She refused to go down that road. It was hard enough making everyone in Owl Creek think she was someone she wasn’t. Adding in romance would be disastrous.
* * *
Connor watched as Ella headed off in the direction of her new digs. A strange feeling had settled over him during his conversation with North Star Chocolate’s newest hire. He couldn’t fathom why he felt it so intensely, but Connor knew instinctively she wasn’t as she appeared to be. This beautiful newcomer to town was running from something. He had no idea what it was—a divorce, a bad relationship, a fractured family? Perhaps she was a criminal. The possibilities were endless. As they’d spoken, there had been something radiating from her that didn’t ring true. Just now she’d mentioned Florida, then corrected herself to say Flagstaff. And she hadn’t responded when he’d called out her name. He didn’t think he was imagining things either. Connor knew he was more jaded than most people, but he trusted his instincts. He’d grown up in a household that had never recovered from the trauma of his baby sister’s abduction at three months old. As a result, Connor had been mistrustful of people, particularly tourists and newcomers to Owl Creek.
Ella Perez was raising all of his hackles. Her stunning looks hadn’t rendered him incapable of picking up on certain cues she’d emitted. She’d acted nervous, as if she was on edge about something. What if she was up to no good here in town? He let himself into his vehicle, chiding himself for not asking more probing questions.
The newcomer seemed out of place in a town like Owl Creek. Why had a woman like Ella come all the way to Alaska for a job at his family’s company? Alaska was at times a harsh and unforgiving land. For a man who considered himself to be pragmatic, it didn’t make a lot of sense.
Connor let out a sigh and rested his head against the steering wheel. His paranoia was rising to the surface and threatening to choke him. He tended to believe the worst of people based on his family’s past trauma. Although he tried to control his suspicious nature, Connor didn’t trust strangers. He always felt as if he was waiting for them to peel back the mask and reveal their true selves.
In all likelihood, Ella was a sweet young woman who was merely nervous about starting a brand-new job in a world completely unfamiliar to her. Guilt sliced through him. He wasn’t being fair to her or himself. He needed to let go of the past and accept people at face value. Being so cynical wasn’t a good quality. As a man of faith, he knew it wasn’t right to judge others so harshly. But he still couldn’t quiet the voice inside him warning him against accepting Ella at face value.
By the time he reached the
chocolate factory, Connor was ready to focus on something other than the mysterious new resident of Owl Creek. He enjoyed working at his family’s company. As an executive in charge of distribution and product development, he had helped the company grow and expand its reach in key markets over the last five years. He also oversaw the operation of the Owl Creek factory and served as the CEO’s right-hand man. Thankfully, Beulah was the CEO, and he adored collaborating with her.
The aroma of chocolate permeated the air as he walked inside. Every morning before he made his way to his office Connor enjoyed strolling through the factory where the chocolate was being made. He liked talking with the employees and even helping out on the conveyer belt. When they were kids, he and Braden had gotten a thrill out of plucking chocolate confections from the assembly line and popping them into their mouths. More times than not it had resulted in a competition between them. Trying to consume chocolate the fastest had always led to bellyaches and admonishments from Beulah.
“Chocolate is to be savored, not devoured.” Just the thought of his grandmother uttering those words to the pint-size version of himself made him chuckle out loud. Beulah had always been a fountain of wisdom. Nothing much had changed in that regard. His grandmother was still a unique woman who continued to fascinate him.
The factory had been his and Braden’s stomping grounds—they’d learned the business as they played and explored in the chocolate factory. Despite the tragedy involving the abduction of their sister, there had been an abundance of joy in their lives. Of course there had been sorrow as well. None of them had ever fully recovered from the loss until Sage’s recent return to the fold. Now he should be completely over it, but he wasn’t. He still harbored a lot of anger. The woman who’d abducted his sister had been visiting town as one of the leaders of a youth group. No one had ever suspected her of wrongdoing or been suspicious of her actions. Over the years, people had sought to take advantage of his family by pretending to have information about his sister’s whereabouts. A few women had even presented themselves as the missing North family member, which had only added to their pain. It showed him that people couldn’t always be trusted. A person always had to be on guard.
“Good morning, my dear. How was your breakfast with the boys?” Beulah’s voice rang out as he walked toward the executive offices. When he turned around, his grandmother was walking toward him with the vigor of someone half her age. As always, Beulah North was dressed in a suit jacket and matching skirt, with her signature pearls draped around her neck. She believed in dressing to impress as the CEO of the North Star Chocolate Company.
Connor pressed a kiss on her cheek after she caught up to him. “Morning. It was delicious. And I just met our new hire at the diner.”
“Which one? We’ve hired several in the past few weeks.”
“Ella Perez,” he said.
“Oh, yes. She starts tomorrow at the chocolate shop. I’m going to be there to greet her in the morning. What was your impression? Her résumé and telephone interview were impressive.”
Connor hesitated a moment before speaking. He didn’t want Beulah to think he was being hard on their new hire. “Are you sure she’s right for the job? There was something about her that didn’t really gel with Owl Creek or the manager position.”
Beulah frowned at him. “Whatever do you mean?”
Connor shrugged. “I don’t know. She fumbled a bit when we were talking. I’m not sure how to explain it without sounding paranoid, but I just got the feeling she wasn’t being fully transparent. It was like she was hiding something.”
Beulah stared at him without speaking. Her eyes began to blink like an owl, which served as a sure sign that his grandmother was gathering her words. “You’ve just met her, Connor. Why don’t you extend her a measure of grace rather than being suspicious?” She reached out and touched his cheek. “You have to stop focusing on the worst parts of humanity, especially since there are so many good people in the world. What happened to our family all those years ago was horrific, but God brought our sweet girl home so we could heal. I’m worried you’re still stuck in the past, Connor.”
His grandmother’s words served as a punch to his gut. He hated the notion that he was stuck in the past, especially since everyone else seemed to be doing fine. Connor had tried to find closure with Sage’s return to Owl Creek, but he still harbored feelings of resentment for all the years that had been stolen from them.
“I’ll try to do better,” he vowed, wishing the words resonated more within him. He felt a sense of powerlessness. Connor knew he hadn’t been able to conquer this issue no matter how hard he’d tried. But he couldn’t admit that to his grandmother. She was counting on him to be the future of the chocolate company.
“That’s all I’ll ever ask of you,” Beulah said, tears pooling in her eyes. “I count on you more than you realize. You’re my North Star. No pun intended,” she said, letting out a cackle. The corners of her eyes crinkled up.
Leave it to Beulah to make him laugh when two seconds ago he’d been feeling badly about himself. She was an incredible woman. He wished that he could be as resilient as Beulah. She was the strongest member of their family.
Connor looked at his watch. “I’m going to get prepped for our meeting with the distributors.”
“Good idea. I’ll see you in the conference room. I can’t wait to taste the new white chocolate hot cocoa.” Beulah rubbed her hands together and grinned. As the driving force behind the company, she still felt enthusiastic about her work. It was one of the main reasons for the success of North Star Chocolates. Passion combined with heartfelt dedication.
“I think we might have another hit on our hands,” Connor drawled, feeling proud of the collaboration between himself, Sage and Braden. Creating new products was one of the best aspects of his job. Working with his siblings on this special project had been so much fun, particularly since it rarely happened. It had almost made up for the fact that Braden wouldn’t be working alongside him at the company. It was reassuring to know their bond was still tight.
Connor made his way to his office. Just looking around the room made him grin. He’d decorated it with a fun vibe in mind. Since he spent so much time at work, he’d wanted it to be comfortable yet functional. The bubble gum machine served as a colorful reminder that he was still a kid at heart.
Connor sat down at his desk and logged on to his computer. Even though he was trying to focus on the upcoming meeting, thoughts of the mysterious newcomer refused to completely fade away. There was something about her that caused curiosity to well up inside him. Although he knew his grandmother had given him sound advice, he couldn’t stop wondering about Ella Perez.