Page 26 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes

Candace

P asta Bolognese.

Gnocchi with vodka blush sauce.

Angel hair in a lemon and white wine reduction with clams.

Candace’s eyes scanned the bifold, leather-bound menu three times before she read a single word. Her mind was a million miles away, nowhere near the cozy, upscale Italian restaurant her body currently occupied. A body, she was proud to say, that did not look the least bit trashy.

It was not fair. Candace knew Daisy liked to push her buttons, and she deserved it after everything she had done. But did the prickly woman have to drive her thorns so deep?

After their rough start this morning, they seemed to be getting along.

Candace did her best to be useful, and to make things fun while she learned an integral part of the business she jumped into.

She thought they were connecting. The way Daisy opened up, even if an anxiety attack spurred it, felt like progress.

Candace’s heart broke hearing the confident, talented woman spiral. She watched Daisy, day by day, work harder than anyone she had ever met. However, there was only so much one person could do alone. Daisy had been fighting the tide for so long, it was no wonder she was worn down.

And the idea that no one would want her because of her traumas… It took everything Candace had not to reach out and hug Daisy. She settled for the breathing exercise, and it had been so satisfying to see the method work. To physically feel Daisy calm under her hands, at least for a short while.

Then, her uncle and his ridiculous demands had to go and ruin things.

No , Candace thought. She ruined things herself by giving in to the manbaby. But what choice did she have? She owed him and, worse, she would always owe him. It went deeper than money. Now, with her technically working against his interests, she needed to toe a very careful line.

Daisy did not understand Peter Perry the way Candace did. There was a world where he would find them working together amusing. As long as he thought they were not a true threat, he might be content to snicker from the sidelines and mock their struggle.

If he thought they might actually disrupt his plans? Daisy and Bagel Bombs! would see the full focus of a man with few limits.

Candace was playing a dangerous game. Her involvement could save Bagel Bombs!, but it could just as easily destroy it.

So, she would suffer through a date. An awkward one, at that.

Candace knew from her end why the atmosphere was so stilted.

Her tiff with Daisy, along with the little fact that she was not attracted to men, put Ted Cando in a tough spot.

Still, she graced him with her best, lady-like air, and treated him like a premier business client from the moment she sat down across the candlelit two-top from him .

Candace was perfectly pleasant. Cordial, without invitation for more. Her date seemed inclined towards the same.

Lowering the menu so that she could peek over it, Candace observed the man.

It was a bit of a shock; Ted had come out of his All-American shell.

In high school, he’d been a very conservatively acceptable young man who looked like a love interest from a Dawson’s Creek -type show.

Tall, clean-cut, with blonde hair and baby blue eyes, he dressed in all the popular brands you could find at the local mall.

Now? He was still clean-cut and well-dressed, but there was something different. It was not just his fashionable earrings, his neatly-tailored floral-patterned shirt, or stylish chinos that matched his belt.

As a young man, he’d been a loudmouth and a bit of a bully.

This older version was nothing but polite.

Unlike other dates with the opposite sex she’d been subjected to, he tried to make conversation rather than talk about himself.

When Candace could not muster the will to chat, and he did not seem to want to delve into his personal life, they drifted into a silence broken only by the occasional interruption of their waiter.

Candace mused aloud, “You’ve really changed, haven’t you?”

Ted set his menu down and flashed an almost shy smile. “I could say the same about you. I didn’t think you’d ever come back to Wonderwood.”

With a light tilt, Candace told him, “That was the plan, but here we are. For the time being, at least.”

Ted let loose a genuine-sounding laugh as he shook his head. Behind him, Candace made eye contact with a gorgeous woman who glared at the noise.

“You never were one to hold back, Candy. Even when you were pretending to fit in, you were good at standing out.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

Candace took a sip of wine to cover her frown. Thankfully, their waiter came to check on them, buying her time to think of a response.

“I never pretended,” she corrected once they were alone again. “I let people see the version of me they wanted to see. Their biases aren’t my fault.”

“No,” he agreed with a conciliatory shrug. “People will think what they want, that’s for sure. You know, I don’t blame you for not wanting to come back. In a South Jersey town like Wonderwood, especially when we were younger, there’s a lot of backwards thinking. But it’s getting better.”

“Is that so?” Candace asked. She rested her chin atop bridged fingers and considered the man. “My friend tells me the town council still won’t approve a Pride parade down the boardwalk. It might be better, but not for everyone.”

Ted nodded, and his amiable expression turned serious.

“You’re not wrong. But if all the people who want it to change leave, this is how it’s always going to be. I want to help the ways I can. My dad might not be police chief anymore, but our name carries weight.”

“I suppose it does. Even my uncle wants a favor from him.”

“And my dad wants a favor from your uncle. I guess they both think they’re helping each other out by setting us up. Not that it isn’t a pleasure to see you,” he added in a tone that made her believe it. “But this wasn’t exactly something I could say no to.”

“Likewise. To both.” Pausing, Candace sighed as the weight of the day—all that she had been through since the moment she found out she was being fired from the job she worked so hard for—settled on her shoulders.

She caught her slouch and straightened. Fixing Ted with a true smile, she admitted, “Regardless of why we’re here, it’s nice to see a friendly, familiar face. ”

“Been seeing some unfriendly ones?”

Snorting, Candace told him, “You could say that. This place makes me feel like a teenager, drama and angst included.”

“Well,” Ted offered, looking as sincere as a person could, “allow me to be your no-drama friend? I come with the benefits of a charming personality and my old man’s credit card. ”

“Ha! What a coincidence! I’m also charming, and my uncle told me to send him the bill.”

At that moment, their waiter delivered their meals.

Again, out of the corner of her eye, she caught the woman behind Ted watching them.

She was a statuesque figure, with an intense, dark gaze that looked remarkably similar to Daisy’s.

Or, maybe they just had the same glare. Ravenous as she was, Candace bit her lip before digging in.

For herself and for the person she was trying to be, she decided to be honest.

“Ted, I should make it clear: ‘friends’ is as far as it can go for us. You seem like a great guy. But I’m—”

Holding up his hand, Ted stopped Candace. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I know how your uncle is. Him, my dad, and their friends with that Wonderwood Works political party are the ones who have managed to shoot down the Pride parade every year.”

There was sympathy in Ted’s voice; sympathy, along with understanding. The man leaned over the table with a conspiratorial smile. “I’ll tell you a secret: this year the parade is happening, approval or not. I’ll make sure to send the details if you want.”

Candace beamed. “I’d like that.”

It felt as if a massive, dark cloud moved on from its place over Candace’s head. There did not seem to be a hint of subterfuge in Ted’s demeanor. In fact, if anything, he looked… relieved. They settled into their meals and a normal conversation, as if they were old friends.

Ted, it turned out, followed in his father’s footsteps to join the police. He had worked his way up to lieutenant, and was aiming for a run at sheriff in the near future.

“Hmm,” Candace plotted as she twirled up another nest of spaghetti. “From lieutenant to sheriff, then you take your stab at Wonderwood’s esteemed mayor seat.”

Flashing a toothy grin, Ted confided, “You’ve found me out. I’ll see if I can earn your vote.”

A glass of wine in, Candace felt comfortable enough telling Ted about her work at Bagel Bombs! He was surprised, but wished her luck.

“After everything she’s been through, DeMarco deserves a win. She’s lucky to have you.”

Candace forced a smile. “Let’s hope that’s true.”

From there, Candace was grateful they moved on to lighter topics.

Ted showed her pictures of his fishing boat.

Modest and well-maintained, it was a far cry from the leisure yachts Candace had seen (or been on) at the local marinas.

The little vessel was an old, converted police rescue boat—a tank of a craft, best-suited for choppy waters and catching flounder in the bay.

Candace told Ted about Demi and her yoga studio, which, as it turned out, he was already familiar with.

“It’s a nice place,” he said, his voice taking on an odd tilt. “My… er… friend… goes there.”

Candace cocked her head. Once more, she caught the woman behind them fixated on their table. Almost imperceptibly, Ted threw a backward glance as if he were aware of her.

“Do you know that woman?”

“What? Who?”

Ted made a show of looking around, but Candace was not buying it. And was that blush on his cheeks?

“The one behind you,” Candace clarified. She met the woman’s now impossible to miss stare head on. “She’s been staring at us the entire—”