Deck the Shelves (Village of Berkingsley #2)

Hard Candy Christmas

Chapter 6

(at the Local Food Market)

T he music that played from the speakers in the ceiling of the M the only maternal instinct I had at this point in my life came in the way of saving Pippy my pub leftovers.

“Should we go find someone who can help us?” I looked around the aisle, hoping to find someone more adult-ish than me, but the boy began crying louder, drawing my attention back. I guess this one was on me. I mustered up my confidence. I had worked as a receptionist at a five-star hotel for years and had advised a room full of businessmen just last month. I could handle a lost tot. “Oh, sweetie. It’ll be alright. We’ll find your mummy soon.”

“She’s not my mum. My mum’s at work. I miss her.” His sobs quieted as he wiped his snotty nose on the sleeve of his shirt.

“Oh, love. I understand. Here, let’s get you a piece of candy, and then you can tell me who you came with.” I turned to get a bag from my cart to share with the boy. Surely, a sweet treat would make him happy. But the boy, thinking I meant candy from the bulk containers beside him, pushed the spout holding hundreds of small fruit drops, and in an instant, a rush of hard candies poured down onto the floor. I threw myself toward the candy dispenser, trying to contain the chaos, but between the sound of my own voice yelling, the cries of surprise from the boy, and the hard echo of the candies hitting the linoleum floor, there was no way the commotion would go unnoticed. Pippy, alarmed by all the noise, high-jumped clear out of the cart and, in the process, knocked over my mother’s flowers. The glass jar shattered into a thousand little pieces as it hit the floor.

I looked around at the mayhem, mouth gaping in stunned shock, and my body paralyzed momentarily. In the background of the mess, I could see Pippy trot away, but before I could do anything about it, a wiry voice called out.

“Oh, dear Lord, Charlie. I’ve been looking all over for you.” A short elderly woman, holding a handbag on one arm and a basket on the other, tottered down the aisle, passing Pippy. She took in the scene before her and tsked. “What have you done, little boy? Nana is not happy.”

The little guy, plopped on the floor in the middle of a maddening puddle of candies, was barely holding it together. His lower lip began to quiver, and the tears welled up again in his eyes. I could see the embarrassment and fear on his face, and even though I was no mother hen, I knew that shaming him would only make the situation worse.

“Oh, thank heavens, we found you, Mam’. Charlie, here, had stopped to say hello to my dog, and silly me, I let him down from the cart to pet. And next thing you know, we lost sight of you.”

The old woman’s eyes squinted with disbelief at my story, but before she could say anything, I continued. “And then, of course, my little pup decided to meddle with the candy dispensers, and oh goodness. What a mess!”

“Well, you should certainly take better care of your animal. Look at him wandering away.” She gestured toward the end of the aisle, where Pippy turned back, stuck up her snout, and then continued trotting off. “Good heavens, why one would bring a dog into a market in the first place is beyond me. Charlie, come here this instant. Let’s let this nice woman take care of her mess.” The way she emphasized the word nice was anything but. She held her hand out and helped Charlie off the floor. As she pulled him toward the till, away from the candy and glass fragments, he looked back at me and gave a shy, apologetic smile. I winked and mouthed, “No worries, kiddo.”

And then, there I was. Left with quite a mess. Biting my lip, I slowly nodded my head up and down, laughter bubbling out of me at the situation. A big, heartfelt chuckle of disbelief. What else was there to do?

“That’s the spirit. Laughter is the best medicine, ain’t it?”

I recognized that voice. It had been a week since I last saw him, but I knew that type of sarcasm could only belong to one man. I turned and saw Freddie, jeans hanging perfectly off his pelvis with a white sweater rolled up at his forearms, flaunting a tattoo of a lion holding a spear. In his arms was the little furry martyr herself, along with a package of beef jerky and a jar of peanut butter.

“Well, I’d say that I laugh in the face of danger, but that would be utterly untrue. I’m the first one to flee at the idea of anything remotely scary. But laughing at a floor covered in mint humbugs? That I can do with ease.”

I tiptoed around the fragments of glass and took Pippy from his arms. I felt that zing of attraction that was becoming a common response to him as my hand brushed against the warmth of his skin. “Thank you for catching her before she wandered too far.”

“So, this is the little champ that gets to eat like the Queen on your leftover takeaway,” he said enthusiastically.

I stroked her fur over and over, probably a bit too aggressively than she was used to, but then again, she had never been used as a therapy dog before. And at that moment, my anxiety was flaring at a sky-high level. “Yes, this is the Queen herself. Freddie, meet Pippy. Pippy, Freddie.” I lifted her little paw in salute. “What am I going to do? Will I forever be banned from the Food Hall ? They have the best shrimp tempura in the village. This is a disaster.”

“Nah, it’s all taken care of. You’ll be fine.”

I laughed. “What do you mean, ‘it’s fine?’ It looks like a robbery gone wrong. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Come on, Alice. Grab your trolley, and let’s go. I told you, it’s all taken care of. I already informed the manager.”

“Are you sure? My face won’t appear on posters stapled to trees and bulletin boards around the neighborhood? This face is pretty recognizable, and I have quite a loud mouth, so people tend to know who I am around town. I don’t want—

“Alice,” he said abruptly. “Let’s. Go.” He took Pippy back from my arms, cradling her in his muscular arm and pushing the trolley with his other hand. I obligingly followed him, confused and slightly turned on by his ability to take command with two little words. I followed him innocently past the flower stand, where he stopped momentarily to pluck a ginormous floral bouquet from a bucket before continuing to the tills. My face grew hot in embarrassment as we approached the cashier. I tried thinking of the words to begin my apology. Sir, I am utterly sorry… No, not good enough . Sir, you aren’t going to believe what happened… Hmm, sounds like I’m avoiding responsibility.

“Hello again, Angus.” Freddie nodded at the middle-aged man at the register, whose name tag said Manager . “We’d like to ring up these packages of candy and this here bouquet, as well as my food. Again, my apologies for the mess back there.”

“Ah, Freddie. Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. I’ll have my boys take care of it in no time. They’ve been a bit sluggish at their duties today, so this will help keep them on their toes.” He was oddly happy for a man who’d just had his business ransacked. He grinned at Freddie so obnoxiously as he bagged the items that I was beginning to question his sanity.

“Thank you, Angus. See you around.”

“Righto, Freddie.” His eyes followed us as we walked past him and out the automatic doors.

When we reached the cobblestone sidewalk, Freddie squinted at me, the sun shining brightly today for a December afternoon.

“So, what’s your plan with these?” He held up the bags filled to the top with candy. “Working Santa’s wonderland again?”

I leaned down to clip Pippy’s leash onto her collar. “Something like that.” As I popped back up, I tilted my head at him inquisitively. “I don’t know what kind of magic you made back there, but thank you.”

“Ah, it was nothing compared to what you did for that little boy. Here.” He removed the massive bouquet from the top of the bag, a mixture of roses, carnations, and others in gorgeous hues of purple, and held them out to me. “I couldn’t help but notice your other ones just weren’t up for the task.”

“The task?” I asked.

“Yes. Of recognizing your kindness. Someone with a heart as good as yours deserves every damn single beautiful thing. Starting with this bouquet.”

A shiver ran through my body, but it wasn’t one of those discomforting ones caused by the chill in the air. It was a jolt of excitement, of warmth, and of anticipation for an unknown future.

I took the flowers from him, letting my fingers linger a second too long between his. “Well, thank you,” I murmured. We stared at each other, both wondering what kind of thoughts were running through the other’s head.

“Can I help you get all of this home?” he asked, ending the moment.

“Um, yes. Thank you. I’m just bringing them down to the bookstore, two blocks away. I had intended to take a few trips, but frankly, I don’t want to show my face in that store for at least a week.” I snorted. Nice one, Alice.

We began walking down the uneven sidewalk, side by side, with Pippy leading the way, her little legs working four times as hard to keep up the lead. Occasionally, our hands brushed each other’s, and when they did, I couldn’t keep my heart from fluttering in my chest.

“So, are you going to tell me what all of this candy is really for? Are you having some sort of party?”

“Well,” I began, smiling. “Let me explain.”