Better Than Chocolate Part 28

A moment later the phone rang. "Todd Black on line one for you," Elena alerted her.

"Okay, you've had your fun," he said, without giving Cecily time to say h.e.l.lo.

Luke had left her feeling warm and happy. Just talking to Todd made her feel like she'd swallowed a lit sparkler. "Someone entered you in our contest," she said, dousing the sparkler with the firm reminder that Todd Black was a cynical turkey. "Nice picture, by the way. It makes you look like a real ski pro."

"I am."

"Great choice, then."

"I didn't send it," he growled.

"Who did, then?" she asked. "One of your girlfriends?"

"How the h.e.l.l should I know? It was up on my Facebook page. Anybody could've printed it. Probably my bartender's idea of a sick joke."

So her contest was a sick joke. "Some joke. He paid the twenty-five-dollar entry fee."

"Keep the money, but un-enter me. I'm not parading around in my boxers in front of a bunch of h.o.r.n.y women."

"Fine," she said. "No one wants to see you in your boxers, anyway." She flashed on an image of Todd Black in a pair of boxers decorated with valentine hearts. He wasn't a walking wall like Luke but he was all male and she could envision those rock-hard abs and beautifully sculpted pecs with maybe a smattering of dark hair. There were no sparklers in her chest now. Oh, no. Those had been replaced with bottle rockets.

"I can think of a few women," he said. "I do give private shows," he added silkily.

Another bottle rocket went off. "Thanks for sharing. If I meet any brainless bimbos I'll send them your way."

"Ha, ha," he said, and hung up.

"Oh, very original," she said to the dial tone. She hung up a little more forcefully than necessary and realized Elena was over at her desk wearing a know-it-all expression. "What?" Cecily demanded.

"Nada," Elena said airily.

"Nada is right," Cecily muttered. Todd Black was a big nada.

Was it hot in here?

Chapter Twenty-One.

Sometimes the more preposterous the idea, the greater the success.

-Muriel Sterling, Mixing Business with Pleasure: How to Successfully Balance Business and Love Chocolate Festival, Schedule of Events FRIDAY EVENING:.

5:007:30 p.m.: Chocolate Walk, sponsored by Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company Partic.i.p.ants can enjoy special chocolate drinks and desserts, along with a treat from Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company.

Partic.i.p.ating restaurants: Zelda's, Schw.a.n.gau, Der Spaniard, Italian Alps Pizza 8:00 p.m.: Festival Hall, Ceremony to crown Mr. Dreamy, sponsored by Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company SAt.u.r.dAY.

8:00 a.m.: Lost Bride Trail guided hike, sponsored by the Alpiners Hiking Club Get out in the great outdoors and hear the legend of the lost bride.

9:00 a.m.11:00 a.m.: Lovers' Breakfast, served at the Breakfast Haus 10:00 a.m.3:00 p.m.: Street Fair Enjoy the food and craft booths and meet our local artisans. And be sure to stop by the Sweet Dreams booth to purchase your "chocolate survival kit" and meet Mr. Dreamy, who will be there from 10:00 a.m. until noon.

11:00 a.m.: The Romance of Flowers, at Lupine Floral Learn the language of flowers, get tips on how to make your floral arrangement last and put your name in a draw to win a lupine lovers' bouquet.

1:00 p.m.: Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company Tour Come see how we make our fabulous chocolates and get your picture taken with Mr. Dreamy.

2:00 p.m.: Chocolate High Tea with Mr. Dreamy at Icicle Creek Lodge, sponsored by the Gingerbread Haus and Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company. For reservations, call Icicle Creek Lodge 5:00 p.m.: Wine and Chocolate Tasting at D'Vine Wines Sample dessert wines made by local wineries along with locally made Sweet Dreams Chocolates.

6:30 p.m.: Sweet Dreams dinner at Zelda's, sponsored by Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company and Zelda's restaurant Tickets are available at Zelda's and must be purchased in advance. Seating is limited so make your reservations early!

8:00 p.m.: Sweet Dreams Masked Ball at Festival Hall, sponsored by Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company Tickets may be purchased at the Sweet Dreams Gift Shop or at the door.

SUNDAY.

10:00 a.m.2:00 p.m.: Town Treasure Hunt Visit our local merchants and find bargains on all kinds of treasures. Several stores are the location for valuable prize packages, which will be awarded randomly to shoppers throughout the day.

Prizes: Dinner for two at Ludwig's. One night free lodging at the Icicle Creek Lodge. A bottle of Riesling from D'Vine Wines. One free trip down the Wenatchee River with Adventure Outfitters. A coupon for one free small gingerbread house s.h.i.+pped anywhere within the continental U.S. from Gingerbread Haus. A snow globe from Kringle Mart (valued at fifty dollars). A box of chocolates from Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company. One hat, courtesy of the Mad Hatter Novelty Hat Company. A one-hundred-dollar gift card for Sleeping Lady Salon and Spa. A twenty-five-dollar gift certificate for Mountain Escape Bookstore.

We Hope You'll Enjoy our First Annual Chocolate Festival!

Preparations were going forward at warp speed now.

The decorating committee, headed up by Heinrich and Kevin, had outdone itself, hanging baskets overflowing with artificial pink and white flowers from storefront roof overhangs and festooning trees with strings of red and pink heart-shaped lights. Restaurants were offering lovers' dinners and the town chefs had knocked themselves out creating recipes featuring Sweet Dreams chocolates. With the exception of Johnson's Drugs, every shop in town was partic.i.p.ating in a treasure hunt, which would lead visitors from store to store in search of bargains and prizes. Heinrich and Kevin had been creating special chocolate-lovers' floral arrangements over at Lupine Floral, incorporating Sweet Dreams candy, and were going all out on flowers for the chocolate ball, while Ed York was offering a wine-and-chocolate tasting on Sat.u.r.day evening before the chocolate dinner at Zelda's, which was sold out.

Not to be outdone, the social and service clubs had gotten into the act. The Alpiners Hiking Club was conducting guided hikes up Lost Bride Trail. The Rotary Club was sponsoring the Lovers' Breakfast at the Breakfast Haus, with proceeds to go to the food bank. The town churches were providing free taxi service for any celebrants who drank a little too much wine with their chocolate, and every artist, club and youth group within a ten-mile radius was going to be manning a booth of some kind, giving visitors a chance to buy everything from chainsaw carvings to elephant ears. Samantha was especially excited about the booth Bavarian Brews was running. All their hot drinks would come topped with whipped cream and a Sweet Dreams chocolate.

Excitement was growing all over town, much of it focused on the Mr. Dreamy contest.

"I'm sure my Brandon is going to win," Olivia predicted when Samantha stopped by to see how preparations were going for the chocolate tea.

"Are you coming to cheer him on?" Samantha asked, not making any promises. If she'd had her way, Brandon wouldn't have been allowed to compete. Talk about waving temptation right under Bailey's nose.

"Oh, I'll be there," Olivia said. "All the LAMs are going. To support your mother," Olivia added. Samantha couldn't help grinning, and Olivia's pudgy cheeks turned pink. "Well, and to admire all the good-looking men."

"Olivia, you are a cougar," Samantha teased, making the color in the older woman's cheeks deepen to magenta.

"There are some things a woman never loses an appreciation for, and one of them is chocolate. I'm sure you can guess the other," Olivia said.

"I think I can," Samantha said. And she had to admit that her sisters had been on to something. Tacky as this whole Mr. Dreamy contest seemed, it was a hit, and a moneymaker. And the more moneymakers they had, the better.

"Everyone's talking about the pageant, you know. Well, the whole festival, actually," Olivia said. "It's all going to be so much fun. Everyone's going to be there."

Spending money. Samantha smiled at the thought of being able to walk into the bank on Monday with a big, fat check. Take that, Blake Preston.

"Brown wants to come up and check out the chocolate festival," Darren said to Blake. "I told him you'd be happy to show him around, take him out to lunch."

Happy? In what parallel universe? "Sorry," Blake said shortly. "I'm afraid I can't help you. I won't be around on Sat.u.r.day." He'd had plans to hang out at the street fair, buy a ton of stuff at the Sweet Dreams booth, but not now.

"You won't?" Darren sounded surprised. "Not very good public relations."

"Probably not very good public relations to be seen with the guy who wants to take our client's business, either," Blake retorted.

"Now, listen here, Preston," Darren began.

Blake cut him off. "Sorry, Darren. You're on your own."

"Well, what am I supposed to do with Brown?" Darren demanded.

"Hey, it's a nice drive," Blake said. "And if you decide you want to do dinner, try Zelda's. They make a great steak."

Darren was still sputtering threats when Blake hung up. He wouldn't follow through on any of them, though, and they both knew it. Blake was doing a good job here and bringing in new business from neighboring towns. He was an excellent bank manager. But he wasn't a good whipping boy and, after that disastrous visit to the factory, he was done letting Darren bully him into unethical behavior. Darren could d.a.m.n well drive up here with his pet pig, let Trevor Brown drool over Samantha's company and eat bratwurst to his heart's content. Blake hoped he choked on one.

By late Friday afternoon the town was full of tourists, intrepid explorers going from shop to shop, filling bags with merchandise. And that night Festival Hall was packed with women of all ages. There was probably enough estrogen to hot-flash the entire forest to cinders and there was certainly enough perfume in the air to send anyone with an allergy right to the new medical center. The noise level was on a par with a convention of geese.

"I'd say you've got a hit on your hands," Ca.s.s said as the judges took their places at the judges' table.

"I'd say we've got a potential riot on our hands," Samantha said, and wondered who was doing crowd control, since half the police force were contestants. Across the hall she saw Dot's daughter, Tilda, tall and impressive in her uniform, standing at the back, frowning.

Like her mother, Tilda was tough as a turtle's sh.e.l.l. n.o.body messed with her and if Tilda stopped you for speeding there was no point in trying to talk your way out of a ticket. But even Tilda might have a problem controlling this crowd. High on chocolate and hormones, they were ready to party hearty. The men would be lucky if these women didn't rip their s.h.i.+rts right off them.

Oh, yeah. They were removing their s.h.i.+rts voluntarily.

The contest theme music started ("It's Raining Men") and the crowd went wild. Bailey came out on stage wearing a white tux she'd picked up on sale in a tuxedo rental shop and had altered, along with three-inch heels that threatened disaster. With her curves and chestnut hair she looked like Betty Boop 2.0.

The music died down and she spoke into her handheld mike. "Welcome everyone to the Sweet Dreams first annual Mr. Dreamy compet.i.tion. Are you ready for a good time?"

The audience responded with a wall of sound. Samantha glanced over to where Cecily and Mom sat. Mom was smiling her Miss Manners smile, ever the lady, even though Samantha suspected inwardly she was cringing and wondering how she'd gotten roped into this nonsense. Cecily looked smug. Well, she was allowed. This would go down as a big success and a nice moneymaker.

"Okay, then," Bailey was saying up onstage. "Meet your men!"

The music started again and the herd of beefcake paraded across the stage, some of them seeming more comfortable than others. Of course, Bill Will had to stop and do a Mr. Universe pose, which produced squeals of delight.

This really was tacky. Samantha sighed and resigned herself to a long evening.

The evening proved more entertaining than she'd expected. There was no talent compet.i.tion but Cecily and Bailey had come up with other ways for the men to show off, including a tug-of-war contest that took place in the center aisle between the seats, as well as a "sweet talker" pickup line compet.i.tion where the men got points for originality and sincerity.

Bill Will scored high with "I just had my thrill of the day. I saw you." But Joe Coyote stole the heart of both the judges and the audience when he said, "I'm not real good at pickup lines so I guess all I can tell you is what I said when I first met Lauren-'I know every guy here wants you for keeps but would you give me a chance and go out with me?'" That was rewarded with a collective sigh.

The final round of compet.i.tion required each man to explain why he should be the next Mr. Dreamy.

Brandon Wallace had a c.o.c.ky comeback when Bailey asked him that all-important question. "Because once I've kissed you, you won't be able to dream of anything else."

Samantha didn't like the way he looked at her baby sister when he said that. Wasn't it time for Brandon Wallace, ski b.u.m, to run away from home?

Cecily leaned over and whispered, "I should have gotten someone else to MC."

No kidding. Bailey and Brandon were only a year apart in age. When she was a kid she'd had a terrible crush on him and had given him her treasured rock collection. When they were in high school she'd given him her virginity. After high school he'd moved on to bigger game but the damage had been done. Bailey's heart was locked up and Brandon still held the key.

Samantha could see her sister blush even down where she sat. Bailey kept her cool. "That's a pretty big promise," she said. "Are you sure you can live up to it?"

In response, he moved closer. "Want a demonstration?"

Of course, the audience did. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Well, I'm not the judge," Bailey said, trying to step away.

She stepped a little too quickly, though, and lost her balance. The crowd let out a gasp of pleasure as he caught her and said, "Put in a good word for me." Then he dipped her dramatically and laid a kiss on her that was hot enough to melt the contents of all those little pink boxes they'd handed out at the door. A collective sigh rose from the audience and Samantha growled.

Once he released Bailey she stood there in a stupor, forgetting her MC duties.

No one seemed to notice. Half the women in the room were in a stupor, too.

"Oh, my," his embarra.s.sed mother said faintly.

That broke the spell and the women came back to life, t.i.ttering and clapping.

Olivia didn't know all the details of Bailey and Brandon's past (a good thing for all concerned) but she did know enough to be embarra.s.sed. Her wild boy wasn't, however. In fact, he didn't seem in any hurry to leave. He covered the mike with one hand and leaned over and whispered something in Bailey's ear.

She frowned at him and moved away, reclaiming the mike and her dignity. "Thanks, Brandon," she said, dismissing him. "And now we're down to the final contestant. Joe Coyote."

Joe limped out on stage, and Lauren and the rest of her posse hooted and clapped. Even though an accident on the job had taken him out of construction, he'd kept his construction-worker body. Caramel-colored skin and midnight-black hair added to his charm. From a distance it was hard to see the scar that marred an otherwise pleasant face.

"So, Joe, why should you be our first Mr. Dreamy?" Bailey greeted him.

He shrugged. "I don't know that I should."

"Yes, you should!" Lauren called from three rows back, and her friends all clapped.

"If you don't think you should be our first Mr. Dreamy, then why did you enter?" Bailey asked.

Some of the men had been lured by the prizes or they'd entered on a dare or, like poor Joe, who resembled a deer that had wandered into a hunter's campsite, because their girlfriends had suckered them into it.

"Well, Lauren asked me to," he said, looking over to where she sat, "and I'd do anything for her."

Sentimental sighs rose from the audience. Then clapping. And then Joe got a standing O.

"There's our Mr. Dreamy," Ca.s.s said.

Obviously.