Free How Sweet It Is by Bonnie Blythe

continued, placing a large, flat
box on his desktop and removing the lid to show her the depleted
contents, “with a product like this, young lady, you’ll have no
trouble succeeding in your business venture.”
    A feminine voice came from the other room.
Mr. Hartung shot a glance toward the door. He grabbed the box and
shoved it in a desk drawer. “Shhh! Don’t say anything about the
chocolate. If my wife catches me with candy, I’m toast. Cholesterol
problem, you know.”
    A pretty lady with gray hair piled in a bun
popped her head in the door. “Can I get you two some coffee?”
    Mindful of Brad waiting for her in the car,
Delphine shook her head and cast an amused glance toward the
lawyer, who sat trying to look innocent while a red flush stained
his cheeks.
    At least he didn’t have telltale chocolate
smudges on his mouth, like Brad often did.
    “Thank you, Mrs. Hartung, but I can’t stay.”
She rose and accepted the folder he slid across the desk. As she
picked it up, the front flap opened and she caught sight of a brown
fingerprint on one of the papers.
    Stifling a smile, she shook his hand, happy
to keep the lawyer’s chocolaty little secret.
     
    ****
     
    Delphine paused—her pen poised over a small
stack of papers, and looked up at Brad, who hovered nearby. He gave
her an encouraging grin.
    He stood next to his father, where they’d
assembled in the Larsen living room several days later. She
scrawled her name on all the papers and released a pent-up
breath.
    Now comes the hard
part—repayment of the loan .
    After shaking hands with Mr. Larsen and
tucking the check he gave her into her purse, she turned to his
son. His eyes were lit with a merry glow. She inwardly shook her
head. Only Brad could somehow view incurring debt as exciting.
    “I think this calls for a celebration,” he
said.
    “Oh?”
    “Your mom can make one of her fabulous
French dinners for starters.”
    Delphine had to smile at the
note of hope in his words, and at his parents’ amused expressions.
“Of course. Maman would love to have you over again.”
    And I wouldn’t mind it
either . She felt her face heat at the
thought but it wouldn’t do to become spoony over her creditor’s
son.
    An hour later they sat at the tiny dinette
table in her apartment. While her mother flitted about with fevered
delight in preparations for the meal, Delphine mused that Brad was
good for her parents. They seemed to sense a similar spirit of
frivolity in him and went all out to make him stay as long as
possible.
    The notion sent a little tremor through her.
Her parents, while charming, often made poor decision that were
painful in the end. Was Brad the same way? Did he think of his own
pleasures, forgetting about collateral damage?
    It’s one reason among many not to lose your
head over Brad Larsen.
    Brad tapped on her wrist
with a pencil. “Pay attention,” he chided, directing her back to
the task of coming up with a business name. “We have several, but
so far Chez Chocolates sounds the best, even with my pronunciation.”
    Delphine wiggled a finger in her ear,
pretending to be offended by the way he spoke the French for ‘house
of chocolates’, but couldn’t suppress a smile.
    For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she felt as
driven as her parents to keep him by her side. Soon, he’d no longer
have time for a nonchalant relationship with a female of such
dubious means.
    Soon, he’d be in some office surrounded by
professional beauties who didn’t have weird hang-ups.
    Delphine scrunched her face at the
thought.
    “What’s the matter?”
    Forcing herself to relax, she hedged. “Um,
you have to admit, this whole enterprise is nerve-racking.”
    “But with my help, you’re guaranteed to
succeed.”
    Delphine laughed softly. “Oh, really? And how
long will you stay around to make sure I keep out of trouble?” She
held her breath, waiting for his answer, sure he’d only make a
flirtatious remark. She sent him a look that dared him