“It doesn’t even feel like we’re in a boat,” Laney observed, taking in the size of the rooms and the height of the ceilings.
“It’s way bigger than our house,” Levi whispered at one point while Rudy gave them the tour.
In the living room area, Rudy opened a checkbook he inconspicuously picked up in the office a few minutes earlier.“I owe you both a finder’s fee,” he declared, gazing at Levi and Laney with appreciation.
“What’s that?”Laney quizzed with a scrunched brow.
“It’s the reward I promised on the posters.”
“Mr.Emerson, you really don’t have to give the kids anything,” Noel interjected.“We all had the best time looking for Scout.”
“Noel, I am a man of my word,” Rudy offered, then turned his attention back to the kids whose eyes shone wide with pleasure.“Since there are two of you, I am writing each of you a check for $5,000.It’s up to your mom how you use it, but maybe some of it can go to start your animal non-profit; you could save a portion for college and careers and maybe spend a little on yourselves,” he concluded by rubbing their heads.
“We are giving it all to Mom to save the candy shop,” Levi announced enthusiastically.
“Yeah, Beaufort Candy Company is more important to our family than anything,” Laney shared.
“You kids have the most amazing hearts,” Rudy noted.“However, your mom doesn’t need you to save the candy shop.”
Noel couldn’t hide her sudden confusion, and Cavin, standing on the other side of her and the kids, squinted his eyes a bit wondering what Rudy planned to reveal.
“She doesn’t?”Levi questioned.
“But we thought...,” Laney trailed off.
Noel didn’t have the heart to tell the kids that the cash they gave her this morning wouldn’t save the candy shop, and she couldn’t imagine that an additional $10,000 would quite fill the gap either.It might buy some time, but it would only offer a temporary fix.However, she didn’t really want to have this conversation with them, especially here, and she had no idea why Rudy made the comment.She couldn’t help but wonder if the kids previously mentioned the fate of the candy shop to him like they did with Cavin.Regardless, why would he make the statement that she didn’t need the kids' help?
“Cavin, is it okay if we give Noel and the kids their Christmas present earlier than we planned?”Rudy asked.“The timing seems perfect since you all just brought me my Scout.”
Tears of joy swirled in Cavin’s eyes like the scene in a snow globe, and somehow as if an imaginary glass existed, they held there rather than falling down his cheeks.“Yes, of course,” he agreed, now knowing exactly what was about to happen.
Noel’s eyes darted between Rudy and Cavin who both seemed genuinely excited about something.
“I told Cavin this story last night when he came over asking for my thoughts regarding all that’s going on with the candy shop, specifically with the proposal and Cavin’s research.”As Rudy spoke, Noel glanced at Cavin out of the corner of her eye wondering why he chose to share this information with Rudy.She wasn’t upset with him, at least not yet, but definitely curious why he would involve someone who was more or less a stranger to her.“You see, the reason I came to Beaufort was because I found out the man who taught me how to make chocolate passed away,” Rudy continued.“That man was your grandfather,” he offered, looking at the kids with appreciation.
Noel’s eyes suddenly swelled with amazement at the announcement that her father taught one of the most well-known chocolatiers in the world how to make chocolate.Rudy went on to share the story of how he ventured to Beaufort many years ago after walking away from his dad’s lucrative business to discover his own passion.At the time he thought he wanted to open a restaurant on the waterfront because he dreamed of being a chef.While he explored the idea, he wandered into the candy shop one day where Noel’s dad offered him a job on the spot.Needing a steady income while raising money for his restaurant, Rudy took the position because of the kitchen experience opportunity, and the rest proved to be history.
“Dad talked about you a lot,” Noel proclaimed as pieces of a puzzle she never thought much about began falling into place.“He told us about giving you a job because you seemed so passionate about being a chef.I vividly remember him saying that within a short period of time, your passion for making chocolate grew into something more than anyone he ever met.Dad said you were successful, but he never told us that we would all know your company’s candy if he mentioned the names of the products.”
“Your dad was a humble man, Noel, and he didn’t just teach me how to make candy; he taught me about what was important in life, things beyond money,” Rudy explained.“When I came here this time around, I came to check on you and your brother and the candy shop.I arrived prepared to help financially if needed.”Rudy stopped talking for a moment and let his head sink ever so slightly.“I felt terrible because a little over a year ago, your father sent me a document to look over about an investment he wanted to make.He knew that in addition to my chocolate business, I invested heavily in real estate over the years.His letter stated he didn’t trust someone involved locally, and he wanted my advice.He said he wasn’t hiring an attorney; he wanted to handle everything the old-fashioned way.Somehow that document and the letter got put aside because my wife just passed away, and I didn’t rediscover the package until I recently learned of your father’s passing.”
“What is the document?”Noel asked.
“It’s part of your Christmas present, Noel,” Rudy offered with a grin fueled with mixed emotions.“I showed it to Cavin last night after he came to me with the results of his investigation.Something wasn’t adding up, and I had the piece he needed, and he had the pieces I needed.This document shows your dad purchased the building next to yours which I didn’t realize until Cavin pointed that out last night.It wasn’t just a proposal; it was a copy of the signed papers.He was simply asking me if he made a good decision because it seems there was still a window to back out because the local businessman who’d taken over wasn’t keen on the deal his father, who also passed, agreed to.”
“I don’t quite understand,” Noel commented.
Cavin spoke up.“Yesterday when I went through your numbers, I realized your sales are amazing.Every estimate I ran showed your profits should be much higher than you thought.”
“But mom and dad hadn’t been able to take a salary for a while because the candy shop was struggling.Nothing has changed.I have barely increased sales,” Noel presented.
“That is what your accountant told you,” Cavin explained.“The truth is your mom and dad chose not to take a salary because they were making monthly cash payments to Walter’s father to buy his building, the one next door to yours.That is what the document Rudy has reveals.Your parents’ salaries went to those payments for quite some time.The last payment went through not long before your dad passed making the building his and ultimately, yours.This paperwork provides all the details, but it was never filed at the register of deeds office as legally required.”
Noel took a few moments to take in everything.“What if Dad backed out on the deal at the last minute?”Noel considered aloud.“If he sent Rudy the proposal and mentioned that as an option, maybe he was questioning the deal, and when he didn’t hear from you, he thought that was a sign?”
Rudy smiled really big.“In that case your accountant should have written you a big fat check,” he pointed out.
Cavin chimed in.“Walt would have been legally responsible for returning all of the money your parents paid him and his father.”
