Page 8 of Meet Me at the Fudge Shop

“Mom. I can’t request a leave of absence on myfirst day of work.”

“I know.” Her voice shook.

“No, I don’t think you do. If I do this—there’s no guarantee my job will be here waiting for me when I return. And it took me six months to findthisone.”

“I know.” A big sob. “It’s fine. I just…we need you, Declan.”

Oh, shoot, those were the words, weren’t they? He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Calm down, Mom.” He sighed, and the words just spilled out. “I won’t let you down.”

Because it had only taken one selfish decision to let down the entire family ten years ago. One mistake that had changed everything. That had made him the family pariah.

And the consequences of that error in judgment had been fatal.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He barely heard her thank him as he hung up.

Then he sighed and stared up. So much for his first day of triumph.

ChapterTwo

Her chocolate-making days might be over, but Oscar Granger had absolutely no say over how much ice cream Lily Hart could produce.

And it was a lot.

Apparently, rage ice cream making was a thing.

“Our freezer is going to overflow soon.” Lily’s roommate and best friend Sadie Hudson breezed through the kitchen in her slacks and button-down blouse, setting her purse on the Formica countertop.

“Not if I eat it all first.” Lily stuck a spoon into the top of her two-gallon ice cream maker, sampling the pistachio raisin flavor she’d just finished. Hmm. Not enough sugar in this batch. Grrr. She unhooked the base and carried the ice cream to the sink.

“Are you seriously going to throw that entire batch away?” Sadie reached for the base and grabbed a fresh spoon. Dipped it in and took a bite.

She groaned. “This is amazing. Lily! What’s wrong with you? It would be a crime against humanity to throw this away.”

“It’s not amazingenough.”

The glow of a western sun cast golden light through the window. Was it seriously already early evening? Sadie was home from her copywriting job, so it must be. And what had Lily done with her entire day? Made a lousy batch of ice cream that was either going to melt into oblivion or find its way into her mouth, adding another five pounds onto her hips like the ones she’d gained in the last twelve days.

Since being fired. Losing her career.

Epically failing at the only thing she’d ever wanted.

No wonder she was consuming ice cream at an alarming, just-a-taste rate.

“Hey.” Sadie hip checked her. “Don’t let Oscar get into your head. You’ll find something else.”

“I’ve already exhausted all of my old culinary school contacts. Nobody is hiring. Or maybe it’s just that nobody is hiringme.”

“You’ve got to give it longer than a week and a half, friend. Be patient.”

“Patience is not a virtue I naturally possess.” Lily worked her fingers through her pale blonde hair, now streaked with a little, I-lost-my-job-depression lavender. “Maybe my look is the problem. I could dye my hair brown and serious like yours. It worked for Kayleigh.”

Kayleigh, who had already left for Nashville and texted Lily a picture of her gorgeous new kitchen at her gorgeous new resort job.

Meanwhile, Lily was sweating it out in her tiny apartment kitchen day in and day out. She’d tried making chocolates, but her stovetop kept giving her fits. Thus, the ice cream. Besides, something about the whirring machine—watching the vanilla and cream swirl together to create something beautiful and rich, something surprising—comforted her.

As much as one could be comforted when one’s whole world had fallen apart, of course.

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