“Can I get one for each of my friends?” Pigeon asked.

“Absolutely,” she responded. “One per customer.”

“Four, then,” he said.

“How much is your ice cream?” Summer inquired. She was standing farther along the counter peering at the tubs of ice cream through the glass.

“For kids, a dollar a scoop, whether cup or cone,” she said, taking a nickel from Pigeon in return for a penny and four of the chocolate-drenched pretzels. “Fixings for sundaes are extra, as are shakes and malts.”

“I’m going to bring ice cream money tomorrow,” Summer declared.

The others gathered as Pigeon distributed the pretzels. Nate put the whole thing in his mouth. There was so much chocolate that it overwhelmed the taste of the pretzel, which only served to add a little crunch. The chocolate was richer and creamier than any he had ever sampled. “This is awesome,” he said as he finished chewing. The others agreed with wide eyes.

“How much for another one?” Trevor asked.

“You don’t want to know,” she said. “Tell me a little about yourselves. I have not yet met many children in town.”

“I’m Summer. This is Trevor, Nate, and Pigeon.”

“I’m Mrs. White,” she said. “Pleased to meet you. You’re on your way home from school?”

“Yes,” Pigeon said.

“What grade are you in?”

“Fifth,” Trevor and Summer answered together.

Mrs. White nodded thoughtfully. “Are you good students?”

“Pigeon is probably the best in the school,” Summer said.

“I’m no great brain,” Pigeon said, “but the three of us participate in the gifted program.” He indicated Trevor and Summer.

“I did accelerated learning at my old school,” Nate mentioned.

Mrs. White licked a stray drop of caramel from her knuckle. “What do you children do for fun?”

“We have a club,” Pigeon said, receiving a glare from Summer.

“What sort of club?” Mrs. White asked.

Pigeon looked to Summer. “We explore stuff,” Summer said.

“And ride bikes,” Nate added.

“Explorers?” Mrs. White said musingly. “Do you kids like to daydream?”

“I do,” Trevor said.

“Me too,” Nate echoed.

“I’m always on the lookout for clever, imaginative explorers,” Mrs. White said, glancing at the door of the shop. “I’m familiar with Colson, but only recently arrived in town after a long absence. It is already beginning to feel like home again.”

“I’m new here too,” Nate said. “My family moved here from Southern California.”

“Do you have any other inexpensive candy?” Pigeon asked.

“How much money do you have?” Mrs. White inquired.

“Twenty-eight cents,” he replied.

Mrs. White pressed her lips together. “Hmmm. I’m in the process of hiring help. If you kids want to assist in some chores, I could reward you with treats.”

They all agreed enthusiastically.

Mrs. White walked along the counter, crouched, and arose holding spray bottles and rags. “This is for the windows,” she declared, holding up one spray bottle. Nate accepted it. “This is for the tables,” she said, handing the other bottle to Trevor.

“The tables look pretty clean,” Pigeon observed. Summer jabbed him with her elbow.

“You can never be too tidy,” Mrs. White said. “Wipe everything down and I’d be happy to share some goodies with you.”

Nate and Summer attacked the windows while Trevor and Pigeon tackled the tables. The candy shop had an impressive multitude of tables, and many large windows, not to mention the glass front doors, but they worked quickly, spraying and wiping thoroughly.

Mrs. White busied herself behind the counter. Every so often Nate looked over and caught the older woman pausing in her chores, watching them.

Trevor and Pigeon finished the tables before Nate and Summer had completed the insides of the windows. Trevor and Pigeon added their rags to the window work, dragging chairs to reach the high parts, allowing Nate to concentrate on spraying. A couple of customers came and went while they wiped down the outside of the windows.

By the time they finished, the four of them were tired. They returned the rags and spray bottles to Mrs. White at the counter.

“Excellent work,” Mrs. White cheered. “You four make quite a team.” She placed a small glass of thick yellow fluid topped with whipped cream on the counter. Alongside it she set a tiny brownie. She cut the brownie into four bite-sized quarters and gave each of them a plastic spoon. Pigeon frowned at the miniscule portions. “Go ahead and sample my homemade eggnog and the butterscotch swirl brownie. I’ll give each of you a full-sized version of whichever you like more.”

The smooth, cold eggnog was thick as a milkshake, and creamy beyond description. Nate had never tasted anything like it. The chewy brownie exploded with a harmonious mix of chocolate and butterscotch.

“There’s no way to decide,” Pigeon moaned after sampling both.

“Maybe I should have offered some of my secret candy instead,” Mrs. White sighed in a quiet tone, as if talking to herself.

“Secret candy?” Nate asked, instantly intrigued.

“My goodness,” Mrs. White said. “Forget I mentioned it. I never bring up my secret candy on a first meeting. Which will it be, eggnog or brownie?”

“What kind of secret candy?” Trevor pressed.

Mrs. White stared at them. “I shouldn’t allude to a secret without explaining, I suppose,” she admitted reluctantly. “But I must ask for a rain check on this one. I never discuss my secret candy on a first meeting. Perhaps if you ask me some other time. Tell you what, to make up for my slip, I’ll take away your choice. You may each have a brownie and a cup of eggnog!”

“Secret?” Pigeon said cheerily. “Any of you guys hear about a secret? I’m sure I haven’t!”

“Okay,” Nate consented. “But I’m asking again later.”

Mrs. White began setting the treats on the counter.

*****

Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon visited the candy shop every day after school. They worked hard, and Mrs. White rewarded them kindly. On Wednesday, the penny candy was cream puffs with chocolate icing, the chore was refilling the coin-operated gumball machines, and the prize was ice cream sundaes. Thursday they bought jawbreakers for a penny, then washed dishes to earn apple fritters.