Sugar Rush by Elaine Overton

cold, which knocked him out of commission for a few days. During that time, Sophie became more and more dependent on Eliot.
    By the end of that week he’d helped Sophie complete the payroll and do inventory, and he fixed the broken coil on the old oven two times, in addition to his daily duties. But it wasn’t until that Friday evening, when he found himself in his car on the way to the bank with the store’s deposit, that it hit him just how much she’d come to trust him.
    During that time, his last and best offer had arrived from Steve’s office via courier. Eliot had made a point of going into the office to talk to Sophie just as she was opening the envelope. He wanted to gauge her reaction to the offer to see if they were even getting close to a number they could agree on.
    Sophie quickly scanned the letter and the offer attached. Then, with a heavy sigh, she tossed both on the desk.
    “Bad news?” Eliot asked, pretending to read through Mae’s recipe book
    “Oh, no.” She smiled, but there was a sadness to it. “Very good news, actually.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It’s an offer for the business.”
    “Are you going to take it?”
    “No, I can’t.”
    “Why not?”
    She looked at him as if surprised by the question. “It’s not mine to sell.”
    “Why not show the offer to Mama Mae, and get her opinion? She may surprise you and want to sell.”
    Sophie sighed. “She won’t.”
    Realizing he was losing the battle, he moved forward. “Can I?” he asked. She handed the papers to him. He pretended to be interested in what he was reading, even though he was the one who had dictated the offer to Steve. “Wow, that’s pretty generous, don’t you think?”
    “Exceptionally generous, and so was the first offer. But I know my grandmother won’t sell.”
    That conversation had happened right before he left for the bank with the deposit. Now, as he glanced up at the mirror before changing lanes, Eliot was slightly startled to see his uncle’s face looking back. He jumped a bit then looked again, only to realize it was a trick of the lights…or his mind, he wasn’t sure which.
    All he knew with absolute certainty was that he did not want to see this face when he looked in a mirror. He was not his uncle, nor did he want to become his uncle. His uncle would have taken that recipe book when Sophie offered it weeks ago. His uncle would losethe bank deposit and throw the small store into financial turmoil. He was not his uncle. And because he was not his uncle, he would find a compromise that did not involve destroying these people.
    The next morning, Eliot was filling the front counters and Mae was filling the cash drawer when he decided to broach the subject.
    “Mama Mae, you ever think about what you will do when you retire?”
    “Retire? Me?”
    He smiled. She sounded like the idea was so far off in the future, it was too soon to consider. “Yes, you. If anyone’s earned the right to retire it would be you. Maybe go find yourself a young boyfriend.”
    She chuckled, shaking a finger at him. “You’re a charmer, El. That’s what you are.”
    He winked at her. “But seriously, you ever think about it? I’m sure if you tried, you could probably get a good price for this place.”
    She suddenly looked indignant. “I can’t sell this place! My husband built this place with his own hands.” She shook her head, and her sweeping became more erratic. “No, I can’t sell this place. This is the legacy to Sophie, and any of our grandchildren who want to take an interest.”
    Eliot sat the now-empty tray on top of the counter. “What if the offer was enough to take care of all your grandchildren?”
    She laughed. “Who would offer that much for this place?”
    He shrugged. “You never know.”
    After lunch, he went out to his car for privacy and made a call to Steve asking him to rewrite the offer.
    The next day when the new offer arrived via courier, Eliot expected a different response, but