"When you said candy store, you meant candy store," she said with amazement. "This is stunning."
Adrian smiled and opened the door for her to enter. "My associate, Hawk, is the proprietor. He owns a chain of these stores all along the east coast."
"And you're here to do what, exactly?" she asked. Cool air washed over her, masked with a hint of chocolate and sugar. A fifties-style bar featured padded stools while an associate in a pink apron served Italian sodas to several women seated there.
Shelves offered candy in every assortment imaginable, each labeled with the vintage, swirled Ever After Sweet Shoppe label. There were apples dipped in caramel and tied with decorative bows, cake pops, brownies in pretty packaging, everything anyone with a sweet tooth would ever want.
Gabby stared at the wall offering dispensable candy in all kinds of varieties, the kind sold by the pound. If the candy tasted anything like it looked... Mmm, her mouth was already watering.
Before Adrian could answer her question, a handsome, blonde man in a dark business suit approached with his hand outstretched. "Adrian?" he said.
Adrian responded with a hearty shake. "Hawk. Good to meet you in person. This is my wife, Gabby."
Hawk turned his attention to her. "Hey, there. Thanks for letting me interrupt your trip. Would you like a milkshake or anything? It's on the house."
"I'd love one," Gabby said.
Hawk waved to one of the associates in her pink apron, and after placing their orders, the three sat at one of the metal tables near the window.
"So your team wants to commercialize?" Adrian began.
"They think we need to expand Ever After," Hawk said, going on. The associate handed Gabby a Cookies and Cream milkshake, and she sipped the delicious, velvety blend of chocolate and vanilla while Adrian and Hawk prattled on. They discussed business, yes, but soon the conversation turned to Gabby and Adrian's recent nuptials.
"Sounds like congratulations are in order, if you're that recently married," Hawk said, turning his attention to Gabby.
She was the definition of a blushing bride. "Thank you," she said, stealing a glance at Adrian. He winked at her, squeezing her knee beneath the table and making her blush all over again.
"What about you?" Adrian asked. "You married?"
Hawk loosened his tie and leaned back. "That I'm not. Someday I'll find the right girl. Who knows, she might be right under my nose, and I don't even know it."
The three of them laughed, though from the way he spoke, it sounded as though he already had someone in mind. She didn't know him well enough to pry, though she found she wanted to. Gabby gripped Adrian's hand. Everyone deserved to have what she and Adrian did.
"You know," Hawk went on, "Speaking of romance, you two should head up here in December for my annual Christmas ball. My assistant goes all out for this event--it's pure magic. And nowhere is more romantic than Vermont at Christmastime. Just watch White Christmas."
He chuckled again.
Adrian turned to Gabby. "We could probably make that happen. What do you think? A Christmas ball?"
"I'd love that." Gabby remembered the dance Adrian had taken her to when she'd pretended to be his girlfriend. Any excuse to dress up and have Adrian's arms around her all night was fine by her. Dancing all night with him without having to worry about his mother or ex-girlfriend breathing down their backs? Even better.
Too bad they couldn't make it a double date. She gestured to Hawk. "That's a few months from now. Maybe by then you'll have a special someone to introduce us to."
Hawk shrugged and took a sip of his strawberry milkshake. "Who knows?" he said. "I can't say I'd mind."
Gabby sipped her own shake and basked in the sunlight pooling through the window. Who knew, indeed? Hawk was handsome enough, with his striking blue eyes, strong jaw, and confident demeanor. Any girl would melt just being next to him.
Adrian squeezed Gabby's hand again, and she rested her head on his shoulder. In that moment, she resolved to come back. They had to, if for nothing else than to see if Hawk found a girl after all. Though a ball at Christmastime? Wouldn't be so bad either...
Sneak Peek-
Ella and the Billionaire's ball
Ella Embers wasn't sure how anyone survived without earbuds. She'd thought it over a hundred times as she'd emptied garbage cans she hadn't filled, vacuumed bits of popcorn and paper she hadn't spilled, or cleaned bathrooms she'd never used. She'd never make it through such menial tasks without music or a decent podcast.
Cleaning had to be done before Ever After Sweet Shoppe's business hours blinked awake, before consultants and marketing gurus, accountants, and who knew who else worked here decided to trudge more dirt on the carpet for her to take care of the next day.
Not seen. Not heard. Just clean. That was the company's motto, coined by Stina, Ella's ever-diligent stepmother who also happened to own the company hired by Ever After to keep its corporate offices clean. The motto didn't always apply, not when many times she and the others on the crew had varying schedules and some ended up staying until closer to lunch time to finish their tasks.
Usually, Ella didn't mind that she was nothing more than a glorified maid. She got paid better than a maid--that was a perk. Money and earbuds made this otherwise tedious occupation tolerable.
Ella sang in time to Blue Christmas as Michael Buble crooned straight into her ears. She didn't care about being overheard, not at such an earlier hour and not in Hawk Danielson's office. He wasn't likely to be there before noon. Plenty of time to clean what she needed to and duck out.
Situated on the top
