Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe (Pepper Bay #14)

5

Erin

It was lunchtime, Erin was hungry, and the only available food in her grandfather’s kitchen was one large tin of baked beans. Ignoring the huffing and puffing coming from Tyler in the bedroom, she washed a small glass bowl. As there was no washing-up liquid or sponges, her hands had to do.

At least we have water .

Unlike Tyler, Erin was quite relaxed and taking it all in her stride. So what, they were locked in a hoarder’s home surrounded by more dust than she’d ever seen, hey ho! She was done stressing. What difference would it make?

Rosie might notice I’m missing if I don’t show up tonight. Maybe .

She tipped the beans into the glass bowl and placed it in the microwave, thanking the heavens the electricity was working. After a slight fight with the one and only drawer she could see, it opened to reveal one fork, one knife, and one teaspoon, which was rather stained. She opted for the fork, and even though it looked clean, she rinsed it under the tap for good measure.

Technically, I’m Erin Masonville. Still can’t get used to that. Oh, Grandad, I wish I knew about you and Mum. I might have been able to get you two together .

The microwave soon pinged, and within seconds Tyler appeared.

‘Are you cooking?’ he asked, looking perplexed.

She nodded, stirring the beans before putting them back in for round two. ‘I’m hungry.’

‘Perhaps if you spent your time helping me clear a path to the window, we can get out of here and go somewhere a little more hygienic to eat.’

Erin motioned at the sink. ‘I washed up.’

Tyler’s nose wrinkled. ‘Is there any bread?’

‘Nope. This was it.’

‘Great!’

Erin grinned. ‘I’m willing to share, even though you’ve been a bit snappy.’ She watched his eyebrows lift.

‘Snappy?’

The microwave pinged again, and Erin pulled out the steaming hot food. ‘Mmm,’ she mumbled, smiling to herself, knowing he must be as hungry as her by now.

Tyler’s arm flopped to his side. ‘Okay, so maybe I was a bit snappy, but I’m not having a good time of it lately.’

‘Doesn’t mean you get to take your bad mood out on me.’

‘But you’re selling the shop.’

‘And you have other jobs. What I’ve got left of my savings will be swallowed by next month’s rent, and I have no job.’

Tyler frowned. ‘So work here. Let the shop bring in the money.’

‘Wow, you really love this place.’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘So you buy it from me.’ She made sure she smiled as she slid a forkful of beans into her mouth.

‘I don’t have the money or I would.’ He huffed as he tipped his head at her food. ‘Are you going to share?’

Erin dipped the fork back into the beans, then raised it to his lips.

The corner of Tyler’s mouth twitched. ‘I think I can use my own fork.’

‘There was only one. You can use the teaspoon, but it’s brown. Your choice.’ She watched him check out the lack of cutlery in the drawer, then bit her lip when he placed his mouth over the food.

‘Thank you,’ he mumbled through his mouthful.

‘You’re welcome.’ She scooped some more for herself, then another for him. ‘We’ll finish this, then I’ll help with the window.’

‘It’s a bit of a nightmare, as there’s hardly anywhere to put the stuff I’m moving.’

‘We’ll get there. I wouldn’t want you to stress over having to sleep with me by your side again.’

‘Hey, I didn’t mean that.’

Erin twisted her grin to one side. ‘You did, but it’s okay. We’re strangers, and even if we weren’t, I’m not the type men fall over themselves to share a room with.’

Tyler pulled back from the forkful of beans offered. ‘There’s nothing wrong with you.’

Tell that to my ex .

She pressed the food forward. ‘Eat. We need to get on. Oh, and once we are free, will you please still help me get this place sorted for potential buyers? I know you don’t want to see the shop go, but I don’t have a choice, Ty.’

I just shortened his name like I’m his mate .

He grinned, took the food, and nodded. ‘On one condition.’

‘What’s that?’

‘You consider taking the shop under your wing. Perhaps use whatever work skills you have and at least give this place a go for Christmas. It’s never been open in December before, so I reckon you’ll spark a lot of interest. Think Christmas stocking fillers and chocolate hampers. If you still don’t like the idea of being a shopkeeper by the new year, put it up for sale then.’

Could I do that? What about my flatmate? Would she care if I upped and left? Probably not, as long as I pay the rent owed. Oh, this is crazy .

‘I can see your cogs turning, Erin. Go on, take a chance on Pepper Bay. I’ll introduce you to everyone, help make you feel at home here, and I’ll teach you everything you need to know about shop work.’

‘Let me sleep on it. Preferably not here.’

Tyler laughed. ‘Okay, let’s get to that window.’

Erin shovelled the last forkful of beans into his mouth, trying not to focus on how intimate they were being, then washed the bowl whilst he went back to the bedroom.

Grandad, if you’re watching, it would be good if you gave me some sort of sign, because I have no idea what to do about any of this .

She stared at the kettle, wishing she could have a cuppa. Perhaps put her feet up and have a long hard think about her future.

‘Come on, Erin,’ called Tyler.

She plodded into the bedroom and grimaced at the sight of the cluttered bed. ‘Goodness, where on earth are we supposed to put that lot?’

‘Dustbin,’ he replied quickly.

‘We’re going to need a skip.’

‘Won’t get one down here. We’ll have to do it in stages. Start putting out extra bags for the dustcart and take some to the local tip.’ Tyler handed her a box of books. ‘Some of this stuff will be okay for the charity shops.’

Erin sighed at the magnitude of the task. ‘This will take forever.’

Tyler stopped for a moment. ‘Look, I won’t lie, being Christmas time soon, I’ll be busy working the Frozen Forest. We farm Christmas trees, you see, so it’s all hands on deck at ours. But if you do decide to stick around, I’m sure we can sort something. Hey, you could even do some of my shifts while I’m here sorting this. All you have to do is hand out tickets at the door. Oh, and dress up. My brother will help with the trees.’

‘You make life changes sound simple.’

Tyler laughed. ‘Probably because I haven’t had to do any. Born and bred here. Never went far.’

She saw his smile drop, and part of her felt sorry for him. ‘There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve never felt at home anywhere.’

‘Really?’

She nodded. ‘It sounds so sad when I say it out loud, but it’s true.’

Tyler pointed at the floor. ‘This could be your home, Erin. I know I keep pushing for it, but I honestly think you should do this, especially after saying that.’

Erin chuckled. ‘Well, it would be interesting to see what this flat looks like empty.’

Tyler went back to shifting things around. ‘We’ll soon get there.’ He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. ‘Maybe in the new year.’

Picking up a box, not knowing what to do with it, Erin had to agree. The way things were looking, they would still be tunnelling their way out of the flat come springtime.

‘Start stacking bits on the armchair,’ said Tyler. ‘Anywhere you can find space for now.’

Erin did exactly that, then went to the kitchen to see how much room was available. ‘We’re going to have to make sure we don’t toss out anything important.’

‘I can’t hear you,’ came Tyler’s muffled voice from the other room.

Another thought hit her as she made her way back to him. ‘I hope no one comes in the shop while we’re stuck up here. My handbag is on the chair. The last thing I need is someone stealing my bank card. I don’t have much left.’

‘Once we clear this lot, you can move in here rent free.’

Or I could stick to my original plan and sell the lot and buy myself a little house somewhere .

She offered a small smile as he glanced her way. There was no way she would hang on to a business just to please someone else, but it wasn’t a bad idea to give it a go over Christmas. Tyler was right about one thing, she could sell a lot more sweets that time of year. She gazed at the ceiling.

Where were you going every December?

The mystery would have to wait, as a window was top priority, else she’d have to get busy making a bed out of newspapers.

Tyler’s cheer made her jump. ‘I can see Pepper Lane.’

She shuffled around a wall of boxes to lean around his tall frame. ‘You would think someone would have noticed how dirty this window is.’

‘People don’t go around telling others to clean their windows. Besides, it had this thick drape covering it. Maybe it hid the look a bit.’ Tyler shrugged. ‘Can’t say I’ve ever looked up at the windows around here. Mind you, when you see something all the time, you kind of stop seeing it, if you know what I mean.’

Erin nodded, catching her nose on his arm. ‘Let’s just hope it opens.’

Tyler tugged it a few times but got there in the end. It was such an exciting moment, they turned to each other for a celebratory hug, and it made Erin realise it had been a long time since a man held her.

‘Right,’ she said, clearing her throat and pulling away. ‘See who is out there.’

Tyler leaned on the sill, stretching his arms over the empty flowerbox. ‘Ooh, hang on, there’s Nate,’ he told her before yelling out to the man.

Erin could hear a voice talking back, but she couldn’t catch every word, then Tyler turned.

‘He’s just gone to fetch some tools from Ed at the pub.’

‘Who is he?’

‘Ed Sparrow owns The Ugly Duckling, and Nate Walker is his son-in-law who owns the dairy shop over the road. Nate also has a farm up the top end of the lane. Pepper Pot Farm. He has cows.’

‘Let’s hope he knows about doors as well.’

‘He’s huge. Big muscles. If he can’t unlock the door, I’m pretty sure he could knock it off its hinges with just one shoulder shove.’

Erin giggled at the thought.

Tyler closed the window and gestured towards the door. ‘Come on, let’s get ready to leave.’

‘Are you going straight home?’

‘No. I was thinking we can lose the door along with a few other bits while we’re here. I’ll put some out back, then go grab my brother’s pickup truck, and we can shift some of this to the tip. If that’s all right with you, of course.’

It was more than all right. Erin nodded enthusiastically. ‘Thank you so much.’

He playfully nudged her arm. ‘No worries. We’ll get some sandwiches as well. Don’t know about you but those beans weren’t exactly filling.’

‘No doubt fill us with wind later.’

They shared a laugh, then stopped when they heard Nate on the other side of the door.

As it was taking a while to remove the door, Erin went to the kitchen for a moment alone. She glanced at some closed plastic containers. It seemed odd someone could live with so much stuff when she could live out of a suitcase.

‘Door’s off,’ called Tyler.

‘At last,’ she mumbled, walking his way. Spotting Nate, she added, ‘Oh, thank you so much.’

Nate smiled. ‘You must be Chester’s granddaughter.’ He circled a finger in the air. ‘Word spreads fast around here.’

‘Erin,’ she said.

Nate smiled warmly. ‘What a welcome to Pepper Bay for you, eh?’

She had to laugh. ‘Oh, it’s been an adventure so far.’

Tyler thanked Nate as he followed him down the stairs, taking the old door with him.

Erin glanced once more at the clutter behind her, shaking her head slightly at what was to come. She sighed deeply, turned to leave, tripped over the tool bag, and tumbled all the way to the bottom of the stairs. She went to sit up, then everything turned black.