Page 72 of Moonstruck Kiss

“Does that mean we’ll miss out on acquiring Choc at Old?” I ask forlornly.

“No!” Dad exclaims. “This is what I’m excited about. I have another piece of news. A better one.”

Mum glowers at Dad. “You should have started with that, then. You scared all of us!”

“But my story makes more sense the way I’m saying it,” Dad argues.

“Just get on with it, Dad,” Josie pleads.

“Okay. You know my stepbrother who lives in San Francisco? Your Uncle Ford?”

“Yeah,” Josie and I say.

“Well, he heard that Theo is releasing his own chocolates through us. He wants to invest in our business.”

I lift my brows. “He called you out of the blue?” We haven’t heard from Uncle Ford for many years now. Seven, if my memory serves me right. He and Dad used to be close, but when my grandfather—who married Uncle Ford’s late mother—passed away, we lost touch with him.

“Yes, he just rang out of the blue,” Dad says. “He originally only wanted to congratulate us. Then we got into talking about our intention to buy an existing chocolatier business to be able to meet demand for Theo’s First. I didn’t know he’d gotten to be so successful. He apparently has a lot of money and is keen on investing with us.”

“Really? How much does he want to invest?” Mum asks.

“Twenty percent of the recent business valuation we commissioned, which will make him an equal shareholder with the four of us. He was initially shocked at how high the valuation was, but I reminded him that we expect Theo’s First to take off like a rocket and stay in the stratosphere for a very long time. In the end, he’s happy with everything I told him.”

“Do we want him as an investor?” I ask.

“He’s still family even though my stepmother’s passed,” says Dad. “The thing is, he’ll be able to give us the funds for Choc at Old faster than the banks, who are asking more questions about Choc at Old’s financial statements. They’re not happy with it. And because Theo’s First isn’t out on the market yet, they’re reluctant to work off projections in determining our ability to service the loan. The long and short of it is we’d lose our chance to acquire Choc at Old if we wait for the banks to approve our loan. Ford’s offer is a godsend, if you think about it.”

Mum takes a sip of her tea. “So what do we all think?” she asks me and Josie.

“Choc at Old is the ideal purchase for us,” I say. “If we miss out on it, we’ll have to buy a business that’s located a lot farther from here.”

“That’s right,” Josie says. “We want Choc at Old. It’s a perfect fit for us.”

“It’s a no-brainer, then,” Mum states.

Dad grins. “Fantastic! Ford already verbally accepted, and he agrees that we can make a verbal offer to the owners of Choc at Old. We can do a handshake deal with them and lock in the purchase to ward off the other buyer. The paperwork will, hopefully, not be too far behind.”

I lean back against my seat. “This is great, Dad. Once everyone signs on the dotted line, we can finalise our plans for the launch of Theo’s First. We’ll then be able to give the public a release date. It’s happening!”

Josie claps. “It’s so exciting! Moonstruck Chocolatier will be famous! Our family will be famous!”

“Let’s not forget that our Sweet n’ Moonstruck is always gonna betheclassic,” Dad says. “It’s been our bestseller for many years, and it’s practically the flag bearer for Moonstruck Chocolatier. Even though Theo’s First will easily overtake it in sales, it’ll always be our pride and joy.”

We agree wholeheartedly.

“I wish I could tell everyone the good news at Brax and Ollie’s farewell party, but I’d better not, in case I jinx it,” Mum says.

Dad pats Mum’s lap. “Knowing you, you’ll feel the need to tell someone and then everyone will know. Anyway, speaking of the farewell party, we better get ready. It starts in an hour.”

Suddenly, the butterflies in my stomach are going crazy. Despite my elation at the good news regarding our business, I don’t know if I can attend the festivities without wanting to cry. Because even though Brax admitted he’s falling for me, too, it doesn’t solve our biggest problem. Living in different parts of the world is a complication that can’t be fixed, set aside, or resolved easily.

If we had more time together, maybe we could figure out how to make it work. But he’ll be gone tomorrow. The town is even marking it with a big farewell.

“I haven’t told you this,” I say to my family as I press my abdomen, “but I have a stomach bug. I’ll have to see if it settles first. The last thing I want is to always need the toilet at a party.”

“Oh, no. Have you taken some medication?” Mum asks.

“Yes. I’ll go rest at home. I’ll turn up if I feel better.”

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