Chocolate Goodies. Jacquelin Thomas

gather and enjoy a taste of her unique chocolates, all of which were produced in the huge plant next door. She also carried her family’s line of chocolates.

      A young woman strolled into the shop, propelling Coco out of her musings. “Hey you,” she said. “Elle, what are you doing here?”

      The woman smiled. “I was in the area, so I thought I’d come by and pick up some white-chocolate-covered pralines for Mama. You know how much she loves them.”

      Coco scooped up the treats into a shiny silver bag. “How is Aunt Amanda doing, Elle? I haven’t seen her in months.” She tied a mint-green ribbon with brown polka dots around the bag, and then handed it over. She and Elle had been friends since they were both toddlers. Their families were close, so Coco considered them an extended part of her own.

      “She’s fine,” Elle responded. “Just needs to take it easy, but you know how she is—she’s not listening to anything her children tell her.”

      “How are my babies doing?” Coco inquired, referring to Elle’s twin boys.

      “Great,” she answered. “They are not babies anymore, though. They’re growing up so fast. I can hardly believe that they’re almost four years old.”

      “That’s why you have to enjoy them as much as you can,” Coco said. “My niece is turning five on Saturday. I don’t know where the time has gone. It seems like it was just a few months ago that I was changing Cinnamon’s diapers and giving her a bottle.”

      Elle sat down in one of the chairs at the bar. “We haven’t talked in a while. What’s going on with you, Coco? Anyone special in your life?”

      “Nope,” she answered. “There’s no one special. Other than working, there’s nothing else going on right now. I’m not complaining, though. I need a little break. Valentine’s Day was a bit hectic this year and March was a steady pace. So far April has been good. I expect this weekend to get a little crazy, since it’s the Easter weekend.”

      “I picked up my stuff for the boys’ baskets,” Elle said. “Now I just need to sit down and do them. Some days I’m just so tired, all I want to do is sleep.”

      “Are you feeling okay?” Coco asked out of concern.

      Elle nodded. “I’m fine. I’ve put on some weight from all of the eating out and lying around. I think I’m going to go to the gym after Easter.” She gestured toward the door. “I see there’s a new store across the street. D-Unit? Have you been over there yet?”

      Coco shook her head, turning up her nose. “All I ever hear is hip-hop music, so I won’t be giving them any of my money. I really wish they had moved to a different location.”

      “Why?”

      She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the bar. “Elle, I moved out here for a reason. See how nice it is? I don’t want to be in an area infested with thugs. What do you think that music store is going to bring?” she asked. “Thugs.”

      “What does Michael think? The factory has been in this location for a while.”

      “My brother thinks I worry too much. I don’t think he worries enough.”

      Elle chuckled. “Sounds like me and my brothers.”

      “I saw your hubby yesterday. Did he tell you?”

      She nodded. “Brennan’s leaving to go to Costa Rica on Saturday. He’s going to be gone for a week.”

      Coco eyed her friend. “Why don’t you go with him? You have more than enough people to help with the twins.”

      “He wants me to, but I don’t know.”

      “Elle, what’s up?”

      “I just feel that I need to stay home. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m always tired, it seems, and then Ivy’s ex-husband is getting married on Saturday and she’s very upset about it, so I think I should stay with her. We’re going to take her to a spa that day and then do some retail therapy.”

      “I remember she was pretty upset over the divorce.” Coco shook her head. “I can’t believe Charles is getting married again.”

      Elle nodded. “Ivy kept hoping they would get back together. They had even starting seeing each other last July, and spending time together. Then right after Christmas, Charles announced that he was engaged. Apparently he must have been seeing this girl and Ivy at the same time.”

      “What a jerk,” Coco declared.

      Elle agreed, switching her purse from one side to the other. “I’m so disappointed in him.”

      Coco walked her out to her car. Once outside, she heard music blaring from the center and asked, “Can you hear that craziness?”

      “It doesn’t sound bad. You just don’t care for hip-hop music.” Elle listened for a moment. “It’s not too loud and you only hear it when the doors open, actually.”

      “It’s a genre of music I wish would just die,” Coco uttered. “There’s just nothing good about it, in my opinion.” She loved classical music, gospel and old school R&B, and truly believed that the world could do without rap music.

      “I like some of it,” Elle said. “There are a few nice ones out there.”

      “I really wish the owner had opened at another location. We didn’t see all these teenage boys in this area until that store opened. They are over there all the time.” Coco’s view of teenagers was colored by what she saw and heard on television. So far, she had not met anyone who could refute the images.

      Elle embraced her. “It’ll work out. Most businesses don’t seem to last long over there. That one might be gone before you realize it.”

      Coco nodded. “You’re right about that.”

      “You should come to Riverside one Sunday for one of the Ransom dinners. We have a great time and I know that Mama would love to see you.”

      “I’d love to come. Maybe we can do it one Sunday next month.”

      Elle smiled. “Look at your schedule and let me know which one you can make.”

      The two women embraced again.

      “Have a great rest of the week.”

      Coco strolled back into her shop.

      The telephone rang.

      She knew instinctively that it was her mother calling because she always called around this time. “Coco’s Chocolate Bar,” she said.

      “Good morning, sweetie. It’s Mom.”

      Coco smiled. “I knew it was you. How are you, Mama?” She propped her hip against the mini stainless steel fridge behind the bar.

      “I’m fine. Just wanted to check in with you. How is your day going so far?”

      “Great,” she responded. “Elle was just here.”

      “I’m having lunch with Amanda on Wednesday. I haven’t seen her in a couple of months so we figured it was time for a girls’ day out.”

      “I’m glad you’re getting out,” Coco said. Her mother hadn’t been feeling well due to a bad sinus infection.

      “Oh, by the way, Gregory Barton called here. He’s in town for the next couple of weeks and wanted to get together with you.”

      Greg was an old boyfriend from her college days. “What did you tell him?” Coco asked.

      “That I’d give you his information. There was nothing else to say.”

      “So you didn’t mention anything about him getting someone else pregnant while he was seeing me?”

      “I figured I’d let you handle all of the particulars,” her mother said. “I