The Candymakers

  He looked down at it. “Why do you have this?”

  The four contestants exchanged looks. They knew one another so well by then that words weren’t even necessary.

  “It’s a very long story,” Philip said. “But I wanted to give it back to you and apologize for taking it.”

  “I’m sure you had a good reason,” the Candymaker said. He always, ALWAYS, gave people the benefit of the doubt.

  “He did, Dad, I promise.”

  His father tapped the lid with his finger. “So I suppose you’ve all seen inside?”

  They shook their heads.

  “Really? Well, no time like the present.” He began to lift off the lid.

  Logan put out his hand to stop him. “Wait! I thought you didn’t show people the secret ingredient until they were officially assistant candymakers.”

  “That’s correct,” he replied, pulling the lid the rest of the way off. He held out the tin. “Have a look.”

  “Really?” Logan asked, unable to believe it.

  His father nodded.

  Daisy squeezed Logan’s hand as the four of them clustered around the tin.

  Logan didn’t know what he’d been expecting to see—maybe some ground-up powder or specially aged cocoa beans from an exotic island. Instead, he saw their four faces, full of anticipation, shining back up at him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  It’s empty?” Logan asked. “Did it spill out?”

  The others looked just as confused as he did. Philip felt around in his jacket pocket. “I don’t feel anything.”

  The Candymaker smiled. “What did you see when you looked in?”

  “Our faces?” Logan replied uncertainly. “The bottom was mirrored.”

  “And what do you think Steve and Lenny see when they look in?” his father asked. “Or me, or Max?”

  “I guess everyone would see his own face?” Logan said, his brow furrowing.

  His father nodded. “That’s right. And that’s our secret ingredient. We put a little of ourselves into our chocolate.”

  Daisy beamed and reached out for the tin. “I know exactly what you mean,” she said. “I felt like that when I was in the lab. Like I was a part of what I was making.”

  “Exactly!” the Candymaker said. “To tell you the truth, every candy factory has the same tin. It’s a tradition, passed down from candymaker to candymaker. It’s what makes each factory’s candy taste distinctly their own.”

  Philip’s jaw fell open. “You mean to say, there’s no secret ingredient at all? At any of the candy factories?”

  The Candymaker shook his head. “We all select our own ingredients, of course, and prepare them in a certain way. And where the cocoa beans are harvested makes a huge difference in taste. But that’s about it.”

  Philip burst out laughing, followed by Daisy, Miles, and Logan.

  “Someday you can tell me what you all find so funny,” the Candymaker said, sticking the tin into his own pocket. “But I’ve got to get back out there.”

  He put his hand on Philip’s still-convulsing shoulder. “Congratulations. I hope Life Is Sweet is chosen to produce your Harmonicandy. Great name, by the way.”

  Barely able to catch his breath, Philip gasped, “Miles thought of it.”

  “Did he?” the Candymaker asked. “We always have room at the factory for someone good with words.”

  Miles beamed, his eyes glassy with tears from laughing.

  The Candymaker chuckled as he left them. “You four are gonna be trouble, I can tell.”

  That made them laugh even harder. For a moment Logan forgot that Philip’s dad would be on his way up any minute.

  When he arrived, everything would turn upside down. Again. But it wouldn’t be about taking over the factory. It would be a lot more personal than that.

  THE NEXT DAY

  DAISY leaned against the maple tree and opened her comm device. Her mother’s face quickly came into view. Gone were the snowy mountaintops of a few days ago; in their place were palm trees and a small hut. Her parents must be on a new mission already.

  “Hi, honey!” her mom said, adjusting her straw hat to block out the bright sun.

  “Don’t ‘hi, honey’ me!” Daisy scolded. “I’m thirteen? Seriously?”

  Her mom’s smile wavered a bit. “Oh. Found out about that, eh?”

  “I guess that means it’s true,” Daisy said, even though she’d known it was the moment AJ had told her.

  “We were going to tell you before your next birthday.”

  “Well, now you don’t have to.”

  Her mother sighed. “AJ warned me this might not be a pleasant call.”

  Daisy narrowed her eyes at the screen. “When did you talk to AJ?”

  “Last night. When you guys got home from your mission.”

  “But I tried to reach you all night, and your coordinates just flashed WE’RE AWAY at me.”

  Her mom adjusted her hat again. “Well, I may have been avoiding your call a bit.”

  “Mom!”

  “Sorry, hon. But I wanted to give you some time to cool off. AJ told me you were a bit emotional. You’re usually so level-headed.”

  Daisy sighed. “I know. And I’m not really too mad at you. The last couple days have been very… strange.”

  “How did the job at the candy factory go?”

  Daisy hesitated. How could she possibly explain everything in a few minutes? It was going to be hard enough to tell her grandmother later. She’d feigned exhaustion when she and AJ had returned from the convention last night, and she’d left the house this morning before her grandmother could catch up with her. “Can you just wait to read it in my report?”

  “Sure, if you’d like.” Her mother came closer to the lens. “Is everything all right?”

  “Well, I was wondering… is it all right if I take a little break from the whole spy biz? Just a few months. Go to a real school, that sort of thing? Just to kind of… think about everything?”

  Her mother raised one eyebrow but didn’t seem as surprised as Daisy thought she’d be. “Of course. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you have to do it. Maybe you have another path in life.”

  “I do love being a spy,” Daisy insisted. “Mostly. But I’m hoping things can change a little. Like I want to pick my own cases.”

  “We can talk about it when your father and I get home next week.”

  Daisy brightened. “You’re coming home?”

  Her mother nodded. “For at least a week. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up on everything. I have a feeling you have quite a story for me.” Her mother leaned in close again and looked around. “Hey, where are you? All I see is the bark of a tree.”

  Daisy turned her book so her mother could see the lake, the boats moored on the sandy beach, the merry-go-round off to the side. When she turned it back around, her mother asked, “Is that Verona Park?”

  Daisy nodded.

  “What takes you back there?”

  Daisy smiled. “I’m waiting for some friends.”

  Her mother raised her eyebrow again. “Wow, that’s new. Anyone I know?”

  Daisy shook her head. Movement along the path on the far side of the lake caught her eye. “I’ve got to go, Mom. I think they’re here. Say hi to Dad for me.”

  “Have fun, honey. We’ll see you in a week. We’re just making a quick pit stop to see your brother, then we’ll be home.”

  Daisy drew a sharp breath. “My WHAT?”

  Her mom waved as the screen darkened. “Bye, honey! See you soon!”

  “Wait! My what?” Daisy frantically pressed buttons but only got her mother’s WE’RE AWAY message.

  Daisy groaned in frustration, shut the book, and laid it down in the grass. She and her parents were SERIOUSLY going to have to talk about the importance of honesty in the parent-child relationship.

  MILES saw the girl leaning against the tree, so much like the girl from his memory. But this time he knew what was going to happen
next, and it wouldn’t involve her running into the water and not coming back up.

  He waved. She waved back.

  His father untethered the rowboat from the post sticking out of the water. “You’re sure you’re ready to do this?”

  Miles nodded. “It’ll be good.”

  “Is that her?” his father asked, following Miles’s gaze up the beach.

  “Yup.” Last night he’d told his parents about Daisy, leaving out the fact that the reason she’d swum under the lake was that it was part of her spy training. At first they’d been really upset and even angry at Daisy and her parents for doing a stunt like that. But he tried to convince them that all the distress he’d gone through had not been for nothing. He had figured out a lot about life in the past year that he never would have otherwise. He knew they were still upset, but he also knew they’d slept better last night than they had all year. In fact, his mom was still asleep!

  “Well, I’ll leave you, then,” his father said, checking that the boat was secure on the sand. “You have everything you need?”

  Miles smiled. “And more.”

  And if the universe and everything in it might not actually exist (as one of the books from the factory’s library had told him), then at least he’d made three friends. Three!

  Dna yeht t’ndid neve erac taht eh semitemos ekops drawkcab!

  “That’s the boat?” PHILIP asked, joining Daisy on the walk down to the lake.

  “You were expecting a yacht? And what are you wearing?”

  Philip looked down at his Hawaiian shirt, long shorts, and tube socks that nearly reached his knees. “What, this? Isn’t this what people wear outdoors?”

  “Not normal people! I can barely see your face under that hat!”

  He pushed the visor up a little. “That’s the point. No sunburn.” Reggie had given him the outfit, and the hat. And the sunblock, bug spray, and canteen filled with water, which were in his duffel bag. Reggie had tried to tell him he didn’t need all the supplies for one hour on the lake, but Philip had insisted on bringing everything. If he had to be outdoors, he needed to protect himself from the elements as completely as possible.

  They had almost reached the beach when Daisy stopped and put her hand on his arm. He didn’t even flinch this time. “Have you spoken to Logan?” she asked.

  Philip shook his head. “Not since my dad showed up at the convention yesterday. Logan’s father kind of dragged him away.”

  Daisy nodded. “I know, that was kind of weird. I didn’t see him after that either. I hope he’s okay.”

  Philip nodded. He was eager to talk to Logan, too. He had something to give him. He also wanted to tell him that when his father found out about his violin playing (thanks to the Candymaker’s wife), he hadn’t freaked out. All he’d asked was “Are you any good?” Philip had nodded, and his father said, “Okay, then.” That might not sound like a lot to most people, but for them it had been a real bonding moment.

  “Let’s ask Miles if he’s spoken to Logan,” he suggested as they started walking again.

  Daisy agreed. But by the time they reached Miles, they saw Logan approaching from the other direction. Philip was relieved to see that he looked perfectly normal, his usual happy self.

  “I have something to give you,” Philip said to Logan when they all met by the water’s edge.

  “And I have something for you!” he replied.

  “I have something for Logan, too!” Daisy said.

  “I don’t have anything for anyone!” Miles shouted.

  They all laughed.

  Philip opened his duffel bag and pulled out a violin case. “This is yours. I meant to give it to you yesterday, but I couldn’t find you.”

  “Max took me home,” Logan said hurriedly.

  Philip waited for him to explain why, but he didn’t. He just took the violin case, balancing it awkwardly.

  “Did you just say this is mine?” Logan asked.

  Philip nodded. “I took it from the storeroom down the hall from the lab.”

  Logan held it back out to him. “You should keep it.”

  “Trust me,” Philip said, “you want this violin. If anyone tries to buy the factory again, this could buy you two new factories!”

  “Really?” Logan and Daisy and Miles all asked at the same time.

  Philip nodded. “It’s very old and very rare.”

  “Hey,” Daisy asked. “You never told us why you brought it with you to the contest in the first place.”

  “I’m not really sure,” Philip admitted. “I think I just wanted it near me.” Taking it had been a last-minute decision. He’d hidden it in the duffel bag Reggie brought to the factory. Philip was supposed to put his dirty clothes in there. Instead, the clothes went into the backseat of the limo along with his briefcase, and the violin went into the duffel. “It’s kind of hard to explain.”

  “Ah, the special relationship between a boy and his violin,” Miles said. “Who are we to question such a pairing?”

  Philip stepped forward and kicked Miles in the shin.

  “You ain’t got nothing on Daisy,” Miles said, pointing to a big purple bruise under his left knee.

  “I did that?” Daisy squealed. “I’m really sorry!”

  Logan laid the violin case down next to himself and reached into his pocket. “This is for you.”

  Philip reached out his hand and Logan gave him a small box, about the size of two decks of cards. He couldn’t imagine what was in it. Unless it actually was two decks of cards, which seemed unlikely.

  “This goes with it,” Logan said, handing him a folded piece of paper.

  “Should I open them now?” Philip asked, suddenly apprehensive.

  “In a few minutes, okay?” Logan asked.

  Daisy reached into her pocketbook and pulled out a large brown envelope. She handed it to Logan. “I thought you might want this.”

  Logan turned the envelope around in his hands. He held it up to the sun but couldn’t see through it. “Well, at least I know it’s not a violin!” he said with a grin.

  “Well, I don’t have any mysterious envelopes or packages, but I’ve got a boat rented for the next hour!” Miles said, tapping the side of the rowboat with his foot. “Make that the next fifty minutes now.”

  “We’re all supposed to fit in that thing?” Philip asked, casting a doubtful look at the boat. “Is it even seaworthy?”

  “Actually,” Logan said, “I’m going to wait on the beach.”

  “Why?” Miles asked with concern. “You love rowboats.”

  “I know, but I’d kind of like to be somewhere else when Philip opens that box.”

  Philip almost dropped it. “Nothing will jump out at me, will it? Or smell really bad?”

  Logan smiled. “I guess you’re going to have to take your chances.”

  “Hey,” Daisy said, “we’ll be on that boat, too!”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll all make it back to shore unharmed. Unless Philip is rowing—then you better be wearing your life vests.”

  “Got that covered,” Miles said, pointing at the four life jackets piled in the front of the boat.

  Philip rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help it. “Let’s get this over with,” he said, nudging the boat closer to the water with his foot. He was eager to open the box, which was wrapped in blue paper, like a present. He didn’t often get presents.

  “Do you want me to stay here with you?” Daisy asked Logan.

  Logan shook his head. “I’ll be fine.” He reached into the boat and grabbed one of the life jackets. “I hear this makes a good pillow.”

  “That it does,” Daisy said.

  Miles pushed the boat the rest of the way into the water. “All right. Climb in, guys.”

  Philip couldn’t help noticing the two feet of water between the shoreline and the boat. “Um, how are we supposed to get in?”

  “Like this,” Miles said, pulling off his sneakers and socks and stepping in.

  “It looks cold,?
?? Philip said, taking a step backward.

  “Oy!” Daisy exclaimed. She tossed her bag into the boat on top of the life jackets, then marched over to Philip. Without a word of warning, she reached out, grabbed him around the waist, and hoisted him over her shoulder.

  Philip was so surprised, he couldn’t even shout out. His hat fell off onto the beach, but he only half noticed. Daisy carried him out to the boat, which had now drifted a few feet farther into the lake. By the time he recovered from the shock, she’d plopped him on the middle bench between the two oars.

  “There,” she said, with a satisfied nod. “You didn’t even get splashed.”

  Philip could see Miles and Logan doubled over laughing on the shore. “Hey!” he shouted, his cheeks hot with embarrassment. “At least I’m dry!”

  “Do you want me to come back for you, Miles?” Daisy called out.

  Miles bounded into the water. “No thanks!” he said, reaching the side of the boat. “You should have seen your face,” he told Philip. “Priceless. I’ll never forget it.”

  “I’m so glad,” Philip said, wishing he could think of a better comeback.

  The boat rocked as Miles climbed in, and Philip clutched both sides to steady it. Why people wanted to be in boats he couldn’t imagine.

  Daisy jumped in last. She picked up the oars and gestured for Philip to move to the back bench. He didn’t need to be asked twice—he had no interest in rowing. Miles tossed each of them a life jacket as the boat began to move.

  Philip looked down at the box and the folded paper still clutched in his hand. He was surprised he hadn’t dropped them in the lake when Daisy picked him up. He doubted he’d ever live that down. But truth be told, he was kind of pleased that he didn’t have to get wet.

  “Are you going to open it?” Miles asked.

  “I guess,” Philip said. He placed the box on his lap and unfolded the paper. “It’s a letter.”

  “Is it to all of us or just you?” Daisy asked, twisting her head around to see.

  “Hey, eyes forward,” Philip commanded.

  Daisy groaned, but turned back around. “Remind me never to drive you anywhere when I get my license. Which, as you know, will be a year before you guys get yours!”