Love At the Candy Heart Cafe Chp 12 by Jolene Navarro

                          

                            Love at the Candy Heart Cafe

                           Chapter 12  by Jolene Navarro

 

Her lemon drop scarf danced in the wind. A bright spot in another wise dreary day. 

   Chad opened his mouth to say something, anything. It was as if it was stuffed with tootsie rolls.

     “Chad?” The heavy cloud of doubt filled her eyes.
      He managed to shake his head, but his brain wasn’t connected to his vocals. The candy-striped lighthouse towered over them. Offering hope or a warning of the dangerous waters ahead?

     Her lemon drop scarf danced in the wind. A bright spot in another wise dreary day. There was so much stupid between them. It was like they never grew-up, acting like clueless teenagers. Well, they were the first time they broke up, but now. They had no excuse.

     Candy stepped closer putting her delicate hand right over his heart. “Chad. Please, don’t tell me it’s too late for us.” She completely closed the space between them. Her fingers touch his face. Her warmth soothed him like a mug of marshmallow filled hot chocolate on a cold day. “We’ve cleared up all the misunderstandings.  We can start over now.”

     He should pull back, move away, but he stayed right where he was. “I don’t---”

     Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips to his and cut off his words.

     Pop Rocks explode in his mouth, his gut. He needed to pull away, but like taffy, the bond was too strong. Ever since he left town, he felt trapped in a world of flax seed and kale. Now all the sweetness of Candy and their love poured over him like sugar. His arms slid around her and he pulled her close. Taking his time, he moved from her lips to the sensitive spot at her ear. Chad explored all the treats that were his Candy.

Chapter 12  Love at the Candy Heart Cafe - by Jolene Navarro

     No. Placing his hand on her shoulder he pushed himself back, away from her warmth. It would be too easy to slip back into a world of gumdrops and rainbows, but that wasn’t reality.

     History had shown that one small storm and it dissolved. “We can’t keep doing this. It’s like we never left high school. I don’t know what we should do from here, but it has to be built on trust and truth.”

     She wrapped her arms around her middle. His girl looked lost and alone and it was all his fault.

     Large eyes met his gaze. “Please, Chad. I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever you need, I’ll do it. Let me make this right.”

 And that was the sticky mess in the middle of all their issues. “That.. right there is the problem. Candy, you always give so much to others that you never live your own dreams.”

      “That’s not true.”

      “Look how easy we gave up on each other.” How did he explain this to her when he wasn’t even sure if he could explain it to himself?

      “Are you talking about the day you asked me to leave with you? I thought you had been using me. Your sister lied to me.”

 
 He raked his fingers through his hair. Turning on his heel, he looked out to the sea. “That was just an excuse to tell me no. You were afraid to leave this town. That was you, hiding from life.”

      “No.” Anger was sprinkled over her sweet voice. “It wasn’t just Ginger or..or my fears. I couldn’t leave my grandmother. She was alone. I was her only family, all she had.” 

     She stood in front of him, fire flashed in her eyes as she poked his chest. “You left me. You took my heart. You walked away from us. Then and now. How in the world could you think I would have anything to do with Bruce? I need a loan to make the Café what it should be. I needed help and he had the only solution.”

  “He wasn’t the one you should have turned too. That’s what I was trying to do. If I bought the café, you could take the money and start the wedding business you always dreamed of. Then I saw us merging the two business and have the whole thing. Sweet Vows. One stop wedding and event store.”

     Her jaw dropped. “What? Why didn’t you tell me this? Why did you act like there was a client trying to take my grandmother's business?”

 “Because I wanted to surprise you and ride back into town and be your hero.”