For Love of Mister Cotton Tail: An Apocalyptic Fairytale (Single) (6 page)

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I could,” Candy said meeting her eyes to his. “I could learn if it
was necessary. I just don’t think I really belong down there though.”

Big Bunny felt her adjust his bow again. As soon as she turned, he snuck out the back window. Being prepared, he got Cotton’s clothes on and headed to her front door.

As Cotton, he knocked. He rewarded Candy with a large smile and a box of chocolates. She was supposed to be having trouble with tasting
sweet now, so it was a special box made terribly rancid tasting. In his human form, that kiss should only have affected Candy by two or three days so a little extra insurance was needed. If she wanted to taste test something, this would be it. A brand new box of what appeared to be her favorite chocolates. She already thought after that date he was a little light in the head, so forgetting she couldn’t have candy would be expected.

She took the chocolates and invited him in. “My tastebuds can’t have these yet.” She set them on the counter. “I made spaghetti. Oh, with vegan stuff. I made it out of cucumbers and things.” She moved around the counter and brought it toward him. “I hope you like it.”

“I bet I will.” Cotton took the plate. He’d already got into it more than once when Candy wasn’t looking in his rabbit form. She truly kept it completely vegan, he had been impressed. She ate much less than him as he gave her his made up story of his home and family life.

She in turn told him about her mother, her relationship with her father, yadda
yadda. It was nothing he had not heard as her number one confidante before. Surprisingly though, her bunny was talked about more than anything.

Was he really the only positive thing going on in her life? She talked about how most
days all she wanted to do was come home to her pet rabbit and lie beside him. She skipped the talking aspect of her rabbit though. Let Cotton into her life and maybe marriage? Okay, but let him know her bunny could talk? It was a no-no.

As they spoke, Cotton began to rethink things. Maybe . . .

Was Candy’s ancestral blood still running through her thick enough that she could love him, even as Big Bunny? “You talk a lot about that bunny of yours.”

“I don’t have much else going for me right now,” Candy insisted. “I just . . .” She shrugged.

“Normal people don’t like their pets
that
much.” Cotton had to test himself. “If you come to live with me, would this bunny follow along?”

One phrase. Just that one simple phrase was all it really took to see the truth. In his other form, he didn’t see it. She used the word pet. She called him a pet name. He
got a collar. But here she was with someone she believed could take her away from the bad world coming, and . . .

“My bunny is part of me.”

Cotton pushed harder. “It’s a pet. I can stand a cat, maybe a dog. Bunnies are kind of pushing it though, don’t you think?”

“No, I don’t. Are you allergic to them?”

“No.”

“Then if you marry me, it’s settled.”

Cotton tried hard, really hard not to smile as he clinked glasses with her. “Okay. For you, you could bring him. Where is he though?”

“He didn’t seem fond of getting to meet you. He’s quite protective of me.”

“He’s a freaking bunny.”

“Doesn’t matter.” She moved away a moment to find him, but Cotton already knew it was a lost cause. Not wanting her to believe that Big Bunny left, he pretended that he saw something with an orange bow pass by him.

The rest of the night, Candy stirred conversations more toward Cotton. He changed the names of a lot of things, but told her some things about himself. His dad dying when he was younger. How it made the family business even harder. He told her about his friend Matt and how they met. He even told her why they went to Sweet Meats in the first place.

That caused a strange reaction. “Poured has been madly in love with Stephen since she was fourteen. They are engaged to be married. There is no way she’d flirt with anyone, ever.”

Huh. That was strange. Then why did Matt think he had a chance? Cotton placed it in the back of his mind for now. Before he left, he shook Candy’s hand and said goodbye.

* * *

After he left, Candy headed to the fridge. Now that Cotton was taken care of, and work, was done, she needed to focus on the next thing. She took out some eggs and set them aside as she boiled water. She had just placed the eggs into the boiling water as she saw familiar paws come around the corner. “There you are. You didn’t come out to see Cotton at all.”

“He looked like a jerk.”

He would say that. Candy smiled, strolled over to him and picked him up. “Eggs?”

“You hate me.”

“How about a special spaghetti made with carrots?”

“You love me.”

Candy sat him next to the counter to a second dish she had been preparing in secret. Even better than the computer, a spaghetti dish made with finally cut strips of carrots. His absolute favorite. She watched him almost shove his nose into it as she got him a plate and dished it up. “Here you go.” She moved back toward the eggs and took them out one at a time. With Big Bunny consumed with his meal, she set to work getting out some tools she brought from Sweet Meats.

It hit her today while she was working how she could make those little gift baskets stand out. She wasn’t surprised when Big Bunny asked what she was doing. “It’s called killing two birds with one stone. The eggs take up so much room because they stay fresh. You have thousands of them down there. Meanwhile, I decorate a
special egg for every table that comes to Sweet Meats. It’s sort of our way to say thanks for stopping by.” She took a brush, dipped it in pink ink and set the egg in an egg stand. Carefully she started to draw lines across it. “It’s unique decoration. Multitudes of these in a basket, and you have something special.”

“Boiled eggs?” Big Bunny didn’t sound half as enthused as he sucked up his carrot spaghetti.

“The older eggs I would assume are the furthest away from the hens. They’ll never hatch. They are perfect.” She watched his eyes of uncertainty again. “You need to trust me. Candy is a good start, but kids need something special too. Boiled eggs are tough, but oh so yummy.”

“Candy and decorated boiled eggs.” He tried to hide his
groan, but Candy heard it regardless. “Even boiled, they’ll bump all around. You’ll need some kind of stuffing.”

“
A good point. Nothing too heavy though.” Candy looked around herself. “Cotton?”

“What about him?”

“No, I mean cotton as a filling.” Candy headed to her room where she had a little fake basket. She dumped it. It mostly had some sewing needles and minor things she could easily replace. She brought it out and looked around. “I don’t know if I have cotton.”

Big Bunny munched happily on his large plate of carrot spaghetti
, but placed his paws on it. “Here you go.” He pushed down on it. “Even better. Everyone should get carrot spaghetti or cucumber spaghetti. Great if the kid doesn’t like sweets, they can eat the carrot grass. Er, spaghetti.”

Okay, okay. Candy gave into the request. It was soft
and the candy and eggs would be supported without moving around so much. “We have to make sure the inside is lined in each basket.

“Great!
Because this shredded carrot is something we can make easily on our conveyor belt.” Big Bunny hopped over toward her, standing on his haunches and nestling her chin. “Candy, you’ve been amazing. Will you come back tonight again with me?”

“Yes, but there is still something missing.” Candy looked at the basket. The eggs were
great. The candy worked. The only thing missing was something saying who it was from. “Talking bunnies have to be the most magical thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m no child.” Candy touched the basket. “You should let them know. Kids know magic, but intellectual bunnies? What did you say they used to call your great ancestor?”

“Many different things. One of them that stuck the most was Easter Bunny.”

“Then the Easter Bunny. Big Bunny, that should be your brand, Easter Bunny. The talking bunny who hops around delivering baskets to good boys and girls.” Candy smiled, it was coming together better now.

Big Bunny tilted his head, making his floppy ear f
lop over his left eye. “How do we do that? Leave a note?”

“No, leave a calling card. Leave a mystery inside the basket somehow
related to rabbits.”

“Hmm. Hey, last time we were at the store, they had chocolate animals.” Big Bunny hopped up and down. “The biggest
piece of candy, make it similar? Maybe chicks too if we can find any.”

“And wolves?” Candy said it just to rile him up. He acted like he wanted to represent everything, but she doubted wolves would be in the package. “Bunnies and chicks. Let’s go stock up.”

Big Bunny headed toward his usual basket. He couldn’t normally go into a store, but Candy had always taken him anyhow in a giant picnic basket with a cover that opened on both sides. Come to think of it? Candy looked around her apartment. She had all kinds of things for Big Bunny. “Big Bunny?”

Big Bunny shoved his nose out of the basket. It twitched.
“Yep?”

Candy picked up the basket. “Do you think I am obsessed with you?” He stuck his head most of the way out of the basket. “I’ve got bedding near every window. I sleep with you at night. I don’t give you regular food
, I prepare every meal you eat.” She fidgeted her fingers. “Cotton thought I was obsessed. Am I crazy?”

“See? You are already having problems. Ditch him and come with me.” Big Bunny winked at her and hid himself back in his basket. “Store. Grab as many as you can and let’s head back to the hole. I’ll give you the directions this time.”

“Good because you kidnapping me in a truck didn’t sit well,” Candy said as she headed out the door.

She cared for her bunny. She wasn’t obsessed. She wasn’t.

* * *

Candy was so tempted to buy every animal. They even had a giraffe in their chocolate collection. She packed all the rabbits in on the other side of the picnic basket, along with some chicks. She saw the wolves
, but knew better. There was something about wolves that Big Bunny truly hated.

“Candy.”

Oh no. Darren Manner walked over toward her. She hid the last piece of chocolate away. “Darren.”

“Your mom told me you kissed a Vegan.” Darren wrapped his arm around her. Candy heard a low growl from her basket. She patted the top to make him hush up. “So?”

“Yes, Posh pushed me. You saw it.” Candy pushed him aside. “Remember, your new fiancé?”

“Oh
, that. Well, I don’t know. A ring is a ring.” Darren followed her to the register. “I still really like you more, and I’d like to help out with your Sweet problem.”

“I’m sure.”

“Are you really going to be with a Vegan?” Darren chuckled at her. “I can overcome it. I am Spice, and that is way more powerful than Vegan.”

Once again, Candy patted her growling basket. “Cotton has treated me fine. He’s even offered to marry me if we hit it off first.”

“What?” Darren’s smile wiped clean off his face. “Your momma didn’t tell me that.”

“Momma doesn’t know everything.” Candy took the pieces of chocolate out of the basket and set them on the counter. “He may be Vegan, but he is much sweeter than you.”

Darren grabbed his chest like she stabbed his heart. “Ouch. But hey, I bet he can’t give you the riches I can. I was willing to settle for forty percent. You would be going for ten percent of Sweet Meats to over sixty percent.”

“I share with my mom and my sister, it’s twenty percent each.”

“Still better than what he could give you.” Darren held his hands up. “Fine, I will tell you what. I’ve tasted Posh, fair is fair. Go get your Vegan boy. Then come back, I’ll marry you
first
, and then we’ll finally taste each other. Agreed?” Darren laid his hand way too close to the basket. He brought it up right away. “Ow!”

“Silly
, Darren.” Candy picked up her groceries and stuffed them in the basket. “Baskets don’t bite.” She walked off before anyone else said a word.

* * *

“This was better.” Candy adjusted her rabbit ear as she made her way back down Bunny Hill’s hole. “See? You should have asked me last time instead of kidnapped me.”

“I was afraid you might reject me if you saw me a
s
―
”

Candy watched Big Bunny
but he stopped. “What? Transform into a human? It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise, I suppose.”

“
I didn’t say human. Just, something.”

Candy had expected to head down and see the same veggie conveyor belts
working, but the other rabbits were nowhere to be seen. As she got closer through the holes, she could see why.

Somehow, they had duplicated her candy. Hundreds of baskets were being lined with
special candies held by each bunny down one conveyor belt. “The hens?” She guessed.