Page 86 of Moonstruck Kiss

But this is undoubtedly Chelsea. She demanded that we display the Closed sign while she was here. And now, she’s haughtily explaining the reason for her strange behaviour.

“If people find out this is me coming in here,” she says, “then they might think the contents of the bag I walk out with is Theo’s First. What if someone mugs me to steal the bag? Theo’s First is so highly anticipated that people just might do crazy things to get their hands on it.”

“You have a point,” Mum says, her lips quirking.

“Of course.” Chelsea flicks her fake hair. “So, where’s my Sweet n’ Moonstruck?”

I place the bag I’m holding on the counter in front of her. “We’ve also made a special edition packaging for you. We thought you might want it as a souvenir. And we were wondering if you would like to taste a piece of Sweet n’ Moonstruck now? We can give you some.” It’ll be great to see her instant reaction.

“No,” Chelsea snatches the bag. “I need to get back to Sydney right this minute. And… I guess you’ll know what I think of this when you see my post.” She practically trots to the exit.

“Wait!” Dad calls out, but Chelsea doesn’t even look back.

“Well, there goes her scoop on Theo’s First’s release,” Mum mutters. “Too bad for her.”

“I thought she was a nice person,” Josie says.

“That’s what I thought, too,” I say with a frown. “And did she come to town just to grab Sweet n’ Moonstruck?”

“She did say it was a flying visit,” Dad says dryly.

“Emory will be disappointed again that Chelsea isn’t going to check out her Mooner’s Cake.” I sigh, feeling sorry for my best friend, who did another all-nighter for the occasion.

“I still can’t get over how unfriendly she was,” says Josie. “Everyone I know who’s met her said she was really nice.”

I shrug. “I guess you just never know with some people. Anyway, let’s keep our fingers crossed about her review.”

“I’ve never met a chocolate lover who doesn’t like Sweet n’ Moonstruck,” Dad states. “With that beautiful special edition packaging, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get a stellar review.”

Artisanal fine dark chocolate with a special blend of herbs, spices, and nuts.

Nice description, but that’s the only positive going for Sweet n’ Moonstruck. It’s supposed to be Moonstruck Chocolatier’s top product but it doesn’t hit any mark for me.

Does that mean they’re struggling as a business? Because I can’t see how people would want to keep buying this so-called bestseller. Even the special edition packaging, designed by their in-house artist, Joey Barker, looks…uninspired.

I’m worried now that this is the company that will be making Theo Cresswall’s chocolate. If their so-called classic is subpar compared to the offerings of other chocolatiers in the region, like Chocolates at Oldington, do they have what it takes to produce Theo’s First—a product that’s already a favourite with many people before it’s even released?

I have a feeling Theo Cresswall chose to work with Moonstruck Chocolatier for the simple reason of supporting a local Moonstruck Cove business. If I were him, though, I’d take my recipe elsewhere.

I plonk on the couch in Brax and Ollie’s cabin, trying to make sense of what I just read. When Mum texted to ask me to read Chelsea’s review, it never occurred to me I’d be reading something so devastating. “Why?” I ask out loud.

Brax joins me. “What’s wrong?”

Wordlessly, I hand him my phone.

This is unbelievable. In the whole of Moonstruck Chocolatier’s existence, we’ve never received such a scathing review of any of our products. Could there be some truth in what Chelsea said, though?

Personal tastes are exactly that—personal. So, Chelsea might well be one of the rare few who hates Sweet n’ Moonstruck. She’s entitled to her opinion, of course, and I won’t dream of asking her to change it.

But this hurts so badly. She’s even questioning our ability—our worth, actually—to be the makers of Theo’s First. How much effect will this have on our business?

“Has she been hacked?” Brax asks in disbelief. “This is so ridiculous that I can’t believe she wrote it. She might be stalker-ish at times but she’s usually supportive in her posts. She even gave a glowing review on that cake that ended up looking like a penis, remember?”

“Which makes this even worse,” I lament. “Her followers would think that we must be truly terrible for Chelsea to say this about us. I’d better go to the shop. I have to talk to my family about this.” I grab my phone back and text my Mum to say I’m coming.

“I’ll drop you off. Your car’s not here.”

“Thank you,” I say gratefully, feeling supported. It’s funny how in just a short amount of time, Brax has become the person I want next to me at a time like this.

---