The Midnight Boys

Chapter 5

Then came the caramel apples. According to Sophia, they were the crown jewel of Kandy Kane, the one item that kept customers coming back for more. Every two weeks the apple supply had to be refreshed, and today was that day. Which meant that we were about to make four hundred of them. The task sounded daunting, but I had to admit the chef in me was a tiny bit excited.

First, every apple was washed, stuck with a wooden skewer, and dipped in a vat of golden caramel. The thirty pounds of confectionery was made from scratch, a top secret recipe that Mr. Kane had been perfecting for years. Sophia let me try a sample, and holy hell—I would've lived off that sugary goodness for the rest of my life given the chance.

"So here's the fun part," Sophia explained. "There are three different chocolates—dark, milk, and white. There's also an assortment of toppings, like peanuts, M&Ms, sprinkles, Oreo crumbles, you name it. Basically, we get to create delicious masterpieces by dipping the apples in any combination of chocolate and toppings."

My eyes went wide. "Like, anything we want?" I could already see myself doing something crazy, like covering an entire caramel apple in gummy bears.

She nodded, a knowing smile tugging on her lips. "Anything you want. I call my personal favorite the Apple Pie, which is white chocolate rolled in cinnamon and sugar."

The next two hours were spent in a chocolate-caramel paradise. As we worked, Sophia told me all about herself. She was a grade younger than me, and would be starting her final year at Colderwater High come September. When she graduated, she hoped to study business management so she could turn the candy store into a franchise.

"What are you going to major in?" Sophia asked, turning the conversation to me.

I looked away and gave a half shrug. "Not sure yet."

College. I hated thinking about it.

Especially now since Elliot wouldn't be there with me.

Both our hearts had been set on becoming doctors, and we planned to take on Madison's pre-med program together. Elliot would help me pass chemistry (his best subject and one of the university's most failed classes), while I'd make sure he survived finals week since I was the more responsible student.

But that had been our dream, and now that I was alone, I didn't know if I had the heart to follow through.

"No? Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out when you get there." Sophia chattered away, oblivious to the sudden change in my mood. "Isn't that what freshman year is all about anyway? Self discovery and deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life?"

God, I hoped so. Because without Elliot, I wasn't sure I knew who I was anymore.

***

Sophia wasn't kidding when she said business at Kandy Kane was slow. We opened at ten sharp, but there were no customers all morning. To entertain ourselves, we played Texas Hold'em with the deck of cards Sophia's dad kept stashed in the office and used Starbursts—pink for me, red for Sophia—as poker chips. Time inched along at such an antagonizing pace that when the bell above the door chimed, I jumped in excitement.

A tall guy with sun bleached hair and baby blues stepped inside. He looked around our age, maybe a few years older, and when he smiled, I felt my heart break a little. It was one of those warm, lopsided grins that was contagious, and it reminded me so much of Elliot that it hurt to look at him.

"Hey, beautiful," he called across the room. For a moment I was confused—was he talking to me?—but then he ducked behind the counter and swept Sophia into a kiss.

Ohhh. So this was Owen.

I looked him up and down a second time and smirked. Daaamn. Good for you, Sophia. Good for you.

When the two broke apart, Owen nuzzled Sophia's neck and asked, "So, how's it going in here?"

She heaved a sigh. "Dead, as per usual." Then, as if suddenly remembering I was in the room, she perked back up and gestured at me. "But I got to spend the morning training our newest recruit, so that was fun."

"Oh!" Owen untangled himself from his girlfriend and turned to me. "You must be Evelyn!" he said, flashing another heart-wrenching grin. "I'm Owen. Nice to meetcha."

I swallowed and shook his outstretched hand. "Yeah, likewise."

"I hope this one hasn't been too tough on you," he said, pulling Sophia backward against his chest. Both were the perfect height for Owen to rest his chin on the top of her head, and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth as he tucked her into his arms.

A corner of my mouth lifted without permission. "Does she even have a tough side?"

"Nope." He dipped his head and pressed a kiss against her cheek. "She's too sweet for that."

"Okay, okay," Sophia said, pushing Owen away as her cheeks turned pink. "That's enough of that." She pat her hair down and smoothed out her shirt before glancing back at him. "I wasn't expecting you here until four. Why so early?"

The smile faded from his face. "Needed to get out of the house."

She touched his arm, eyes flickering with concern. "Everything okay?"

"Just the typical tension. Nothing you need to worry about." A beat of awkward silence passed before he brightened again. "I hear the Millers are throwing a party later. Wanna go?"

"You have to work tonight."

"Nobody will die if we close up shop early."

"I don't know. My dad wouldn't be too happy if—"

"Please, Soph?  I already told Patrick that I'll bring the beer. I promise I'll make it up to you."

Sophia tugged on her earlobe as she considered, but judging from the way her brows were knit together, she was leaning towards no.

"You should go," I urged her. Between my run, dealing with Fletcher, and learning the ropes at Kandy Kane, I was exhausted. Besides, if Sophia cut me loose early, I might have enough time to finish the book my mom loaned me before going to bed. "You don't want to be lame on the first weekend of summer, do you?"

Owen beamed. "Yeah, what she said."

"Fine," Sophia said, giving in at last. "But only if Evelyn comes too."

"Oh, no. I didn't—"

"Nope. No excuses," she said, cutting me off. "If you want outta here early, then you're coming with us."

I hesitated, trying to think of a way to refuse her invitation without being rude.

"Come on, Evelyn," she said, smirking at me. "Don't be lame on the first weekend of summer."

Shit. I walked myself right into that one, didn't I?

***

Hi friends!

I know it's been a long time since I uploaded, but I promise I haven't forgotten you. I was super busy working on Paper Hearts, but now that that's out of the way, I will hopefully have more time to write this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Please help me find my typos!