6
Two and a half weeks after the meeting at Silversson Industries and seven stores were already closed and deserted. Silversson was having it his way and no other. Enya and Karo watched as Lukas, the owner of the bookstore situated right in front of “Yum & Fun” walked out of the already empty bookstore carrying one final box of books into his truck.
“His grandfather had founded the bookstore,” Karo whispered as if it was the greatest secret.
“How would you know?” Enya did not tear her eyes off the truck loaded with heavy boxes of books.
Lukas did not even bother to lock the doors, leaving it partially ajar as he climbed in his truck. Enya could almost feel the sadness coming from across the street as the truck roared to life and Lukas disappeared from the street, his books in tow.
“He often came here for coffee and sweets,” Karo explained. “He loved our beet and strawberry mousse candies. He always spoke about how happy and proud he was to inherit something his grandpa had started.”
Enya only sighed and shook her head in response.
“We should get back to work,” Karo declared as she turned, refusing to look at the ghost of the bookstore that was left after Lukas drove away.
“Let’s make some sweets,” Enya turned away from the door and followed Karo into the kitchen. “Who knows how long we’re going to be able to do so.”
“Did you consider about relocating the store to another part of the city?” Karo did not turn to look at her as she asked the question so many people asked Enya these days. “Just get them pay a lot of money and let’s start it all over again.”
To Enya, it still seemed like a failure, an uncertain escape. They had carefully chosen their location, worked for years to earn their customers’ loyalty. Even if Silversson Industries paid a good price, they would still not be able to reimburse all those years of work.
“Enough of that Karo, let’s make some Halloween-themed candies today.”
Enya did not wait to see if her assistant agreed with her theme and opened the drawers to get black raisins, licorice liquor and other ingredients she had in mind for their creepy-themes desserts.
“Not too early, boss?” Karo turned to look at her with huge eyes. That was probably a fair treatment for wanting to make Halloween candies mid-September.
“Naw,” Enya responded as she found the almonds, cashews and the large bag of almond flour. “With the current developments, I doubt we’ll be around for real Halloween celebration.”
Two hours later, chocolate spiders, matcha and cacao witches and pumpkins filled with almond crème flowed from Enya’s kitchen. The sweets graced the shelves and pleased the customers who hurried to grab some sweets after their lunch to spice up the second half of their working days.
“They love it,” Karo was jumping cheerfully as she wrapped the last pumpkin and handed it to the kid who was already licking his fingers impatient to try the funny looking dessert. “How about we continue our celebrations of Halloween after work, boss?”
Enya doubted she had the heart to celebrate anything, but agreed none the less. Relaxing was a non-existent word in Enya’s world. At least until she reached her six glass of wine. By the time Chris brought the seventh glass to their table, there were no other customers left.
“May I join the pity party, ladies?” her favorite bartender never failed to rub it into her face when she looked desperate. It always worked. At least, he earned a smile rather than a glare.
“You know, Chris, sometimes people are allowed to be nice,” Karo spoke as she sipped her drink. “And that means trying to be nice to those in need in the first place.”
“Oh, and what kind of needs are we filling in here tonight?” Chris squeezed into the booth next to Karo and playfully tugged at her curls. Karo always appreciated the attention to her hair. Purring like a cat, she leaned closer and placing her head on the bartender’s shoulder invited him to play with his hair some more.
“That’s a good start,” she said.
“Oh please, you two are getting disgustingly sweet,” Enya protested. “We are here to drown our sorrows and work out a war plan - let me remind you!”
“No, no and no, my dearest bossy,” Karo shook her finger and head at the same time slapping at Chris’ face with her unruly bangs. The bartender apparently enjoyed the tickling sensations as he started laughing. “I am not that drunk to have forgotten that we came here to celebrate Halloween.”
“Woohoo, you are even drunker than your boss, girlie. It’s still six weeks until Halloween,” Chris was unaware of their little conspiracy to change the order of holidays in their lives. “Unless this is a belated celebration of the last year’s Halloween, which if I recall correctly, both of you missed for some secret reason.”
“Last year’s Halloween,” both Karo and Enya sighed.
Chris was right, they had missed the party, but neither of them could deny that it was one of the best days in the history of their shop. They had got a huge order to provide catering for some corporate party. They worked their asses out that whole week, but the party got a spotlight in several newspapers. Two of them had even mentioned their shop, which Enya thought was a significant success for them.
“Let’s drink, or else I’m afraid I’m losing you two again,” Chris hurried to change the subject.
“So, do either of you have any juicy tidbits for me?”
It was always Chris’ favorite moment. Or maybe he just pretended it was his favorite. Telling stories always meant ordering more drinks. So, Enya quite believed it was a small trick the bartender used at times.
“Not me!” Karo raised her hands. “I’ve got a boyfriend and too busy at work for anything else. As long as I have work, that is... Sorry, boss.”
Enya just rolled her eyes and sipped at her drink.
“Enya, you?” Chris narrowed his eyes at her. “Karoline, do you also think this girl is hiding something for us?”
Karo nodded as she swallowed her drink.
“I might,” Enya winked.
Karo and Chris exchanged surprised looks, neither of them caring to hide their surprise. It had been two weeks and since Enya’s much too steamy elevator ride with her now arch rival. Up until now, she had not been able to tell anyone about her surprise encounter with Mr. Silversson. Not to her assistant, not even to her friends. Even though she didn’t know who he was at the time, it still felt like betrayal. However, her silence on the matter was not able to erase the memory of those bright green eyes from her head.
Am I really going to tell them now? Well, maybe with the help of another drink or two.
Chris read her mind, or maybe simply noticed the empty glasses in front of them.
“Refill?” he kissed Karo’s messy curls as he hopped up cheerfully and hurried toward the bar.
“How about trying something stronger? Or are you not yet tired of your wine?”
“Me – no! I love wine,” Karo licked the last drop from her glass.
“What about the boss? Maybe some whiskey?” Chris asked.
“Maybe?” she said slowly.
“Can’t hear you,” Chris shouted in a loud voice; as if the bar was too crowded and she would have hard times hearing him otherwise.
“Maybe,” she repeated her answer, only slightly louder.
“Karo, what is she saying,” Chris brought his hand to his ear and leaned over the bar to be able to hear them.
“That’s her way of saying yes,” her assistant yelled back. “She might need two. I have a suspicion she’s going to reveal the origin of whatever she was trying to hide on her neck the morning after her birthday.”
Chris whistled. “This night is getting hotter and hotter! Whiskey night for sure!”
Before she knew it, Enya had two glasses in front of her and a very curious and impatient Chris wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
“Someone ran away from her own party and got very naughty, I see. That’s my girl,” he spoke like a proud dad whose kid was back from school with high grades. “Give me some juicy details.”
Enya blushed, remembering the street artist who’s image had slipped to the back of her mind after the encounter with Mr. Silversson. Chris, however, was probably thinking it was the guy she had forced to walk her out of the bar that night.
What was his name? Enya wondered. Did I ever even know?
“No, I’m telling another story,” Enya stared at her fingers.
“Oh, same guy another story? Or another guy another story,” Karo tried to clarify, pretending she was not drunk.
This was quickly getting out of hand. Enya was finally ready to talk about her meeting with Mr. Silversson but giving a wrong impression that the hickey she was hiding was from the head of Silversson Industries would be a horrible mistake. And, would also mean she knew him on her birthday, which was not true either.
“Another guy another story,” Enya decided to choose the truth.
“Oh, wow, two guys within two weeks? You are finally turning a bit human, babe,” Chris patted her arm.
“Two guys within two weeks and I know none of them?” Karo looked furious, but then quickly drooped into a pouty frown. “How could you do that to me, boss. I’m your all time favorite employee. We share something as intimate as making desserts. How could you hide it from me?”
“Wait, wait!” Enya was starting to get a headache. She pressed her fingers to her temples and tried to quickly find a way out of this situation she had put herself into. “There was no hickey. Forget it. It was a scarf - just a scarf, okay?”
“If you say so...” Chris quickly agreed. “Let’s move on to the story now.”
“A scarf is never just a scarf. It is always a hickey. It’s been like that from the beginning of times. But, go on, tell us a story that will make us forget that suspicious hickey that you’re trying to hide from us,” Karo challenged her.
“I’ve met Silversson,” Enya concentrated on her drink. She was staring at the ice cubes hoping they could understand she did not want that whole situation to turn like that.
“Big revelation - we know that. You and thirty other people have been in that meeting, remember?” Karo stated impatiently.
“No, not the meeting,” Enya, though still staring at the ice cubes, noticed how Karo’s eyes widened and Chris brought his hand to his mouth. “I met him by chance in the elevator before the meeting.”
“Awww, boss, you are so cool!” Karo almost yelled. “Did he kiss you there?”
“What? No!”
Not for real, at least. The dozens of kisses she had imagined in the version of the elevator encounter that she had replayed in her head again and again did not count. She had imagined how it would feel to run her tongue along his lips, how would that crack in his lip feel. Would his kiss be light and soft or a hard and possessive one? The light brush of his lip on her fingers did not count as a kiss… did it?
“He did not tell me who he was and devoured the candies you had forced me to take,” Enya paused, deciding that was as much of the story as they were going to get.
“Hold on, babe,” Chris interrupted her - displeased at how little entertaining her story was. “I get it you haven’t had a fling for a while, but remember how our drink and talk sessions go? You are supposed to get wasted and spill out all the dirty details. If there are no such details, at least come up with some naughty imagination!”
“Oh, that I can do,” Enya smiled to the now empty glass of whiskey and the ice cubes which looked bored and lonely now drained of the sweet liquid.
“Even I can do that. The man is gorgeous as sin,” Karo sounded like she was carried away by her own fantasies. “Are his eyes real or photoshopped?”
“Yeah, well… If I had listened to you and looked him up online before going to that meeting, I would’ve saved myself the bitter disappointment.”
Now the whiskey inside Enya was finally talking.
How could a person be so beautiful and charming, yet also strip people of their businesses they have built with their sweat and blood?
As Enya told every little detail of their brief encounter, Karo’s eyes filled with hope.
“What if he’s in love with you, boss?” Karo cooed. “Maybe it’s like the movies, where the villain falls for the heroine and she makes him see the error of his ways.”
“Wake up, Karo! My life is not a fucking movie,” she threw her hands into the air and immediately knew it was the whiskey talking again.
Chris was suspiciously silent; which did not give Enya a good feeling. The guy loved being the one to reveal miraculous solutions in every situation. Now, when she really needed him, he was too calm.
“What do you think?” Enya tore her eyes off her glass and turned toward Chris.
“That Silversson guy sounds good, but why do I have a feeling you are still thinking about the hickey guy?” Enya glared at him. “Right, he does not exist! So all we are left with is a delicious looking billionaire who likes your desserts and licks your fingers.”
“I know it,” Karo yelled as if suddenly she had had an enlightening. “We should seduce him. Well, you’ll do the seducing part, I’ll make the sweets.”
“She’s right, babe,” Chris agreed. “If the hickey guy does not exist, the billionaire is the second good thing that has happened to you lately. If you can’t fight the monster, seduce him!”
Enya rolled her eyes.
Like I could seduce a billionaire. Thomas L. Silversson would mean nothing but trouble and heartbreak for any silly woman who dared to think she could have his heart. I’d be prey, not some seductress.