Read Online Chocolate Dreams at the Gingerbread Cafe by Rebecca Raisin - Free Book Online Page B

day? What you s’posed to do in one day?”
    I shrug. “Exactly.”
    CeeCee grunts, and shakes her head. “Put it out of your mind, sugar. Oh, before I forget, another delivery of chocolate buttons arrived. We can get started on the rest of the Easter eggs. I thought we could fill up the smaller ones with some zany flavors for kids, like sherbet, that kinda thing. What you think?”
    â€œSherbet? Sounds amazing!”
    â€œFolks certainly won’t find that anywhere else. I wanted to leave early today on account of running some errands.”
    â€œErrands? You want me to do them?” I usually help CeeCee with her shopping because she doesn’t own a car.
    â€œNo, no,” she says quickly. “Just some things I need to sort out. It won’t take long.”
    â€œOK. Take your time, Cee. I thought I’d organize those make-at-home choc-chip cookies in a jar, for the festival.”
    CeeCee wraps the balls of dough in cling film, and sets them in the fridge to rest. “You want me to pick up some pretty ribbons to tie around them while I’m out?”
    â€œSure.”
    ***
    After the lunch rush, I walk out to the office to return Mr Jefferson’s call. He phoned earlier when we were knee-deep in customers, and I could tell by the tone of his voice the news wasn’t good.
    â€œMr Jefferson, it’s Lil.”
    He sighs, a long drawn-out sound. “Lil, I got some bad news. He’s wrapped you up tight with this. By the looks you’re going to have to pay him. From what I can see, the loan has gone through his dad’s business, so technically you owe the twenty thousand, plus interest.”
    â€œEven though his dad’s passed on?”
    â€œYes, ma’am. Seems Joel is the beneficiary of his dad’s estate, and is chasing everyone who still owes them. Not that there’s many with anything tangible left. They got some nerve, that family, sending people broke with the amount of interest they charged. No one could afford that kind of money. They preyed on desperate people.”
    I rest my head against the cool of the wall. “That they did. What should I do? See about getting a loan…”
    Mr Jefferson clears his throat. “We can see about getting a payment plan of some type. There’s a host of things we can legally do. You can fight it, it’s just the cost of that if you lose…”
    â€œNo, I don’t have the energy to fight him. Let’s see about some kind of payment terms, then. You think you can hold him off for a little while?”
    â€œI do, Lil. Let me contact him, and see about negotiating.”

Chapter Nine
    We’ve made over a hundred small eggs, filled with various flavored luscious ganaches to replenish our stock for the last time before the festival. We dust the tops of each egg with colored sugar crystals to differentiate the flavors.
    Our jam jars are filled with all the dry ingredients to make chocolate-chip cookies. We’ve tied star-shaped cookie cutters to the jars with gingerbread ribbon. A cute little gift idea we couldn’t resist trying.
    â€œI’m going to add a few of these to the window display,” CeeCee says.
    I nod distractedly as I tidy the bench.
    A moment later CeeCee rushes back in, her eyes wide, hand on her chest.
    â€œWhat, Cee? You OK?”
    She is breathless, and points to Damon’s shop. “He’s there, out front with Damon!”
    â€œWho?” As soon as the word leaves my mouth I realize. I rush to the window to gaze out. Joel. He’s pointing a crooked finger into Damon’s face.
    â€œOh, my gosh, I better go over…”
    But CeeCee tugs my arm. “No. Leave it. That’s what he wants. He trying to scare you. Damon’s not a coward. He can stand up for himself.”
    My heartbeat speeds up. “Yeah, but he shouldn’t have to, Cee. This has nothing to do with him.”
    â€œLeave them