Mary Baxter - Tempting Janey

“Why is that?”

“It wasn’t the right kind.”

“I have no problem taking it back, as long as you didn’t open it.”

Penny gave her an incredulous look, then snapped, “Of course I opened it. I ate a bite, too. That’s how I knew I’d bought the wrong kind and that I didn’t like it.”

Janey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dealing with the public could be a nightmare. But, on the other hand, it could also be a hoot. She never knew what a day would bring. However, a few customers like this one made her want to put a permanent Closed sign on the door.

“Penny, you know I can’t return your money under those circumstances.” Janey’s tone was firm but gentle.

Penny’s lips tightened. “Well, I don’t see why not. You’re supposed to stand behind your product.”

“And I do. If the candy itself was bad, then there wouldn’t be any question, but—”

“Forget it!” Penny grabbed her sack and headed for the door.

Just as she flounced out, another lady walked in.

“Oh, boy, this is going to be one of those days,” Janey muttered.

Hazel Bishop, her part-time helper, gave Janey a perplexed look. “What was that all about?”

“I’ll tell you, but you won’t believe it.”

“When it comes to the public, honey, I’ll believe anything. I’ve worked in retail longer than I care to admit.”

It was that expertise that had landed Hazel the job in the shop. Besides that, she was a neat lady. Though gray haired and round as a silver dollar, she never seemed to run out of energy. She was a widow in her early sixties who needed a little extra cash to supplement her income. When she’d applied, Janey had known instantly that she was the right one.

Janey hadn’t been wrong.

“So tell me,” Hazel said into the silence. “I can’t wait to hear.”

When Janey explained what had happened, Hazel merely shook her head. “This world has more nuts in it than this candy shop.”

Janey laughed out loud. “I doubt that particular nut will ever come back.”

“Ah, forget her. The likes of her are not worth worrying about. Besides, we have too much work to do.”

And work they did. While Janey ran the front, Hazel unpacked several cartons of candy in the back room, then filed the invoices.

The day passed without further incidents. However, Janey couldn’t say that it had been a lucrative one. Business was slow all the way to closing time.

After sending Hazel home, she was about to lock up when another car drove up. It was her old friend Gwen Hopson.

“Get in here, lady,” Janey said, giving her an enthusiastic hug.

It seemed as if she’d always known Gwen, although they hadn’t spent much time together since her return. She couldn’t have made it through her divorce without the woman. Divorced herself, Gwen had managed to cross that minefield with surprisingly few wounds. But then, she hadn’t had children.

Gwen was short and thin with dark hair. And while she wasn’t pretty in the conventional sense, she had an infectious personality and grin. She was a social worker for the local hospital, a job to which she was perfectly suited.

“I’m not even going to come in,” Gwen said, standing just outside the door.

“Pray tell, why not?”

“I want to avoid temptation, but I heard something at work today I thought you ought to know about.”

Janey frowned. “Bad news?”

“Well, it could be—let me put it that way.”

“Shoot,” Janey said.

“Word has it that a candy store’s opening in the mall.”

“Oh, no,” Janey cried, feeling her spirits take a nosedive.

“Now, don’t push the panic button yet,” Gwen advised. “You know how rumors are.”

“Don’t I ever,” Janey said bitterly.

“Hey, don’t let it get you down. If it happens, just consider it another bump in the road that you have to get past.”

“But I’m getting awfully tired of those bumps, my friend.”

Gwen gave her a hug, then said, “I know. Look, I gotta run now. I’ll call you.”

Thirty minutes later, Janey was upstairs in her bathtub, surrounded by lavender-scented bubbles. But she couldn’t relax, despite the tranquil atmosphere. Her insides were wound tighter than a spool of wire.

What next?

Since she had moved back, her life had been anything but easy. If Gwen’s news turned out to be fact rather than rumor, then she was in trouble. As it was, Sweet Dreams was barely turning a profit. If it hadn’t been for Robin’s child support, she would be dipping into her sparse savings. And if business didn’t pick up, she would soon have to do that, anyway, because Robin’s child support would stop when she turned eighteen.

Still, Janey was determined to count her blessings and not her disasters. Robin was well-adjusted in school, making good grades and having a ball to boot. As long as that was the case, Janey could continue to tread her troubled waters and survive.

Thinking of Robin and school suddenly brought Dillon Reed back to mind. While idly scooping a handful of bubbles, Janey admitted to herself that his lean, hard body as he’d strolled into the shop that day had caught her attention.

And seeing him again at the restaurant had apparently kept it, she realized now, recalling how he’d looked and smelled. Suddenly Janey fought the urge to sink her head under the water to cleanse her mind of such craziness.

Thinking about Dillon Reed in those terms could turn into a real problem—a problem she didn’t need.

“Okay, what do you think?”

Janey angled her head. “Mmm, let’s see.”

“Mom! You’re supposed to tell me I look smashing.”

“Okay, you look smashing.”

“But you’re supposed to mean it.”

The teasing glint in Janey’s eyes increased. “Oh, honey, you look better than smashing. You look breathtaking.”

Robin blew out a breath. “I just hope Chad thinks so.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. This is just a date to get a cola, a date that I should have said no to. Even now, I can’t believe I didn’t.”

“That’s because you’re a good mom.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Janey said with mock severity.

As a rule, Robin never went out on school nights unless it was to a school function. But when Chad had asked her out yesterday for tonight and Robin had begged to go, Janey had caved in.

“So mind you, young lady, this is an exception. Don’t let midweek dates become habit-forming. School before play.”

“Speaking of school, have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“About the break-in. Two guys practically destroyed the chemistry lab the other week.”

“Oh, dear, I hadn’t heard. Do you think they were on drugs?”

Robin lifted her shoulders. “Who knows? But I’m here to tell you that Dil—uh, Mr. Reed was hopping mad.”

“I’m sure he was.”

Robin faced the mirror again and fiddled with a piece of hair. “And since then, he and the assistant principal have been stalking the halls.”

Janey sighed. “It’s getting to where I’m afraid to even let you go to school.”

Robin rolled her eyes, her trademark gesture when things weren’t to her liking.

Just then, the doorbell chimed. Robin’s hand flew to her heart. “Oh, my God, he’s here. Are you sure I look all right?”

Janey hid a smile, then shook her head. “Calm down or you’re going to hyperventilate.”

“I’m calm. I’m calm.”

The instant Janey opened the door and Chad Burnette walked through it, something about the young man put Janey on the defensive.

As Robin had said, he was good-looking—model material, endowed with a body made to play any sport. And he was polite, too, extending his hand to Janey immediately and saying that he was pleased to meet her.