waiting all night to give this to you.”

Ransom read the label and laughed. “D-Unit’s Bacon Bar. I like the name.”

“Taste it,” she said. “I want to see what you think.”

He opened it and took a bite.

Coco held her breath. She and Michael thought the
candy tasted pretty good. But she figured Ransom’s vote would be the one that counted.

“I’m impressed,” he said after a moment. “I really didn’t think you’d be able to come up with anything that tasted good. This is excellent.”

“Are you serious? Do you really like it?”

“Yeah,” Ransom answered. “I think you should consider adding it to your product line. You might want to change the name, though.”

“I love the name, and now that you’ve said that, it sounds like a great idea. We could sell it, and all the proceeds will go to your center. We’ll use it as a fund-raiser. I think we need to come up with a couple more, since not everyone eats bacon.”

Ransom scanned her face. “You’re really serious about this?”

She nodded. “It’s really a good idea.”

“You are a sweetheart,” he told her. “I’m touched by your gesture and your generosity.”

Coco placed her hand in his. “I thought we were a team, Ransom. You are always saying that it takes a village—well, I’m part of that village.”

“This is one of the reasons why I love you.”

She placed her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

“Even with chocolate on my breath?”

“Yeah, but go brush your teeth.”

Coco made herself comfortable on the sofa while Ransom went up to his bedroom.

Things were going well between them.

She was glad that she hadn’t gone running her mouth to Ransom about his siblings. He never said anything,
so apparently he didn’t know that they were only a connection away.

Her father was right. This was the best way for everyone concerned. None of them deserved to be hurt by the past.

She did it.

Ransom broke into a grin. Coco had actually made a candy bar with bits of applewood bacon.

He went back downstairs and found her curled on the sofa.

She looked up when he entered the room. “What took you so long?”

“I wasn’t gone that long, was I?”

Coco sat up to make room for him.

“Did you pick out something to watch? Most of the movies might be in the media room,” he said.

“This movie is on TV,” she announced. “It looks pretty interesting.”

Ransom’s thoughts began to wander when the movie didn’t capture his interest.

Coco seemed into it, so he didn’t complain.

He wanted to ask her more questions about the Ransom family, but didn’t want to rouse her suspicions. Ransom hated the yearning inside him—the yearning to get to know his siblings. Things were complicated by the fact that his father was dead. There were DNA tests that could prove his claim, but he didn’t want to cast a shadow on the image they had of Prescott Randolph Ransom.

“Don’t forget you have to take violin lessons for two weeks,” Coco said during a TV commercial.

“I haven’t forgotten,” he told her. “I’m a man of my word.”

She looked over at him. “Ransom, I know that much about you.”

He reached up and stroked her cheek. “What else do you know about me?”

For a brief moment, she looked startled by his question. “That you are a man with a heart for teens. You’re very handsome—not to mention extremely sexy. You’re the man that I love.”

Ransom pulled her into his arms, holding her close to him as if she were his lifeline.

She must have sensed his momentary desperation, because she lifted her head, studying his face. “What’s wrong?”

He pasted on a smile. “Nothing.”

“Ransom, I’m not sure I believe you,” she responded. “You can tell me anything, you know?”

“Everything is fine, sweetheart,” he said, trying to reassure her. “I am with the woman I love, so everything is right in my world.”

The only thing missing is family,
he added silently.

I
t was time for Ransom to pay up.

Coco handed him his instrument. “This is what you’ll be using for the next two weeks,” she told him.

“You don’t really expect me to learn to play this thing in just two weeks, do you?”

“No, but you will be able to play a simple song when I’m done,” she responded. “The first thing you should know is that violins don’t have frets like those found on guitars.”

“I knew that,” he said. “I think the issue for me is going to be positioning this thing on my neck. It looks uncomfortable.”

“It takes getting used to,” Coco admitted.

Ransom sat down and followed her instructions.

“There are four positions on the violin,” she told him. “The first position is the farthest away from your face
and produces low-pitched notes. The fourth position produces the highest notes.”

He smiled at her. “I have a new respect for your gift.

I’ll be doing well if I’m able to tell you about the strings, sweetheart.”

“You’ll be fine,” Coco assured him. “Just trust me.”

Not much was accomplished during his first session, which didn’t bother Ransom at all. He was not looking to be a violinist—he was just paying off a gambling debt. He’d lost what he thought would’ve been a surefire win.

Actually, it was turning out not to be such a bad loss. Coco was going to carry the new chocolate bar in her store, with the proceeds going to the center.

Later, at home, he sat down at the table and wrote the lyrics to a new song. He had gone for almost four months without writing. He blamed it on the move to the new house and getting the center ready.

But today he had been inspired by Coco.

He went over the lyrics once more before calling it a night. Ransom had an early morning parent meeting.

He was tired, but he wasn’t sleepy.

Coco infiltrated his thoughts, taking over.

A smile tugged at his lips as he recalled how excited she’d been over winning their bet. Ransom hadn’t realized how competitive she was until recently. He was learning more and more about her every day.

It didn’t change his feelings for her. In fact, it only made him love her more, if that was possible.

Ransom felt a sense of accomplishment by the end of the two weeks.

He could play “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” He had learned a lot about the instrument, how the strings were tuned and how to change the tone by applying more pressure.

He was in his office going over paperwork that needed to be sent to the schools when one of the staff came to the door announcing that Ransom had a visitor.

He walked out, expecting to see Coco, but instead found his old writing partner, Jaye, standing there.

“What’s up?” he said.

“I heard you were doing your thing over here, and since I was in the area, I thought I’d drop by.”

“It’s good to see you, man.” Ransom gestured for him to enter his office and take a seat. “Jaye, what have you been up to?”

“I’m producing this new artist—Ransom, you need to hear her. I’m telling you, she’s gonna blow this town apart. Not just L.A., but the whole country.”

“She must be something if you’re this excited about her.”

“Ransom, the girl was born to do this. Anyway, in my agreement with the record company, they’re guaranteeing that I get to write four of the songs on the record. I know you’re really focused on the center right now, but I need you, man. I know if we do this together, those cuts are gonna be the cream of the crop.”

Ransom smiled. “You always say that.”

“And I’m always right, too.”

“Let me think about it, Jaye.”

“Ransom, school’s almost out, so it’s not like you’ll have the center open.”

“Actually, I’ll be keeping it open through the summer. We plan to offer tutoring sessions and SAT preparation classes along with some other subjects.”

“You and I—we can do this, man.”

Ransom considered the offer as Jaye outlined all of the details. They worked well together and their collaborations had won numerous awards. He wanted to open more centers and the extra money could be put aside for that.

It would mean not spending as much time with Coco, but he was pretty sure she’d understand.

“So what do you say?” Jaye prompted.

“I’ll do it,” Ransom answered.

They shook hands.

When Jaye left, Ransom walked over to see Coco.

She was assisting a customer when he arrived. Ransom took a seat at the bar and waited for her to finish.

“What are you doing over here?” she asked. “I thought you were going to the high school this afternoon.”

“I am,” he told her. “But I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?”

“A friend of mine came to see me not too long ago. He and I have collaborated on a lot of songs.”

“Does he want you to work on a project?” Coco asked.

“Actually, four of them,” Ransom responded. “I accepted the offer only so that I could invest the money
in the centers. We get some funding from the government, but it’s not enough for what I have in mind.”

“It’s a great opportunity for you,” Coco told him.

“But it means we won’t be spending as much time together as planned,” Ransom said. “I just want to make sure you know what to expect. I don’t want you to start thinking that I don’t want to be with you or anything like that.”

“I understand, Ransom.”

“Are you okay with it?”

She nodded. “We’ll still have some time together, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m not going to walk out of your life. It’s just that I have to make time for my writing—something I haven’t done in a while.”

“Then you need to make time to do that,” Coco said. “Your writing is your income. I totally understand that. Besides, I’ve got the Chocolate Expo this summer and the Candy Expo.”

Ransom checked the clock on the wall and said, “I need to get going. I have to go check on my boys. We can talk more about this when I get back.”

“Tell Jerome that I said hello.”

He kissed her.

Ransom left the shop feeling pretty good about his life. He didn’t really have any family left, but he was with the woman he loved, and the structured day program was doing well. Now he had a chance to earn monies for the program. Life was good.

Coco almost dropped the mug she was holding when Elle, Kaitlin and their sister-in-law, Carrie, walked
through the front door. Ransom had just left, so she wondered if they had run into him outside.

She scanned their faces to see if she could detect anything.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kaitlin asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Coco pasted on a smile. “I’m sorry. I was just startled for a moment.”

They sat down at the bar.

“What are you three doing?” Coco asked, trying to sound normal. “Retail therapy?”

Elle laughed. “Actually, we just had lunch and thought we’d come say hello to you. Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in a while. I guess you and Ransom are getting along well.”

“Ransom?” Carrie asked.

“She’s dating a guy named Ransom. Isn’t that wild?”

Carrie nodded. “Is that his first name?”

“Yeah. He owns D-Unit across the street.”

“Things have been crazy here at the shop,” Coco told Elle. “But Ransom and I are doing well.”

“I figured as much,” she replied.

“Elle, how are you feeling?” Coco inquired, before her friend started asking when or if they were going to meet him. That was not a question she wanted to answer.

“Great. The baby and I are doing fine.”

Coco smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

“I need to get some more of that body frosting,” Kaitlin said with a grin.

“I can’t keep this stuff in stock. If it’s really as much
fun as you all say, then I can’t wait to get married,” Coco exclaimed. “I’m going to have to stash a few cans for me. Everybody comes in here raving about it.”

“It’s wonderful, girl,” Kaitlin said. “It’s so wonderful that I think I might be pregnant. I’m late and that almost never happens.”

Elle squealed with delight.

“When are you going to take a test?” Coco asked.

“I’m going to wait until the end of next week. I want to make sure my cycle’s not just late coming this month.”

“You’d know right away with a pregnancy test,” Elle told her. “You don’t have to wait.”

“I know, but I don’t mind waiting. Oh, who am I trying to kid? I’m dying to know.”

“Then go get a pregnancy test. You can take it right here in the shop,” Elle said.

Coco and Carrie agreed.

Kaitlin left to walk down to the grocery store to purchase a test.

“I hope she’s pregnant,” Elle said. “I want our babies to grow up together.”

Carrie went to the bathroom in the back, and a moment later a customer entered the shop.

Valencia waited on her while Coco poured a glass of ice water for Elle. She set the bottle down beside the glass.

“Is this your way of saying I need to drink more water?” Elle asked.

“I’m just leaving it here in case you want more, that’s all.” Coco knew how much her friend hated drinking water.

Carrie returned and reclaimed her seat.

“Just remember that when you’re pregnant, I’m going to police you. I know you hate taking pills, but you’re going to have to get used to the prenatal vitamins. In fact, you should start them before you plan to get pregnant.”

Coco shuddered at the thought of taking any kind of pills. She hated them. “Elle, that’s wrong on so many levels.”

“So is making me drink all this water.”

She laughed. “Elle, I’m not making you do anything. If you’re feeling conflicted it’s not because of me.”

Kaitlin returned with a small bag. “Got it.”

They waited while she took the test.

A couple of minutes later, she walked back out with a big smile on her face. “Matt is going to be thrilled,” Kaitlin said. “I’m pregnant.”

Coco gave her a hug and then Carrie.

Kaitlin and Elle embraced.

Several customers came into the shop.

“I’ll be back,” Coco said to her friends. “I need to help Valencia on the sales floor.”

She walked with a customer over to the bar. “Which one of the dessert toppings would you like?”

“I’ll take two bottles of the strawberry champagne,” the woman decided. “I’d also like some white-chocolate-covered peanuts. I need a quarter…no, make that a half pound of them. A quarter pound of the orange crème and white chocolate bars.”

Coco rang up her order. “It comes to sixty-four dollars and twenty cents.”

Kaitlin stole a peek over her shoulder. “Looks like she’s preparing for a chocoholic party.”

Ransom burst through the door. “Hey—”

He stopped abruptly when his eyes landed on Elle and Kaitlin.

Composing himself, Ransom said, “I—I’ll give you a call later.”

All Coco could do was nod.

She was pretty sure that he’d seen the truth in her eyes.

Coco knew the truth.

That was the only reason she would stand there and look so guilty.

A thought occurred to him. Had she already said anything to them?

Ransom was blown away by the mere possibility that Coco had somehow figured out the truth, but never mentioned it.

But how long had she known? That question plagued him.

And why didn’t she ever say anything to him? Had she put it all together because he’d opened his big mouth? He never should have told her about his father’s family.

Ransom prayed she hadn’t said anything to them—he didn’t want to cause trouble for that family. He was tempted to call Coco and tell her to keep her mouth shut regarding his parentage, but felt that would look suspicious, so he aborted the idea.

Maybe I’m overreacting,
he told himself silently.
All

this stuff about my absent father and wanting to meet my siblings has made me a little crazy.

All Ransom wanted to do now was stay as far away from them as possible. He couldn’t bear the thought of bringing an ounce of hurt to that family. He had been selfish in his desire to get to know them.

Ransom decided to abort the idea.

The price was just too high.

“Okay, who was that?” Kaitlin asked, recovering from her shock.

“For a second, I thought it was Laine,” Carrie said.

“Whoever he was, he looked like he could be a member of this family. He looked like a Ransom,” Elle contributed.

Carrie said what no one else was willing to ask. “I know everybody is supposed to have a twin, but is it possible that you have another brother or cousin you don’t know about?” She was partly joking.

“It’s always possible to have a cousin we haven’t met,” Kaitlin said with a chuckle.

“You know Uncle Jules used to be a big-time playa.”

There was no getting around it this time. Coco swallowed hard before saying, “His name is Ransom Winters.”

The room grew silent.

“That was Ransom?” Elle asked. “The guy you’ve been dating all this time?”

“He really could be Uncle Jules’s son,” Kaitlin responded. “This is so weird.”

Coco silently debated whether or not to tell them
what Ransom had shared with her. The uncle they were talking about had lost his wife in childbirth almost thirty years ago and didn’t remarry until ten or eleven years after that.

I should just keep quiet. But how can I?
Coco cleared her throat nervously.

“What do you know?” Elle asked. “You always do that when you’re feeling anxious over something.”

Elle knew her too well.

“If you know something, tell us,” Kaitlin pleaded.

“His father was separated from his wife when he met Ransom’s mother,” Coco told them. “He later went back to his wife, but he didn’t know that he was about to be a father. She never told him. She named him Ransom because she wanted him to have some part of his father.”

“Did Ransom tell you all that?” Kaitlin asked.

Coco nodded.

“Does he know who his father was?” Elle wanted to know.

“Yes, he does,” Coco replied.

“Is it Uncle Jules?” Elle asked quietly.