The Spring of Candy Apples (A Sweet Seasons Novel) Read online

  “The more they stay the same,” Josh finished with a grin.

  “It looks like it’s time to get the team back together.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  “What talent do you Kowabunga guys have?” Candace asked.

  “We have many. If you’re referencing the contest, though, we’re keeping that under wraps a little while longer.”

  “Come on, I can keep a secret,” she said.

  “I know you can,” he said with a sly smile.

  The truth was she had been keeping Josh’s secret — a big one — for months. Her best friend, Tamara, had only recently found out what it was, but through no fault of hers.

  “You wanna hear a secret?” Candace teased.

  “Sure.”

  “I think my best friend’s crazy about your brother.”

  “Well, that’s a relief, since I know my brother is crazy about your best friend.”

  Crazy was an understatement. Tamara and James had met a couple of days before Christmas and had spent so much time together the last eight weeks, it seemed like one long date as opposed to dozens of short ones. Candace had seen more of Josh socially in the last few weeks than she had in the preceding eight months. Somehow the two of them ended up at the movies or the theater or dinner with James and Tamara more often than not. She was seeing more of Josh than she was of Kurt.

  She briefly thought about asking Kurt about the talent contest, but he was a mascot, and they usually did things as a group. She was going to have to hunt down some old friends.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Tamara asked an hour later as Candace plopped into the chair across from her at Big D’s, their favorite ice-cream parlor.

  “I gotta get the team back together,” Candace said.

  “Same question, let’s try for a new answer,” Tamara said.

  Candace sighed. “Talent Show competition at The Zone after Easter. Not only do I have to get a team, but I’ve got to have a talent.”

  “Girl who doesn’t work at the park, say ‘what?’” Tamara asked.

  “The beginning?” Candace asked.

  “Yes, please. And don’t leave anything out,” Tamara cautioned.

  Candace smiled. She and Tamara had been best friends forever. Sometimes it was like they could read each other’s minds. Other times it was like they were communicating in completely different languages. It wasn’t that far of a stretch. They practically came from different planets.

  Tamara came from money, lots of it. Fortunately for Candace, all that money hadn’t made Tamara a snob, just overly generous. Tamara was also one of those scary-beautiful people with long dark hair and olive skin. Candace, with her middle class upbringing, average good looks, and red curls came from a totally different background. The only things they shared were school, church, and a lifelong friendship and respect. Their friendship had suffered when Candace first started working, but that was all in the past. She was still sure, though, that Tamara wasn’t going to be pleased that Candace had managed to tie up more weekends and spring break with The Zone.

  “The interview went okay. I was nervous, but I didn’t faint or anything like that,” Candace started.

  “And?”

  “And he offered me a regular part-time job at the Candy Counter.”

  “In the Home Stretch?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “And you said yes?”

  Candace nodded.

  Tamara leaned back with a sigh. “There goes spring break.”

  “What about James?”

  “He works too.”

  “Bummer.”

  “Tell me about it. I was counting on spending days with you while he was at work.”

  “Well, maybe I’ll get night shifts,” Candace said.

  “We can only hope,” Tamara said with a sigh.

  Candace smiled. “VH?” she asked, meaning “Virtual Hug.”

  “VH.”

  2

  Candace couldn’t believe how nervous she felt as she headed for The Zone and her first shift at the Candy Counter. In some ways it was just as bad as getting her first job there. Unlike the other jobs she’d had at The Zone, this one didn’t come with a built-in expiration date. She was there until she quit. Or at least until they fire me, she thought ruefully.

  The uniform was similar to the one she had worn over the summer. She wore white shorts, white Keds, and a striped blouse. Instead of pink and white stripes, though, the blouse was striped with multiple colors representing the dominant color of each zone in the park. The Candy Counter was on the Home Stretch, the array of shops and restaurants at the front of the park that visitors had to traverse on their way in and on their way out.

  She arrived at the park and made her way toward the store. She had just reached it when she spotted Josh, jogging toward her with a camera in hand.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  He grinned. “Just wanted to get a picture of Candy’s first day at the Candy Counter.”

  She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help smiling back at him. “Fine, but just one picture.”

  “Okay, now stand under the sign,” he instructed.

  She positioned herself under the Candy in the sign and struck a pose.

  “Beautiful,” he said as he took the picture.

  He moved to show it to her on the screen. She laughed when she saw herself.

  “Oh yeah, this is going to make a great addition to The Zone Yearbook,” he said.

  “What?” she asked, the laughter dying on her lips.

  “The yearbook. Comes out at the end of May each year.”

  “You’re kidding,” she said.

  “Nope.”

  “I’ve never heard of a Zone yearbook!”

  “Candy, there are lots of things here you’ve never heard of. Still, you’re going to be pretty popular in the book this year.”

  “Give me the camera.”

  “So you can delete the picture? I don’t think so. Besides, isn’t it time for your shift?” he asked.

  “Fiend.”

  “That’s friend,” he corrected.

  She rolled her eyes and stepped into the store.

  “Surprise!”

  Candace jumped backward as dozens of people shouted in unison. Behind her, Josh put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward.

  Bewildered, she took in the scene. There were balloons everywhere, and a huge banner said Happy Birthday & Welcome Aboard! Everywhere she looked she saw familiar faces of friends and coworkers.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Well, someone let slip that your birthday is coming up,” Martha, one of Candace’s supervisors, said. “And then you became a regular nonseasonal employee, and it just seemed like a good excuse to celebrate.”

  “You guys! Wow, thank you!” Candace exclaimed.

  “So, I take it you didn’t see the sign on the door that said Closed for Private Party?” Becca asked.

  “Nope, she was too busy trying to get me to delete her picture,” Josh said proudly.

  She turned on him and pounded him in the chest with a fist. “You big faker. I knew there wasn’t a yearbook!”

  “Oh no, there’s a yearbook,” Pete, the crazy train engineer, spoke up. “I’m guessing you’re going to be all over it this year.”

  “Great,” Candace said with a shake of her head. “Okay, so who actually works here?” she asked.

  Several hands shot up around the room, and soon Candace’s newest coworkers were making their way forward to introduce themselves. Names and faces blurred by for a minute, and Candace realized that she wasn’t going to remember them. Oh well, there’d be plenty of time to get to know everyone later, she decided.

  Once the introductions were finished, a cake with candles was wheeled out. On top Candy was spelled out in a variety of different candies. She smiled, blew out the candles, and received the first piece. It was strawberry cake, and it was amazingly good.

  “Who mad
e this?” she asked.

  “We did,” Traci, one of her new coworkers, said. “We make special-occasion cakes here.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Candace admitted.

  “It’s a well-guarded secret,” Martha explained. “If it got out how good the cakes were, they wouldn’t have time to make anything else.”

  “I can believe it,” Candace said. She made her way gradually around the store, trying to thank everyone. She finally found Roger.

  “Happy almost birthday,” he said.

  “Thanks. How are you doing?”

  “Pretty good. It looks like I’m going to get a sports scholarship to college.”

  “Roger, that’s amazing!” It really was. When she had met Roger, he had been the clutziest guy in the park. Their team had won the summer Scavenger Hunt, though, and it gave Roger the confidence he needed.

  “And thanks to your nomination, you might have gotten me a scholarship. That’s very thoughtful of you,” she added.

  “Well, you know. Us Scavenger Hunt winners have to stick together.”

  “So, Roger, I hear there’s a talent show coming up. How about getting the team back together?” she asked.

  He squirmed slightly. “I’m sorry, Candace. That would be fun, but I’m trying to get a job at the Muffin Mansion. If I get it, I’ll be on their team.”

  “Becca told me they almost never have openings.”

  “One of the ladies, Sally Lunn, is retiring.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Yeah. She’s seventy. So that means there’s going to be an opening, and I want to be the one to get it.”

  “So you can spend more time with Becca?”

  He nodded.

  “Good for you! I hope they pick you.”

  “Me too,” he said.

  Muffin Mansion referees did all the park activities together. It was a very close-knit group. They were fiercely competitive and completely loyal to each other.

  “Hey, stranger,” Sue said.

  “Hey!” Candace said, giving Sue a quick hug.

  The other girl worked in janitorial, and they’d been friends since the beginning of summer. At Christmas, Candace had discovered that a family tragedy had left Sue to raise her two younger siblings, and Candace and some of the others had done their best to help the family out.

  “How are things going?” Candace asked.

  “Really great,” Sue said with a smile. “Remind me to thank you.”

  Candace waved her hand. “Thank you for coming to this.”

  “Hey, any chance at free cake and I’m there,” Sue joked.

  “And, seriously, thanks for nominating me, I really appreciate it.”

  Sue shrugged. “I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”

  “I’ve been meaning to hunt you down. I’m having a slumber party for my birthday next Friday night. Do you think there’s any way you could come?”

  It was a long shot, given Sue’s brother and sister, but it never hurt to ask.

  “I’ll see what I can do. A couple parents owe me some sleep over favors.”

  “That would so rock!”

  “So, has anyone told you about Talent Show yet?” Sue asked.

  “Just found out about it,” Candace admitted. “Have you got a team yet?”

  “Yeah, Pete, Traci, Corinne from food ser vices, and I signed up last week.”

  “Oh,” Candace said, unable to hide her dismay.

  Sue smiled. “We put your name down too, just in case.”

  “Really?”

  Sue nodded.

  “You guys are the best,” Candace said, hugging her again.

  “Pete had a sneaking suspicion you’d be back. I knew if you were, you’d be the last to hear about Talent Show.”

  “Well, you were both right,” Candace said. “So, what’s our talent?”

  “We have a meeting planned to discuss it. I’ll email you the details.”

  “Cool, thanks.”

  Sue moved away to talk to someone else, and Candace continued to move through the store, hugging and thanking people. Finally, in a far corner, she found Kurt.

  “Happy birthday,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Well, almost,” she said. “It’s not for a few more days.”

  “Oh. We’ll have to do something to celebrate,” he said.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  For a brief moment she considered asking him why he hadn’t nominated her, but it didn’t seem like the time or place to start that conversation.

  After two hours, Martha declared the party officially over. Candace’s first official job as a Candy Counter referee was cleaning up from her own party. It was funny, but she was glad to do it. By the time the place was spotless, her shift was over.

  “Traci and Candace, you two can take off,” the supervisor said.

  Candace and Traci walked outside and ran straight into Lisa.

  “Well, if it isn’t the park princess,” Lisa sneered.

  Lisa was Kurt’s ex-girlfriend. She’d had it in for Candace since the day they met. She had even tried to get Candace fired over the summer. They occasionally shared an uneasy truce, but this was clearly not going to be one of those days.

  “Lisa, I’m not in the mood,” Candace said, surprising herself by saying it out loud.

  “Oh, forgive me, Princess. As a mere commoner, I’ll get out of your way.”

  “Lisa, don’t be like that,” Candace started to say, but the other girl stalked off.

  “Wow, she really doesn’t like you,” Traci noted.

  “She thinks if I weren’t around, she and Kurt would get back together,” Candace explained.

  “Somehow I don’t think all of this is about a guy,” Traci replied.

  “Really?”

  Traci nodded.

  It was a strange thought. Could there actually be some other reason why Lisa didn’t like her? Candace shoved the thought aside impatiently. She didn’t want to think about Lisa.

  When she reached the Locker Room and got her things out of her locker, she saw that she had a message from Tamara on her phone.

  “Candace, I need you to come over after work. It’s a total crisis,” Tamara wailed.

  Candace tried calling her back, but it went straight to voicemail. Candace left a brief message before heading for the parking lot. Ten minutes later she parked in front of Tamara’s house.

  “So, what’s the crisis?” Candace asked as Tamara opened the door.

  Tamara didn’t say anything, but grabbed her by the hand and led her upstairs. A dozen dresses were draped across her bed and what had to be thirty pairs of shoes littered the floor.

  “Did a bomb go off?” Candace joked.

  Tamara sat down on the floor with a frustrated sigh, shoving shoes to the side.

  The room had been in similar condition a couple of weeks earlier when Candace helped Tamara pick out what she was wearing for her Valentine’s Day date with James. Kurt had been working that day, so Candace had all the time in the world to help Tamara out. She still wished she and Kurt could have done something fun and romantic, though.

  “Seriously, what gives? I don’t think I’m missing a holiday,” Candace said.

  “Today is our two-month anniversary of dating,” Tamara explained.

  “Ah. So where is James taking you?”

  “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me,” Tamara admitted.

  “Did he give you an idea of what to wear?”

  “No!”

  “I see the problem. Give me one minute,” Candace said. She stepped into the hall and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. A moment later she heard Josh’s voice.

  “Candace?”

  “Hey, yeah, it’s me.”

  “How are you?”

  “Good, but we need some wardrobe guidance over here.”

  “He hasn’t told me where they’re going.”

  “Can you find out?”

  “Not likely.”
>
  Candace sighed. “Well, can you at least find out what’s he’s wearing?”

  “Hold on.”

  A minute later Josh was back. “Tux.”

  “Thanks, Josh.”

  “Don’t thank me quite yet. James has a way of being unpredictable. He could just as easily change into jeans halfway through the date.”

  “Okay, how on earth do we plan for that one?”

  “Unfortunately, you don’t. Not really. Trust me, if it had been crucial that she wear something specific, he would have given her fair warning.”

  “Good to know,” Candace said. “I gotta go.”

  “Later.”

  Candace walked back into Tamara’s room. “He’s wearing a tux.”

  Tamara’s face lit up. “That will be so much easier,” she said.

  “Let’s hope so,” Candace muttered under her breath.

  An hour later Tamara looked stunning in one of her favorite purple formals and matching pumps. Candace had helped her put her hair up.

  “You know, this guy has really done something for you,” Candace commented.

  “How do you mean?”

  “Somehow you’re even more beautiful. Your eyes are always shining.”

  “It’s called love,” Tamara said with a contented sigh. “I highly recommend it.”

  Candace smiled. As much as she liked Kurt, she had never been sure she could actually say she was in love. Watching Tamara with James, she was becoming more and more sure that she wasn’t. She was also questioning her hypothesis that she and Kurt might be in love someday.

  “What’s wrong?” Tamara asked.

  “Nothing,” Candace said. There was no need to bring Tamara down with her love problems. At least not right before James arrived.

  As if on cue, the doorbell downstairs rang.

  “Can you get it?” Tamara begged.

  “Want to make a grand entrance?”

  “You know it.”

  Candace hurried downstairs and opened the front door. James was standing there in a tuxedo holding a bouquet of flowers. She was relieved to see that Josh’s intel had been right on the money.

  “Come in,” Candace said.

  “Thanks.”

  James stepped in the house, and Candace had to admit that he looked just as good in a tuxedo as Josh did. Where Josh brought a look of casual elegance, James brought an air of excitement and mystery.

  “Can I get you a martini, Mr. Bond?” she teased.