Chapter Three
Candy
I look around at everything my friends and I have accomplished over the last two weeks.
We are so close to opening.
The front of the shop has been painted, the counters redone and polished to a gleam.
The only dark spot in this dream world is the constant presence of Storm.
He's been here at least once every day for the last two weeks.
And whoever named him Storm was prophetic because he is the gathering storm over my day, every day.
That first day I was sure when I introduced him to Lolly that he would stop chasing after me and start chasing after her.
She is much more...
charming than I am.
A little taller than me, she can honeyfuggle with the best of them.
Once he laid eyes on her he would surely stop bothering me and pay more attention to her.
And nothing.
He smiled and shook her hand and that was about it.
I was sure she would grab his attention with her pretty blonde curls and bright green eyes, but he looked right past her and kept his focus on me.
So I introduced him to Bon Bon thinking maybe her innocent charm and sweet disposition would be more to his taste, not to mention her bright red hair and light brown eyes.
Even though she's the youngest and shyest of the three of us she has a sweetness that just reaches out to a person and makes them want to take care of her.
Surely, Storm will go for that with him being all alpha male.
The same happened with her.
He shook hands with her and turned back to me.
So far, I have been the only target of his attention.
He won't even call Lolly and Bon Bon by those names but somehow, I'm Candy, which Lolly and Bon Bon find hilarious.
Maybe it's because I always tell him no or try to keep things professional.
Maybe if I started flirting back, he would lose interest.
The only problem there is I don't have a fucking clue how to flirt.
And what happens if it doesn't work? What happens if he's not going to stop until he gets the prize he's after - my cherry?
I'm sure once he has it, he’ll be moving on to greener pastures but I don't have it in me to give that up just so I won't be bothered every day.
What's worse - he's actually been helpful these past two weeks.
He seems genuine and is funny and doesn't hit on the other girls that I think of as under my protection since I'm the oldest.
Today is the first day he hasn't been here.
And I hate the fact that I am looking for him to show up.
In fact, my attention is only half on what I am doing because every ten minutes or so I go to the front of the store and look out the big glass windows for him.
I sent the other girls home.
They shouldn't have to put up with my pissy attitude for the rest of the afternoon when the only thing we can do is a lot of waiting today.
They helped me put a fresh coat of paint on some of the walls of the cute little apartment upstairs during the first part of the day and now I'm just washing some of the equipment we had packed away.
I'm meeting up with them a little later on and we're having a girl's night over at Lolly's.
I am secretly hoping they will take my mind off the big lug with the pretty eyes who takes up far too much of my brain power.
Maybe if I met someone else, I wouldn't spend my days thinking about Storm and my nights dreaming naughty things about him as well.
The nights are the worst.
I wake up aching from lusty dream images of Storm coming into my room and doing things to make that ache go away.
Last night the dream was of him with his head in between my legs as my body quaked around him.
Like always, I wake up frustrated, scared, and horny.
I don't think it would be a good idea to start something with him. This is a small town. It's not that I care that people would talk. What worries me is what happens if things between us blow up and he wants me out of his aunt's shop. That would be the worst thing ever because then I would be the reason the other two girls' dreams fail. No, no matter how much I want to give in sometimes, the thought of that keeps me well away from him. I can’t risk my girls' future for a few moments of pleasure and years of heartache after.
My phone rings and I pick up as soon as I see who’s calling me. "Hey Lolly, what's up?"
"Candace, I feel really sucky about doing this but is there any way you can stay with Bon Bon tonight."
I'm quiet for a little while. Have I overstayed my welcome?
"It's not you." She knows me so well. "It's my sister. She's having one of her breakdowns and mom and dad are freaking out. They're leaving for the city so they can stay close to her for a few days which means I'm stuck taking care of their stupid stuff."
Lolly's parents own a farm in the town next to this one. She moved out as soon as she was able but her parents seem to always fall back on her when her sister acts out. Her sister is an... attention seeker. It's the best word I can come up with. She doesn't get her way; she pitches a fit. If she actually has to do something; she pitches a fit. She's a complete brat and no one can stand her. I'm not even sure how the two women are related.
"I told them this is the last time, but you know how that goes. They won't believe it until I prove to them I've moved on to other things. And I am not about to let her mess this business up for us. She'll just have to learn how to deal, damn it."
"It's alright, Lolly."
"Hey, you can totally come out here and stay with me taking care of the animals."
I think about it. "Let me get back to you once I check in with Bonny."
"Okay, I am sorry. Call me if you're coming out. Oh, and remember - there are places out here that my phone doesn't get service, so short of tying an antenna to a cow's ass, I might miss you the first time. Just leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I make it back to the house."
"I gotcha. Leave a message if you don't pick up the first time." I talk to her a little bit longer and then hang up. I need to call Bon Bon and see if I can stay with her tonight. I can't stay here. The paint fumes would kill me. I really don't want to pay for a hotel room. I don't have the extra money to do that. Not and still open the bakery on time. Damn it. I'll do that later. Right now, I need to focus on getting this shit done and getting out of here.
I grab a chair and pull it over to the shelving on the side of the room in the back. I need to lift the big, heavy mixing bowl up to the top shelf. Because it’s heavy we don't use it a lot so somewhere up high is perfect for it, if I can shove it up there. I step up on the chair and feel it wobble under me. I really should have someone here when I do this, but it’s one of the last things I can do today by myself. And damn it, I hate asking for help.
I lift the heavy bowl and start to raise it over my head. There is a moment, just a quick one when I realize my mistake. It is over too quickly to do me any good as I lose my balance and start to fall off the chair. The only things going through my head are curse words and telling myself how stupid I am for doing something like this. Also, I think about how Lolly is going to ride my ass about not being more careful. She's going to have a field day with this when she finds out. It is the very last thing that goes through my head as the ground rushes up to meet me.
To make matters even worse, the bowl I was trying to put up falls too... and lands right on my head once I've hit the ground. My eyes close and I wonder if it will be for the last time. Is this how I die? Am I going to become a ghost and haunt this bakery forever? What will happen to the girls? All the thoughts rushing in my head quieten down and darkness swallows me up. Maybe death won't be so bad? This is probably the most rest I've gotten in years. It only took me conking myself over the head to achieve it.