Christmas at the Candied Apple Café Read online

  “Yes. I’m fine. I’m the one who kicked someone. Anyway, I need to apologize — even though I’m really not sorry …”

  “Sofia,” Jessie said. “We’ve been over this. You have to write a note.”

  Iona glanced at Jessie. She wanted more details but she could get them later. “How can I help?”

  “Well, I wanted to see if I could get a box of candy to go along with my note,” Sofia said.

  “Sure. Jessie, why don’t you wait for us in the Café area? I’m going to have Nick bring you a cup of tea and I’ll help Sofia pick out a box of chocolates.”

  “Great. But our driver will be back in …” Jessie glanced down at her watch, “ten minutes, so make it quick.”

  “We will,” Sofia said, slipping her hand into Iona’s.

  Iona led the way down the stairs into the retail section. “What is this person like? Was it a boy or a girl?”

  Sofia slipped her hand from Iona’s and walked over to the display boxes. “A boy. One who isn’t very smart and is mean. Do you have any chocolates like that?”

  Iona had to hide her smile. “No. We don’t. Surely there is something that’s not awful about him. What’s his name?”

  “Remy LeBeau.”

  There was a note in Sofia’s voice that didn’t sound like anger. “Do you like him?”

  “He said I was naughty, so I can’t like him now,” she said to Iona.

  “Why would he say that? Because you kicked him?” Iona asked.

  “No. Because I said Santa doesn’t visit me,” she said. “Papa said I can’t tell kids that he isn’t real. He said they had to figure it out on their own.”

  She agreed with Mads on that front. But she had to wonder if he was happy about the fact that his daughter was getting into fights because of her beliefs about St. Nick. She guessed he wasn’t. But that wasn’t any of her business.

  Chocolate was.

  Iona looked around the retail shop when she had an idea. “Come with me into the kitchen.”

  She held Sofia’s hand as they walked through the crowded shop and into the kitchen. Hayley was still working on her creations and overseeing her staff as they assembled the Christmas Morning truffles.

  “Hayley, I need you.”

  “Yes?” her friend asked, coming over and smiling at Sofia. “Hello.”

  “Hi,” Sofia said.

  “We need box of truffles for an apology gift; can you help us?” Iona asked.

  Hayley raised one eyebrow but didn’t ask any questions. “I can. But I need the details. Is the gift for a boy or a girl?”

  “A boy … a mean one,” Sofia said.

  Hayley asked Sofia a few more questions as she moved around the kitchen, picking up different truffles until the box held six chocolates.

  “I think he’ll like this,” Hayley said, handing the box to Sofia.

  Iona took Sofia into her office to custom-make a card to go into the box. “Here’s a notecard for you to write your apology on.”

  “Thanks.”

  Sofia went to the guest table in her office and sat on the floor on her knees to write out the card. She worked over the note slowly and carefully, taking her time with her penmanship, studying her card as she wrote. The concentration in her expression reminded her of Mads.

  “Done.”

  “Great. Let’s get your chocolates and I’ll tie it up with a ribbon and you and Jessie can head home.”

  “Thanks,” Sofia said.

  She took care of everything and then Jessie paid for the chocolates and they left. Iona stood in the doorway watching them leave. Hayley came out in her chef’s whites and put her arm around Iona’s shoulders. “How do you know that precocious child?”

  “Her dad is Mads Eriksson, CEO of the New York Common. She’s something else, isn’t she?” Iona asked, not wanting to talk about Mads.

  “She is. Bet her father is too,” Hayley said.

  “He is,” she admitted. She thought about Sofia and that boy from school calling her naughty. “Hay, can you make a spicy truffle?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Well, wouldn’t it be fun to have a two-truffle gift box that was ‘naughty or nice’-themed?”

  “I like it. I have some spicy chocolates that have a little bite to them but aren’t over the top. How does that sound?”

  “Perfect,” Iona said. Hayley left to try different pairings and Iona told herself that coming up with a new marketing campaign was satisfying, but she knew that a little bit of it was the warm feeling she’d had when she’d had Sofia in the shop with her. She was starting to like that little family … maybe too much.

  Chapter 6

  Mads hadn’t had the best day, so when he got home at nine after Sofia’s bedtime and saw Jessie watching TV in the living room, he wasn’t that happy. Bedtime rituals were important to him. But the leak in the hotel wasn’t easy to fix and he hadn’t been able to get away.

  “Hey, Mads. Glad you’re home. I put Sofia to bed but she was determined to wait up for you,” Jessie said. She still looked pale, but he knew from her text updates that her fever had subsided and she was managing her cold symptoms with over- the-counter medicines. “She might still be awake.”

  “Thanks. How are you feeling?”

  She gave him a weak smile. “Better, but still not one hundred percent.”

  “I’m glad you’re a bit better. I’ll go check on Sofia.”

  “Also, if you didn’t eat, we had Indian and I saved some for you.”

  “Thanks, Jessie,” he said. “I am hungry.”

  “I’ll heat it up while you go see Sofia.”

  He nodded and walked down the hall towards the bedrooms. Sofia’s door was propped open a half inch with a doorstopper and he carefully pushed it fully open, walking into the room. There was a lamp next to her bed that they’d gotten for her nursery. It had a rotating lampshade that projected the cow jumping over the moon and stars onto the wall.

  Treading softly, he approached her bed and saw Sofia curled on her side, hugging her dolly, Peaches, sleeping soundly. She looked so sweet with her thick black hair curling around her head. He leaned down and kissed her softly and then drew her covers up over her shoulders before quietly leaving her room.

  He went down the hall to his own room and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt. Then he went into the kitchen, where Jessie had left a plate for him. He noticed the box of chocolates on the counter and took his curry with him to check it out. He saw that it had Remy’s name on the card.

  He ate his dinner and cleaned up before going to find Jessie.

  “What did Sofia get for Remy?” he asked.

  She turned the volume down on the reality television show she was watching.

  “Chocolates. She insisted on stopping by the Candied Apple Café on the way home and I hope you don’t mind but I gave in and took her,” Jessie said. “She insisted that her friend Iona would help her figure out how to say she was sorry.”

  He shook his head. He’d been on the receiving end of Sofia’s stubbornness and while Jessie usually could resist, she was still getting over being sick. “It’s okay. What did she get?”

  Jessie smiled. “A box of truffles, but she explained several times that she was doing it under protest.”

  Mads laughed. That sounded like his daughter. “I’m going to work for a while in my study. Are you sure you’re feeling better?”

  “I am. I’ll be up with Sofia for breakfast and the school run.”

  “Thanks,” Mads said. “I will probably need to be at the Common earlier tomorrow but I want to see her before I leave.”

  “Okay.”

  He left her in the living room and went down the hall to his study. He took his smart phone from his pocket and texted a note to Iona, thanking her for helping out Sofia.

  She replied straightaway. No problem. I made sure she included a handwritten card, but I have no idea what she wrote on it. I hope that’s okay.

  Yes, it is, he sent bac
k.

  His phone vibrated and he saw the call was from Iona.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi. Sorry to call but I didn’t want to text this,” she said.

  She was going to call him out for kissing her; he didn’t blame her. He’d walked away because … that kiss had been too good. He shouldn’t have done it.

  “I’ve been invited to a party this weekend and feel free to say no, but I thought maybe you and Sofia would like to come as my guests.”

  A party with her friends.

  “Blair and Jeff?” he asked.

  “No. Cici and her husband Hoop. She’s the CFO of the Candied Apple Café,” Iona said. “They have a new baby and they are throwing a family-friendly party. And I … well I don’t want to overstep but I think you and Sofia would both enjoy it.”

  Sofia had really enjoyed the party at Jeff’s. He remembered how she’d started singing carols. Maybe this party would be good for her. And he admitted he wanted to see Iona again. “What time?”

  “Seven. But you could come later if that is better,” she said. “I’ll text you the address when we get off the phone.” She paused. “Thank you, Mads.”

  “No, thank you. Usually we don’t do much for the holidays,” he said.

  “When did your wife get sick? I think Sofia said she was two,” Iona suddenly asked without thinking.

  Mads leaned his head back against the pillows and looked up at the ceiling. “That’s right. And Gill had chemo and would go into remission for a few months before it came back and we’d go through the entire round of treatments, praying, hoping, then remission again. Most Christmases were spent at home to avoid Gill getting sick from other people, since chemo kills the immune system.”

  “That had to have been hard for you,” Iona said carefully. There was a note of empathy in her voice.

  It had been hard on him, but he and Gill had made a commitment to each other when they’d both been young and happy and very much in love. “You know what was the most difficult part? Watching Sofia try to cope with it. The last year when the doctors said they’d done all they could …” he broke off, hearing his own voice crack. What was he going to do? Tell her that Sofia, who thought he could do anything, that he was some sort of superman, had asked him to stop it. To fix Mommy.

  “Oh, Mads. I can’t even imagine what that’s like,” Iona said. “Sofia is pretty resilient and I think you are doing a great job with her.”

  He wiped his eyes with his thumbs. Then took a deep breath. “I hope so. It’s hard to judge that since I’m always right in the mix with her. She’s so sassy sometimes … I’m not sure that’s good.”

  “It’s perfect,” Iona said. “In fact, today while she was at the shop picking out her chocolates, she kind of inspired us.”

  “She did?”

  “Yes. And if you think she’d like to be part of the campaign I’d love to use her in it. We are designing small truffle boxes that are ‘naughty and nice’. The ‘naughty’ truffles will have a hint of heat to them.”

  Mads loved the idea. Sofia would probably be over the moon when she learned about the campaign. “I’ll talk with her and let you know if she wants to be a part of the campaign, but just as a consumer I think it’s a fantastic idea.”

  “Thanks. I’m always trying to keep us one step ahead of the competition and to showcase Hayley’s candy-making skills.”

  “That’s part of why we want you to be a partner in the Loughman Group. Have you thought any more about our proposal?”

  “We’ve been busy, but tomorrow I’m going to discuss your proposal with my partners. I think we should have an answer for you by next week.”

  “Good. I think we would make a good partnership,” he said, fishing for an indication of which way she was leaning. She was savvy too, so he supposed she’d catch on, but she might just say something that would give away her position a little.

  “Good night, Mads,” she said.

  “See you Friday.”

  He stopped to check on his daughter again and then went into his bedroom. It was still hard every night when he walked in and didn’t see Gill’s lamp on or her sitting in bed reading on her iPad. But tonight, when he glanced at the bed in his mind’s eye, he didn’t see Gill. He saw Iona.

  That scared him and made him realize that he couldn’t do this. He wasn’t ready for a woman like Iona in his life.

  ***

  Iona got the text from her friends to meet at Sant Ambrose instead of the office and she took her time getting ready before going to join them. She had a little extra time because the coffee shop was closer to her apartment than the Candied Apple Café. But when she got downstairs she saw her brother waiting in the lobby.

  “Good morning, sister,” Theo said, straightening from the wall and coming over to her.

  A light dusting of snow on his dark, black hair and the shoulders of his camel-colored coat indicated he hadn’t been waiting long.

  “Theo, hey,” she said. “What are you doing here? Is Mom okay?”

  “She’s fine,” he said. “We were worried about you because you haven’t been in our group chat lately. I volunteered to check on you. You can ignore the phone and a text, but in person, we both know I can run faster.”

  She shook her head. “That’s only because I’m in heels. I’ve been busy. The Candied Apple Café Christmas is taking up a lot of my time. I have to keep us in the public’s eye so consumers keep coming in.”

  “I’m going to say something and if you want to punch me for it, so be it,” Theo began. “You don’t have to keep trying to prove to us that you are as good at business as dad is.”

  “I’m not …”

  “Don’t bother. We both know it’s true,” he said. “The thing about Dad was he never saw either of us as we truly were. He wanted to believe I was his golden child and that you were Mom’s mini-me. He never realized the opposite was true. You have surpassed his drive and determination in business, Io. You can stop. You beat him.”

  She shook her head. She didn’t know how to stop. She only knew the next goal, the next campaign, the next quarter’s promotions. “I know you’re right.”

  “Of course I am. It’s me,” Theo said, without a hint of modesty. “I also know you aren’t going to just stop. But if you could find something to do that wasn’t business … that would ease the worry Mom and I feel about you.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all I ask,” he said.

  He hugged her, holding her tightly and suddenly that knot deep inside her loosened. She knew she had to deal with this thing with her dad, but he was gone and she had been struggling to figure it out.

  Tears burned her eyes but she blinked until they were gone and stepped back. “I am heading to a meeting at Sant Ambrose. Want to walk with me and grab a drink until the girls get there.”

  “You know it,” he said. “I had to leave the apartment early to catch you, which meant no coffee in bed.”

  She shook her head as they left the lobby of the building and noticed it was empty except for the doorman. She took Theo’s hand and drew him into a corner.

  “I’m so happy you found love with Nico,” she admitted.

  “Me too. It was unexpected. Thanks for being so cool about it,” Theo said.

  “Well, there was more passion when Nico looked at you than when he kissed me, so I figured I should nudge him toward you,” Iona said. “Are you bringing him to the Nutcracker next week?”

  “I am. What about you?”

  “Maybe,” she said, knowing Sofia would love the children’s event. But she was kind of trying to figure out Mads. He’d kissed her and then played it all cool … what exactly was going on with him?

  “Maybe?”

  “That’s it for now. I’ll let you know if it changes.”

  “Fair enough. I have some news,” he said.

  She didn’t correct her brother that she and Mads were seeing each other. Technically, they were seeing each other.

 
“What’s your news?”

  “Nico asked me to marry him,” Theo said, bursting with joy.

  “That’s wonderful. I better be the best woman.”

  “I wouldn’t have anyone else!”

  He hugged her and then walked with her to Sant Ambrose and she thought she did a great job of acting like her old self. She knew she was going to have keep faking it until she made it. And she’d do it. She had always been there for Theo and she wasn’t going to let him down now.

  She hugged him and said goodbye to him outside the small coffee shop, then went inside to find her friends waiting at the back of the restaurant.

  “Hey you. How was your night?” Cici asked.

  “Not bad,” Iona said, remembering her late-night chat with Mads.

  “Mine was filled with a vision of sugar plums,” Hayley said with a wink. “I think I’ve got an idea for the second ‘naughty’ truffle. I love this idea.”

  “Me too. And I was thinking maybe we could use Sofia in the print ad in the shop. Having a little girl do the ‘naughty and nice’ thing will keep it innocent. I’ve spoken to her father.”

  “When did you have time to do that?” Hayley asked.

  “Last night,” Iona said. “Also, I’m bringing them with me to your party on Friday, Cici.”

  Cici and Hayley looked at each other and then back at her. “Really?”

  “Yes,” Iona said and then quickly changed the subject to the deal that the Loughman Group were offering them. She tried to keep her mind on business but she couldn’t help it from drifting to Mads.

  ***

  Mads sat down at his desk just after four p.m. for the first time since he’d arrived at the Common that morning. He’d had a restless night of sleep remembering the one kiss he’d shared with Iona and finally admitting that he wanted more. It had been a long day and when he saw the stack of Christmas cards on his desk waiting for him to sign, he shoved them to the side. He wasn’t interested in sending corporate holiday greetings at this moment.

  He was in a bad mood.

  He’d barely had time to see Sofia at breakfast that morning before he’d had to run to the office and realizing that the duty manager was incompetent hadn’t helped the day. But the truth was, he knew it was guilt influencing him. He didn’t like thinking about moving on from Gill in any way.