by Denise Carbo
Who am I kidding? Any woman lucky enough to have spent the night would skip around in broad daylight with a grin plastered on her face.
Peering out the window, I wait for a glimpse of the woman I will vow to hate for all eternity. The green-eyed monster perches on my shoulder and digs in its claws.
Punching rather than kneading the dough, I shove it aside before I do further damage.
A large silhouette crosses in front of the window and stops at my back door. Unless I have drastically miscalculated where Mitch’s interests lay, the person outside didn’t spend the night with him.
A knock rattles the door and I flip the switch to turn on the light. I’m not going to open the door without knowing who stands on the other side.
Mitch’s handsome face shines through the glass.
After unlocking and opening the door, I step back to let him pass. The door shuts with a soft click and I face him with a smile.
He holds out his hand palm up. “Phone.”
I blink. “What? I don’t have your phone.” He was on it the last time I saw him. Did he not remember? Why does he think I have it?
“Not mine, yours. Give me your phone.”
I look over at my desk on the side of the room where I drop it every morning. He follows my gaze and strides over to the desk to snatch up my phone sitting in the center of the desk.
“Um, why do you want my phone?”
He walks back and grabs my flour and dough coated hand by the wrist. A smirk appears at the sight of my hands. “Which finger do you use for fingerprint identification?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“To open your phone.”
“Oh, my index finger.” I wiggle the finger and a puff of flour rises in the air.
He tugs my hand higher and opens his mouth. Blinking rapidly and staring at him with my mouth agape, he encloses the tip of my finger in the warmth of his mouth. I should warn him raw bread dough won’t taste good.
His tongue swirls around my finger.
I guess he doesn’t care.
A shiver dances down my spine.
My finger pops out of his mouth like a lollipop all shiny clean and wet. He blows softly to dry it and places it on my phone.
I assist him by turning my hand and the home screen opens on my phone. “What do you need my phone for?”
He turns the phone toward him and starts pushing buttons I can’t see. “I’m programming in my number and sending yours to my phone so that the next time you disappear abruptly I have a way to contact you without driving all over town or knocking on your parents’ front door. Your sister and I exchanged numbers days ago, yet I don’t have yours.”
“Oh.” He wanted to contact me? A balloon of happiness fills me.
“We have yet to have that talk.”
The balloon pops and fizzles away.
“Right—the talk. We should schedule a time for that. I’m busy with getting the bakery ready to open right now.”
“Fine, I’ll meet you at closing. We’ll grab dinner.”
“Sure, okay.” Great, I have approximately twelve hours to come up with a new plan and divert him away from his talk. I can’t very well seduce him if he suggests we stop spending time together.
Maybe I’m wrong and that’s not the topic. He could say he’s realized that he’s fallen madly in love with me.
A girl can dream.
****
I dash out after the midday rush to deliver meringues to Mrs. Roberts. She’s sitting in her familiar spot on the porch.
“Hi Mrs. Roberts. I brought you a fresh supply of meringues.”
“Hello Franny. Are you limping?”
“Oh.” I wave my hand at my ankle. “I twisted my ankle. It’s no big deal.”
“Did you do that on your date the other night with young Calvert?”
I glance towards the inn. She must have seen me arrive with Bobby. Had she seen me leave with Mitch?
“Um—no. I did it after.”
“Sit a spell.”
“Just for a few minutes. I need to get back to the bakery.”
“You work too hard.”
Yeah, maybe I do.
“Tell me about your date.”
“With Bobby?”
She nods and rocks her chair. “He’s a nice boy. He turned out well despite the hardships life dealt him.”
Frowning, I wait for her to elaborate. What hardships? I don’t have a clue what she’s talking about.
She continues to rock and stare towards the lake.
“What hardships?”
“I suppose if you’re dating him you should be aware of events in his past.”
I’m not dating him, but I want to hear what she’s talking about.
“It’s on account of him I kept my mouth shut.” She grips the arms of her chair and frowns. “He was just a boy. I didn’t want to see his life ruined any more than it already was.”
“I don’t understand. What did you keep silent about?”
“His mother was one of the women my Charlie was fooling around with.”
Oh, her husband got around, didn’t he?
Were Bobby’s parents still alive?
If they are, I don’t think they live in town. At least I’ve never come across them.
“It was his father’s boat that Charlie was killed on.”
I gasp. Killed?
“They ruled it accidental, but the police weren’t aware he was messing around with the wife.”
I drop back against my chair. Wow!
“I don’t have any proof there was foul play, but it’s quite a coincidence if there wasn’t.”
“What happened to Bobby’s parents?”
She shrugs. “His father was hurt in the accident too. I don’t think he ever recovered. The mother left town and never returned.”
Poor Bobby!
“The guilt has festered inside me for so long. Not telling the truth is a sin, but that boy had been hurt enough.”
She stares at me. “Do you think I did the right thing?”
Do I?
I reach over and hold her hand. “I don’t know. If it wasn’t an accident, then a murderer walks free.”
“I know it. I pray every night I’m wrong.”
She uses her cane to stand. “It’s time for my afternoon nap. Thank you for the meringues and for listening to an old woman’s troubles.”
I stand and give her a hug. “If there’s anything I can ever do for you, all you need to do is ask. You’ve been such a comfort to me since the first time you called me over when I was walking home from school.” Back then, I would forgo the bus in favor of walking to avoid whatever ill intentions Vanessa and her friends had in store for me.
“It’s you who’s been a comfort to me. Now off with you. I know you’ve got work to do.”
I wait until she disappears inside, then I return to the bakery.
My gait is slow, but my ankle has little to do with it.
The burden she’s carried all these years…would I have made the same choice?
For Bobby’s sake I hope Mrs. Roberts is wrong about her suspicions.
****
The hectic day ends and I have barely given Mitch and his talk a thought. Until now.
My hair unraveled from the braid I manipulated it into this morning. Assorted batters and ingredients splatter my apron and dot my arms, white T-shirt, and lavender Capris. The minimal makeup I applied this morning is long gone and I hadn’t thought to carry any with me to freshen up because I never wear the stuff.
Entering the bathroom, I hope to salvage something and make myself a tad bit more presentable since sexy is out of the question at this point.
I’m only able to remove the remnants from my arms and clothes before the back door opens and Mitch calls my name, I slink out of the bathroom doing my best to smooth the wrinkles out of my clothes.
“You shouldn’t leave your back door unlocked. Especially when you’re here alone.”
He’s rig
ht. It isn’t the first time I have been given that advice and I’m sure it won’t be the last. The crime rate in Granite Cove isn’t exactly running rampant, but I can still stand to be better at security. I keep it locked in the mornings before opening when I’m alone, but during the day if I open it for any reason, I tend to leave it unlocked. Subconsciously, I must believe terrible things only happen in the dark, not broad daylight.
“I’ll do better.”
Did he expect an argument? Because he looks surprised at my ready compliance. “Good. Are you all set?”
I glance around the bakery and nod. The bakery is, anyway, I on the other hand feel like a mess coming unglued.
Instead of heading for his truck as I assumed he would, he goes up the stairs to his apartment. Did he need to grab something else before going out to dinner or were we having the talk in private and then getting something to eat?
He holds the door for me, and I step past him into the apartment wiping my damp palms on my thighs.
“I picked up Chinese takeout. I thought we could eat here if that’s okay?”
“Of course, sounds great.”
I turn toward the peninsula where he has already placed dishes and utensils and the white containers of food. So much for hoping to delay the conversation by going somewhere in public. I scoot onto the stool he holds out for me. Our shoulders brush as he sits on the stool next to mine and starts opening the containers.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered a bunch of different choices.”
“I pretty much love it all so you can’t go wrong.”
We fill our plates with an assortment of Sesame Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice, Boneless Spareribs, and Egg rolls and start eating. The sauces are sweet and tangy.
I keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye and shift the food around on my plate. I take the first few bites in rapid succession to avoid talking and now the food is sitting in my stomach like a lump of lead.
“Why did you leave in such a hurry the other day?”
My mouth opens to perpetuate the lie of the left on oven, but I can’t do it. I don’t want to confess my humiliating shorts incident either. “I twisted my ankle and besides you were busy on the phone with your Mom.”
“I saw Bobby go in your back door and then you were both gone.”
Glancing over at him, I catch him staring at me with his fork resting on the side of his plate. Is he wondering about the plan to make Bobby jealous? Another mess I can lay at Vanessa’s door. If she hadn’t threatened to reveal my crush on Mitch to him, I never would have had to come up with the fictitious crush on Bobby. Then again, I might not have gotten the kissing lessons from Mitch either, so maybe I can be grateful to her for once. I’m not about to go running over to thank her anytime soon, however.
“He stopped by to check on me.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Did he ask you out again? Is that where you disappeared to?”
“Yes and no.” I wipe my mouth with the napkin and take a sip of water.
“Why are you being so evasive?”
Because my brain is still stuck on what Mrs. Roberts revealed about Bobby and his parents.
He twirls his fork between his thumb and forefinger. I shrug and meet his gaze.
“I’m not trying to be. Bobby asked me out, but I didn’t go out with him then. I told you I twisted my ankle.”
Mitch glances at my feet resting on the bar between the legs of the stool. “Your ankle okay now?”
“It’s still a little tender, but it’s much better after staying off it the rest of Monday and all day yesterday.”
“So you haven’t gone out with him again?”
“No.”
He smiles and resumes eating.
Okay, what is that about? Did he not want me going out with Bobby? Could he possibly be jealous? Wasn’t that one of the first strategies he mentioned when he proposed this fake dating plan?
Mitch puts his fork down and turns his stool to face me. “About that talk…”
“There’s something I need to confess.”
He gazes at me expectantly.
I rub my hands down my thighs. “I went to the small business meeting and they’re planning an event later this summer to promote local businesses. I got a little overzealous and I volunteered you to make an appearance.”
I close my eyes and scrunch my face.
“I’ll do it.”
I pop open my eyes. “You will?”
He nods. “For you.”
I grin. “Thank you! I promise I’ll never do it again. Well, not without talking to you first.”
“You will owe me.”
“Anything, name it.”
“Careful what you promise, Franny.”
I don’t think it’s in my power to deny him anything.
I take a bite of the food.
“How are the house renovations coming along?”
“Progress is being made, but they keep finding things that need to be fixed or updated every time they open a wall. The mechanicals like the furnace and central air are installed. The plumbing and electrical are on schedule to finish next week. There’s a crew working on the bathrooms. The kitchen will wait until next month because the cabinets are being custom made and it was the last room I decided on.”
“Still, that’s a lot to get done. You must be excited seeing it unfold.”
“I am. It’s like the house is coming back to life after hibernating for a few decades.”
“It will be beautiful when it’s done.”
“Would you like to see what they’ve done so far?”
Grinning, I nod enthusiastically. “I’d love to.”
“Your parents’ party is on Saturday, how about Friday after work?”
I forgot about their party. Mother hasn’t given up on matchmaking between Lucinda and Mitch despite my sister’s vehement protests.
“Friday is good. I’ll meet you there. How about I bring dinner for us this time?”
“You sure? I can pick you up after closing and have something ready.”
“I’m sure. I’d like to handle dinner.”
He smiles. “Okay, I won’t argue.”
Great, I will plan something special. Something fool proof. A delicious dinner, with an aphrodisiac or two.
Operation Mitch’s Seduction is back on track.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Staring at the array of containers on the counter, I go down the checklist one more time. Oysters for the appetizer, Strawberry Spinach salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette, Chicken Cordon bleu with Herbed Potato Fans, and the crowning touch, Chocolate Torte with pistachio and Maca. I researched foods used as aphrodisiacs and added them to every course at least once.
One of them has to work, right?
After I put all the carefully wrapped insulated containers in a box, I add his favorite bottle of wine. I heft the box and carry out the front of the bakery and place it on a table while I set the alarm and lock the door.
I am huffing and puffing by the time I reach my car and place the box on the back seat. Leaning against my driver’s door I catch my breath and slide onto the seat and crank the air conditioning to cool me off.
My blue sundress is sleeveless at least so I won’t have perspiration stains to worry about. I pull out onto the street and then slap off the air conditioning. I need to keep the food warm for my dinner with Mitch. It’s not like he has an oven to heat anything in.
His house is less than ten minutes from the bakery so everything should be perfect.
If we eat quickly.
What if he wants to show me the work done on the house first? The oysters can’t last that long.
Breathe.
I practice the breathing technique Olivia taught me and it helps.
Driving up to his house, I peek in my rearview mirror to check my hair and makeup are still in place. It takes a few glances and a quick swerve back onto the driveway to see that my hair is s
till tamed into a clip at the back of my neck and my sedate but sexy eye makeup is not smudged.
Mitch opens the front door as I put the car in park. He jogs down and kisses me on the cheek.
“You made it. I was about to call.”
“Getting everything ready took a little longer than I anticipated.” Okay, the black eyeliner and smudging technique took longer than I planned.
He grabs the box.
“Something sure smells amazing.”
Smiling, I follow him up the path to the house. “I hope you are hungry because the appetizer has a time limit.”
“Starving. I thought we could eat outside on the back patio. I bought a table and chairs the other day. We should be able to catch the sunset.”
“That sounds lovely.” I hadn’t thought of where we would eat. I’m glad he is prepared. It would have been awkward standing at the kitchen counter eating my romantic dinner, if there even is still a kitchen counter.
I follow him through the house peeking at everything as we walk by. Fresh sheetrock covers the walls in most of the rooms. He’s made a lot of progress.
A bronze colored metal table with a glass top and matching chairs is centered on the patio. A white candle flickers in a hurricane lamp. Dishes and utensils sit on green placemats. A hunter green umbrella covers it all.
“I picked up a set of dishes and glasses the other day too. I got tired of eating on disposable plates with plastic utensils.”
Wincing over the plastic plates and utensils in a bag at the bottom of the box, I hurry over and start unpacking the box he sets down on one of the chairs.
“It looks beautiful.” Much more romantic than I had planned.
“What can I do?”
“Sit and enjoy.”
Mitch takes a seat in front of one of the place settings. He set them up with one on the end and one next to it facing the lake. He takes the seat on the end and I set out the platter of oysters in front of him.
“Oysters, wow, they look great.”
“They’re the ones on a time limit, so please try one.”
Scooting my chair in, I watch him take a bite.