Free Candy Store by Bella Andre Page B

“Why would you do something like that?”
    His eyes steel, he said, “It’s time to finally grow up.”
    “What are you talking about? You have a wonderful business. And from working with you, I know for a fact that you love what you do.” She narrowed her eyes. “What are you planning to do instead?”
    Tobey nearly winced. “Accounting.”
    Callie’s eyes grew wide. “Excuse me? I must have heard you wrong. I thought my talented, creative boyfriend just said he’s going to give up his dream job to go into accounting.”
    60

    Candy Store
    Tobey got up off the couch and headed for the door. “You heard right. My brother Jed is going to bring me into his department.” His voice was hard and Wolf, who was lying on the rug in front of the roaring fireplace, whined. Looking angry and hurt, Tobey said, “I’ll call you later.” He walked out the front door and closed it behind him with a deliberate click.
    The tears that were welling in Callie’s eyes started to fall. Wolf got up and padded over to her, licking her face several times before plopping his head on her lap.
    “I’ve really blown it this time, Wolf,” she said, her heart heavy. “No wonder I always date jerks. The one time I find a great guy I drive him away.”
    Callie scooted out from underneath Wolf’s head. She walked into her kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for cocoa fudge. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, not for one single minute, not with the distressed look on Tobey’s face playing in her head on repeat every five seconds. The only thing that would keep her from going crazy would be baking. She wiped at the tears on her cheeks and put on her apron.
    “Here I am again,” she said aloud in her empty kitchen. “Just me, my dog, and sugar.”
    * * * * *
    By the time Tobey got back to his large loft, his anger was gone. All he felt was a deep sense of shame at the way he had treated Callie. She had called him her boyfriend, a word that made him feel better than any industry award ever had, and he had stomped out of her home in a huff.
    Idiot.
    He dropped his keys onto the slate kitchen island and looked around his home with new eyes. He had always thought that he was suited to the hard lines of glass and concrete and slate, but after spending so much time at both Callie’s homey store and her cute cottage on the outskirts of town he found that he was craving softness. And color.
    61

    Bella Andre
    And comfort. What he wouldn’t give to be back in Callie’s house, kissing her in front of the fire, with her big mutt lying at their feet snoring.
    62

    Candy Store

Chapter Six
    The next day Tobey walked into Callie’s Candies holding a bright bouquet of yellow and white narcissus. She was down on the ground with her back to the front door, helping a couple of little girls pick out a gift for their mother’s birthday while their father watched with pride.
    “Mommies love these boxes of truffles,” she said to the girls as she showed them a heart shaped box with a thick velvet ribbon on top.
    The two girls solemnly nodded their agreement and handed her a five dollar bill.
    Just as solemnly, treating them as if they were forty-year-old women buying thousands of dollars of merchandise instead of little kids, Callie took their money and walked around to her register. Tobey noted that her eyes and face looked swollen and puffy and inwardly cursed himself. He had done that to her with his callous, selfish behavior.
    Right then and there he vowed never to treat her badly ever again.
    When Callie looked up and saw him standing awkwardly by the door, holding the flowers as an obvious peace offering, she nearly dropped the box of truffles on the floor.
    She caught the box in mid-air and placed it on her gift-wrapping table, her hands shaky.
    She gave him a tremulous smile and was about to say something when Tobey smiled back and leaned against the wall, making it clear that he could wait until she was done helping the