His grandmother, Maple, was also a godsend. Forget waiting until the next morning. She’d come straight over to the shop as soon as Micha called her. When she saw me, she bustled over and pulled me into a hug so tight it was as if I were her own family. It might have brought tears to my eyes if I weren’t already overwhelmed by everything else going on.
“First things first,” Maple said as we sat together at Doris’ desk. “Let’s make up a schedule for the crew, so they can make plans. Then, we’ll have to order the perishables so they can be delivered first thing.”
“Perishables?” I asked, confused.
“Eggs, butter, fruits to dip, things like that.” Maple patted my hand gently. “Don’t you worry about a thing, darling girl. We’ll have this place open and humming by noon tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” I exclaimed, staring at her in horror. “There’s no way I’ll be ready to open that quickly.”
“This place is a well-oiled machine,” she assured me. “We know what we’re doing. You’ll just have to stand out front and greet customers, accept their condolences, and maybe, box up some treats from time to time.”
My mind scrambled, envisioning the trillion things that would need to happen by tomorrow. As a life coach I knew the mantra of baby steps and taking things one little bit at a time. But in my ownreallife, panic set in.
If Maple planned on opening the next day, I’d be busy doing things from now until the doors opened. With tasks I had no clue how to execute.
My breathing sped up, my hands trembling. This was so not what I thought I’d signed up for. But then, I had agreed to come here and run the store through the holidays. What exactly had I believed it meant? For the thousandth time, I wondered exactly what I’d been thinking.
I squeezed the back of my neck thinking I should make a to-do list. But I had no idea what I’d put on it. I should probably cancel dinner with Micha—that should be the number one item to check off. I had way too much to do. I couldn’t go flitting off on some date with him. Not a date. Awelcomedinner. Still, I had no intention of dumping the dirty work on strangers while I ran out to have fun.
Unaware of my panic, Maple started to draw up a schedule immediately, and I watched her fill in every gap.
“Shouldn’t we make sure they’re available?” I asked, sucking my lower lip between my teeth. “I don’t want to mess up any plans they’ve made.”
“Honey, this is their job.” She smiled kindly at me. “Truth be told, every one of them would stay from open to close if they could. It’s a candy store. Who would ever want to leave?”
Me. That’s who. I wanted to leave. I wanted to run. But I didn’t share that with her. She acted as if this were the happiest place on earth, like Disney, but I just felt scared and lost. I wanted to go home, curl up in my own bed with a bag ofstore-boughtcookies and watch old movies on television. Of course, I wouldn’t. I’d made a promise, and I’d see it through.
Hard Candy Kisseswould open for business and remain that way through the holiday. Just as I’d agreed.
After that… Well, maybe, if the staff loved the place so much, they might like to buy it. I could probably get a pretty penny for Doris’ house then let the shop go for a steal if they wanted it.
That thought relaxed me a little. I wasn’t trapped here. There were outs available to me, and if I could just get through the end of the month, I’d be home in my slippers in time for New Year’s Day.
With that in mind, I zeroed in on what Maple told me and did whatever she said needed to be done. While I checked how much sugar and flour was on the shelves, she called the staff.
My feet hurt by the time Micha returned to the store at five that evening.
“How’s it going, ladies? Grandma, you have everything in hand?”
“Jessica and I have accomplished a lot together,” she corrected him sternly. “This girl has a good head for business.”
“Just not so much for retail,” I offered with a sheepish smile. “But we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
“Sounds like you need a break,” he said. “Are you ready?”
“Oh, I…” I looked from him back to Maple. “I really should stay here and finish up. There’s still so much to—”
“Nonsense,” Maple interrupted. “We’re done. Nothing more to be accomplished tonight. Supplies will be delivered at four a.m., but the driver has a key, so there’s no need for you to come in that early. I’ll be here around five with Isaac, so if you could be back around seven, that should be perfect.”
“Great!” Micha said before I could answer.
“Are you sure?” I asked, uncertain she was telling me the truth.
Unbothered by the impending doom, aka the shop opening tomorrow, Micha leaned down to kiss Maple on the cheek.
“Would you like to come with us?” I asked as I grabbed my purse from the counter behind me.
“No, thank you, dear.” Maple beamed at me, her blue eyes sparkling. “You two go and have fun.”
