The Candy Bar Liaison

The Candy
Bar Liaison

by Kiyara Benoiti

Breathless Press

Calgary, Alberta

www.breathlesspress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Candy Bar Liaison

Copyright© 2009 Kiyara Benoiti

ISBN: 978-1-926771-10-6

Cover Artist: Justyn Perry

Editor: Rochelle Weber

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.

Breathless Press

www.breathlesspress.com

The Candy
Bar Liaison

It began with candy bars, and then over the next few weeks, it progressed to small bags of chips, packages of single-serving cookies, and Slim Jims. The first time Cory witnessed the young woman stealing Mars Bars, Peppermint Patties, and Milky Way bars, he could only stand behind the two-way mirror and watch in fascination. Already tempered by such acts of thievery from the teenagers and small kids, he’d try to steer them onto the right path, but occasionally, Cory would bust a professional shoplifter for something larger. However, this woman...this woman was different somehow.

As manager of the Corner Shop Grocery, Cory had a reputation for busting the most shoplifters in the neighborhood, which spanned a ten-block radius. He was also known for his fairness. Perpetrators were forced to repay their debt to taxpayers. The smaller kids worked off their misdemeanors by sweeping, cleaning, and mopping the storeroom and john. In the case of this woman, Cory merely took careful note of the missing items, and then discreetly put the money in the register from his own wallet. Maybe it was the casually graceful way she walked that captivated him, or perhaps the pouty, brooding expression she wore when she stole something. Whatever the reason, he was hooked. He had to meet her, get closer to her. What was her name? Where was she from? And why was she surviving out on the streets?

Toddy and Bryant, the life partners who lived across the hall from him, urged Cory to talk to her, but so far he hadn’t worked up the courage. And worse, he feared scaring her away.

The woman usually came in to the store about every other day or so. That week she hadn’t shown up for three days. On the fourth morning, as Cory stood at the checkout counter taking inventory of the tobacco products, she entered the store earlier than usual. Upon seeing her, Cory paused, pen poised over the clipboard, his heart jumping several gears. The young woman stood contemplating a small personal travel kit and a jar of peanut butter. Returning the jar to its shelf, she deftly slid the box of toiletries under her jacket and froze, eyeing the small, inconspicuous two-way mirror with undisguised suspicion.

At first, Cory thought she would bolt from the store, but slowly, she withdrew the kit and returned it to its rightful spot. She crossed the market and pushed outside, turning right onto the sidewalk and hurrying away as if a police cruiser would appear at any moment.

Stunned, Cory dropped the inventory sheets, sprinted down the aisle as if his shoes were on fire, and snatched up the travel kit. If anyone else had been in the store they would’ve thought he’d lost his mind. He raced outside after the homeless woman.

Standing at a blue mailbox, she kissed an envelope and dropped it through the slot. She turned as Cory approached her.

“Here,” he blurted before she could run. He shoved the toiletries at her. “Take it.”

She wore a suspicious expression and shook her head.

“Take it.” He continued to hold the travel pack out and took one more step toward her. “I’ll pay for it.”

“Why?” she asked. Slowly she took the kit from him; her long, fine-boned fingers gripped it tightly. With her other hand, she brushed aside blonde bangs.

“You chose this instead of food. It must be really important to you.” He stared into her wide gray-blue eyes.

She studied him, uncertainty in her gaze.

“Got a name?”

“Jill Davies.” A hesitant smile graced her full-lipped mouth.

“I’m Cory Evershine.” Something swept over him, and before he could think it through properly, he blurted, “Would you like something to eat? We can go across the street to the café—my treat,” he offered. Giddiness washed through his heart. He’d actually charmed a smile out of her.

“Okay,” she said, her voice so soft he almost didn’t hear her.

He turned and said over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to have one of my employees watch the store while I’m gone, okay?”

She nodded once, twice.

He hurried back to the market. The world brightened, sounds intensified. The honk of a horn and the aroma of exhaust all seemed wonderful.

His cell phone chimed in his pants pocket. Cory fished it out and glanced at the caller ID. Toddy. Quickly, he answered the call, eager to return to the young woman waiting for him.

“Toddy? What’s up?”

“Would you mind picking up a loaf of white bread and a bottle of Coke for us?” Toddy’s soft, masculine voice traveled the airwaves. “Bryant forgot to stop at the grocery store after work last night. He has a headache, and I’m in the middle of a load of paperwork.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“One of us will pay you back when you get in later.”

“Toddy, she’s here. It was so weird, but she took a travel kit instead of food. She finally noticed the little two-way mirror and bolted from the store, but I caught up to her outside. Got her to agree to let me feed her at the café.”

A tsking sound soughed through the cell phone. “Why are you still talking to me? Go to her, man. Feed her; find out about her!”

“Later, Toddy.”

Cory slapped the phone shut, and, minutes later, he returned terrified that she had disappeared and he’d never see her again. Upon stepping outside, he saw she still remained by the mailbox, her ratty coat wrapped tightly around her too-thin body.

“This way,” he said and motioned toward the crosswalk. She crossed the street with him, but maintained a good three or four feet between them. The early spring wind tugged at her coat. Cory could only imagine how cold she must be at night. Inside the restaurant, he ordered them both burgers with the works, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

He said nothing as she ate. The woman must not have eaten for days. She crammed onion rings in as fast as she could chew. Once they were gone, she slowed down and concentrated on the burger. She ate slowly as if each bite was a delicacy.

After Jill demolished her meal, she sat quietly staring out the window of their booth seat. She tore a napkin into confetti.

Cory asked, “Don’t you have any family? Friends?” He pushed the last of his onion rings toward her.

She wiped up ketchup with one of them, popped it into her mouth, and shrugged. Chewing, she answered, “I have my mom...but she lives with my Aunt Rachel.”

“If you have family, then why are you—?” Uncertain how to finish, Cory searched for the right words. He could say the wrong thing and out the door she’d go. He’d probably never see her again.

“Living on the streets?” Jill offered him a sad smile that tugged at his heart. “When I turned eighteen, Aunt Rachel kicked me out. She said I was old enough to live on my own, that she was tired of supporting me.” Jill sighed heavily. “She threw me out two days after graduation. That was three years ago.” She slurped the last of the shake and reddened a bit at the rude sound. “I found a dollar in the gutter this morning, so instead of a cup of coffee or a donut, I bought a stamped envelope and wrote my mom a letter. I told her all about my wonderful job. I told her a bunch of lies because she has no idea where I am or how I’m doing.

“But why lie to your mother?”

“Mom has severe emphysema, crippling arthritis, and the advanced stages of Fibromyalgia. Aunt Rachel takes care of her in her small apartment.” Jill sighed and stared out the window again. “My aunt isn’t the nicest person in the world, and if Mom knew what has happened to me she’d want to take what little money she has and bring me home. Aunt Rachel would blow a fuse. She’d never allow me into her home again, especially like this.” She waved her hand to indicate her disheveled hair and stained, mismatched clothing.

“Is your Aunt Rachel your mom’s sister?”

“No, my dad’s. He’s been dead for fifteen years.”

They sat silently for several minutes just assessing one another. The chatter of the restaurant grew louder as the breakfast rush gave way to the lunch patrons. Dishes clinked, and a waitress hollered out an order and added, “Hold the mayo!”

Although Jill looked gaunt and dark circles resided under her eyes, Cory liked her aristocratic look. Faint freckles sprinkled her nose like specks of cinnamon. Her eyes looked gray one moment, silver the next, and then light blue. Except for her bangs, a black skull cap hid most of her hair, but he’d bet a fifty-dollar bill that once she had a good bath her hair would be strawberry blonde, gleaming with ruby highlights.

What was it about this woman that reached into his heart and inspired the urge to protect her, take care of her? It made no sense, but the sensation was there nonetheless.

And he couldn’t let her walk out of his life.

“Why steal a travel kit today instead of some grub?”

Her faced colored and she dropped her gaze. “How long have you been watching me steal?”

“For several weeks.”

“Why haven’t you turned me in?”

Cory shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. There’s just something about you…”

Smiling, she shyly met his gaze. “I found some nice clothes in a department store dumpster so I thought I’d get some toiletries and clean up, maybe find a decent job.”

He nodded. “I’ll give you a job in my store.”

Jill’s eyes brightened.

“You can even stay at my place,” he added and laid money on the table for the check.

Jill shook her head. “I’ll sleep in the storeroom. I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about how I got the job.”

Disappointment drifted over him, but he understood and respected Jill’s wishes. “Okay. But just for a while. Eventually you’ll have to find a room somewhere, or, if it makes you feel better, you can rent the extra room in my apartment.”

She nodded. “Just having somewhere warm to sleep is enough right now.” Color tinged her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said.

***

Two months passed. Cory taught Jill everything from how to order new store shipments to how to read the body language of job applicants; within weeks, he had her transferred to another store in the small chain working as the manager’s assistant and receiving a steady salary. They met every day for lunch and talked and laughed as they learned about one another. Jill heard hilarious stories about Cory’s best friends, Toddy and Bryant, and he discovered that she loved to read and had a knack for learning foreign languages, proving fluent in French. He took her to see a couple movies, and she invited him to her room where she cooked lasagna and garlic bread for him in her kitchenette.

Finally, Jill managed to save enough money to rent a two-room apartment. She wrote another letter to her mother and showed it to Cory. This time all her wonderful stories were true, and she promised to go see her in three months.

Those three months rushed by. The knowledge that she’d be gone for the next ten days tore Cory up. How would he survive without her?

Worse, how would he tell her that he’d fallen in love with her?

“Oh, hell,” said Bryant earlier that day. “Why don’t you just marry the girl?”

Toddy laughed. “You’re whipped, aren’t you?

“No!” Cory insisted. “We haven’t slept together yet.

Toddy and Bryant stared at him in shock.

Cory laughed. “I’m serious. I’ve never even copped a feel.”

“Whoa,” said Toddy. The man’s expression urged more laughter out of Cory. “This
is
serious.”

“Yeah,” Bryant said. “Cory’s done. He’s in love with her.”

“So marry her,” Toddy added.

“That’s the plan.” Cory grinned and relayed his idea for the perfect setting to propose to her.

***

The night before Jill’s trip back home, Cory invited Toddy and Bryant to celebrate with them. He prepared a grilled steak dinner with all the trimmings and opened a bottle of champagne to toast Jill’s new life. Once everyone was finished with their meal, Cory returned from the kitchen with four dessert cups of lemon gelatin topped with whipped cream and lemon zest. Butterflies zipped to and fro in his gut. What if Jill turned down his marriage proposal? What would he do then?

“So, tell us what your Aunt Rachel had to say in reply to your letter,” Toddy said.

“She didn’t have a word to say,” Jill answered. “And I can’t stand the thought of even seeing Aunt Rachel again.”

“What about your mother?” asked Bryant.

“Arthritis prevents Mom from writing to me or emailing, but I know she’s thrilled I’ll be visiting her. Mom and I have always had a close relationship.”

They ate quietly for a few seconds.

Picking up a spoon, Jill glanced down at her dessert cup and did a double take. “There’s something in the bottom of my Jell-O.”

“Really?” Cory replied, keeping his expression indifferent.

“Yeah.” She looked closer. “It’s a ring!”

He nodded. “An expensive one, so don’t you dare swallow it!”

Toddy and Bryant’s laughter filled the small dining area.

She dug the jewelry out of the bottom of the gelatin, licked it clean, and slipped it on her finger. “Not a chance of that,” she said, admiring it in the candlelight. “What? No cherry to go on top?”

Laughing, Cory took her hand, elated that Jill had accepted his ring. It glittered prettily on her slim finger.

“Think your mother will like me?”

Jill glanced up at him. “Who cares if she does or not? All that matters is that I love you.” She wore an infectious grin. “Why did you put my engagement ring in Jell-O?”

He smiled. “Because love can be found in unexpected places.”

She captured his face between her hands and kissed him, her lips warm, soft and tantalizing. She pressed closer to Cory, unseating him. They tumbled to the floor and began laughing. Jill kissed him again, her hands wandering the planes of his chest.

“Come on,” Cory heard Toddy say. “Let’s take a cue from them and do the same.”

“I hear you, lover,” said Bryant.

Cory caught the soft sound of the apartment door clicking shut.

“I have a confession to make,” Jill mumbled against his lips.

“Oh?”

“Mmm hmm.” She raised her head and locked gazes with his. “Half the reason I came into your store was to see you.”

“Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’d like to have kids one day,” he said.

She smiled. “Me too. At least three.”

He laughed and kissed her, then trailed more kisses along her jaw and down her throat.

Jill sighed and slipped her hand under his polo shirt. The fire that simple touch prompted roared through his body. His cock hardened, and desire burned deep within him. She continued to stroke his skin. Her hand slid down his abdomen and cupped his crotch.

His startled intake of breath forced her to raise her head and look at him.

“I want you, Jill,” he said softly as he fought to regulate his breathing. “But if you want to wait—”