How Sweet It Is (15 page)

Brad caught her eye in the rearview window,
his expression telegraphing concern before he returned his
attention back to the road.

Would he someday go away, too? Why did the
sweet things fade and the bitter aftertaste linger?

Before she knew it, Delphine was hugging her
mother goodbye. Amid the bustle and confusion of the airport
check-in process, she cried tears of guilt, sadness, and
resignation. Things, as usual, had been taken out of her hands.

She and Brad waited until the two women
headed for the boarding area, disappearing from view.

“So, that’s that, I guess,” Delphine said
with a quaver in her voice.

Brad wrapped his arms around her and rested
his chin on her head. Delphine closed her eyes, trying to absorb
all she could for uncertain times ahead.

****

Leaving Delphine alone at her home that night
was one of the most difficult things Brad had done in a long time.
The sight of her trying to put on a brave face in that unnaturally
quiet apartment upset him.

She adamantly refused to stay at his family’s
home. He’d been tempted to offer to stay with her just to keep her
company, but the new urgency to their kisses and Delphine’s
vulnerable emotional state made him unable to trust himself to keep
a straight head.

He sent up a quick prayer for her comfort and
headed back to his car. As he drove home, he couldn’t help but be
amazed at the strength of his love for her. He never dreamed a trip
to Europe could’ve affected his life this way. He’d looked forward
to the chocolate, but ended up with much more.

For the first time Brad thought about
marriage. What would it be like to be married to Delphine? He
smiled. Anything but boring. Not to mention the fact that he had no
idea what she’d say if he asked. What incalculable response would
she come up with? He could hardly expect a simple yes from Delphine
D’Arleux. She wouldn’t make it that easy for him.

The notion reminded him that he wasn’t
precisely confident of where he stood with her. Could he trust her
words? How did she really feel about him? Brad suddenly remembered
Delphine accusing him of having a hold over her.

I’m not part of the deal,
Brad
.

His fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
She’d said she loved him. Why would she say that unless she meant
it? Brad frowned, hardly noticing the passing traffic.

He knew she felt indebted to his family and
not just for financial reasons. Delphine had to be the most
dutiful, responsible person he knew, and she’d been under
unbearable stress in the last week.

If he pressed his attentions on her, and he’d
admittedly pressed pretty hard already, would she feel she couldn’t
refuse him without putting her loan in jeopardy? The insidious
thought wormed its way into his brain, making him mentally examine
every word of their recent conversations.

A few minutes later, Brad pulled into the
driveway of his parents’ house and shut off the motor.

He sat, continuing to think. Had his desire
for her blinded him to her real feelings? Did she put up with his
attentions because she felt she had no other choice? And God
forbid, what if she had trouble repaying the loan? Would she come
to dread him then?

Brad groaned aloud and swung out of the car.
When he came into the house, his mother met him at the door. She
glanced over his shoulder, furrowing her brows.

“Oh rats, I was hoping you convinced
Delphine to stay here for a few more days. I don’t like to think of
her in that apartment all alone.”

“Me either,” Brad said abstractedly. “Mom,
I’m just curious. Do you know if Delphine talked to anyone about
the funeral expenses?”

“Your father spoke to the funeral director
and took care of it before she had a chance. Before he gave her the
loan, he had her financial history checked out. Delphine has led a
tough life, Brad. We wouldn’t dream of not helping out in such a
situation.” She put a hand on his arm. “And especially as you seem
quite enamored of her, it’s almost like she’s one of the
family.”

Brad knew what his mother hinted at. An hour
earlier, he might’ve told her he planned to propose to Delphine.
Now he couldn’t. Wouldn’t a proposal just make Delphine feel even
more obligated? Would she really feel the freedom to say no?

“We’ll see, Mom. We’ll see.” He gave her a
hug. “And thanks for taking such good care of her.”

****

Delphine woke up the
following morning with a monstrous headache. She felt worse after a
long, pitiful crying jag. The apartment was so quiet. No noisy
morning talk shows on the TV. No smells of cooking as her mother
prepared breakfast. No
Papa
to talk to. Delphine swallowed back her grief and
got out of bed.

She had work to do.

Three hours later, she had completely cleaned
the apartment and felt somewhat better. She sat down at the kitchen
table and wrote out thank you cards to everyone who sent flowers.
Delphine paused when she began the card to Brad and his parents.
What words could express her gratefulness?

She labored over the card,
searching for just the right words, until it finally sounded right.
She smiled as she wrote
Love,
Delphine
. Hopefully Brad would read more
into that word than his parents. She wondered if she’d see him
today. He hadn’t said anything about it last night.

Delphine gathered up all the cards and
brought them with her when she left the apartment. After putting
them in the mailbox in front of the building, she caught the bus
that would eventually drop her near her shop.

As she sat watching the passing scenery, she
caught herself looking for the tiny bird that had arrested her
attention before—a lifetime ago. But the tree limbs appeared absent
of life today. Delphine leaned back against her seat and
sighed.

After getting off at her stop, Delphine
walked the rest of the way to the shop. She studied the area,
wondering how her business would do. Doubts crept in at the
endeavor she was about to undertake—the feeling that’d she made a
horrible mistake nagged at her.

Taking a deep breath, Delphine shoved the
worries away. She needed to start producing an income if she wanted
to continue to live in her apartment. Besides, mindless work would
ease her overwhelming grief.

She went to the tiny office area in the back
and settled in to take care of some neglected paperwork.

First priority was to hire a couple of
employees. As much as she needed to keep her costs down, she knew
she couldn’t produce enough stock to meet the hoped-for demand.
Already, she’d had some people knocking on the front door, curious
to know when she planned to open.

The grand opening was just a few weeks away.
She’d have to make a push to be prepared, and she needed full time
help to accomplish it.

Delphine flipped through a few of the
applications for employment she’d received in response to a
newspaper ad she’d placed earlier in the week. Two of the
applicants listed prior experience in candy making. Delphine called
them both and arranged for interviews the following day.

She leaned back in her chair, glad to have
one task finished. She glanced down at her list—dozens remained.
Delphine thought over what she’d accomplished so far. She’d
introduced herself to the owners of the businesses along her block,
of course sweetening her visits with lots of candy. Along with free
samples, she also planned to have door prizes of boxed chocolates,
along with coupons that would appear in the newspaper when the shop
opened.

A tingle of excitement lifted her spirits.
Maybe she really could pull this off—maybe actually succeed at
something. Delphine thought of Brad, wondering what he was up to.
Already she missed him, missed his steady strength and easy
smile.

Delphine went over the
accounts, ordered supplies, and organized the office. When she was
done, she felt better about the business, but worried about Brad
when she didn't hear from him. Maybe he was tired of the way she
clung to him.
Or maybe she should just
believe that he truly cared for her
.

It was a daring hope.

She felt the corners of her mouth turn down.
Now that her work was done for the day, she could no longer squelch
the uneasy thoughts that persisted despite her best attempts at
rationale. But too weary to do any more, Delphine locked up the
shop and went home.

After a long, hot shower, she called her
mother and made sure she’d arrived safely in France. Clarice
chattered happily about being back in the Loire valley and about
her excitement at the prospect of visiting her old childhood
haunts.

“By the way, Delphine, you need to call
about a life insurance policy I believe your father’s last employer
kept in force. I found the papers as I was preparing to move here.”
She went on to give the name of the insurance company and policy
number.

Delphine wrote the information down and
promised her mother to check into it before hanging up the phone.
Insurance. Benefits. Those were something Delphine couldn’t quite
offer yet with Chez Chocolat. Maybe someday, if she really
succeeded, she could offer benefits. Maybe even open satellite
shops.

When she thought about all the work involved,
someday seemed like a long way away.

****

Brad rubbed the back of his neck, staring out
the living room window, hating the thoughts that plagued him. He
wanted to go see Delphine.

Or should I give her space?

He wanted to search her gaze
and discern her real feelings—but what if he didn’t like what he
saw? All he needed was a daisy to pluck the petals off.
Does she love me? Love me not?

The girls he’d dated before, mostly beach
bunny types, had been relatively uncomplicated. Of course, he’d
never been in love before. Maybe that was part of the problem. Brad
groaned, tired of the turmoil.

“Bradley, hun.”

He turned at the sound of his mother’s voice.
She entered the room with a piece of paper in her hand.

“Be a dear and run some errands for me. A
woman new to our church is coming over for dinner tonight. I need
some flowers for the table.”

Glad for an opportunity to forget his
worries, Brad took the paper. “Should I just go to the grocery
store to pick up one of those bouquets?”

“No, no, there’s a specific shop I want you
to go to. They have just the thing. Everything’s on the list.” She
hurried from the room.

Brad glanced at the list. A
wry smile slanted his mouth.
Not too
subtle, is she?
His mom had listed the
florist next door to Delphine’s shop.
Well,
now I have an excuse to see Delphine!

Brad jogged upstairs to his bedroom to change
from his ratty O.P. teeshirt and shorts, into a sedate Hawaiian
shirt and khaki pants.

As he passed his sister’s old room where
Delphine had stayed, he paused. The night her father died, he’d
checked on her when she hadn’t shown up for dinner. Brad remembered
seeing her asleep with an old stuffed animal in her arms—one he
knew his mother kept in the room as part of the décor.

On impulse, he went in the room and grabbed
the rabbit off the chair. For whatever reason, Delphine had needed
to hold onto it, and he wanted her to have it.

Twelve

Stephan Valentino looked up
at the slim shop ensconced between two others on the bustling city
street, and checked the address in his hand. The windows of
the
chocolaterie
were shuttered, but if he concentrated hard and inhaled
deeply, he could detect a hint of chocolate in the air.

He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes early
for his interview for the candy-making job. He mentally reviewed
his qualifications and brushed down the front of his shirt. He’d
been looking for a job for several months as an apprentice chef.
Candy making wasn’t a particular interest of his, but he was broke
and this shop was within three miles of his apartment.

The door opened. A slight young woman with
wavy brown hair exited. Stephan took a step back to avoid bumping
into her. She wore a gauzy dress that floated around her calves.
She couldn’t be a customer as the shop wasn’t open yet. A
prospective employee? He wondered how many people the owner
intended on hiring.

When she looked up at him, Stephan smiled
into her pretty gray eyes. The girl’s cheeks turned red as she
continued past him. He watched her hasten away, wondering about the
little gold heart pendant she wore around her neck.

A valentine. Must be a sign. Before she left
the block, she turned and glanced back. Stephan sent her a wolfish
grin in response to her obvious mortification at being caught
looking.

He returned his attention to the shop.
Getting this job became more desirable than ever.

****

Delphine had to smile at the young man
sitting across from her. Stephan was twenty years old and had
dropped out of a culinary school because he could no longer afford
the tuition. He was tall and thin with a pleasant face, and his
black hair and a goatee gave him a roguish air. His light-hearted
flirtatiousness reminded her a little of Brad.

She glanced down at his résumé. While he
didn’t have much experience in chocolate making, he’d had some
culinary schooling and was experienced working in professional
kitchens. Delphine looked up at him.

“Do you plan to go back to culinary school
when you can afford it?” She hated to hire someone who was only
looking for a temporary gig.