The Candymakers Read online

  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