She glanced over at Cole and caught him looking at her with his sapphire-blue eyes. Those eyes had looked warm and kind in the parking lot, but now they were as cold as a shark’s. Was he sizing her up, trying to figure out if he could pull the wool over her eyes as easily as they had done with her mother? Well, if he thought that was gonna be the case, he had another think coming.
It wasn’t lost on Sam that when her mother mentioned that she was a lawyer, Chuck and Cole had remained silent about his profession. That would have been the perfect time for Chuck to talk proudly about all his son’s accomplishments, but the two had been mute, which made her wonder what exactly Cole did for a living. Perhaps he was a professional con man like his father. She should probably research them both on the internet.
Her mother was still going on about Chuck as if he were some sort of chocolate-making genius. “And I taught Chuck how to temper the chocolate,” she turned adoring eyes on Chuck, “another skill he picked up very quickly.”
Chuck laughed. “I think you’re giving me too much credit. It’s the teacher that the credit should go to, and that’s you.”
Sam almost gagged as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“He’s done a great job with the displays too.” Her mother gestured toward the candy displays throughout the store. The various racks, shelves, and oak display cases had been in the same configuration since before Sam was born. She’d noticed right away that they’d been moved around, and now, knowing that it was Chuck’s doing made her feel resentful. But she did have to admit this arrangement worked better.
“We put the more popular items at eye level and the things that kids like on the lower shelves.” Chuck looked at her almost as if for approval.
“I think it was a great idea. In fact, we’ve agreed on every single change that was made to the store.” Deena’s tone sounded a little bit forced.
Sam pulled her gaze from the displays to look at her mother. The way she and Chuck were fawning over each other was a bit over the top.
But Sam had to admit the soft look in their eyes made it seem like they were truly smitten with each other, and not just her mother. Chuck had that look too. Maybe he was a good actor.
Sam felt a little tinge of jealousy. She’d had many boyfriends over the past years, but she didn’t think any of them had looked at her quite that way.
Was it her imagination, or did her mom seem nervous? Why would that be? Had she done something stupid like handing the title to the property over to Chuck, and now she was afraid Sam wouldn’t approve? She needed to get her mother alone and get some answers to these questions. She certainly couldn’t ask them with Chuck and Cole hovering like hawks watching a henhouse.
As Chuck and her mother rambled on about how quickly Chuck had taken to chocolate making, how wonderful Deena was at teaching, and how they agreed on everything, Sam let her gaze wander over the shop. A new picture was up on the wall. It looked like one of the first pictures of it. A woman in early-1900s garb was making chocolate in this very room, but the room was fairly empty. The woman must have been Sam’s great-great-grandmother, who had started the business. The fact that the business had been built by her family hit her with a force she hadn’t felt before, and her determination not to lose it to Chuck surged.
Next to that was a photograph from ten years ago that made her heart squeeze. Her mother, her father, and she were on their sailboat, all smiles as the sun set behind them. She stepped a little closer to the picture. Her dad had loved sailing, and they’d done that as a family almost every weekend. Was the old boat still in storage? They’d put it away when her father had gotten sick, and they never had a chance to sail on it again.
“Your family likes to sail too?” Sam jumped. Cole had sneaked up and was standing beside her, gazing at the picture himself.
“Too? You mean you guys sail?”
A shadow flickered across Cole’s face, and he nodded. “We used to when my mom was alive, but after she died, there were just too many memories.”
Sam felt a slight bond forming amidst a tug of sympathy. What a strange coincidence… hey, wait a minute! That would be just the type of thing a scammer would say to try to create a bond.
“We were hoping you guys would come to the town celebration picnic this Saturday with us,” Deena was saying from her spot behind the counter. “It’ll be so much fun. We’ll be like one happy family.”
One happy family? Sam didn’t think so, but she bit her tongue. Her mother looked so excited about it. How could she refuse?
“That sounds great, Mom. I’d love to.”
“Me too.” Cole’s voice was tinged with hesitation. Maybe he didn’t want to spend that much time with her, knowing that she would see right through him.
“I’ll be bringing a variety of chocolates, of course, and I was wondering if you’d like to help me make them tomorrow, Sam.” Her mother looked at her hopefully, and Sam’s heart melted. As a child, she’d made chocolates with her mother and grandmother often, but she hadn’t done any of that in years. Comforting family memories bubbled up, and she was surprised at how much she really did want to make chocolates with her mom.
“Cole, I was hoping you’d want to go golfing with me. We’ll leave the ladies to making the chocolates. I don’t want to show them up,” Chuck joked.
Even better, thought Sam. Chuck and Cole would be out of the way, and she could get her mother alone and get answers to the questions she’d been waiting to ask.
“I’d love to. That sounds great.” Sam checked her watch. She had a conference call with a client in an hour. “I have to get back to the motel room and get some work done. But it was great meeting you, Chuck and Cole. We’ll talk later, Mom?”
“Of course.” Though she had expected her mother to look disappointed, her expression looked closer to relief.
“I’ve got to run too,” Cole said. “It was great meeting you all, and I’m sure I will be seeing you soon. Thanks for lunch, Sam. Next one’s on me.”
They left at the same time, with Cole holding the door open for her. It was a sweet, gentlemanly gesture, but with him, there was probably an ulterior motive. They got in their separate cars and eyed each other warily like boxers at the end of a round before driving off.
* * *
