Candy Crush (9 page)

“Earth to Gabriella. Are you in there?”
Brandon brought her tumbling back to the present. When she focused
on him, he said, “Wow, where’d you go? It was like watching you
have an out of body experience.”

“Sorry,” Gabriella mumbled, fidgeting with
her coffee cup. “I was just… Lost in thought.”

“Do you miss him?” Brandon asked softly.

Gabriella’s eyes flew to his, but all she
saw there was curiosity and concern. She shook her head. “Not at
all.” She missed her family and her life, but not Miguel.

“Good. I gotta get back to work. I’ll be
back at noon.” He pushed off from where he had been leaning on the
counter and strolled out the front door.

When he returned, he carried a paper bag and
two fountain Cokes from the deli down the street. “Does your family
own it too?” Gabriella asked, as she greedily bit into her
sandwich.

“Yep. Although we married into this one.” He
paused to bite into his own sandwich. “So what have you
accomplished today?”

“I inventoried all the candy that was left
over from the previous owner. There was a ton; I can’t believe
there is so much overstock. It’s almost like every owner ordered
new candy and never threw away the old stuff.”

Brandon chewed thoughtfully. “Candy is so
full of preservatives, half that stuff probably isn’t even expired
yet. Maybe one of them got a break for ordering so much at
once.”

Gabriella nodded. “Maybe. And you’re right;
I checked the dates and some of it doesn’t even expire until next
year. You said this place hasn’t been open for two years. Even if
the last owner ordered some right before he left, that’s a long
time.”

“Are you going to keep the stuff that isn’t
expired?”

Gabriella wrinkled her nose. “No. Everything
I put out will be fresh. I’ve started calling some of the
suppliers. I need to establish a line of credit at a local bank, so
I have some cash on hand. I closed my account in Dallas and have a
check sitting in my purse, but it isn’t enough to buy all the
supplies I need to open.”

“My brother manages a local bank. I can take
you over there, if you want.”

***

It didn’t escape his own notice that he was
being overly helpful to Gabriella. He knew it was partially because
he just enjoyed her company. The other part was hoping she’d
develop a sudden desire to want to get laid, and he wanted to
ensure he was in the vicinity when it happened.

Gabriella glanced down at herself. “Maybe
later,” she said.

“Why are you so overly sensitive about how
you look? You’re beautiful.”

Gabriella produced a hesitant smile. “Thank
you. In my former life, I never, ever wore jeans and sweatshirts. I
always wore makeup, my hair was always perfect and my clothes were
immaculate. This is my only sweatshirt and only pair of jeans. I
need to do laundry tonight.”

“You really were a prisoner, weren’t you?”
He watched her eyes darken and her face close down. Still not open
to discussing the past.

“Everybody dresses like you are right now,
if they aren’t at work. You can relax around here, Sweet Pea. My
brother won’t deny you a loan just because you’re wearing a
sweatshirt.”

Something he said must have gotten to her,
because she straightened and said with determination, “Fine then,
let’s go.” She picked up her purse and pulled out Butter’s leash,
while Brandon collected their trash and dumped it into the large
bag parked in the middle of the floor.

“Do you do this on purpose, so that I will
take your trash out for you?” Brandon asked, indicating the full
bag in front of him.

“No,” Gabriella said, “But now that you’ve
put the idea in my head, I might.”

Brandon chuckled as he took the bag through
the storeroom and out to the dumpster. “Have you called to have
them dump it yet?” he asked when he returned.

“No.”

“Call today. They probably can’t come till
Monday now, and I guarantee it will be full by then, with everyone
here helping on Saturday.”

She expected they would head back to the
house to retrieve one of their vehicles, but Brandon turned right
and began walking north on Main Street. Two blocks later, he
stopped in front of the Holly Bank and Trust.

“Probably the bank wouldn’t be thrilled
about having a dog inside. I’ll wait out here with her, if you
want.”

“That’s awfully nice.”

Brandon grinned. “I can be a lot nicer…” He
let the sentence trail off, and just as he intended, he could tell
that Gabriella’s mind instantly dove into the gutter. She shook her
head and scowled at him.

He put his hands up, palms out. “Hey, I
didn’t say anything that could be construed as making a move. I
can’t help it you have a dirty mind.”

“Very funny,” Gabriella snapped. She handed
him the dog’s leash.

“Ask for Patrick Sarantos. Tell him I sent
you.” He grinned again and she turned and walked up the steps
toward the double glass doors.

He openly admired the view and a bizarre
thought drifted through his head.

I’m glad she didn’t wear jeans in her
former life. She looks too damn good in them. Miguel Martinez might
not have let her go
.

Brandon discovered he was really glad she
escaped from her former life, and it wasn’t only because she was
probably happier and safer. It was because she was now part of his
life.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella trotted back
down the bank steps and bent over to greet her overly ecstatic dog.
She straightened and Brandon had an urge to lean over and kiss her.
He figured it was because the first two kisses had been so
damn…awesome.

“Patrick says hello. He’s working up the
paperwork and will call me when it’s ready. He said I should be
able to start ordering supplies by tomorrow morning. And I now have
a personal account at the Holly Bank and Trust, as well.”

“It’s starting to come together,” Brandon
remarked as they walked back to the candy store.

“It is. And no jinxes so far.”

“Ah, but now you’ve ruined it by pointing
that out.”

But the rest of the day went smoothly and
was jinx-free. Gabriella finished cleaning the bathroom and
storeroom, except for the large pile of overstock that still took
up half the storeroom. Some of the boxes were so heavy, she decided
one of the men in Brandon’s family could move them to the dumpster
on Saturday. She also re-dusted and cleaned the entire store and
swept and mopped the floors. Now it simply looked like an empty
store.

But that was worlds better than what it
looked like two days ago, and was good enough to remove the butcher
paper. She liked the idea of natural light streaming into the store
all day, and it wouldn’t hurt for passers by to see what was going
on, as she decorated and stocked the store in the next couple of
weeks.

If Brandon’s family was truly as good as he
said, and if she could get enough stock delivered next week, she
could spend the following week stocking, organizing and decorating
the store. That would put her at possibly opening during the first
week of October. Maybe she would have a soft opening then, and have
a large grand opening, the weekend before Halloween. Start on
Friday evening and go through Sunday. She should check with Brandon
and Constance and see if there were any special events planned in
town, so that she could coincide her grand opening, in order to get
the best bang for her buck.

When she finished mopping, she frowned.
Aside from a trip to the local warehouse store for supplies such as
cash register tape and paper towels and the such, the only thing
left that she could tackle without the help of Brandon’s family was
the apartment upstairs.

She hadn’t stepped foot up there since she
arrived on Tuesday evening. She realized now that she had been
avoiding it. Cleaning the apartment meant she was one step closer
to moving out of Brandon’s house, and for some inexplicable reason,
she wasn’t in much of a hurry to do that.

Which was crazy, she knew, because putting
space between them, especially at night and when there were beds
involved, was exactly what she ought to do, to keep herself from
doing things with him that her body wanted and her mind knew were
off limits.

She glanced at the clock on the wall behind
the cash register and realized it was after five o’clock. She
decided the apartment could wait one more day, so she pushed the
mop bucket back to the storage room to dump the dirty water.

Gabriella took a few minutes to freshen up
in the bathroom, telling herself she was giving the floor time to
dry, even though she knew she wanted to look as good as she could
before she walked across the street to see Brandon. Finally, she
told herself to knock it off, and she walked through the store and
out the front door, holding it open for Butter to trot out, and
then locking it behind her.

Tomorrow, she would take all the butcher
paper down and begin cleaning the apartment. Her heart began
beating faster as she crossed the street, and she thought:
I
have to hurry up and get that apartment in order and get out of his
house, before I do something stupid like throw myself at
him
.

Scrawled across the glass door were the
words
Holly Downtown Development Authority
. Gabriella pushed
open the door and Butter trotted inside. The dog walked straight
back to what Gabriella could tell was Brandon’s office, since he
was sitting behind his desk, and the desk was, just as he told her,
positioned directly in front of the door.

There was a small lobby area to the right of
the door, and an empty reception desk was parked in the corner,
facing the street. As Gabriella walked the short distance back to
Brandon’s office, she saw a door to her left that proclaimed
Holly Chamber of Commerce
in the same scrawling black script
that was on the outer door.

“You can’t exactly avoid accessibility with
this set up,” Gabriella commented as she walked into his office. It
was comfortable and worn and for some reason, seemed to suit
him.

Brandon shrugged. “I don’t need to avoid
accessibility. My job is to be accessible. I’m happy to be more
accessible, if you need me to be.”

She arched an eyebrow, trying for a haughty
look. He grinned, unabashed.

“I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Let’s go
to the Pizza Parlor for dinner. I want beer and pasta, and Aunt
Korina makes pasta to rival the Italians.”

Gabriella considered pointing out that he
was assuming she wanted to eat dinner with him, but she decided to
let it slide. What else would she do, after all? She was new in
town, she was living in his home. He probably felt like he needed
to entertain her.

Plus, to tell the truth, she
wanted
to eat dinner with him.

“You’re thinking again. Don’t do that. I
don’t feel like fighting with you tonight.”

“You believe we fight every time I think?”
She sounded amused.

“I believe you put too much thought into
things like what the hell you are doing with me, and that’s the
reason we haven’t shared the same bed yet. And I’m not making moves
on you, I’m just pointing out a fact.”

“I will concede that your fact is correct.
And I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

“Really? I think this platonic relationship
business is a load of shit. I’m going to have to start taking cold
showers. I hate cold showers.” He sounded like a child being denied
a Popsicle on a hot summer day. Gabriella couldn’t help but
smile.

“And that makes you smile why?” He asked
irritably.

“Did you have a bad day today?” Gabriella
asked, changing the subject and wondering where his bad mood was
coming from. Was he really this upset because they hadn’t slept
together?

“I did, thanks for asking. Care to hear
about it?” His tone dripped sarcasm.

“Yes, I would, actually,” she said,
surprising herself because she really did want to hear about his
day, bad or not.

“Well, that takes all the wind out of my
sails. And here I really was spoiling for a fight.” He stood up and
pulled his suit coat off the back of the chair. “Okay, come on,
let’s go eat and drink and I’ll tell you all about it.”

They walked side by side to the pizza
parlor. Progress was slow because most businesses on Main Street
were just closing up shop, and they had to stop frequently to chat
with the various owners or managers. By the time they arrived at
the Pizza Parlor, Gabriella had a pretty good idea of why Brandon
had such a bad day. He held the door open and she walked inside,
with Butter on her leash. He then led her over to the same booth
they’d occupied two evenings prior. Gabriella noticed the place was
much busier than it had been on Tuesday.

When they sat down and Brittney bounced up,
Brandon ordered a beer for himself and a glass of merlot for
Gabriella. She cocked an eyebrow but didn’t comment.

“So are you having a bad because everyone is
upset about flowers?” she asked, after Brittney returned with their
drinks. Brandon ordered lasagna and bread sticks and told her one
portion would be large enough for them to share and take home for
lunch the next day.

“Yes,” he answered and scowled. He took a
long pull from his beer and sighed. “I can only think of one other
thing that would be more relaxing than this, and I’m pretty sure
I’m SOL on that front, so beer it is.”

A heavyset woman wearing black slacks and a
quilted jacket adorned with large, brightly colored flowers stopped
in front of their table. “Brandon, I missed the last DDA meeting,
but I just saw the minutes” –

“Yes Margie, so did everyone else. And I’m
off the clock right now, so can we discuss this tomorrow morning?”
Brandon asked wearily.

“You won’t be here tomorrow morning. You’re
going to Detroit.”

“Margie, can’t you see I’m on a date? Is
this really the appropriate time?”