“Tell you what. Why don’t you go home, get into some comfy clothes, and I’ll pick up something on the way. Shall I surprise you?”
“I trust you. You’re so good to me.” I kissed his cheek again. “A girl could get used to this.”
He gave me a look that made my legs want to melt straight off my body. “I hope you do get used to it.” Giving me a soft kiss on the lips, he groaned as he pushed himself away. “Meet you in a half hour.”
“I’ll have the wine waiting.”
Blowing me a kiss, he left. I pulled some things together and followed soon after. When I got home, I changed into my favorite sweat pants and T-shirt. I added a hoodie for warmth. Running lightly back down the stairs, I turned the corner and ran straight into Jenny.
“Mom, make a little noise why don’t you.”
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.”
“I just got here. What’s for dinner?” She put her hands on her hips.
I laughed. “I have no idea.”
She pouted. “But I’m hungry. We had basketball practice. You know that chews up a lot of calories.”
I patted her arm. “Not to worry. Rob will be here soon with dinner.” I opened the refrigerator and took out some carrot sticks. “Munch on these while you get changed. I promise he’ll be here soon.”
She took three, biting one as she pivoted and ran up the stairs. I poured two glasses of wine and a glass of milk for Jenny. Just as I finished setting the table, Rob came in with dinner, holding bags from our local gourmet grocer.
He held them up. “I figured rotisserie chicken, some green beans, and mashed potatoes with gravy would be best.” He smiled. “Some comfort food for you.”
“Yum. I especially love comfort food I don’t have to work for.” I helped him unload the bags. I held up a chocolate cream pie. “Is this part of making me feel better?”
“I’m willing to go along with that.”
Jenny thundered down the stairs. “Something smells great!”
Everyone sat to enjoy the food. After dinner, I cut the pie and handed slices around.
Jenny stared at hers. “Would anyone mind if I took mine upstairs? I need to study.”
Rob and I nodded our agreement, having already taken a bite of the pie. Jenny grabbed hers and headed upstairs.
Rob finished his mouthful. “She studies a lot. Do you ever worry she’s missing out?”
I traced circles through the whipped cream with my fork. “No. She’s getting good grades and participates in other activities. I worry more about what this whole thing with Drew is going to do to her.”
“She’ll be fine. You’ve given her a great grounding.” He gestured toward me with his fork. “You’re a good mom.”
I smiled as I took another bite of pie.
“Guess who I ran into at the store?”
“Who?”
“Susan. She was picking up some food for her and Drew. While we were in line, she made sure to tell me they’ve been talking about moving in together.”
I raised my eyebrows. “She’s moving in? I guess moss doesn’t grow on her.” Shifting in my seat, I frowned. “Drew’s not setting a good example for Jenny. And it makes me rethink whether he really cared for Amanda. Maybe he did kill her.” I stared hard at Drew’s house. “This is so confusing.”
Rob rubbed my shoulder. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but Drew doesn’t seem like someone who believes in commitment.”
I twisted my napkin. “I think you may be right.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Rubbing the steam from my bathroom window, I read the outside thermometer: thirty-four degrees. And the trees weren’t doing their normal wind-whipped shimmy. Positively balmy. Smiling, I finished dressing, rapped on Jenny’s door, and danced down the stairs.
I opened the back door to feel the air. Drambuie bounded past me, sensing freedom in her grasp. She got about two feet from the house and realized there was still a lot of white stuff in the yard. Almost levitating, she shook all four paws at once. She used the open door as a springboard to propel herself back inside. Courvoisier yawned from her perch on the kitchen stool and gave Drambuie a baleful look that seemed to say she was an embarrassment to the species.
I laughed, retrieved my coat, and decided to take the long way to work. That brought me past Tempting Treasures. The construction noise was deafening, even out on the sidewalk. Looking through the window, I saw Andy talking to the general contractor. I poked my head in the door and waved.
He shouted, “I can’t let you in without a hard hat, so I’ll come outside.” He joined me on the stoop and slammed the door. “That’s much better. I can hear now.”
“If you think this is better, you should be wearing earplugs inside.”
He grimaced. “You may be right.”
“I can’t believe you’re already building the new place out.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’ve had the plans for three years. All of our tinkering ended long ago, so we’re very clear on what needs to happen when. We were lucky that the contractor we wanted just finished a job.” He rubbed his forehead. “Huh. Maybe we should thank Amanda for that.” He paused. “Not.”
“That’s not very nice.”
“No. I suppose it wasn’t. What did you want?”
“Nothing really. I was just looking in and thought it would be rude if I didn’t stop.”
Andy pierced me with his baby blues. “How long have I known you? What did you want?”
“I was just wondering if you saw anyone else the night Amanda was killed?”
“Why do you want to pin this on me? I thought we were friends.” He glowered at me. “As far as I’m concerned, they’ve charged the right person. And the last time I looked, you hated Drew. I’m warning you: leave it alone.”
I backed away with my hands raised. “You are my friends, my very dear friends.” I closed the gap between us and put my hand on his arm. “I just don’t want my daughter’s father to be a murderer. He may really have done it.” I shook my head. “I don’t know how she would survive that. It would just be too awful.” Sinking down onto his front stoop, I put my arms around my legs and rested my head on my knees.
Sighing, he sat and put his arm around me. “You’re strong. Jenny’s strong. You will survive this, and so will she. I’m sorry I yelled at you, but it’s unnerving to have the police asking questions, and now you’re doing it. Ed and I had nothing to do with this. Amanda cost us money and time, but that’s not something either one of us would kill over. You’re going to have to trust me.”
I leaned against him. “I know that. Drew really messed with my head. And my heart.” I put my arm around him and squeezed. “I’m sorry I made you mad.” I got up, brushing off my slacks.
He stood and kissed my forehead. “You’re a good person, Merry, but you need to drop this.”
That certainly could have gone better. Note to self: be more discreet with my questions. I continued to my office, my mood improving as I admired the Christmas displays in the shop windows. Stopping in front of a pop-up Santa shop, I drooled over one in chaps saddling his horse. Need to start dropping hints with Jenny. Turning in at my door, I was pleased to see that everyone looked quite industrious. I made my way back to Cheryl and gave her a cheery wave as I shut the door.
Cheryl knocked briskly as she opened the door. “Sorry to bother you, but you may want to return this call.” She placed a message slip on my desk and scurried out.
I looked at it and sighed. It was from Susan Clime. May as well get it over with.
She answered on the first ring. “Hi, Merry. Thanks for returning my call. I’m sure Rob told you that Drew and I are thinking about moving in together.” I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at it. “Merry, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. But I’m still wondering why you called. Why would I care?”
“I wanted to talk to you so that we can set some ground rules with Jenny. I don’t want her bopping
in and out whenever she pleases. When I start living there, it’ll be my house too. I want to have a set schedule that we stick to…”
Rolling my eyes, I put my head down on my desk, unable to believe what I was hearing. I sat up. “Susan, I’m not going to discuss my daughter’s visitation schedule with you. I’m also not going to limit her access to her father. If he wants to call me to talk this over, I’ll take that call. Are we clear?”
“I bet you think he doesn’t want me to move in. Well, he does. He’s in love with me, not you, and he was never in love with that witch Amanda. I’m glad she’s gone. I wish you and your stupid daughter were gone too. Hmm. Things have been going my way lately; maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“Is that a threat? Listen here. You’re welcome to Drew. But I don’t want you within ten feet of my daughter. Do you understand?”
A click sounded. Mouth agape, I stared at my phone. She hung up on me? I threw it down, leaping up. Pacing, I stormed from one wall to the other. I kicked the wall.
Cheryl stuck her head in. “The wall’s going to win every time.”
I rubbed my foot. “You’re right. That was a bad idea.”
“Are you okay? I’m sure your conversation wasn’t pleasant. Is Susan trying to get her job back?”
I choked out a laugh. “Nope. It’s worse than that. Can you see if you can reach Detective Ziebold for me and ask him if he can swing by?” I tapped my cheek. “No, wait a minute. See if he’s available for lunch. My treat at the Golden Skillet.”
“Will do. Let me know if you need anything else.” As she left, she tossed a worried glance over her shoulder. A few minutes later, she knocked again. “You’re on for eleven thirty.” I still stood in the same place, staring out the window. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“No. But I will be.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “Thanks for your help. I really do appreciate it.”
As she left, I sat at my desk. Trying to power through, I opened a spreadsheet. After several mistakes, I closed it. I grabbed my purse and coat and nodded to Cheryl on my way out.
Jay waited for me by the host station at the Golden Skillet. “I love a free lunch, but I have a funny feeling I’m going to be paying for it.”
I nodded. “You may not be far off.” We ordered lunch, and I told him about my conversation with Susan.
“I’ll have a talk with her, but I question if it was a direct threat.” Jay put more salt on his fries. “You should know that after the episode at the church, Susan met with me.”
“Really? What did she want?”
“She said that she was willing to testify that the money Drew gave her to hold was from the scam he pulled in town.”
My eyes widened. “That’s not what she told me. She said she thought that the money she got was from my account.” I frowned at the table. “If she’s moving in with him, why would she want to turn him in? That doesn’t make any sense.” I looked up. “Why would she do that?”
He gestured with a French fry. “That’s easy. She was mad at the time. Not surprisingly, she stopped by yesterday and tried to recant. It’s too late for that. The Feds are involved now and it’s not looking good for Drew. If he gets off on the murder charge, this will be hanging over his head.”
I slumped in my chair. “If he finds out that she’s working with the Feds, he’s not going to be happy.”
Jay nodded. “I know I can trust you to keep your mouth shut. I’ll talk to Susan today. You have my promise. And now I have to get back on duty.” He tipped his hat to me as he left the restaurant.
Stirring my tea, I took one last sip before leaving. One thing for sure, I need to talk to Drew and give him a piece of my mind.
Chapter 22
I called Drew from the office and asked him to meet me for dinner. The terms were I’d meet him there, we’d go Dutch, and there would be no touching. After some teasing, he agreed.
I texted Rob, “Meeting Drew for dinner at six at Fiorella’s to talk about Jenny visitation. Can you come by my house at nine?”
He replied with a shocked face emoji. “Fine. See you then. Be safe.”
I sent him a thumbs-up.
As I drove to the restaurant, my palms slid on the steering wheel, and I popped two antacids. Be an adult. Divorced people have these conversations all the time. Scanning for an empty spot in the parking lot, I spied one and swung into it. I took a deep breath and put my head down on the steering wheel. A sharp rap on the window sounded like a gong going off next to my head. I jumped. Laughing, Drew peered in.
I scowled as I opened the door. “You scared me.”
He grinned. “I don’t know why. You knew I was going to meet you here.”
“Inside. I thought we were going to meet inside.”
He rolled his eyes. “We got here at the same time. Why would I ignore you?”
“Whatever.” I shoved past him. “Let’s go in.”
They had a booth ready, and we slid in on opposite sides. Drew tilted his head, giving me a wistful smile. “Remember the old days when we used to sit next to each other?”
I glared at him. “Thank goodness those days are long over.”
“I just thought of a new rule we should have for tonight. No snarkiness.”
Leaning back, I exhaled. “You’re right. Let’s talk like civilized people. The point of this dinner is to try and set some rules on visitation for Jenny.”
His eyebrow rose. “Isn’t everything okay the way it is now?” He frowned. “Has Jenny been complaining?”
“No. I just thought it would be easier down the line if we set up some ground rules now.”
He picked up his napkin-wrapped silverware and shook the cutlery out. Placing the napkin on his lap he mumbled, “You and your rules.”
I shook my finger at him. “No snarkiness.”
He grabbed my finger and kissed it. “You’re right. My bad.”
I snatched my hand back. “And no touching.”
He grinned. “Getting back to our conversation, what prompted your concern?”
“Since Susan’s moving in with you, I assumed things would be changing.”
His face slackened. “Why would you think Susan’s moving in? She’s just a friend, and, anyway, I just lost Amanda.”
“Drew, I’ve seen Susan sneaking out of your house in the mornings. Jenny found her in your kitchen in your robe. We’re not stupid.”
He leaned forward. “Okay. So she’s a friend with benefits. But I haven’t asked her to move in. I’m fine with the way things are.” He paused. “I probably shouldn’t say this to you, but I really cared about Amanda.” His voice cracking, he stared at the ceiling and took my hand. He stared down at it. “I miss her.”
I yanked my hand back. “It’s tough for me to believe you when you’ve lied about everything.” I frowned. “At any rate, you really have to do something about Susan. She called me today and told me she was moving in. She also said that she didn’t want Jenny around as much.”
Drew’s face turned an impressive shade of burgundy. He stood. “That bitch! I’m going to kill her.” He stormed out of the restaurant.
The waitress sidled up to the table, concern etching her face. “Will you be dining alone tonight?”
My mouth still open, I shook my head. “I think I’ll go home. Sorry for putting you out.”
I texted Rob from the parking lot: “No dinner. Feel like making me your special scrambled eggs?”
“No problem. Meet at your place in fifteen?”
“Yep.”
Rob arrived a few minutes after me. Giving me a kiss on the cheek, he held me at arm’s length, concerned eyes running over me for any visible hurts. “Are you okay?”
I hugged him. “I’m fine. But I’m not sure about Susan.”
He pushed me away again and looked down at me. “Susan? Was she there?”
I sat at the counter, shaking my head. “Drew was surprised to learn that she was moving in with him.”
“What? They hadn’t agreed o
n it? Then why did she tell me they had?”
“Who knows?” I poured myself a glass of wine. Raising the bottle toward him, he nodded, so I poured him one as well. I sat back down. “Susan called me today. She said she didn’t want Jenny dropping by unannounced anymore.”
His eyebrows rose. “What did you say?”
“I told her that it was a matter for Drew and me.” I took a long sip of my wine and then gestured with the glass toward Rob. “Oh, and Drew was surprised about her weighing in on Jenny too.”
“Wow. What did he say when you told him?”
“He stalked out and said he was going to kill her.”
My phone dinged. A text from Patty read, “Heard crossing of swords at Fiorella’s tonight. Drew’s going to kill someone?”
“How did you hear that?”
“Patrick’s nephew is a dishwasher there.”
“Unbelievable. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She sent me a hug emoji.
I handed my phone to Rob. He said, “Word does travel fast. And Fiorella’s is two towns over.”
I nodded. “That’s why I picked it. I figured we wouldn’t be as noticeable there.”
Rob stood. “Now you know that the ears in this town are super powered.” He pulled the eggs, butter, and cheese from the refrigerator. “Ready for some food?”
“Yes, please.” He worked his magic and placed the plate in front of me.
Jenny trudged through the door but stopped when she saw what I was eating. A smile brightened her face. “Breakfast for dinner. My fav!” Dropping her coat and knapsack on the floor, she joined me at the counter, eyeing Rob expectantly.
He sighed. “Just call me a short-order cook.” He reached for more eggs.
I elbowed her. “Weren’t you supposed to be eating out tonight?”
“I was, but when I realized how much homework I had, I decided to come home and fend for myself.” She smiled at Rob. “But this is so much better than anything I would have made.”
He handed her a plate of eggs and buttered some toast. “Anything else?”
She smiled at him. “I hate to put you out, but can I have some jam for the toast?”
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