Christmas at the Second Chance Chocolate Shop. Kellie Hailes

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СКАЧАТЬ Yet here she was, back home, in the village she’d been so desperate to leave, happier than ever.

      At least that’s what she repeated to herself every moment the gloom set in, threatening to derail her plans. Threatening to send her running back to the person who she’d devoted herself to for so many years, probably only to realise the devotion was one-sided.

       Happier than ever.

      An automated alert – high-pitched and cheerful – rang through the air, punctuating her point.

      Another online order. Another customer wanting to indulge in the artisan range of chocolates she’d spent hours dreaming up, concocting, then perfecting. Proof she’d made the right decision to leave Ritchie, to return to Rabbits Leap, to start afresh.

      Now she just had to prove that to those who doubted her. Those? More like ‘she’. Her mother had barely spoken to her since she’d announced she’d leased the old milkshake shop and the rooms above, and was leaving the family farm to pursue her dream as a chocolatier.

      Their relationship, rocky at best, was at an all-time low.

      ‘Hello? Anyone here?’

      The throaty tones she’d known so intimately for a decade filled the shop’s front room and drifted into the kitchen.

      Serena’s heart slammed against her ribcage, shattering her sense of calm. That couldn’t be the voice she thought it was. That voice was meant to be in a recording studio. On the other side of the world.

      ‘Hello?’ The dull thunk of heavy shoes on wood followed - motorcycle boots. Well-loved, lived-in, and the black leather dulled with age, but still sexy as all hell. The thunks grew louder as they crossed the shop floor and headed towards the kitchen.

      Towards her.

      Her heartrate ratcheted up, the beat spreading through her body like a circle of drums going off all at once.

      Gripping the table for support, Serena half-wondered if she had time to escape through the back door. Or perhaps hiding in the small walk-in pantry was an option.

      Too late. A shadow belonging to the rangy, muscular, rock star, who she’d given her all to for her whole adult life, travelled across the kitchen floor as he came to stand in the doorway. She flinched as the shadow, only inches away at its peak, almost touched her.

      She didn’t want to be touched by him. Hell, she didn’t want to even look at him. She’d said as much in the note she’d left on his bedside table while he was on tour. A coward’s way out, perhaps. But if she’d waited to tell him to his face, those brilliant sapphire-blue eyes of Ritchie’s would have pinned her in place. The gravelly tones, filled with promises of the kind of passion and desire she’d not believed could have existed, would have convinced her to stay. They would have reminded her of the nights spent dancing in bars after one of his concerts, the days frolicking in the Malibu surf, the hours upon hours of mind-blowingly amazing…

      No. She wasn’t going to even think about the good times. If she entertained her memories, she would never be able to yank herself away from him.

      ‘Sweet thing, I was told I’d find you here. It’s good to see you.’

      Serena glanced out the corner of her eye. His tone was as relaxed as his stance. Shoulder leaning against the doorjamb, one leg casually crossed over the other. Hands shoved deep in jean pockets. His sharp jaw relaxed, not a hint of tension. But, of course there wouldn’t be. Serena was in no doubt that in Ritchie’s mind he was here to collect her and return her to their Malibu seaside mansion.

      Serena refocussed on melting the chocolate, increasing the stirring to ensure the smoothest, glossiest chocolate possible. There was no way the return of her husband was going to ruin tomorrow’s grand opening… or this batch of chocolate. She’d spent too much time living for Ritchie. This time around she was all about herself.

      Serena Hunter had finally taken charge of her future.

      ‘Cat got your tongue, sweet thing?’ he teased. ‘Or maybe you want to apologise for breaking my heart, but don’t know how?’

      Serena squared her shoulders, her spine straightening. So that was it? He was going to guilt her into returning? Make it all about him and his feelings, just as he always had? Well good luck to him, because she wasn’t going anywhere.

      ‘My tongue is perfectly fine, Ritchie.’ The words came out smooth, sweet, but most importantly, strong. If he saw weakness he’d use it to manipulate the situation. ‘I just didn’t expect you here. And, to be honest, I’m busy and don’t have time to chat.’

      She flicked her gaze towards him for a split second. A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.

      Good. He was uncertain. Off kilter. She had to keep him that way. And she had to get him the hell out of town. Because despite her best efforts she could feel that inner swirling sensation in her stomach, that left her off balance, dizzy with joy, delirious with love. The ‘swoon’, as she’d named it when she’d tried to dissect it after she’d had time and space away from Ritchie, that had kept her in his thrall since the moment they met.

      Three soft footfalls followed and the trusty motorcycle boots appeared only inches away from her own purple high-top sneakers. Her stomach clenched as it went into a dive.

       Calm the freaking farm, Serena. He’s just a man. He’s not been your husband for six months now. Well, technically, he still is, but that’s a detail to be sorted when you’ve time. Now he’s no one. Nothing. He doesn’t have to mean anything to you anymore.

      Except the skittering in her stomach told her otherwise.

      ‘So you got yourself a job, did you? Making chocolates? Cute.’ His forearms, covered in his usual plaid flannelette shirt, came into view as he leant across the marble surface of the kitchen island, his hands loosely clasped together.

      Irritation rippled through Serena. Cute? What she was doing wasn’t cute. It was hard work; she’d spent hours grafting, and had had countless sleepless nights as she considered new flavour combinations that would make her stand out from other chocolatiers. Sure, she owned the only chocolate shop in Rabbits Leap, but being online meant she was competing in a nationwide market. Being average wasn’t going to help her stand out.

      She tucked a curl that had come loose from her top knot behind her ear and pushed the irritation down. Better to keep her cool than show Ritchie his words had an effect on her. ‘Actually, Ritchie. I don’t work here. This is my shop. I own it.’

      Ritchie’s knuckles whitened as a sharp intake of breath met her ears. ‘Own it? This is yours.’

      She’d shaken him. Good.

      ‘Yes, it is.’

      ‘Well that’s going to make it a lot harder for you to come home. We’ll have to find someone to rent the premises. Or we could just pay the rent until the lease runs out. Abandon the place. Head home, buy champagne, sip it in the spa, celebrate your return…’

      Serena counted to three silently. This was so like Ritchie. Coming in. Taking over. Thinking his way was the only way. That she was going to fall into step. Which she had for too many years, so she really had only herself to blame in many ways. She’d trained Ritchie to expect nothing less.

      She СКАЧАТЬ