Free Salt Water Taffie (Boardwalk Brides Book 1) by Janice Thompson Page A

it’s softer to the touch now, too,” Taffie added.
    “Now comes the fun part,” Mr. Carini said. “What flavor do you like?”
    “Well, I, um. . . I like the vanilla, myself.”
    “Vanilla?” Mr. C. eyed him as if he’d just landed in a space ship. “No vanilla for my guests. Let’s go with something more exciting than that. What about you, Casey?”
    “I love banana!” Her voice carried a hint of a squeal.
    “Banana it is, then.” Mr. Carini turned to Ryan. “You will add the flavoring and the color, young man. It’s high time you learned to do this for yourself.”
    “It is?” Why?
    “Now, take this banana flavoring. . . .” Mr. C. showed him exactly how to add it to the sticky mixture. At once, the room filled with the scent of bananas.
    “Mmm.” Casey closed her eyes and drew in an exaggerated breath as a peal of thunder sounded overhead.
    “Now what?” Ryan asked.
    “After it’s mixed in really well, we add the yellow coloring.”
    Minutes later, the shiny white mixture had turned a slippery looking yellow. Bright yellow. Banana yellow.
    “Now we feed it into the cutter and wrapper. I’ll show you how.” Mr. Carini led the way. “You will operate the machine.”
    “M–me?” Ryan stammered. “But I─ ”
    “You work with appliances, boy. You can do this.”
    What followed could aptly be described as a midair collision. Ryan couldn’t seem to control the speed of the cutting and wrapping with the same precision as Mr. C. He ended up with shreds of taffy—now almost plastic-like in feel and texture—and bits of paper floating through the air. All the while, Casey laughed at him, pointing and giggling with great glee at his misfortune.
    Taffie eventually snapped off the machine and took his place. He watched in dazed curiosity as she got the process going again. Then, with her father’s help, he slipped in alongside her and they worked together, finally getting the job done.
    Afterward, Mr. Carini clapped his hands. “You two are remarkable together.”
    I believe we are, at that.
    “Yes, well, remember. . .many hands make light work,” Mrs. Carini said, entering the room. She gazed at the yellow pieces of taffy and added, “You didn’t do all of that work just to stare at it. Have a piece, Ryan. And you, too, Casey.”
    He hesitated, if only for a moment. Sure, he liked bananas all right. But in taffy form? What if he took a bite and hated it? Could he control his expression to avoid hurting feelings? He’d never been very good at that sort of thing.
    To his great delight, the piece of banana taffy brought a smile to his face. “Man.” He chewed it up and reached for another. “That’s not what I was expecting at all. It’s not strong. Just the perfect amount of banana.”
    “It’s yummy!” Casey agreed, as she snatched a second piece.
    “Your mama’s going to have my head for feeding you so much sugar.” Ryan groaned, then looked at his watch. Six-thirty? They needed to leave. . .right away.
    “You did a fine job adding the flavoring, son,” Mr. C. patted him on the back.
    Mrs. Carini bit into a piece, then looked at Ryan with a smile. “You’re quite the candy maker. Maybe our families have more in common than we know.” She hesitated, looking back and forth between Ryan and Taffie. “Or maybe this is all part of a grander plan.”
    “Grander plan?” He reached for his tool belt, but the sound of thunder stopped him in his tracks. A shocking flash of lightning followed and then a shriek from Casey. Seconds later, the lights went out and the candy shop stood in utter darkness.
    Ryan stared around, trying to get his bearings. Above his head, he could hear the rush of a shrill wind and the sudden pelting of raindrops. Or was that hail? And to his side, Casey whimpered in fear.
    “Doesn’t look like anyone’s going anywhere for a while,” Mr. Carini said. “So, let’s all settle in and make ourselves at home.”
    Off in the distance, a flashlight came on.