Recipe for Kisses (20 page)

C
hloe dragged herself to the toy store every day that week, but it felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest the night Ben left. She no longer felt anything. In fact, none of her senses worked right. Kendall had brought her a pint of ice cream and brownies warm from her favorite local bakery the night after she’d humiliated herself in front of Ben. They’d smelled like nothing and tasted like sawdust, making her throat dry.

“He’ll apologize and beg you to take him back,” Kendall had told her.

But he wouldn’t. Chloe was as certain of that fact as she was about the sun rising each morning. She couldn’t accept Ben for who he was, and he had no intention of changing for her. She didn’t blame him. His anger was as much a part of his identity as her fear was of hers. In fact, she’d spent most of her time that week staring at the computer screen in the back office, the site pulled up to begin the application process for her social work license. Her mouse had hovered over the Apply button until her wrist cramped, but Chloe hadn’t pushed the button.

It was too much to go after something she really wanted when she was still such a coward. She’d continue to unofficially counsel the women who worked at the store. But what if she failed someone who really needed her? That was a chance she refused to take.

The Toy Chest continued to flourish. Between the news stories, the online marketing Abby had arranged, and the gossip about Ben frequenting the store, business was booming. In fact, Karen had showed her the monthly accounting that morning, and Chloe had just enough to pay the rent she owed and take care of her outstanding bills and expenses.

She’d won, although it no longer felt like a victory. As Ben said, she only felt like a loser. But she had an obligation to her employees and to Abby and Zach, who’d worked so hard on her behalf. She had an appointment set for tomorrow morning at the bank to get a cashier’s check to deliver to the property management company. There was no question of delivering it directly to Ben. He’d made it more than clear that he wanted nothing more to do with her.

She was packing up more orders as a frantic knocking started on the back door that led to the alley behind the store. As soon as she cracked the door, Abby burst through, tears streaming down her face. The girl launched herself into Chloe’s arms, sending them both back several steps.

“Sweetie, what is it?” Chloe tried to unlatch the girl’s arms from her waist, but Abby held tight, a hollow, keening sound coming from her throat. “Is it Zach? Ben? You have to talk to me, Abby.”

“Mmm . . . my dad,” the girl finally choked out. “I . . . I mea-mean Cory.” She sputtered, drew a breath, and sobbed again.

Cold dread seeped into Chloe’s bones. She didn’t know much about prison other than what she’d seen on television crime shows. If something had gone wrong with Ben’s brother to have Abby this upset, it had to be bad.

Slowly she moved them both toward the small love seat and drew Abby down. The girl crumpled against Chloe and they sat there for several long minutes. The only sound was Abby’s soft sobbing. Chloe rubbed Abby’s back, murmuring words of comfort, and waited.

Eventually her breathing slowed, and Abby lifted her head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking miserable. “I messed everything up.”

“What happened to your dad, sweetie?” Chloe wiped the pads of her thumbs across the girl’s tear-stained cheeks.

“He’s not my real dad,” Abby said miserably, “and now he hates me.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“I came in today while you were gone.” Abby sniffled and swiped at her nose with the back of her hand. “Karen said that thanks to me you were going to be able to save your store.”

Chloe nodded. “We still need the sales from this weekend to push us over the top, but the store will survive. Did you tell—”

“Not Ben. I know you guys had a fight and . . .” Abby shook her head. “Cory. It’s terrible, Chloe. How could I have—” She burst into tears again.

Chloe was trying to make sense of what the girl was saying. “Did something happen to Cory in prison? Was he hurt?”

“N-no. Maybe. I talked to him today.” She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “I told him about the store and the bet and how you were going to win.”

Chloe thought about what Ben had told her of his brother’s past history with The Toy Chest and Stan Butterfield. “But he already knew you were working here this summer.”

“Zach mentioned it to him a couple of weeks ago but said he acted strange so neither of us have said anything else. Cory said Ben promised to shut down the store.”

Chloe nodded. “I knew that, but he was going to talk to Cory and explain that things were different.”

“I told him that it was because of me that the store is doing so well.” Abby gulped back another sob. “Before I knew what this place meant to him. What if he makes Ben send me to foster care?”

“Sweetie—”

“I’m not his daughter,” Abby repeated frantically. “He said, ‘No kid of mine would stab me in the back that way.’”

“You didn’t.”

“Yes. That’s exactly what happened. Even if I didn’t realize it.” She clutched the front of her shirt, as if she needed something to hold on to. “They can’t separate me from Zach. He needs me.” She swallowed. “I need him.”

“Ben would never do that, Abby. Neither would Harry. They love you.”

“Cory got so mad. He was screaming and cursing—totally flipping out on the phone. He dropped it, and I could hear a big commotion on the other end of the line. Guys were yelling, cheering, and then I heard the guards shouting. Someone hung up the phone.” Her eyes were huge, terrified. “What if they hurt Cory because of me?”

Chloe tried to keep her rarely used temper under control. She wasn’t going to lose it. But right now she would have liked to hurt Ben’s felon brother. To make an innocent girl feel guilty for something he did long ago was appalling, especially when Abby had done so much more than right her own mistakes.

“Have you talked to Ben?”

“I couldn’t tell him, Chloe.” Abby clutched at her chest. “He’ll flip out. It’s all because of me. He’ll drive down to the prison and do something stupid. It will make him too mad and worried.”

“Abby,” Chloe said gently. “Ben and Harry have to know. If Cory is in trouble, they need to check on him. Ben can make him understand that you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I saved the store.”

Chloe wanted to argue, but it was the truth. No matter how hard any of them worked, without Abby’s skills with the website and online marketing, Chloe never would have made enough money to pay the back rent. She owed the girl so much, but now Abby was miserable, and Chloe didn’t know how to make it better. As tough as she pretended to be, there was a vulnerability to Abby that Chloe understood all too well. Now that the girl felt a part of the Haddox family, Chloe couldn’t jeopardize that security.

“We’ll figure something—” Chloe’s words cut off at a loud crash and yelling from the front of the store.

“Ben?” Abby asked in a miserable whisper. “Maybe he figured out what I did and is looking for me.”

Anger surged through Chloe. If that was the case, she was going to go off on him, too. To scare Abby this way and make a scene in her toy store was unacceptable, even from him.

“Stay here,” she told the girl, standing and adjusting her apron.

She charged through the door into the main store, for the first time in her life itching for a fight.

C
HAPTER SIXTEEN

T
he scene playing out in the toy store unfolded before Chloe in slow motion, as if she were watching a movie played on the wrong speed. It wasn’t Ben causing the commotion. It was her worst nightmare come to life.

A man stood in the middle of the store, one of his arms waving wildly. At the end of it flashed the shiny blade of a knife.

She sucked in a breath as her eyes tracked to Tamara, who was lying in a crumpled heap against the display shelves on the far side of the store.

“Bitch,” the man spat out, “get up.”

Her heartbeat racing, Chloe darted around the edge of the counter and moved toward Tamara.

“Don’t go near her,” the man shouted, pointing the knife at Chloe. She froze. “Don’t any of you people move.”

Chloe’s gaze flicked to the one customer in the store, a mother hugging her baby and toddler close to her chest by the stuffed animals. Karen stood behind the register and as Chloe watched, Abby shuffled from the doorway to the office closer to the older woman.

“I said don’t fucking move,” the man roared at Abby.

“Jimmy, don’t do this.” Tamara was on her knees now, blood dripping from her nose. “These people have nothing to do with us.”

The man’s savage gaze darted around the store, as if he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten to this point. “They hid you from me, baby.” Sweat rolled down the forehead of the man Chloe recognized as Tamara’s ex-boyfriend, and his eyes were dilated like he was on something. “I been looking for you for months. I drove all night from Dallas to find you. To bring you home.”

They’d talked about this in meetings, made a plan for what to do if one of the men came to the store. Most of them had restraining orders in place against their abusers, but Chloe knew that was no guarantee of safety. She had a Taser gun in the drawer behind the counter but had been too intent on making sure Tamara was ok to grab it before she’d run out. They had protocols and procedures in place—who would call the cops, how to diffuse the situation, code words in case one of the women was in trouble. None of it had prepared her for the bold threat of violence facing them.

Tamara slowly got to her feet. “How did you find me?”

“There was a picture on the Internet. Some famous chef in this store. You were in the background.”

The picture of Ben that Abby had posted online. Why hadn’t Chloe thought of that? It was part of the reason she hadn’t done much advertising before now—so the women could remain anonymous.

It had all gone out the window with her need to save the store, but this moment made it clear how irresponsible that decision had been. She glanced at the front door, praying no other customers would walk in until this crisis was diffused. Praying she could bring an end to it with no one getting hurt.

“I’m not going with you, Jimmy.” Tamara threw back her shoulders, all bravado and strength.

Chloe hoped it wasn’t just an act. She felt chained by her fear. The preparation and training she’d done to keep herself and the women around her safe seemed to dissolve in the face of this man’s anger, just as it had that night in the restaurant with Jonathan.

“Don’t say that.” He shook his head, the hand that still held the knife aloft trembling. “I just want to talk to you. You have to give me another chance to make things better. I love you, baby. So much. Things will be better this time.”

“Look at my face.” Tamara pressed her fingers to her cheek. “You haven’t changed.”

“I have,” Jimmy argued, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before focusing on Tamara again. “You have to believe me. I’m tired now, that’s all. It will be different once we’re home.”

“What’s different is
me
,” Tamara said, her voice steady even as a muscle under her eye twitched.

“You have to come with me.” Jimmy’s voice cracked then turned angry again. “Either you walk out that door with me or I’ll start hurting people, Tammy. I don’t give a shit what happens to me if we’re not together. My life isn’t worth crap if you’re not in it.”

Chloe saw Tamara glance around the store, then she closed her eyes and took a breath.

No
, Chloe wanted to shout. She knew if Tamara walked out the door with her ex-boyfriend they’d likely never see her again. With the shape Jimmy was in he’d want to make sure Tamara remained under his control, one way or another. The majority of homicides related to domestic-violence situations happened at the point of separation or when the victim refused to return to the relationship. She couldn’t let Tamara put herself at risk that way.

“First let everyone—”

“No!” Chloe shouted the word and ran to Tamara’s side before Jimmy could move. “You’re not leaving with him.” She shoved the other woman behind her, hearing Tamara let out a muffled sob. Chloe knew she wasn’t the only one who understood what would happen if Jimmy was allowed to take Tamara out of the store.

“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Chloe’s whole body started to shake as Jimmy’s fury-filled stare narrowed on her. But she didn’t back down. “Walk away, Jimmy, while you still have a chance. Before the cops get here.”

He threw a look over his shoulder then back at Chloe. “There are no cops.”

“I called them from the back,” Chloe lied. “They’ll be here any minute, and it won’t be good for you.”

“I’m taking Tammy,” he said in a deadly voice.

“No.” Chloe made her voice clear, the way she’d been taught in self-defense class. She filled her lungs with air then exhaled completely, forcing her chest and abdomen to rise and fall to keep her breathing slow and steady.

“Bitch, you’re going to regret this.” Jimmy took one step forward and Chloe braced herself. If Jimmy’s attention was on her, maybe Karen could get Abby and the customers out of the store. She had to keep them safe.

At that moment, the chimes above the door rang. Her focus had been Jimmy, who whirled toward the front of the store.

Panic gripped Chloe as Zach walked in, unaware of the drama playing out inside.

“Zach, run!” Abby’s scream split the charged moment, sending the store into chaos.

Zach’s eyes widened as he took in the scene, but before he could turn, Jimmy had closed the distance between them and grabbed him by the arm, yanking him toward the middle of the store. Something primal reared up in Chloe as her panic for the boy’s safety overcame her own fear of the brutal man in front of her.

“Let him go,” she yelled, taking advantage of Jimmy’s attention being focused on Zach to give him a hard shove. When he stumbled, she wrenched Zach away from his grasp, pushing the boy toward Tamara. She didn’t wait for Jimmy to regain his balance before unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks aimed at Jimmy’s neck, face, and groin. Doubling over, he dropped the knife and she snatched it off the floor. Somewhere in the back of her brain she heard sirens wailing, but Chloe’s focus remained on Jimmy.

He straightened and started to lunge for her, but she pointed the knife at him, gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white.

His enraged eyes met hers. “You’re going to regret this when I—”

At that moment two uniformed officers burst into the store. One of them grabbed Jimmy, hauling him to his feet as Chloe dropped the knife. It clattered to the floor and the second officer scooped it up. “Are you ok, ma’am?” he asked, his concerned gaze trained on Chloe.

Her mouth opened and shut several times as she tried to process what had just happened. She gave a jerky nod then turned to survey the others inside the store. Tamara was holding tightly to Zach as she pressed a sleeve to her face. Karen had an arm wrapped around Abby’s thin shoulders.

“It’s over,” Chloe whispered. Both kids ran forward and she wrapped them in a tight embrace.

Through the window she saw the officer cuff Jimmy and shove him into the back of the patrol car. She released Zach and Abby long enough to check on the mother and her kids, who were shaken but not injured. The ambulance arrived along with more police. One of the paramedics checked Tamara’s nose, which was not broken.

The husband of the woman who’d been shopping in the store came to pick up his family. Their reunion made Chloe’s eyes water. The baby seemed oblivious to the commotion, but the young boy broke away to approach Chloe.

“You were like a superhero,” he told her solemnly. “You beat up the bad guy.”

Chloe crouched to his level. “Everyone in here was a hero. You were brave to stay quiet and not cry when I know it must have been scary.”

“Boys aren’t supposed to hit girls.” He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s what Mommy says.”

“You’re right, sweetheart.” Chloe’s voice caught. If only she and the women at the store had learned that lesson years ago. “I’d like you to pick out a toy—anything you want—to thank you for being so brave today.”

“Can Aubrey get something, too?” He pointed to his sister. “She likes elephants.”

“Of course she can.”

Chloe apologized again to the parents. The woman was still shaken, and after the boy picked a toy for both him and his sister, the family quickly left the store.

“That was a close one,” Karen said, coming out of the back office.

“It was more than a close call.” Chloe gazed at the destruction of her store, and not just the physical mess, but also the emotional fallout this afternoon was bound to have. The Toy Chest was supposed to be a safe haven, not just for her but also for the women she worked with and the customers they valued.

This was her tie to the community, but she feared that details about the women she employed were bound to leak. Already one news crew had arrived, with a reporter stationed on the sidewalk in front of the store. As she watched, the reporter stopped the family and shoved a microphone in the mother’s face.

“I need to call Kendall,” she muttered.

“She’s on her way,” Karen said. “After I talked to Ben, I called her. I know Sam’s still up at camp and thought you might need the support.”

Ben. Of course he’d be coming to pick up the kids. “How are Zach and Abby?” she asked, ignoring Karen’s comment about needing support.

“Ok, I think. Tamara is talking to them now in the back.” Karen shrugged. “Those kids have been through way more in their lives than they should.”

“I know,” Chloe whispered. “I was supposed to keep them safe. I was supposed to keep all of us safe.”

She heard a male voice coming from the office.

“I told Ben to come in through the back,” Karen explained quickly. “If people were to see Ben Haddox arriving at the store after everything that went down—”

“It’s fine.” Chloe took a breath, trying to steel herself for the reaction she expected Ben to have. How could he do anything but blame her for putting his niece and nephew in danger? But no matter what he thought or said, it couldn’t be any worse than the words spilling through her own head.

As she walked into the back office, Ben’s steely gaze landed on her. He held both Abby and Zach in his big arms, and she wanted nothing more than to run to him and let him swallow her in his embrace as well. His mouth thinned as he took her in from head to toe. Feeling self-conscious, she ran a hand through her hair, tucked a few errant curls behind her ears. Her blouse was torn at the shoulder where Jimmy had grabbed at her, and if she looked as unsettled as she felt, she must be quite a sight.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed, and he gave a sharp shake of his head in response. Chloe felt the emotions she’d been holding back start to spill over, tears rising in her throat. She bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. It was better to focus on the physical pain instead of the heartache of being so close to him yet with a whole world separating them.

B
en watched as the two women, Tamara and Karen, came to stand on either side of Chloe. Circling the proverbial wagons around their friend and employer.

“Chloe was a hero,” Tamara said as if daring Ben to contradict her. Chloe hated her friend’s swollen nose and the fact that her eyes were already blackening, but Tamara ignored her injuries. “She fought off my dirt ball ex-boyfriend single-handedly.” She gave Chloe a quick hug. “I’m going to check on things out front.”

Ben’s gaze was riveted to Chloe. “You fought him?” he choked out.

All Karen had said in her frantic call was that Tamara’s ex-boyfriend had stormed the store. The police came, and the kids were shaken but fine.

Only an hour ago he’d dropped off Zach in front of the store then headed home, thrilled to have some time to himself. The kids had wanted to go to the water park today, but Ben had been too busy wallowing in his own disappointment over losing Chloe to take them.

Instead he’d lost his cool, yelling about everything from socks left in the upstairs hallway to the volume on the television. It had been stupid and petty, but he’d effectively chased them out of the house with his temper. Now he kicked himself for not walking the boy into The Toy Chest. The truth was Ben hadn’t wanted to see Chloe. He’d been too worried about his reaction to her so he’d pulled to the curb while his nephew hopped out of the car. Ben’s anger and cowardice had put Zach and Abby in danger, and he hated himself for it.

Chloe frowned. “I had to keep everyone safe.”