The Angel Tasted Temptation by Shirley Jump Read Free Book Online Page B

card list right away, dear). Serve with lemon wedges and martinis.
    And lots and lots of good friends.

Chapter Five
     
     
    The naked woman stood tall and proud, breasts thrust forward, generous hips tilted back, emphasizing a roundness even J. Lo would envy.
    "That's not natural," Maria said. "No one looks like that."
    "Apparently Mrs. Kingwood does," Candace said. "Her husband said he gave us her exact dimensions. Scaled down to a manageable size for a piece of candy, of course."
    Meredith readied the cellophane wrap for the Kingwood female form, made for them by a local chocolatier since naked women were out of the range of Gift Baskets to Die For's talents ... and the shop's candy mold collection. "Why do you suppose he'd want her cast in chocolate?"
    "Apparently he never outgrew his fascination with hollow Easter bunnies." Maria winked.
    "That's just... weird. A chocolate replica of your wife? I mean, what's he going to do with it?"
    Maria raised a brow. "Let her melt in his hands?"
    "I am not even going to entertain that with a response," Candace said, laughing nevertheless.
    "My dears, this one takes the cake. And the cake stand. Is that woman naked? "
    All three women turned toward the voice. A small elderly woman stood in the doorway of the kitchen, a tiny pink pillbox hat on her salt-and-pepper hair, set slightly askew, perfect for the matching Jackie O-style suit she wore. She had to be close to seventy-five, Meredith guessed, but she wore pale cream pumps and hose, her appearance as precise as the First Lady who'd inspired her look.
    "Good morning, Ms. Gershwin," Candace said. She indicated Meredith with a wave of her hand. "This is Rebecca's cousin, Meredith. She's come to work with us while Rebecca is home on bed rest. Meredith, this is Ms. Gershwin. She owns the antique shop next door."
    "Cordelia Gershwin," the woman said, taking Meredith's palm in her own, "of the Gershwins, but not the Gershwins."
    "Meaning, she comes from money, not show tunes," Maria said.
    "But I have a distant cousin whom we suspect was a member of the royal family," Cordelia said, releasing Meredith's palm with a wink. "I could be a princess in disguise."
    Maria laughed. "You already are the queen on our street."
    The older woman's bright coral lips spread across her lined face in a wide grin. "You girls are too sweet by half. Must come from working around all that chocolate." She motioned toward the naked torso. "Speaking of which, what is that?"
    "A chocolate version of one of our customer's wives," Maria said.
    Cordelia raised a brow at the perfect ten shape. "Are you sure she's the wife?"
    Maria chuckled. "We don't ask the questions. We just melt the Ghirardelli."
    They finished assembling the basket, complete with the chocolate missus in the center. They surrounded her with candy flowers peppered over a green-tinted coconut base. While they worked, Cordelia grabbed a cup of coffee and watched their progress, amusement clear on her face. "Quite the ... odd creation," she said, admiring their finished product.
    "What's weirder is he's sending this to himself for Sweetest Day," Maria said. "Mrs. Kingwood is out of town."
    "Oh, I almost forgot!" Candace said. "Speaking of Sweetest Day, something arrived for you today, Meredith." She crossed to the opposite counter and picked up a clear glass vase filled with cranberry roses and baby's breath. The roses had just begun to open, releasing their sweet fragrance into the room. "Here."
    Meredith took the vase, inhaling the sweet, heady fragrance. For a second, she wondered if Travis had sent them. Was he even the type to send flowers? Or did his idea match that of the boys she'd known back home, where romance meant letting her have first dibs on the bowling ball selection at the Heavendale Bowl-a-Rama?
    Clearly, none of the men in her hometown had ever opened up a romance novel.
    She'd left the bar last night while she was still able to walk and think, handing Travis her cell phone number