Candy Store

twelve-year-old niece would show up already. She had asked Ellen to help them sell candy as a buffer. Being alone with Derek was harder than she had ever thought it would be. And she had thought that it was going to be pretty hard.
    He was so dark and tall and gorgeous, her breath caught in her chest every time she looked at him.
    She wanted to drag him behind a tree and pull him down onto the fresh snow with her.
    But it didn’t matter what Callie wanted. Simply put, the facts were not in her favor.
    Fact: He was her hired consultant. It would be morally wrong for her to engage in sexual acts with one of her employees. Under no circumstances did she want him to feel that he had to sleep with her or else she’d bad mouth him in the candy industry.
    Fact: Given the fact that he hadn't come near her since Monday when she given herself to him on the stainless steel counter top in her store's kitchen, she'd had to face the painful truth that he wasn’t the least bit interested in her anymore. Which meant the high and mighty morals she was desperately trying to cling to didn’t matter for much at all.
    Even his phone calls had been oh-so-brief, as if he could hardly stand to talk to her again. Every time she thought about the way she had stuck her tongue down his throat in her store, with absolutely no provocation on his part, when she remembered the way she had stripped off her clothes and begged him to touch her, Callie felt more and more embarrassed.
    “Aunt Callie, I’m here.”
    Callie spun around and hugged her little teenage salvation a little too hard.
    “Ouch.”
    “Sorry, honey. I’m just so glad to see you.”
    Ellen raised an eyebrow, looking far older than thirteen. “Yeah. Whatever. Hey,” she said, elbowing Callie in the ribs, “who’s the guy? Your new boyfriend?”
    Callie turned a hundred shades of pink. “No,” she insisted, but Derek was already making the introductions.
    “I’m Derek,” he said, as he reached out his hand to shake Ellen’s. “I’ve been working with Callie on her business. I’m a candy company consultant.”
    Ellen smiled and then looked back at Callie. “That’s cool. I’m Ellen.”
    Callie thought she was off the hook, but then Ellen added, “I thought you were her new boyfriend or something, ‘cause she always goes for guys who look like you.”
    Derek grinned and trapped Callie with his hot gaze before turning back to Ellen for more information.
    “So Callie likes guys who look like me, huh?”
    Ellen shrugged. “Big. Brown hair. Lots of muscles. They usually treat her like dirt, though, so I guess it’s a good thing you aren’t her boyfriend after all.”
    Not realizing that she’d said anything out of line at all, Ellen turned to Callie, “So, what do you need me to do?”
    Callie was having trouble keeping on her feet at that moment, so she certainly couldn’t open up her mouth to reply.
    Derek, bless his sinfully gorgeous heart, stepped in and saved her.
    “We need your help selling candy and hot cocoa. Make sure that you tell everyone who buys something about the web site and hand them one of Callie’s cards.”
    Ellen nodded. “That sounds easy.” She looked up and saw the web site address on the banner. “When did you get a web site, Callie? I’ll check it out when I get home. You’re practically gonna be famous now.”
    But Ellen’s earlier words wouldn't stop playing in her head. They usually treat her like dirt, so I guess it’s a good thing you aren’t her boyfriend after all.
    Was she really that bad at choosing men?
    The doors to the rink opened and within a matter of minutes, Callie, Derek and Ellen were swarmed with skaters. People started with the hot chocolate, but after they exclaimed with rapture over the exotic flavor of Callie’s cocoa and inquired about purchasing the mix to take home, people turned to truffles and toffee and taffy.
    Derek made several trips to Callie’s car as their boxes of backup supplies quickly disappeared. Between bites of candy and sips of cocoa, Callie heard snippets of conversation.
    “Did you know that she has a web site?”
    “I’m going to tell all of my friends out in California about her.”
    “This is the best truffle I’ve ever had. I wonder if she does gift baskets?”
    Between sales Callie stole glances at Derek. Her breath went as she watched him joke with the customers. He was so warm and engaging, he had everyone eating out of his hands.
    He had most certainly earned his