Licorice Whips (3 page)

“Everything all right, boss?” Hanson asked without taking his attention away from the customer.

“Fine. Just me and my brother having one of our discussions.” Sweet scanned the area behind the counter and spotted a shipping box filled with large, heart-shaped red boxes of chocolates. He pulled one from the box.

The pre-packaged boxes of chocolates and candies had been Masaun’s idea. Sweet sold some of his creations in the store, but he could only produce so much in a day before customers bought out the stock. If he could clone himself, he would.

“Connie and I were about to stock those but it got busy.” Hanson handed the customer her purchases and her change.

Sweet glared at his employee. First he couldn’t get his brother around to his way of thinking, and now his employees developed minds of their own.

When Hanson caught the look, he stopped moving. “I’ll get them stocked right now.” He started to call for Connie but Sweet stopped him.

“I’ll take care of it.” Sweet swept the box off the counter and moved to the middle aisle.

As he crouched down, Sweet’s thoughts tumbled through his head. He knew this business venture would work, just like he knew Decadent Treats would be a hit. 

Masaun may not have believed in him, but that didn’t mean Sweet didn’t believe in himself. He had a goal. He thought his brother would have appreciated his willingness to expand their business. Even if he didn’t, that didn’t mean Sweet had to stop. He hadn’t forgotten he owned a portion of this business and had a voice.

“Uh oh,” Connie, the other Decadent Treats employee, said next to Sweet. The older woman covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

Sweet glanced at the woman as he stood. “What?”

“She’s back.” She nodded her head to the front of the store. “The lone protester.”

Sweet stared out through the front glass of the store and saw a woman handing out fliers to people walking by, and talking to patrons as they entered the store. He had heard about her from Masaun but hadn’t seen her yet. In the glare of the noonday sun reflecting off the glass, he couldn’t see her face. That would be rectified right now.

When the front door opened, Sweet heard a portion of the woman’s speech.

“...leading cause of diabetes and childhood obesity.”

Then the door closed and he couldn’t hear her. Sweet heard his heart pounding in his head. The crackling of his grinding teeth rumbled through his ears.

“This woman acts like we’re cooking puppies and kittens in here.” Connie almost raised her delicate voice. She didn’t get rattled easily. If this person could get his employee riled up, he had to check her out.

Connie crossed her arms over her chest. “Where does she get off protesting a place like this? At least she’s smart enough not to step one foot in here.” She shook her head. “Your brother said if she shows up again for us to call the police.” She turned on her heel and headed to the register counter.

“Don’t bother. I’ll handle this.” He pointed to the box on the floor. “Finish stocking up here.” Sweet marched to the front door.

His brother tried squashing his dreams. This woman wouldn’t do the same. He tried going the easy route by convincing Masaun he could make this idea work. Just like everything else, Sweet would have to do things his way.

Chapter Two

Nikla Dearwood paced back and forth in front of Decadent Treats. She could barely look at the pink, blue, and white neon sign advertising the establishment. With each step, she felt stronger and more confident that being there and stating her case would potentially help someone.

As a couple of women walked toward the store, Nikla held up one of her bright yellow forms that pinpointed the issues of eating too much candy and sweets.

“Ladies, look at the stats on what places like this can do to you and your loved ones.”

One woman snickered. “Are you kidding? You must be at the house that gets covered in toilet paper during Halloween.” She opened the door. “Tutor kids. Help homeless people. Get out of my face with that.”

Nikla hoped she hid her disappointment under her forced smile. Withstanding this embarrassment would be worth it in the end.

The two women walked inside just as a tall man strolled outside. With his shape, no way could he eat anything this place had to offer. Men with flat stomachs, long, muscular arms, and broad shoulders like this guy would turn their noses up at unhealthy snacks like what this store offered. This man probably went into this place to get his girlfriend, wife or, possibly, boyfriend a box of chocolates.

Nikla sighed at the thought that she had never received the clichéd gift—not for Valentine’s Day, not for her birthday, and she hadn’t been with a man long enough to celebrate an anniversary.

Before she could continue to bemoan her past, Nikla noticed the intense man’s Decadent Treats t-shirt. Great. He would be out there to try and run her off like the other employees had done the few times she’d been there. From the sour look on his face, he must have been chosen because they thought he would strike the most fear in her. No chance. Growing up with Lieutenant General Lawrence Dearwood, she had to learn to toughen up.

For her actions now, Nikla knew her rights. This scrooge had better not put his hands on her.

When she actually looked him over, she thought about amending her last thought. Besides being tall, he had shaggy brown hair that would have been great to run fingers through, or even grab during sex.

Sex. She had to push that thought out of her head, especially since she had her man. When she glanced at this enemy in his face, she made the mistake of looking into his hypnotic green eyes. She remained transfixed to the stare until she had to look away.

Nikla chalked up her newly-accelerated heartbeat to how she felt about her impassioned speeches she gave to the people she encountered outside of the store. If she kept her breathing even and her mind clear, she wouldn’t get afflicted with one of her attacks.

Nikla gave her flier to a woman walking by with a small boy.

“You can’t be here.”

The deep voice rumbled over her. Nikla trembled a little when she heard him speak but managed to compose herself quickly. When she directed her attention back to him, she noticed him standing strong with his fists to his hips. His tanned arms looked good enough to caress.

Nikla approached him. She held out a flier to him. “Do you know what eating large amounts of sweets will do to your body?”

After an uncomfortable silence, the man accepted her literature that she’d researched and had written on her own. She’d left a copy for her father to read. Whether he did or not, she didn’t know. She just hoped.

“Do you know that this place affords me my living as well as some other people?” He scanned over the information then crossed his arms.

She cleared her throat. “There are other jobs out there.”

“What would you know about work?” He snarled. “What? Did you stop on your way to some afternoon Pilates class? You dropped off your little foo-foo dog at the groomers and passing out these little leaflets is your way to feel like you’re making a positive change in someone’s life?”

Nikla felt the heat climbing up her body to her face. She balled her hands into fists, crunching the remaining fliers. “You don’t know me. You know nothing about me.”

“And you don’t know what this place means to me. I will defend it and the people in it with every breath in my body.”

His passion showed through his eyes. His breathing, though, remained even. Nikla admired his control. She had a goal, too. Some employee wouldn’t stop her.

“I’m on a public sidewalk. I can be here and pass out my fliers without being harassed by you or anyone else.” In her flip flops, she balled her toes.

“I’m not saying what you’re doing is illegal.” The man took a couple of steps toward her.

Nikla remained in her spot, determined not to buckle.

“What you’re doing is futile. You act as though keeping our customers away is going to solve–” He glanced at the paper. “—childhood obesity in all of Virginia. I mean, it’s great that you think this little store has that much power and influence.”

Nikla wanted to ignore him. Between looking at his eyes and his large hands, and listening to the deep timbre of his voice, she couldn’t break away from his command.

Then again, he worked in the type of place that, as a teenager, she wanted to visit frequently.

Even in October, the unseasonably mild weather felt good considering she wore her yoga pants, sports bra, and wraparound ballet sweater. The longer she stared at him, the more she felt her hardening nipples brushing roughly against her bra.

Damn. What was wrong with her? This was the enemy.

A man started to go into the store until Nikla handed him her paper. The customer glanced at it, looked at her, smiled, then walked away.

The fact that she stopped one person from going into the establishment lifted her spirits. She turned to the Decadent Treats employee. “If I can stop one person, I can call this a success.”

“You spoiled drama queen.” The man stormed back into the store.

“Spoiled?” she screamed after him. “I. Am. Not. Spoiled.” Considering she stood in front of a large candy store that looked like a gingerbread house and had on her workout gear, she would leave out that she did resemble a drama queen right now.

Nikla felt victorious in her fight. Not only had she gotten out her message, but she even made a Decadent Treats employee retreat.

She glanced at her watch. As much as she enjoyed her small victory, she would have to get going to work.

She started to turn when she heard the store door opening again. When she returned her gaze to that area, she saw the employee coming back out this time with a heart-shaped box of chocolates in his hand.

As much as she didn’t want to, as soon as Nikla saw this gorgeous man carrying a box of chocolates, her heart fluttered. From his grimace, she knew he wouldn’t be giving her a treat out of the kindness of his heart.

“Here. Have a heart.” He handed her the candies. “Come back here again, and I’ll be back out here with you. You’re not going to destroy this business.”

Nikla held onto the box but couldn’t take her stare off the man.

“Now go pick up Miss Tinkerbelle or Lulu or whatever you call your little powder puff of a dog and let the people who want to work do just that.” He turned his back on her and strolled back into the store.

Determined not to let him have the last word, Nikla approached the door. As she held her hand over the handle, she stopped. Until she looked at her hand, she didn’t notice that she’d been shaking.

Nikla struggled to catch her breath.

Stop it. Breathe, damn it. Breathe.

Nikla recognized her unstable body reaction and tried arresting her out-of-control breathing quick enough before it disabled her. She wanted to chalk up the response to her simmering anger. The whole idea of her going into this place scared her to her core, so much so that she pounded her fist against the door to get the man’s attention.

Through the glass, she saw him turning around along with other customers milling around in the colorful place. When she connected to his stare, she held up the box then dropped it to her feet.

She smiled—or rather smirked—back at him as she turned around and headed to her car. For the past few weeks, she’d been coming to this store and trying to get people to stop shopping there, an impossible feat considering with Halloween approaching. She wouldn’t give up. Hopefully her father would see that and be proud.

Nikla jumped into her car and locked the doors in case some other overzealous employee decided to confront her. Her cell phone played the opening of Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke.”

Nikla answered the call. “Hi, Dad.”

“What are you doing?”

Nikla sighed. “I’m fine. How are you doing?”

“Don’t get cute.” The former Marine’s voice shot through the phone.

Sarcasm equaled insubordination to Lawrence Dearwood.

Nikla found herself getting more direct with her father. He hoped he would have respected her need to have a backbone.

“Are you home?”

Nikla closed her eyes and said a curse in her head. “No. Right now I’m sitting in front of a candy store and passing out fliers to get people to stop going.”

Her father said nothing, a first for the normally outspoken military man.

To fill in the void, Nikla kept talking. “Now I’m on my way to work.”

This time her father released an audible sigh. “If you worked with me, you and I could be together more.”

Although she loved her father, and she had gotten used to his brand of tough love, she couldn’t imagine working side by side with him every day. The fact that her father could be a tough taskmaster had nothing to do with her decision.

If he wanted Nikla there because he wanted that bonding relationship with her, she would want to work with her father. She knew he had other reasons for keeping an eye on her.

“You know the old saying, Dad. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Nikla started her car.

“Are you at least coming over for dinner?” Desperation, a foreign tone from her father, laced his voice.

Nikla’s heart ached, but she knew what being around him would do to her spirits. She would support her dad in any way she could. She didn’t know if she could hold her ground with him.

“Can I get a rain check?” Nikla clicked her seatbelt then checked her mirrors before pulling out of her spot.

She brought her gaze down and looked directly into the Decadent Treats store. Nikla spotted the employee she’d had a confrontation with moments ago staring at her. She believed him when he said that each day she protested he would be out there with her. A part of her looked forward to the fight.

“Tell me a day you’ll be by the house. Unless I pin you down on a date and time, I’ll never see you.” Lawrence cleared his throat.

“Dad, you know that’s not true. I’ve just been busy with work and everything. But you know I always have your back. I’m always supporting you.” She hoped he understood and believed that.