Page 86 of Meet Me at the Fudge Shop

Declan’s jaw tightened, his gaze flicking between Lily and his parents. “Fine. Let’s talk.”

Everything in Lily screamed for Declan not to go. Not to listen to his parents—but he followed Frank and Martha right through the swinging kitchen door. Lily couldn’t hear Frank’s words, but shecouldhear his hammering tone. And, when Lily peeked out into the lobby, she could see Declan’s face fall. Saw the way he scrubbed a hand through his hair.

His pinched reply. “Yes, sir.”

Lily’s eyes filled with tears as she fumbled her way back toward her ruined fudge and began tossing more boxes into the trash can.

Finally, Declan pushed through the kitchen door, holding it and calling over his shoulder, “I’ll be out in a minute” before turning to Lily.

“So? Can any of it be saved?” he asked.

Lily shrugged, still feeling the sting of his desertion. But he was here now. He was going to help her. That was what counted. “Maybe like forty pounds?”

“All right. Look, I’ve got to go set up the booth?—”

“Wait, what? You’re leaving me with this mess?”

“Hey—” He reached out and took her hand. “We will clean this up together, but for right now, I’ve got another plan for your booth. Trust me.”

Right.

But he left her there as he disappeared into the kitchen. He returned moments later holding an ice cream container. “You have plenty of ice cream left over from the Stevenson wedding a few weeks ago, plus what you’ve made in between batches of fudge to, as you say,fuel your creativity. Sell that today, with whatever fudge you can salvage.”

“Ice cream?” Lily took her own mental inventory. She had been making a lot of fudge—and yes, ice cream too, as a way to ease the stress over the last few weeks of the competition. “I don’t know.”

“You can do this. You’ve got all those creations sitting in there.” Declan waved toward the walk-in freezer. “Besides, even if I were able to help you make the fudge, I don’t have all your specialty ingredients and?—”

“And your dad would never speak to you again if you loaned me supplies.”

“Probably.” He glanced toward the door, where his parents were likely still waiting. “But I’m working on him, Lily. I am.”

“He doesn’t seem like he’ll ever come around. Your mom, either.” Her chin trembled, but no, this wasn’t the time for tears. It was the time for bravery and fortitude. The time to focus.

Declan’s gaze softened and he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m still in this if you are.”

Lily’s mouth opened to respond, but the kitchen door swung open with a bang. “Are you coming?” Frank stood there, glaring at them once again.

Sighing, Declan dropped his hand from her face, took a step away, and looked at her. “You’ve got this, Lil.” Then he joined his parents.

“I sure hope so,” Lily whispered to herself.

Two hours later, Lily stood under her tent along Main Street, her vendor display nearly complete. Dad had rounded up every fan on the island to dry out the fudge shop, though they’d tripped the breaker and had to dial back her production.

The last thing she needed was to burn down Jonathon Island.

Mia dropped a box of supplies onto the extra table at the back of the booth. “I bought every cone I could find and cleared out the disposable bowl and spoon section in the market,” she said. “Cody will be here in a minute with the rest.”

“You’re a rock star.”

Mia gave her a hug. “I’m happy to help. And look at you—your display is so bright and cheerful.” She pointed to Lily’s yellow sign—the one Declan had helped her order. It was indeed cheerful, and the purple lettering stated “Hart Family Fudge” in gorgeous cursive.

“Thanks. I considered adding ‘and Ice Cream’ to the end of the font in permanent marker, but didn’t think my chicken scratch would look very appealing.”

“Even then, it would still catch more eyes than the Kelley’s Classic Fudge sign.” Chuckling, Mia thumbed over her shoulder across the street, where Declan’s booth sat between Martha’s and Patrick’s—a unifying of the Kelley family.

She couldn’t help but notice the dividing line of Main Street between them.

Or the handsome man behind the booth—the one she’d completely lost her heart to, despite the very unimaginative black-and-white sign with touches of red. Classic indeed, just like her Declan, though his aviators disguised him as a rebel.

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