Alice shifted in her seat, a dull ache forming in her temples. She’d come all this way to find out more about Chloe but she almost wanted to stop the interview. She longed for closure yet ignorance was bliss in its own right.
“Do you help your uncle make chocolate?”
“I like to eat it, but Mom doesn’t let me eat too much, she says it’ll rot my teeth,” Chloe looked down at her reindeer and added some gold glitter. “She worries about things like that.”
“My mom did too. I had braces and I couldn’t eat caramel. It was my favorite.” Grace added another loop to her growing chain and put glue on the edges. She held it out to Chloe.
The little girl sprinkled glitter on the white strip of glue until it was covered. “You have pretty teeth. Mom says l have pretty teeth and she wants them to stay that way. Uncle Niko makes the best salted caramel. He says the secret’s in the type of salt you use. I can’t tell you what kind, since it’s a secret.”
“Understandable. I’ll have to try some. Are you excited that he’s on the show?”
“Yes, I wanted to see him on the show before I got…um…more sick.” Chloe lowered her eyes, sucked in her bottom lip, and closed the glitter container with care.
Alice clenched her fists as she watched the breakdown of the girl’s cheerful exterior. Small, thin, and achingly alone in a crowd of people, she saw the ghost of herself all those years ago. Only she hadn’t been physically sick, just heartsick, and Chloe wasn’t alone. She had Hallie, Niko, and the rest of her large extended family.
Hallie placed her hand on her daughter’s back and Chloe lifted her lids, eyes shimmering. She blinked and offered a crooked smile, so endearing, that Alice nearly wept. “If Uncle Niko wins, it’ll be the best Christmas present ever.”
“Let’s wrap this up,” Alice said to Grace, the lump in her throat growing.
Grace laid down the garland she’d been making and clasped Chloe’s hand in her own. Even though she appeared in control, strain etched lines around Grace’s mouth and liquid sheened her eyes. This had been a tough interview for both of them. “From what you shared with me, you were the best Christmas present ever.”
“Me and Jesus,” Chloe said, a mischievous grin twisting her lips. The sad little girl had disappeared, tucked beneath a false cheerfulness.
Alice understood her reasons more than she cared to admit. A brave face was sometimes the only thing she had to show to the world.
Chapter Fifteen
Niko jogged down the steps from his apartment and into mayhem. The truck and staff had arrived the night before. Like fish, they streamed in and out of the room, carrying plastic containers full of equipment, pans, and dishes. The old appliances remained in the corner of the kitchen. Opposite them were the show’s state-of-the-art kitchen equipment. He weaved his way through the workers and inspected the kitchen more closely, running his palm over the stove.
“Looks good, doesn’t it?”
He turned around to see a pretty woman with red hair pulled back in a ponytail, ripped jeans, and a vintage sweatshirt. Despite her casual air, she looked expensive, and vaguely like Alice.
“Hi, I’m Brooke, one of the show’s interns.” She smiled and the familiarity with Alice became more pronounced.
“And you’re Alice’s sister. I’m Niko. This is my shop.”
She studied him for a long moment, green eyes curious. “You’re the genius behind the peppermint hot chocolate. It did wonders on my hangover this morning and don’t get me started on the salted caramel truffles. I’m hooked.” She shifted her gaze to the room at large and rocked back and forth on her feet. “Alice was right, this place is great. You should have seen the shithole Mitchell found, although the video she made was hilarious.”
Brooke radiated an air of underlying energy. She was upbeat, and from their conversation, a bit of a chatterbox. The polar opposite of her sister’s more reserved personality. “She made a video of the place?”
“Yes, she can’t help herself. Mom swears she was born with a camera in her hand. When she’s not working, she’s making work for herself. We grew up in Cali and she used to sneak out of the house when the bars where closing with this old Polaroid instamatic camera she bought at a garage sale and would take and sell pictures to drunk people. Of course, they had cell phones and could take their own selfies, but people would buy those stupid pictures. Sometimes she’d take me with her.”
“Because she bribed me. She was a brat. Still is.” Alice approached in what he’d come to think of as her uniform, a black skirt, white button-up silk blouse, and heels. He studied the thin fabric at her shoulder. Was she wearing lace again?
“Was she right? Were you wild?” he asked, brow cocked. Instead of the smile he expected, she paled.
“I was industrious.” She lifted the tablet in her hand, still not looking at him. “The cleaning company did an excellent job and we’d be right on track if we hadn’t had the two-day delay with the crew. I have the revised schedule here. I’ll email it to you. How late can they stay? I’d like to get as much done as possible without inconveniencing you or your family.”
“As long as they need to. I’ll give you the key code for the doors. They’re all electronic key pads.” He settled his hands on his hips and studied her bent head. Her hair was down, the blond mass blocking her face from his view.
“That would be great, thank you,” she said, scrolling her finger along the screen.
Brooke nodded toward Alice. “Don’t worry, it’s not you. She’s in the zone.”
“Twilight or work?” Niko asked in a stage whisper. For some reason, her indifference perturbed him. She was avoiding him on purpose and it required no stretch of the imagination to know why. Their kiss—or lack thereof—still rested between them. He could lie and say he regretted it. In a way, he did. He regretted that he didn’t take a chance and kiss her because he might never get the opportunity to do so again.
Probably for the best.
