The Chocolatier's Secret (Magnolia Creek, Book 2) (27 page)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Andrew

At the hospital Andrew had been declared fighting fit and ready for the transplant, which would be scheduled as soon as possible. But right now he had the order to fill for Good Friday. He’d already made the ten thousand mini chocolate eggs, all wrapped in different coloured foils – pinks, purples, silvers, gold. He’d avoided wrapping any in green, figuring he’d give the kids and any adults helping them at least a fighting chance in finding them in the lush green grounds of Magnolia House. The mini eggs were boxed up and ready to go, but now he needed to make the huge milk chocolate egg and the individual chocolate bunnies to go inside.

He took down the moulds for the bunnies – this variety of chocolate was sold in the shop anyway, so he’d make six of each for this prize: six white, six dark, six milk. He’d wrap each, again in multicoloured foil, and before he used melted chocolate to secure each half of the giant egg together to look like a whole item, he’d fill it with the wrapped bunnies.

He checked the thermostat in the kitchen at the shop. Perfect. The autumn rain had cooled temperatures but not so much they needed the heat on, just enough to work at the room’s natural temperature today. Starting with the dark chocolate tempering machine, Andrew filled the mould, moving it from side to side until rich, thick, glossy chocolate filled every space.

Andrew had been over to see Louis after Molly left the house yesterday and he’d told him about his change of heart. At first Louis had protested and told Andrew he wouldn’t take the kidney. Stubborn old goat. But Andrew had placated him with talk of Molly, telling him the feelings he’d had since she’d come into his life. Feelings which, up until now, he’d kept closely guarded. Andrew knew he needed to learn how to forgive. He wasn’t sure it came naturally to anyone, but he didn’t want to give a kidney to appease any guilt he’d feel if his father died, he wanted to give him the kidney for the right reasons. And to do that he needed to talk to his father and see the good in him, not just the bad.

When Andrew knocked on the door of the annexe yesterday, Louis had taken a while to answer. Molly had told him his dad was sleeping, but he’d given him a few hours before he’d come over. It’d given him time to collect himself.

Louis stepped back. ‘Come in,’ he’d said softly, and shut the door behind his son.

‘How are you feeling?’ Andrew ran a hand through his hair to rid it of the fine rain that still hung in the air outside.

‘I slept for a while,’ Louis said matter-of-factly and walked through to the lounge. ‘I feel better now.’

It took his dad longer to sit in his favourite chair than usual.

‘Did you have a good chat with Molly?’ Andrew asked when Louis was safely in the chair. He hadn’t offered his help, the determination on his dad’s face warning him off, as though he didn’t want to put Andrew to any more trouble than he already had.

Louis’ face thawed. Whatever he’d worried about, whatever he’d thought Andrew was about to say, he seemed glad at what he’d heard. ‘She’s a lovely girl. A really lovely girl.’

Andrew smiled. ‘I know.’

‘She’s like Julia.’ Again, when Louis mentioned Julia’s name it was as though he were waiting for a specific reaction, a launch into the same slanging match they’d had days ago.

‘She is,’ said Andrew.

‘And to think—’

‘Dad, enough.’

‘Enough?’ When Louis looked across at his son, it was as though they’d switched roles. It was as though this old man, shorter in stature than Andrew, was the child and Andrew was the grown-up following the right way to do things, educating the other.

‘I didn’t come here to fight, Dad.’

Louis’ legs shuffled restlessly, and his face contorted.

‘You okay?’

‘I’m fine, a bit of pins and needles, that’s all.’ He looked more squarely at his son. ‘Why did you come?’

‘I came to tell you …’ Could he really use the word forgive? ‘I came to tell you I understand why you did what you did back then, why you lied. I’m not saying it was right, but I can see how you felt you had no choice.’

Neither of them said anything and the silence stretched into five, ten minutes. Andrew wondered whether Louis was waiting for him to say the word ‘forgive’ but he wasn’t there yet. He hoped in time he would be. Molly had forgiven both him and Julia for creating a life and signing that life over to someone else, albeit unwittingly on his part; Gemma had forgiven him for not telling her about Julia and the baby they’d made together. Forgiveness was one of the most powerful emotions he knew, and Andrew would do his damnedest to get there, eventually.

‘I’ve phoned the doctors.’ Andrew broke the silence, shuffling one seat closer to his dad and watching for his reaction. He saw shock, regret even. ‘I told them I’m willing to go ahead with the live transplant. I’ll need to have the necessary checks again, and we’ll find out more tomorrow when I take you for your dialysis.’

Louis eyes filled with tears. But he didn’t let them spill over. He was still the father, Andrew was still the son. ‘I can’t let you do it.’

‘What?’

Louis shook his head. ‘I don’t deserve it, son.’

‘I should never have pulled out in the first place.’

‘Yes, you should. I did something so dreadfully, dreadfully wrong. And I’m sorry.’

‘I know you are, Dad.’ Andrew’s voice caught. ‘But don’t refuse me this. I want to help.’

They both sat in stunned silence for a few minutes until Andrew pulled out a packet of playing cards from the bureau at the side of the lounge and challenged Louis to a good old-fashioned game of poker. Shuffling blue slippers or not, the man was a master at the game and beat him every time, and many an evening in his teenage years had been spent bonding with his father over a few games.

‘Loser gets to forfeit a kidney,’ said Andrew, and locked eyes with his dad.

All Louis did was nod, and he picked up the playing cards, shuffled them and dealt, ready to go again.

Of course, today was no different. Louis beat him quickly and efficiently.

Now, at the chocolaterie, Andrew smiled as he rested the final bunny mould on the vibrating plate over the tempering machine and watched the milk chocolate settle perfectly. He set them aside to cool as Stephanie called through to the kitchen to say they needed more dark chocolate bunnies for the shop. Apparently they were selling like nobody’s business out there.

‘Knock, knock.’ It was Gemma this time, a big smile on her face. ‘Can we come in?’

Andrew wiped a couple of moulds clean and noticed his father behind Gemma. ‘Pull up those chairs.’ He gestured to the corner, strangely nervous with all eyes on him. ‘I’m under the pump so I’ll keep going if you don’t mind. Lunch hour?’ He looked to Gemma.

‘Yup. I walked home to check on Louis and we thought we’d come and say hello.’

He smiled. He knew exactly what she was up to. Even though he’d already worked this through with Louis, Gemma needed to see it with her own eyes.

Gemma brought the chairs over and unstacked them, positioning one for Louis and one for herself, and then she grabbed two requisite blue hairnets to match Andrew’s, one for her, one for Louis, and they sat and watched.

‘I miss the smell as much as the taste.’ Louis inhaled the sweet air all around them, the life of a chocolatier, which had surrounded him for more than forty years before he’d retired.

Andrew worked well under pressure, but he was suddenly aware of his audience. Louis never criticised or picked fault, he knew his son was more than capable, but they were only just finding their footing after the fallout, and it made Andrew nervous.

He worked and chatted simultaneously with Gemma and Louis. They laughed about the ten thousand eggs Andrew had made and wrapped, giggled when he told them he’d dreamed about those eggs on more than one occasion. They talked about Molly and how lovely she was, how it would be great to share Good Friday with her. They gossiped about Molly and Ben.

‘Long-distance romance is tricky,’ said Gemma.

Andrew retrieved moulds from the fridge, turned out the Easter rabbits that were set. He took out sheets of coloured foil from the stock cupboard and began to wrap, feeling therapy in his actions. He smiled to himself, shook his head.

‘What is it?’ Louis must’ve been watching him.

‘I worry about her.’ Andrew looked to Gemma, but he saw nothing but happiness across her face, probably glad he could finally be in the same room as his dad without wanting to strangle him. ‘Is that weird? I’ve only known her a couple of weeks.’

‘Not at all,’ said Louis. ‘It makes you a father.’

‘Yes, I suppose it does. Although her dad is the one who should worry. Plenty of men can father a child, but he’s been there parenting her for thirty years.’

‘Andrew, I—’

‘That wasn’t a dig at you, Dad. I’m simply stating facts. What’s done is done, and at fifteen I don’t think I’d have made a particularly good parent anyway.’ He wrapped the fourth bunny, carefully folding the edges so they didn’t tear, careful to protect the bunny and keep it fresh, then the fifth and a sixth, and he set them all aside on a tray and popped them out of the way.

‘Where’s the enormous egg?’ Louis asked.

‘It should be ready.’ Andrew went over to the fridge. ‘I had to move around some of the shelves in the fridge to get the thing in there.’ He opened the door and took out the ginormous half egg in its mould.

‘It’s enormous!’ Gemma squealed, leaping up. ‘Is it ready to turn out?’

Andrew tentatively felt the edge of the chocolate. ‘I think so.’

‘Wait there.’ Gemma scarpered over to the sink and washed her hands. ‘Let me help, it’s huge!’

‘Great project to get, son,’ said Louis.

Andrew looked at his dad, held his gaze. ‘Thanks, Dad.’ It had been a stroke of luck getting the order for the Easter eggs. Apparently before Andrew had opened up the shop in town, the idea of doing the hunt at Magnolia House had already been discussed and talks had already taken place about finding a suitable supplier.

‘Andrew?’ It was Stephanie from the shop. ‘Visitors for you.’ She popped her head around the corner of the kitchen.

‘Send them through.’ His hands were on either side of the mould, ready to turn the half egg out onto the benchtop with Gemma’s help. He put a thin metal sheet over the top of the chocolate so the dome was on the bottom, and with one hand firmly on the metal and the other beneath the dome of the chocolate and Gemma mirroring his actions, they counted to three and flipped the chocolate over. Placing the metal sheet on the benchtop he said, ‘Fingers crossed.’

He slid the metal sheet out from beneath the mould and gently began to lift the plastic from the chocolate.

‘Whoa! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much chocolate.’ This from Ben who’d come out back with Molly at his side. They were holding hands, Andrew noticed, until Gemma handed them each a hairnet and they pulled them on.

‘What do you think?’ Andrew asked, proud Molly had witnessed the unveiling. ‘It’s going to be the raffle prize. I’ll make the other half now and then put those bunnies,’ he nodded to the tray full of foil-wrapped pieces, ‘inside.’

‘So is this egg hunt for adults too?’ Ben asked Molly.

Molly touched Ben’s chest with her hand. ‘You big kid!’

‘How are you, Molly?’ Andrew used kitchen towel to wipe out the mould ready for the other half of the ginormous egg. He’d wrap the first half carefully so the air didn’t attack it before he had a chance to let the other half set.

‘I’m good, thanks.’ He’d already turned away to carry on with his work, but he could tell by her voice she was smiling. ‘Silly question, but why don’t you have two moulds?’

‘We did but the other broke last Easter. I forgot to replace it but it’s on order and should arrive any day now.’

Knowing Louis, he’d want to help Andrew right now, but his body was weakening more by the day, hands not as strong as they once were and legs not as sturdy to hold his shrinking body above him while he worked. Instead, Louis disappeared into deep conversation with Molly about all things chocolate.

Andrew filled a jug at the tempering machine and when the liquid reached the top he turned and poured it into the mould, lifting the vessel and tilting it so the chocolate coated all sides. He refilled the jug and used a brush to add more of the mixture and ensure the chocolate achieved the required thickness, and as he finished he looked over at the family gathered in the kitchen with him and a lump formed in his throat. A few weeks ago he’d known nothing of Molly, he’d not known his father as he’d been back then, back in England. He watched the scene, with four additional people wearing their identical blue hairnets, and he knew he didn’t want this moment to end.

‘You okay?’ Gemma left the conversation and came to his side. ‘Andrew?’

He knew he had tears in his eyes and gave himself a moment, the warmth from Gemma’s body melting against his own.

‘I’m happy,’ he said. ‘I’ve got family around me.’

Gemma gave his arm a squeeze and left him to it. But next up was Molly.

‘How long will it take to set?’ she asked.

Tears all gone and a big smile on his face, he said, ‘A while. But I’ve got the fridge to speed things up.’