to start a candy-making business, and Cody was one of two bank loan officers in town.
âAnd I want to name this soon-to-be best-selling candy after my closest friend,â Bessie cooed.
âBessie, Iâm flattered. Thatâs very sweet of you,â Hayley said.
And she meant it.
She was genuinely touched by the gesture.
âI wanted you to be the first to know. I feel it in my bones, Hayley. This oneâs going to finally put me on the map.â
âFingers crossed,â Hayley said hopefully.
âI better get home and feed my cats. Iâll call you once I whip up my first batch because, of course, I want you to be the first person in the world to try one.â
She hugged Hayley againâthis time more gently and less bone crushingâand hurried out the door. Hayley watched her scuttle down the sidewalk to her car, fumbling in the pockets of her bright pink parka for her keys. Just as she fished them out and unlocked her car with the remote, she was intercepted by a man twice her size. At least in height.
Hayley recognized him immediately.
Wolf Conway.
One of Bessieâs ex-boyfriends.
Wolf was a lumbering Paul Bunyan type of guy. Roughly six-four, he had a bushy red beard and freckles all over his face. He wore a brown wool cap, a black-and-red-plaid coat, paint-splattered jeans, and tan work boots. Hayley was surprised Wolf hadnât yet given her a topic to write about in Bruceâs crime column, given the big manâs long record of public intoxication and disturbing the peace.
Yes, Bessieâs taste in men was exemplary.
He spoke to her animatedly, waving his arms in front of her face so much that she had to duck a few times to avoid getting slapped.
Wolf had a violent temper; that was the chief reason Bessie broke it off with him a few years back. In fact, she stopped all contact. And the scuttlebutt was she even took out a restraining order against him. Clearly, if that was the case, Wolf wasnât adhering to the rules at this moment.
Wolf could barely hold down a job. Hayley remembered he worked at the docks, towing the lines of some of the fishermenâs boats for a while. Recently he was a fry cook at a local burger joint and made a mean plate of onion rings. Hayley had tried them onceâthey were greasy and good. But he got sacked about a month ago for mouthing off to the customers one too many times. Now he was living off his unemployment check, trying to make ends meet. Hayley heard Wolf had lost his little shack on the outskirts of town through foreclosure.
Wolf was yelling now and Bessie tried to push past him to her car, but he grabbed a fistful of her pink coat in his giant paw. She tried freeing herself from his grip and lost her balance and stumbled to the ground.
Hayley jumped up out of her chair and bolted out the door, not quite sure what she was going to do.
âStep away from her right now, Wolf!â Hayley said, her voice cracking from fear.
Wolf glared at Hayley for a moment, then down at Bessie, who was on her back, her fat arms and legs flailing in the air like an upended cockroach. Painted pink.
Bessie rolled on her side and reached out to try and kick Wolf in the shins with her black rubber snow boots. He just took a step back from her to avoid getting hit.
âIâm going to call the police right now,â Hayley said, turning to head back inside.
Wolf took her threat seriously and stalked off.
Hayley rushed to Bessieâs side and helped her to her feet, which was no easy task, given her heft. Bessie nearly went down again as Hayley hauled her upright from the sidewalk, nearly tearing her pink parka.
âBessie, are you okay?â
âOnly thing bruised is my ego. I canât believe I fell down like that. Especially in front of him. Oh, he makes my blood boil. Wish I had nailed him in the kneecaps.â
Bessieâs harsh words didnât hide the fact she was obviously shaken by her run-in with her
âAnd I want to name this soon-to-be best-selling candy after my closest friend,â Bessie cooed.
âBessie, Iâm flattered. Thatâs very sweet of you,â Hayley said.
And she meant it.
She was genuinely touched by the gesture.
âI wanted you to be the first to know. I feel it in my bones, Hayley. This oneâs going to finally put me on the map.â
âFingers crossed,â Hayley said hopefully.
âI better get home and feed my cats. Iâll call you once I whip up my first batch because, of course, I want you to be the first person in the world to try one.â
She hugged Hayley againâthis time more gently and less bone crushingâand hurried out the door. Hayley watched her scuttle down the sidewalk to her car, fumbling in the pockets of her bright pink parka for her keys. Just as she fished them out and unlocked her car with the remote, she was intercepted by a man twice her size. At least in height.
Hayley recognized him immediately.
Wolf Conway.
One of Bessieâs ex-boyfriends.
Wolf was a lumbering Paul Bunyan type of guy. Roughly six-four, he had a bushy red beard and freckles all over his face. He wore a brown wool cap, a black-and-red-plaid coat, paint-splattered jeans, and tan work boots. Hayley was surprised Wolf hadnât yet given her a topic to write about in Bruceâs crime column, given the big manâs long record of public intoxication and disturbing the peace.
Yes, Bessieâs taste in men was exemplary.
He spoke to her animatedly, waving his arms in front of her face so much that she had to duck a few times to avoid getting slapped.
Wolf had a violent temper; that was the chief reason Bessie broke it off with him a few years back. In fact, she stopped all contact. And the scuttlebutt was she even took out a restraining order against him. Clearly, if that was the case, Wolf wasnât adhering to the rules at this moment.
Wolf could barely hold down a job. Hayley remembered he worked at the docks, towing the lines of some of the fishermenâs boats for a while. Recently he was a fry cook at a local burger joint and made a mean plate of onion rings. Hayley had tried them onceâthey were greasy and good. But he got sacked about a month ago for mouthing off to the customers one too many times. Now he was living off his unemployment check, trying to make ends meet. Hayley heard Wolf had lost his little shack on the outskirts of town through foreclosure.
Wolf was yelling now and Bessie tried to push past him to her car, but he grabbed a fistful of her pink coat in his giant paw. She tried freeing herself from his grip and lost her balance and stumbled to the ground.
Hayley jumped up out of her chair and bolted out the door, not quite sure what she was going to do.
âStep away from her right now, Wolf!â Hayley said, her voice cracking from fear.
Wolf glared at Hayley for a moment, then down at Bessie, who was on her back, her fat arms and legs flailing in the air like an upended cockroach. Painted pink.
Bessie rolled on her side and reached out to try and kick Wolf in the shins with her black rubber snow boots. He just took a step back from her to avoid getting hit.
âIâm going to call the police right now,â Hayley said, turning to head back inside.
Wolf took her threat seriously and stalked off.
Hayley rushed to Bessieâs side and helped her to her feet, which was no easy task, given her heft. Bessie nearly went down again as Hayley hauled her upright from the sidewalk, nearly tearing her pink parka.
âBessie, are you okay?â
âOnly thing bruised is my ego. I canât believe I fell down like that. Especially in front of him. Oh, he makes my blood boil. Wish I had nailed him in the kneecaps.â
Bessieâs harsh words didnât hide the fact she was obviously shaken by her run-in with her
Similar Books
