Salt Water Taffie (Boardwalk Brides Book 1) (3 page)

FOUR

Taffie kept a watchful eye on Ryan over the next twenty minutes or so, as he waited for his brother to arrive. She tried to tend to her customers with the usual zeal, but with someone as handsome as Ryan pacing back and forth, she found it a bit difficult. She accidentally measured out a pound of cherry taffy for a woman who asked for strawberry and she overcharged another customer for a quarter pound of licorice. But who could blame her? Ryan Antonelli proved to be a formidable but happy distraction.

Her parents apparently found him likeable, as well. They’d pretty much swept him into the fold. . .in a number of ways. Since his arrival, he’d heard her father’s tale of how the Carini family had come to New Jersey from Italy in the thirties. Her mother then took to playing hostess, offering Ryan a hot fudge sundae followed by a caramel mocha frappuccino. All of this following the initial espresso and taffy, of course. If this repair took too long, he’d put on twenty pounds. Or send his blood sugar levels soaring.

Hmm.
Taffie looked down at her midsection and sighed. She’d put on a few pounds over the past year, working with sweets, hadn’t she? Oh well. Such were the woes of life in a candy shop. There would be plenty of time to focus on that later. Right now she needed to zero in on the broken taffy machine. If they didn’t get it up and running, production would go down. If production went down. . .

She shivered, thinking about it. Her parents wanted to travel in their RV, to leave the shop in her capable hands. If production stopped, everything else would eventually come to a grinding halt, as well. She couldn’t let that happen. And, with Ryan’s help, she wouldn’t.

Taffie looked past the throng of customers as she heard a voice ring out. “Hey, little brother. What’s cookin’?”

She watched with interest as Ryan rose from his seat and moved in the direction of a fellow a couple years older than himself. One with a swagger in his step and a crooked smile on his face. In many ways the two men resembled each other, though she had to admit Ryan took the prize for good looks.

Seconds later her father greeted Luke with the usual Carini gusto. The three men stood in the middle of the busy shop, talking at length.

When the crowd thinned, Taffie made her way out from behind the counter to introduce herself. She wondered at the laughter in Luke’s eyes as she spoke her name, and couldn’t figure out why Ryan jabbed him in the arm.

What’s up with that?

Unfortunately, she never had time to search for answer. An incoming rush of customers sent her behind the counter once again.

The men ventured off into the back room to tend to the taffy machine. As the men walked away, she whispered a prayer that all would go well. Then, determined to stay focused, she waited on the next customer in line.

***

As Ryan followed Mr. Carini into the back room, he did his best to ignore Luke, who insisted on making verbal jabs.

“I get it, little brother. I get it.
Taffie.
”

Ryan turned and glared at his brother, then mouthed, “Cut it out.”

There would be plenty of time to explain later. Not that he could explain it, really. Ryan’s sudden fascination with a total stranger was nonsensical, at best. And Luke, of all people, knew him to be extra careful when it came to relationships. These days, anyway.

Mr. Carini led the way to the taffy machine. Luke took one look at it and let out a whistle. “Wow, she’s a beauty.”

“Even more impressive when she’s working properly.” Mr. Carini pointed to the stream of customers on the other side of the large window at the back end of the store. “Almost any day of the week you can see kids standing out there, just watching the different colors of taffy as they’re being pulled.”

“I was one of those kids,” Luke said. A smile crept across his face as he added, “Carini’s was one of our favorite places to hang out.” He gestured to Ryan. “We were in here nearly every week. You’ve probably wiped our fingerprints off of that glass dozens of times.”

“Or more.” Ryan couldn’t help the smile that rose up as he remembered. In his mind’s eye, he could see himself as a boy, standing with his face pressed to the glass, his older brothers next to him. Watching the machine pulling this way and that, stretching the colorful candy, had fascinated him.

If he closed his eyes, he could almost see it working now.

Almost.

“Well, let’s see what we can do.” Luke ran his hands across the cranking mechanism, then leaned in for a closer look.

For the next hour or so, with Mr. Carini leaning over their shoulders, Ryan and Luke worked on the stubborn taffy machine. They finally managed to get it freed up—and quite a shout went up from the people on the other side of the glass the moment it happened—but even with that, things did not look good.

“You’ve got to replace the joint mechanism that links the arm to the base,” Luke said, wiping his brow with his sleeve. “Otherwise the problem is just going to repeat itself. I don’t know how it’s lasted this long.”

“Kind of like my arthritis, eh?” Mr. Carini flashed a smile. “Things get locked up over time.”

Luke laughed as he responded. “I guess you could say that.”

“Only you can’t order new parts when your hips and knees go out,” Ryan added.

“Sure you can,” Mr. Carini threw in. “My dad had a hip replacement when he was in his seventies.”

“Wait.” Ryan looked up, as a particular memory flooded over him. “Was he the older man who used to run the store? The one with the white hair and the thick moustache?”

“Yep. Gus Carini. Do you remember him?”

“Of course. He gave me more free candy than any kid should be allowed by law.”

“Yeah, that was my pop.” Mr. Carini’s face lit up for a moment. Then a more serious expression took its place as he turned to look at the machine once again. “He always knew just what to do. Whenever a problem came up, he found the solution.”

“Sounds a lot like you,” Ryan said.

“Like Taffie, too.” Mr. Carini shifted his gaze to watch his daughter at work. “She’s a fixer. Always has been.”

“I think there’s a little of that in all of us,” Luke said. “And when you’re in the repair business, that’s not a bad thing.”

Mr. Carini nodded. “I suppose. Though only the Lord can do the ultimate fixing, so we have to rely on Him.”

Ryan threw in a quiet, “Amen.”

“So, where do we get the part to get this thing up and running smoothly?” Mr. Carini asked. “And do you have any idea how long it will take?”

“If I could track down another model like this one for a reasonable price, would you be interested in buying it for parts?” Ryan asked. “That way you wouldn’t have to go searching next time.”

“I suppose that depends on the cost,” Mr. Carini responded.

“It’s that, or I try to build the part myself,” Luke said. “Either way, it’s going to be a process.”

Mr. Carini raked his fingers through his thinning hair. “I see.”

“Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?” Ryan asked. “I’ll write down the manufacturer’s name and the serial number.”

“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”

As Mr. Carini made his way through the crowd of people, Ryan did his best to sneak a peek at Taffie, who continued to work behind the candy counter.

“You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?” Luke gave him a friendly pat on the back.

“Just met her a couple of hours ago,” Ryan explained. “Not sure what’s happening, to be honest.”

“Well, I understand the attraction. She’s a knockout.” Luke gave a quiet whistle.

“There’s more to her than that.” Ryan continued to watch her, mesmerized. “Look at how she connects with the customers. She was born for this.”

“She’s got a lot of energy. Probably from all that sugar.” Luke laughed. “Remember how mom used to have to reel us in after we’d swallowed down a bag of candy?”

“Yep.” Ryan smiled as the memory flooded over him. “But what kid doesn’t like candy?”

He peered through the glass once more at the beautiful woman on the other side. Something about watching her work brought joy to his heart. She dipped a metal scoop into the large glass taffy jar, then—for whatever reason—looked his way. As their eyes met, a hint of a smile graced her lips.

Then, as her cheeks flashed pink, she turned back to her work.

FIVE

Taffie arrived home from work a few minutes before six. Her cell phone rang as she pulled her car into the driveway. When she saw Tangie’s number, she couldn’t help but smile. She answered right away. “Hey, girl! You must be awfully lonely to be calling your big sister on a Saturday night.”

“More lonely than you know.” Tangie’s familiar giggle seemed to bounce across the phone line. “I’m about twenty miles from home. Just pulled off the road to gas up and decided this would be a good time to call. I needed some family time this weekend.”

“Are you serious? What about that off-off-Broadway show you were in? I thought you had two performances every Saturday.”

“Yes, well, um. . .” Tangie’s voice trailed off. “Let’s just say it vaporized. So, I’m now free on the weekends.”

“Till the next show comes along.” Taffie smiled as she thought about her little sister’s penchant for the theater. Tangie—who tended to march to her own drumbeat—had always been at home on the stage. She bounced from one show to the other, one part to the next.

“I guess.” Tangie sighed in an over-the-top fashion. Nothing unusual about the high drama in her response. “But right now I don’t want to think about theater. Or my classes, which start up again next week. I just want to come home and hang out with you.”

“No problem there. You know I’m always free. Well, except for my business class, but it ends in a couple weeks.”

“Meet any handsome guys in your class?”

“Nope.”

“You’re not dating anyone?” Tangie probed.

Taffie groaned before responding. “Um, no. When would I have time?”

“Hey, you’ve got to make the time, big sister,” Tangie said. “I manage.”

“You fall in love as often as most people change their clothes.”

“Hey now. . .”

“C’mon. Has there ever been a leading man in one of your shows that you didn’t fall for?”

Tangie’s boisterous laugh bounced across the phone line. “No, you’re right. I’ve got a consistent record. But I somehow doubt the Lord is going to pair me up with any of the guys I’ve met in New York, at least the ones I’ve met so far. God’s got a sense of humor, so I somehow suspect He’ll bring me an engineer or a scientist or someone like that.”

“You think?”

“I sometimes wonder if I could live with someone who’s a polar opposite.” Tangie giggled. “But, regardless, God will bring the perfect person. . .for me. . .and for you.”

“And for Candy, too,” Taffie added. After a moment’s pause, she said, “But you don’t even need to be thinking about all of this yet. You’re only nineteen.”

“Twenty in a couple of months,” Tangie reminded her.

As if that made any difference.

“Okay, okay.” Taffie decided a change of subject was in order. “So, what do you want to do this evening? Go to dinner or just hang out at the house in our pj’s and talk about all the guys I’m not dating?” Funny, but as she said the words, Ryan’s face flashed before her.

“Let’s go see a movie. Have you seen the previews for that new romance?” Tangie asked. “The fairy tale one? It looks so cute.”

“Ugh. Do we have to see a romance?” Taffie asked. “What about something action packed? There’s a great new movie abou
t─
”

“C’mon, Taffie. I hardly ever get to spend an evening with you. Let me pick the movie and you can pick the restaurant. Okay?”

Taffie pressed back the smile and quickly chimed in with her agreement. They ended the call and she made her way inside the house, ready to shower and change into a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Tangie arrived in short order and managed to convince their parents to join them at the movies. “It’ll be a blast,” she said. “And we’ll do dinner out afterwards. Mom deserves a break from the kitchen.”

“I could use a night off, especially after the day we’ve had at the store,” her mother interjected.

“No joke.” Taffie quickly filled her sister in, telling her about the broken machine. “Thank goodness we found someone who’s able to help us,” she explained. “Otherwise, I don’t think any of us would feel like going out tonight.”

Tangie grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “God always provides.” She gave Taffie a wink. “Now, if I could just talk Him into bringing you a husband, I’d feel a lot better about leaving you alone at the shop while I pursue my dreams.”

“There are a thousand things I’d rather have you pray for,” Taffie assured her. “So, put the husband prayer on the back burner for now, okay?”

“For now.” Tangie quirked a brow. Thankfully she let the subject drop as they climbed into the car to leave.

Taffie did her best to steer the conversation in a different direction as they traveled toward the theater. All the while, images of Ryan Antonelli kept reappearing. She couldn’t get his beautiful eyes or his warm smile out of her mind. At once she scolded herself.
Stop it. I’m not living out one of my sister’s goofy romance movies. I live in the real world.

Unfortunately, it appeared to be a world without romance. . .at least so far.

When they arrived at the theater, Tangie led the way through the mob of people inside to look for seats. Her buoyant zeal as she pushed through the crowd reminded Taffie of the kids in the candy shop.
I wish I could be more like that. . .more carefree.

She looked around the packed theater, stunned to find it full to the brim with popcorn-eating, soda-drinking children, teens, and women. “Don’t tell me we’re going to have to sit in the front row.”

“Aw, come on.” Tangie looped her arm through Taffie’s, her face awash with joy and childish pleasure. “It’s not so bad. We can pretend we’re kids again. Remember when we used to sit in the front row just for fun? The theater would be half empty and we’d still do it. . .just because.”

“I remember when you used to talk me into it. And it was never much fun. I always ended up with a stiff neck and a headache by the end of the show.”

“Don’t be such a killjoy. C’mon.” Tangie led the way down to the front.

As they reached the lowest level of the theater, Pop looked back up at the crowd, then shook his head. “Am I the only man in this place? Maybe I should go see something elsewhile you ladie
s─
” 

“Don’t be silly.” Tangie scanned the other theater-goers, then pointed. “Look. There’s a guy right there—with that little girl.”

Taffie’s heart leaped into her throat as she looked across the front row, directly into the eyes of Ryan Antonelli.

He smiled as he rose to his feet to greet them. “Hey, are you following me?”

Taffie felt her cheeks warm at the very idea.
I hope he doesn’t really think that.
“I, um. . . It’s just a coincidence. I promise.”

She couldn’t help but wonder at the look of disappointment in his eyes.

“After all,” she was quick to add, “you didn’t even tell me what movie you were seeing.”

“True.”

Off to the side, Tangie elbowed her in the ribs and whispered in her ear, “You know him?”

She quickly made introductions. “Ryan Antonelli, this is my sister, Tangie.”

A smile lit his face as he said, “Tangerine!”

Tangie groaned, then muttered, “Nice to meet you,” before taking her seat.

Her mother greeted Ryan with an affectionate hug, as if they’d known each other for years, then began to rant and rave over the little girl with dark curls who now stood next to him.

Ryan snapped to attention and introduced his niece. “This is Casey, everyone. She, um, she picked the movie. I’m just here because I, um, I. . .”

“Right, right.” Taffie tried not to laugh at the look of embarrassment on his face.

Casey giggled, then shared her thoughts on the matter with a boisterous, “You’re gonna love it!”

“I doubt that,” Ryan said with a shrug, “but it’ll be worth it, one way or the other, as long as I get to spend time with her.” A look of sheer joy came over his face as he pulled Casey into a warm embrace. Taffie looked on with a sense of warmth flooding her soul.

Her mom leaned in and whispered, “He’s a keeper,” in her ear.

Taffie’s cheeks warmed and she turned to give her mother her best cut-it-out look.

The previews began and everyone took their seats. Everyone except Taffie. She looked around in horror, realizing the only empty seat was the one right next to Ryan. She groaned internally.
Oh, man. I sure hope he doesn’t think I set this whole thing up.

With a forced smile she took her seat, determined to enjoy the show.

***

Ryan couldn’t have planned this evening any better. As Taffie settled into the seat next to his, he did his best to focus on the screen. But how could he?

“Uncle Ryan?” Casey whispered loud enough for others to hear.

“What, honey?”

“I like her.”

“Like who?”

“The one with the candy name. Is that why you brought me the taffy? ’Cause of her?”

Ryan smiled, then put his finger to his lips. “The movie’s starting.”

He settled back in his seat, half-embarrassed for having been caught at a chick-flick and half-excited to have landed in the seat next to the woman who had consumed his thoughts most of the day. Had the Lord arranged this, perhaps?

The movie—a musical comedy—moved forward with ease. Despite his efforts to the contrary, Ryan found himself laughing on several occasions, and smiling as the hero and heroine came together in the end. Not that life was really like that. No, you couldn’t believe what you read in books or saw in the movies. Real life was much more complicated. And even though the fair maiden in the seat next to him appeared to be a true heroine in every sense of the word, he was certainly not swashbuckling-hero material.

As the movie wrapped up, a love song played overhead. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Taffie. Something about her made him want to slay giants. If he could just get that machine fixed, that would be a great start. Maybe then he would. . . Nah. He would never be like that guy in the movie. Not if he tried for the rest of his life.

Casey sprang from her seat, eyes filled with wonder. “Thank you so much, Uncle Ryan! That movie was awesome!”

“I have to agree.” Taffie rose to her feet with a childlike grin. “I’m not usually into the fluffy stuff, but that one really made me smile.”

“So, what did you think, Mr. Carini?” Ryan looked at the older gentleman, curious to see his response.

“It was okay.” He shrugged. “I just don’t understand all of that singing and dancing. Seems so. . .improbable. One minute people are walking down the street, acting completely normal, the next they’re bursting into song and dancing all over the place. Life isn’t really like that.”

As if to prove him wrong, Tangie started singing along with the love song that continued to play overhead as the credits rolled on the screen. She extended her arm in an invitation for her father to dance, and his somewhat sour expression changed right away.

“Well, when you put it like that. . .” He took his daughter in his arms and started turning her in circles.

“Me, too!” Casey squealed.

If you can’t beat ’em. . .
Ryan bowed and Casey responded with a curtsy. He took her in his arms and began to spin her round and round. Pretty soon, movie-goers turned to watch and before you knew it, several others in the theater were responding with applause.

“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Ryan felt his face grow hot.

He released his hold on Casey and she reached for her midsection, moaning in dramatic fashion. “I’m
starved
, Uncle Ryan. Where are we meeting everyone for dinner?”

“Yes, what’s for dinner?” Mr. Carini asked, bringing his dance to a halt. “I’m with Casey. I’m starved, too.”

“Dad, we can’t just interrupt their plans.” Taffie shot her father a look, but Ryan did his best to smooth things over.

“Sure you can. I’m meeting up with my parents and my sister-in-law at that new place just around the corner—Three B’s Burgers. They claim to have the biggest burgers in the state and I’d like to find out firsthand.”

“A burger would hit the spot,” Mr. Carini said with a nod. “We’ll meet you there.”

“But. . .”

Taffie gave Ryan an apologetic look, but he attempted to put her mind at ease once more. “I’m glad you’re coming. And I’m sure our families will enjoy getting to know each other.” He leaned in close to whisper, “Besides, we’re more alike than you know.”

“Oh?” Her brow wrinkled.

“You’re about to find out for yourself.”

Casey reached for his hand and Ryan led the way out of the theater and toward the parking lot. Somehow, that little song and dance number with his niece had done something to his heart. Set him free in some way. He felt like bursting into song right now, in fact.

Maybe when the crowd thinned. . .he’d do just that.