Summer Fling (5 page)

FUCK!
yelled
the devil in her ear.

“Oh dear,” she said mildly, “that’s
terrible.” Disappointed swept over her, and not just because of her interview.
The little shop with its polished kauri wood floors had a real old-fashioned,
classy boutique feel to it. And she adored the chocolate they sold there, even
though it needed someone to haul it into the twenty-first century. Damn it.
She’d been so excited at the thought of bringing some new ideas to the place.

“I know,” he said sadly. “I’m absolutely
gutted. My grandfather opened the shop back in the sixties. Then my mum ran it
for ages. It was her pride and joy. She died a couple of years ago, and I
promised her I’d continue to make it a success. I’ve failed her.” He went
quiet.

She suppressed her disappointment. This
meant more to him than a job opportunity. “Nick, I’m so sorry. I’m sure she’d
understand. The current economic climate has forced so many small businesses to
fold.”

“I don’t know. She was sharp when it came
to the money. I don’t have a head for figures. I rely on my accountant, but it
needs someone behind it who knows what they’re doing. I love the place. I’d do
anything to keep it, but sometimes you have to admit defeat, you know? I can’t
believe it’s going to close.” Defeat filled his voice.

“Couldn’t you find a buyer?”

“I doubt there’ll be anybody willing to
take on a failing business like this. As you said, the current economic climate
isn’t the best time to be self-employed.”

“No, I suppose not,” she said slowly.

“I’m sorry, Chloe.” He sounded sincere.
“You were the favorite for the job. I wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome. Anyway, I’ll see you
around, eh?”

“Sure. Bye Nick.” She hung up.

Stella had been listening. “Crap.”

“Yeah. Uber-crap.” Chloe dropped the phone
on the table and collapsed back onto the sofa. “I can’t believe it. I
so
wanted that job.”

“Oh, I know. What happened?”

She told her what Nick had said and
finished with, “So the shop’s going to close.”

“You never know, maybe a buyer will come in
last minute.” Stella grinned as she stood and collected the cups on the coffee
table. “Perhaps you should buy it. You probably know more about making
chocolate than anyone in New Zealand.” Laughing, she walked out into the
kitchen.

Chloe stared at the ceiling. Her heart
raced. She only tasted chocolate. She didn’t know the first thing about running
a business.

But that wasn’t strictly true. Before she’d
taken the job at the factory in Whangarei, she’d worked as an assistant to the
manager in a large restaurant. She’d helped with a lot of the aspects of the
business, so she had a good idea of what went on behind the scenes.

She couldn’t.

Could she?

Cocoa Heaven needed someone to care about
it, someone prepared to put time and effort into it, and it also needed an
injection of cash. Maybe she could fulfill the first two criteria, but she
didn’t have any money, not since Ethan had spent all her savings. Pain hit her
in the stomach like heartburn, but she refused to think about that now.

What about a business loan? She sat up, her
mind buzzing with new ideas. Could she buy into the business as a partner, or
would she have to buy him out completely? How much money would it take? Was it
even feasible?

Finding a new pad of paper, she started to
make notes, her heart continuing to pound. It wouldn’t be an easy option. She’d
never had a bank loan in her life. She’d always saved up if she wanted to buy
something. She hated borrowing money.

It’s a risk
,
whispered the angel.

She didn’t do risky.

And yet, she’d jumped out of a plane the
previous weekend, hadn’t she? Garth’s words crept into her mind. “You want to
be impulsive and spontaneous, deep down. You’re a thrill seeker, same as me.”
She still didn’t agree with him. She had no interest in being reckless. Icy
fear gripped her stomach at the thought that she might be turning into her
mother.

But this wasn’t about a cheap thrill,
throwing all caution to the wind to experience a high. This involved a
calculated risk—a business investment, not a gamble. Garth was wrong. He didn’t
know her at all. He’d just made a fleeting comment to a stranger he’d taken a
liking to.

She doodled on the pad. Okay, perhaps it
did involve a huge risk. But she loved the idea of running Cocoa Heaven. Having
her own chocolate shop would be a dream come true. So maybe she could take a
risk, just this once. It wouldn’t be the same as taking a risk in love. This
would be carried out with her head. She wouldn’t let her heart anywhere near
it.

For the next two days, Chloe worked on a
business plan. By Friday night, her head buzzed with figures, and she happily
agreed to go out with Stella for a drink.

“How’s it coming along?” Stella lifted her
face to the late evening sun as they walked along the seafront toward their
favorite bar. The bay was calm and glittered turquoise. On the beach, seagulls
clamored over someone’s leftover fish and chips.

“Good.” Chloe had briefed Stella on her
plan to buy out Cocoa Heaven. “I have an appointment with the bank for Monday.
I think I have all the details I need. I have no idea what I’m doing, but
that’s what the small business managers are there for, right? To give advice?”

“Sure. You really think it could work?”

Chloe had mused on little else since she
came up with the idea. Well, when she wasn’t musing on Garth Rowland. “It
might. I really want to give it a go, Stella. It’s just what I need. I’ve felt
lost for so long, and now I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to run my own
business, and I can’t think of anything better than a chocolate shop.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Equally, I don’t want to rush into
anything. That’s why I want to do it properly and make sure I take good advice.”

“I understand.” Stella had been Chloe’s
best friend for years, and she knew what an impact her mother had had on her
life. “It’s great to see you enthusiastic about something, though. For ages I
thought Ethan had damaged you for life.”

“Oh, he did, in some things. I’m not going
to find it easy to trust a man again.”

They crossed the road to the bar and wove
their way through the tables on the front patio to the darker interior.

Stella stopped so abruptly that Chloe
walked straight into her.

“Jeez, what did you do that for?” She
glanced past her friend and froze at the sight of Ethan Robins sitting at a
table to one side with a few mates. She gasped. “I don’t believe it.”

Stella turned to march her out the bar, but
Ethan had seen them. He rose and came over reluctantly, his face cautious. He
wore his smart work suit, although he’d removed his tie and looked as handsome
as ever. For the first time, though, she noticed his slicked-back hair and his
cheap aftershave, so coarse compared to Garth’s subtle scent. He smelled like a
used-car salesman. His eyes were too close together, and his lips curled in a
smile that bordered on a sneer. How could she ever have loved this guy?

“Hey,” he said. His voice held insolence
rather than the shame she would have expected.

She stood ramrod straight, stiff with
indignation. “Hi.”

“It’s good to see you.” He gave an
uncomfortable Stella a kiss on the cheek, then came forward to do the same to
Chloe, but she stepped back. His lips curved. “How have you been?”

“Fine, thank you.”

“Good.”

They stared at each other. Chloe’s heart
pounded and nausea rose in her throat. He lived and worked in Kaikohe, a half
hour’s drive away, and she’d not seen him in Paihia since they broke up. How
incredibly unfortunate to bump into him like this.

She should make polite conversation, ask
him what he’d been up to, but her tongue had stuck to the roof of her mouth and
her brain had gone blank. He glanced over at the table where he’d been sitting.
His mates nudged each other and laughed, and her cheeks grew hot. Had he told
them all about her? Including what a pushover she’d been?

Stella cleared her throat and glared at
Ethan. “Well, this is in no way awkward.” She glanced at Chloe. “Are you okay?”

Chloe gathered her wits. “Come on Stella.
I’ve changed my mind. I’d rather go home.”

Ethan tipped his head at her. Amusement lit
his eyes. “Something I said?”

Chloe’s hands curled into fists at her
side. He didn’t look embarrassed or remorseful. If anything, he looked smug.

Slap him,
screamed the devil.
Kick him in the balls. Tear his frickin’ head off.

Instead, however, she turned on her heel
and walked out.

Stella caught up with her as she marched
back along the seafront. “Chloe, wait.”

Chloe stopped and turned, not knowing
whether to scream or cry. “I can’t believe it. Of all the places…”

“Fucking bastard.” Stella glowed with fury.
“How dare he come to your town, to your favorite bar?”

All of sudden, Chloe’s anger faded, leaving
her limp with tiredness. “I don’t suppose he imagined I’d be there.”

“Even so…”

“It’s all right, Stella. I’m okay.”

Stella clenched her jaw. “You’re not, and
I’m tempted to go back in there and knock him on his ass.”

Chloe laughed at that. “What would I do
without you?”

“I have no idea.” Stella put her arms
around her and hugged her for a moment.

Resting her cheek on Stella’s shoulder,
Chloe looked out at the waves. “Can we go home now?”

Stella shook her head. “You need a drink
more than ever. Let’s go to 35 Degrees.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on. Imagine how much better you’ll
feel with a couple glasses of Sauvignon inside you.”

She let Stella bully her along the
seafront. Her stomach churned, but she made herself listen to the waves on the
sandy beach and the laughter of some teenagers as they messed around in the
surf. She couldn’t change Ethan or what he’d done to her. The only thing she
could change was her reaction to him. He had power over her because she gave it
to him. At the moment, she couldn’t shake the anguish that boiled in her
stomach every time she thought of him, but she hated feeling like that, and she
wanted to move on.

An image popped into her mind of a
brown-haired guy leaning forward to kiss her, his lips soft on hers. Maybe the
best way to get Ethan out of her head would be to start dating again.

Then she sighed. She’d blown it with Garth.
She’d been very clear in telling him anyone doing his kind of job held no
interest for her.

Well, there were other fish in the sea,
weren’t there? A gannet dived into the ocean and emerged with a snapper in its
beak. There you go. Surely there was someone out there for her?

Still, her mind lingered on Garth as they
walked along the grassy bank above the beach, the evening sun warming her
cheeks. “He’s single, gorgeous, and rich,” Stella had said
.
“What more
could you want?”

What more
do
you want?
asked the devil.

Chloe frowned, unsure. He was the first guy
she’d met since she split up with Ethan who sent a tingle from her head to
her…feet. Sure, he had a dangerous job, but she’d dated an investment banker
because she’d considered him safe, and look where that had got her.

She sighed, her gaze lingering on where the
setting sun had spread streaks of scarlet across the bay. She’d probably ruined
things with Garth. And did she really want the hassle of a new relationship
now? Maybe it would be better to concentrate on her business idea for a while.
Romance would only complicate matters.

“Two handles of Lion Red please,” Garth
said.

The bartender poured them and Garth paid,
then took the glasses over to where Mat sat looking out at the Pacific Ocean.

“Cheers.” Mat drank half his in one go.

“Steady on.” Garth sat down.

“I need it. It’s so hot today.”

“Yeah, true.” He took a long swig of the
golden ale. “I thought I was going to roast in the plane like a Christmas
turkey.”

Mat smiled. “I’m glad you came out tonight.
It does you good to get out of the house.”

Garth looked across the red-tinged sea to
the boats bobbing on the horizon. Mat liked to think he knew Garth better than Garth
did himself. Mat was certainly his closest friend, and the only person in the
Northland who understood what he’d been through in the past. But even Mat
didn’t know quite how much courage it took for him to leave the house most
days.

Just thinking about his home overlooking
the small coastal town of Opua relaxed him. Huge windows filled the whole front
of the house which gave the impression of being out in the open air, ensuring
that most of the time he didn’t suffer the claustrophobia that often claimed
him in normal houses, as if the walls were closing in on him.