The Fall of Candy Corn (25 page)

Candace walked into her guidance counselor's office on Monday afternoon with a piece of paper clutched in her hand. She sat down across from him and looked him in the eye.

“Good morning, Candace. How can I help you?” he asked.

“I don't think our last meeting went very well. You didn't have a complete picture of what I bring to the table as far as college applications,” she said.

“Really?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Yes,” she said, handing him the piece of paper.

He took it and began to read it over. “You're involved with your youth group and are going to be leading a new Bible study starting this month. You're involved with the drama class. You worked the Scare event, and you helped organize and run the Sugar Shock for The Zone this year.”

He paused and looked up at her. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“I took my kids to that, and they went crazy.”

“In a good way?” she asked cautiously.

“Yeah, they loved it. It was much better than last year.”

“Thank you.”

He looked back down at the paper. “It says you're also a semifinalist for The Zone Game Master scholarship.”

“Yes. I just found that out yesterday,” Candace said.

“Wow. I think you're right. You do have a lot more to bring to the table than I initially thought. I'm impressed.”

“Thank you.”

“So, refresh my memory. The Game Master scholarship is for Florida Coast, correct?”

She nodded. “That's correct.”

“So, have you always been interested in theme park design?” he asked.

“To be honest, I never thought about it until a good friend suggested that I give it some thought. Then it turned out my ride sketch, which was really more of a doodle, got me to the semifinals of the scholarship competition. I think at this point I'd be crazy not to at least consider it as an option.”

“Certainly. I mean, if you have a talent for that, it would be a shame to waste it.”

“Mr. Anderson, I believe you are a Zone fan,” Candace said.

“Season ticket holder,” he admitted.

She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “Let's discuss my other college options,” she said, smiling.

An hour later Candace left Mr. Anderson's office feeling positive about the future. School was already out. She called Tamara to pick her up and then listened to a message from Josh. She called him back.

“Hey, how'd your meeting with the guidance counselor go?” he asked.

“Really well,” she said. “He seems a lot more positive about my future, and so do I.”

“That's awesome! I want to hear all about it. I also wanted to help you think about some of your short-term goals.”

“Uh-huh. Why do I sense that there's more work coming my way?” she asked suspiciously.

“Come on, I think you'd be great as one of Santa's elves.”

“Doesn't he bring his own with him from the North Pole?” she asked.

“Nah, they're too busy making toys. We provide him with temporary elf help while he's visiting.”

“I see,” Candace said. “And just what would I have to do?”

“It's a no-brainer,” he teased.

“Oh, no.”

“That's right.”

“Don't tell me.”

“Yup.”

“Oh come on.”

“You guessed it. You'd be passing out candy canes.” Of course she would.

Read chapter 1 of The Winter of Candy Canes, Book 3 in Sweet Seasons.

1

Candace Thompson was once again eye-to-eye with Lloyd Peterson, hiring manager for The Zone theme park. This time, though, she felt far more confident. She had already spent her summer working as a cotton candy vendor, and she had worked one of the mazes for the annual Halloween event. She had even saved the park from saboteurs.

Now she was back, and this time she was interviewing for a job working the Christmas events at the park. Surely after everything she had done for the Scare event, she had nothing to worry about. She tucked a strand of red hair back behind her ear as she gazed intently at the man across from her.

“So you want to work Holly Daze?” he asked.

She nodded. Christmas at The Zone was a big deal, and the park began its official celebrations the day after Thanksgiving.

“You keep hiring on for short bursts of time and then leaving. Do you have some sort of problem committing to things?” he asked, staring hard at her.

She was stunned, but answered, “I don't have any problem with commitment. I signed on to do specific things, and the jobs ended. That's not my fault. I didn't quit.”

“So, you plan on making a habit of this?” he demanded. “Are you going to show up here again in a couple of months expecting me to give you some kind of job for spring break?”

“No, I — ”

“I know your type,” he said, standing up abruptly. “You're just a party girl. No commitments . . . no cares . . . just grab some quick cash and get out. You think you can handle Holly Daze? Well, you can't! You're weak and a quitter. You're going to bail on me as soon as your school vacation starts, and then what? Well, let me tell you, missy. You aren't wanted here. So just pack your bags and get out!”

By the end of his tirade, he was shouting, eyes bulging behind his glasses and tie swinging wildly as he shook his finger under her nose. Candace recoiled, sure that he had finally flipped out. I'm going to end up as a headline: Girl Murdered by Stressed-Out Recruiter, she thought wildly. Well, I'm not going down without a fight! She jumped to her feet and put some distance between her and the wildly wagging finger.

“You need to calm down!” she said, projecting her voice like her drama teacher had taught her. Her voice seemed to boom in the tiny office. “Pull yourself together. You're a representative of this theme park, and there is no call to insult me. Furthermore, I'm not a quitter. I'll work for the entire Christmas season. Then the next time I come in here, I'll expect you to treat me with some respect. Do you even realize what I've done for this park so far? Seriously. Take a chill pill.”

She stopped speaking when she realized that he had gone completely quiet. She held her breath, wondering when the next explosion was going to come. Instead, he sat down abruptly and waved her back to her chair.

“Very good. You passed the test,” he said, picking up a pen.

“What test?” she asked, edging her way back into the chair.

“The ultimate test. You're going to be one of Santa's elves.”

“Doesn't Santa, you know, have his own elves?” she asked, still not sure that he was completely in charge of his senses.

“Of course Santa has his own elves. However, when he's here at The Zone we supply him with courtesy elves so that they can continue making toys at the North Pole,” Mr. Peterson told her.

“So, I'm going to be a courtesy elf?” she asked.

He nodded and handed her a single sheet of paper. “Sign this.”

She took it. “What? Just one thing to sign?” She had expected another huge stack of forms that would leave her hand cramped for hours afterward.

He nodded curtly. “You're now in our system as a regular seasonal employee. All of your other paperwork transfers.”

“Regular seasonal” sounded like some kind of contradiction to her, but she was still not entirely convinced his outburst had been a test. She scanned it, signed her name, and then handed it back to him.

“Good. Report to wardrobe on Saturday for your costume fitting,” he said.

“Okay, thank you,” she said, standing up and backing toward the door.

“Welcome back, Candy,” he said, smiling faintly.

“Thanks,” she said, before bolting out the door.

As soon as she was outside the building, she whipped out her cell phone and called her friend Josh, a fellow employee of The Zone.

“Well?” he asked when he picked up.

“I think Mr. Peterson has seriously lost it,” she said. “He totally flipped out on me.”

Josh laughed. “Let me guess. You're going to be an elf.”

“So he was serious? That was some whacked-out test?”

“Yeah. Elves are considered a class-one stress position, and it can get pretty intense.”

“How hard can it be to be an elf?” she asked.

She was rewarded by a burst of laughter on the other end.

“Josh, what is it you're not telling me?”

He just kept laughing.

“Okay, seriously. You were the one who convinced me to work Holly Daze. I think it's only fair you tell me whatever it is I need to know.”

“Sorry!” he gasped. She wasn't sure if he was apologizing or refusing to tell her.

A girl bounced around the corner and slammed into Candace.

“Josh, I'll call you later,” she said, hanging up.

“Sorry,” Becca apologized.

Becca was one of Candace's other friends from the park, one who had some sort of bizarre allergy to sugar that made her uncontrollably hyper. Candace looked suspiciously at Becca. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were glistening, and she was hopping from one foot to the other.

“You didn't have sugar, did you?” Candace asked, fear ripping through her.

“No! Promise,” Becca said.

“Then what gives?”

“Roger made me laugh really hard,” Becca explained.

Roger had a crush on Becca and had wanted to ask her out since Halloween. It hadn't happened yet.

“Oh,” was all Candace could think to say.

“So, are you working Holly Daze?” Becca asked.

“Yeah. I'm going to be an elf.”

Suddenly, Becca went completely still, and the smile left her face. “I'm sorry,” she said.

“Why?” Candace asked.

Becca just shook her head. “I've gotta get back to the Muffin Mansion. I'll catch you later.”

She hurried off, and Candace watched her go. Okay, now I know there's something people aren't telling me.

She debated about following Becca and forcing her to spill, but instead she headed for the parking lot where her best friend Tamara was waiting. She walked through the Exploration Zone, one of the several themed areas in the park.

The Zone theme park was created and owned by John Hanson, a former professional quarterback who believed in healthy competition at work and play. His theme park had several areas, or zones, where people could compete with each other and themselves at just about anything. Almost everyone who worked at The Zone was called a referee. The exceptions were the costumed characters called mascots. Most of them, including Candace's boyfriend, Kurt, were to be found in the History Zone. People visiting the park were called players, and the areas of the park they could reach were called on field. Only refs could go off field.

Candace cut through an off field area to get to the referee parking lot. She waved at a few other people she recognized from her time spent working there. Finally, she slid into her friend's waiting car.

“So are you going to be the Christmas queen?” Tamara asked.

“What am I, Lucy VanPelt? There's no Christmas queen in Charlie Brown's Christmas play, and there's no Christmas queen in The Zone,” Candace said.

Tamara fake pouted. “Are you sure? I think I'd make a beautiful Christmas queen.”

Candace laughed. Tamara was gorgeous, rich, and fun. Her whole family practically redefined the word wealthy, and, with her dark hair and olive skin, Tamara was usually the prettiest girl in any room. She didn't let it go to her head, though. Anybody who knew Tamara would vote for her as Christmas queen.

“Although I think you would, they're only hiring elves.”

“You're going to be an elf?” Tamara smirked.

“Hey, it beats being a food cart vendor,” Candace said.

“But you're so good at it. Cotton candy, candy corn . . . you can sell it all.”

“Thanks, I think. So, what are we doing tonight? Kurt's going to swing by at six to pick us up.” Just mentioning her boyfriend's name was enough to make Candace smile. She closed her eyes for just a minute and pictured him as she had first seen him — wearing a Lone Ranger costume. With his charm and piercing blue eyes, she had fallen for him right away.

“You told him my house, right?” Tamara said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yeah. So, who's this guy you're taking?”

Tamara sighed. “Mark.”

“Uh-huh. And?”

“Remember my cousin Tina?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, she broke up with him over the summer, and he's been all shattered since then. He won't date other girls; he just mopes over her.”

“Attractive,” Candace said sarcastically.

“Tell me about it. Well, Tina asked me if I could help him get his confidence back and get over her or something.”

“A pity date? Are you kidding me? You want Kurt and I to double date with you on a pity date?”

“You don't think I'm about to go by myself, do you? No way. That's the best-friend creed. When you're happy, I'm happy.