How Sweet It Is (11 page)

“And do you come down like a ton of bricks
the morning after?”

She sighed. “Nothing so dramatic, though
she’s flaunting her health care responsibilities.”

“I’ve never met anyone as responsible as
you, Delphine. Don’t you ever want to be rash and spontaneous once
in a while? Do something just for the sheer fun of it?”

Though she couldn’t see him clearly in the
darkened room, she could hear the slightly mocking tone of his
voice. Indignation rose in her throat like bile. “Some of us don’t
have that luxury,” she snapped. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t
understand that.”

Brad leaned forward in the chair, bringing
his face into the light. “Whoa! I didn’t mean to upset you! I meant
if you had the choice, would you want to be rash and irresponsible
for a while?”

“Dwelling on what will never happen only
brings discontent.”

He rose from the chair and crossed to her
side. “I wouldn’t offend you for the world,” he said softly,
sitting down beside her. “I just worry about you, that’s all.”

Delphine leaned a little away from him. “I
don’t want you to worry about me.”

“Are you the only one who gets to worry
about others? You have to let someone else have a chance, too.”

“Did you want to come in tonight just to
tell me that?”

He shook his head, his hair pale in the
moonlight. “I just wanted a goodnight kiss. Is that allowable?”

Despite her annoyance at his words, Delphine
turned to him and rested her hand tentatively on his chest. Her
heart beat out an odd rhythm and her stomach felt as if she’d
toppled off a cliff.

This time, she decided not
to allow herself to become so completely abandoned the way she had
earlier in the evening.
Keep a cool, girl.
This guy knows what he’s doing
.

But Brad’s drugging kisses and strong arms
soon knocked that notion right out of her head.

Eight

Delphine arose the following morning at four
with a headache and a vague sense of depression.

She suspected it might have something to do
with the dream she’d had—a dream in which Brad had introduced her
to his new fiancée, a woman as fair-haired and as blue-eyed as
himself, who looked like a poster girl for tanning products.

Now that she realized the dream hadn’t been
real, she tried to shake off the dismal mood it had left behind.
She felt obscurely angry with Brad, mixed with embarrassment at her
reaction to his kisses. Her face flamed at the memory of her
quickly forgotten intentions.

The guy must’ve done more
than just surf at the beach
.

What did it all mean? Did he go around
kissing girls who he deemed available? There had been no mention of
affection or commitment, just a few stolen moments—which she craved
more of if she was truthful. She groaned, fearful that she might be
falling hard for a kind, if frivolous, beach bum with too much time
on his hands.

Delphine splashed cold water on her face from
the rusty spigot in the tiny bathroom. That water was like the cold
splash of reality, dashing any hopes that she might mean more to
Brad than a handy girl to take advantage of.

Attempting to stem the rising tide of gloom,
she raked the brush through her hair to put it up in a ponytail.
The brush caught on a snarl, sending shooting pain along her
scalp.

Pain. That’s what happens
when you open up, Delphine
.

****

After putting in a full day at the bakery,
Delphine’s boss called her into his office. She hung up her apron
and smoothed her hair before entering the little room at the back
of the bakery.

The office was crammed with a desk and
several chairs, all precariously heaped with stacks of notebooks
and paper, its chaos a marked contrast to the bleak organization of
the rest of the bakery.

Delphine had a foreboding feeling when the
owner of the bakery swiveled around on his office chair and pinned
her with a steady look.

Contrary to stereotype, her boss was a rail
thin man with a dour, humorless expression on his face. “Miss
D’Arleux,” he said in his dry voice. “I regret to inform you that I
must let you go. Finances have been strained recently due to a drop
off in business and my wife will be taking over your shift until we
see a change for the better. I’m very sorry…” His voice trailed
away.

Delphine felt as if she’d been struck. She
struggled to keep her voice steady as the full import of his words
filled her. With each beat of her heart, she thought of individual
bills yet unpaid. But if she was allowed one more week to work, she
just might be able to squeak by. “I…I understand, Mr. Reed.” She
clasped her hands together. “Um, when is my last day?”

“Today. I’ll mail your final paycheck
out.”

Delphine bit her lip to stop
from crying out.
It can’t be!
That meant she would have to dip into the loan
money to pay her private bills, which would reduce the amount
available to start the business.

She considered begging for more time, but her
boss maintained an implacable expression that drained her of all
hope.

She gave him a stiff nod, and like a
sleepwalker, left the bakery.

****

Delphine felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She slowly opened her eyes to find her mother staring down at her.
How long had she been asleep? It felt like only moments ago she’d
decided to take a quick nap after work.

“Wake up,
ma chérie
, your young man
is here.”

Delphine struggled to a sitting position and
put a hand to her head. “What time is it?”

“Four-thirty.”

She gave her mother a weak smile. “Tell Brad
I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

Once her mother left the room, Delphine’s
smile faded. She rubbed her eyes and swung her legs out of the bed.
So it wasn’t a nightmare. How could she finish out this day?
Delphine still couldn’t believe she’d been downsized. Let go.

Fired.

Although she’d planned to quit in a few weeks
anyway, she was now out needed wages. Delphine hated the idea of
dipping into the rapidly dwindling loan money to get by until her
shop opened, but had no choice unless she could get another
job…that lasted two or three weeks. Who’d want to hire someone for
such a short time?

Once again, Delphine experienced an impotent
surge of anger at the grip money held over her life.

The nap hadn’t helped restore her energy and
her limbs felt leaden. After coming home from the bakery, she’d
attempted escape in sleep. To make matters worse, she’d had another
dream. In this one, Brad and his blonde wife had brought over their
equally blonde child for her to babysit while they went on a
romantic weekend getaway.

Frowning, she looked in her mirror to check
her appearance. Shadows under her eyes and a wan cast to her
complexion told of too little sleep and too much worry.

She let out a sigh and quickly brushed her
hair, noticing it still felt damp from her shower after work. She
decided to change into a pretty lavender sundress embroidered with
a darker shade of purple thread in hopes of improving her mood.
Slipping on a pair of leather sandals and smoothing down the front
of her dress, she entered the living room.

Her heart gave a traitorous
lurch when she saw Brad. He looked so handsome, especially the way
he smiled when he saw her. He wore a blue shirt that exactly
matched his eyes, along with khaki shorts and rafting sandals. She
narrowed her eyes slightly, checking his left hand for any sign of
a ring.
Stupid dream!

Her mother stepped toward her. “My dear,
tonight let us eat together before you two run off and work on that
shop.”

For the first time, Delphine noticed the
redolent aroma of her mother’s cooking.

Brad spoke up. “Your mom tells me she’s been
working on dinner all afternoon.”

Delphine saw the mute appeal in his eyes. She
relaxed a little. Brad was still unmarried since the last time
she’d seen him, despite her dream, and if it took chocolate and
French cooking to keep him by her side, she wanted to enjoy his
company.

She glanced around the small
room. “And where is
Papa?
”

“He’s not feeling well and is resting.” She
raised her hand as Delphine turned toward his bedroom. “Stay here,
Delphine. I assure you I have just checked on him. He’s only
feeling a trifle under the weather.”

Her mother waved her into the kitchen. Brad
was close behind. As she entered the kitchen, Delphine made a
mental note to check on him after dinner.

In the kitchen she was surprised to find the
humble dinette table adorned with a pretty lace tablecloth and
candles.

“
Maman
, you have outdone
yourself!”

Her mother gave a complacent
smile. “Be seated
mes
enfants
, and I will serve you
directly.”

After Brad pulled out a chair for her, he sat
at the table, rubbing his hands together. Delphine had to smile at
his anticipation.

The dinner was wonderful.
Despite tight finances, her mother had managed well. They dined
on
Langue de boeuf
sauce
ravigote
with a colorful salad and fresh-baked country French bread.
After dinner, once the plates were cleared away, Clarice placed a
large chocolate raspberry torte in the middle of the table. Brad’s
eyes widened with obvious relish.

When she sliced the torte and put a piece on
a plate for Brad, Delphine took a deep breath. “None for me, thank
you.”

Her mother looked surprise.
“But,
ma cherié
,
this is one of your favorites. I made it for you especially.” She
placed a plate in front of Delphine.

Delphine sensed Brad’s shocked gaze upon her.
How could she explain? She didn’t want to make her mother feel left
out since she wasn’t supposed to have sweets. To her dismay, she
watched her mother slice a piece for herself and begin eating
it.

“
Maman
,” she said in a low voice.
“Please.”

The older woman looked back at her with a
smile. “Do eat yours. It’s delicious.”

“It’s incredible,” Brad said in reverent
tones.

She pinned her mother with a
steady look. “You force me to point out,
Maman
, that your diet forbids you from
having so much sugar.”

“Once in a while is not a crime, I
think.”

“I find candy wrappers in your room almost
every night when I come home!”

Clarice paled. “It is your father’s…”

Delphine scrunched her hands
into balls. “How dare you,
Maman!
You know as well as I
Papa
doesn’t enjoy sweets. Please put
down your fork!”

The clatter of a fork hitting china startled
Delphine. She looked over to see that Brad had dropped his fork, a
guilty flush on his face and chocolate smudges around his mouth.
He’d managed to demolish his entire piece of cake in mere
seconds.

“I didn’t mean you,” she said, striving to
reign in her mounting temper.

“You refine upon it too much, Delphine,” her
mother said in a chastising tone. “A slice of cake will not kill
me.”

“But what if it does?”
Delphine cried. “Don’t you
care?
” Tears welled up in her eyes and
spilled down her cheeks in hot rivers. She pressed her hands
against her mouth to stop more harsh words from being
spoken.

Brad jumped from his seat and knelt down next
to her, touching her on the back and murmuring comforting words.
Once the tears started, Delphine found she couldn’t control them.
Brad’s presence only made things worse. She knew she’d behaved
badly in front of him, but added to concern for her parents, the
loss of her job, and worry over the business sent her over the
edge.

Clarice pushed her plate away. “I’m afraid I
am a sore trial to my dutiful daughter. She needs someone to care
for her the way my Leone cares for me.”

Delphine looked up, seeing
only a blurred vision of her mother. “How can you say that?
I
care for you,
Maman! I
pay the
bills!”

She pushed back from the table and rushed
into her room. Collapsing onto the edge of her bed, she wept,
pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes in an attempt to
stanch the flood. It was several minutes before she could quell the
shuddering sobs.

Delphine felt rather than saw Brad enter her
room. He hovered just inside the door.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said with
obvious discomfort.

“You’re not bothering me,” she said when she
could catch her breath. She gazed up at him, amazed at how her
feelings for him had gone from one extreme to another.

He sat down beside her and took one of her
hands in his. His grip was strong and warm. “Are you okay? Is there
anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head, reveling in his touch,
swallowing back the overwhelming urge to confess all. She needed to
present him with something more than problems for once.

“Do you want to scrub plans to go to the
shop tonight? I understand if you’d like to stay home and
rest.”

Despite a crashing desire to go straight to
bed, her unemployment status had changed her plans. “I need to go,”
she said between hiccups. “I’m sorry for my behavior—”

“Shh. Don’t worry. That was nothing compared
to some of the fights my sisters and brother got in. Pretty tame,
in fact.”