by K. J. Emrick
“Gram,” Clarissa said again, her voice pleading.
Cookie ignored her. “Shush, child.” She swung her head back in the boy’s direction. “I don’t know who you are or what you think you’re doing, mister, but I’m here to stop it.”
The boy quirked an eyebrow at her. “Ma’am, I don’t think you—”
“Don’t you ma’am me! You get away from here before I call the police!”
“Gram, stop!” Clarissa said louder.
Cookie moved in between the two kids. Clarissa put her hands on her grandmother’s shoulders, tugging at her, but Cookie stood firm. “We’re leaving, Clarissa. This boy will not bother you again!”
“It’s not like that,” both Clarissa and the guy in the long coat said at the same time.
Clarissa tried to step around her, but Cookie put her arm out. “No, Clarissa. Do as I say. We’re leaving. Right now.”
“Ma’am, you should listen to your granddaughter.”
“What!” Cookie leaned into the boy. He wasn’t running away now. Neither was the crowd of people watching. “How dare you talk to me like that? You take my granddaughter out of our house, have me worried sick that something happened to her, and you think you’re going to backtalk me?”
“Gram, just listen!” Clarissa had fisted her hands into either side of her hair. Her expression was screwed up in frustration. “He isn’t some kind of stalker!”
“How do you know that? How do you know, Clarissa? You’re only sixteen and you don’t know anyone here. What do you know about this boy? Hmm? Nothing, that’s what. You have to be more careful. You can’t just go out on the town with the first boy you meet!”
“I didn’t!” Clarissa yelled back.
That brought Cookie up short. She finally saw how angry her granddaughter was. It finally occurred to her how they were the center of a gaggle of people who were staring and smiling. She thought one person was even recording them on their cell phone. She had to take a breath, to calm down, and think.
“Clarissa…” Deep breath in, deep breath out. “Fine. Fine. You tell me, then. You tell me what you’re doing here and why I should trust this boy.”
“Because I know him,” was the exasperated reply.
Cookie faced her granddaughter with a frown on her face. “How can you possibly know him?”
“Because.” Clarissa went around Cookie, taking the boy’s hand, leaning into his side. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Chapter Eleven
Cookie tossed the whole tray of cupcakes into the garbage. She hated to waste that much food, but they had gone cold sitting out on the counter and she just wasn’t in the mood to put colorful frosting on sugary desserts. The car ride back from the community center had been a very quiet one. Both Cookie and her granddaughter knew they had a lot of apologizing to do. Neither of them knew how to start.
“Your boyfriend, huh?”
Clarissa sat on a stool at the kitchen island, picking at one of the sandwiches Cookie had made them for dinner. “Yes. Hamish and I have been seeing each other for a while.”
“Oh, is that a fact.”
She nodded, but Cookie had an idea that there might be more to it.
“And what does your mother think about Hamish?”
The girl shrugged her shoulders.
“She’s never met him, has she?”
“No. Okay? Geez. She’s never met him, I’ve never told her about him, and it’s this whole big secret thing. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“No, granddaughter of mine, that is not what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that you’ve been open and honest with your mom. That’s what I wanted to hear, but I guess that was hoping for too much, now wasn’t it? Just like it was too much to hope you could be honest with me.”
She saw the words hit their mark when Clarissa flinched. Cookie hadn’t meant to be that harsh, but it was true. The whole idea had been to bring Clarissa here to get her back on track. To get her over her anger with her mom. It was definitely not so the teenager could run wild and sneak around behind Cookie’s back.
“Don’t tell Mom, okay Gram?”
The request took Cookie by surprise. “Let’s put that on the back burner for now. First, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Do I have to? I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“I know that, dear.” She sat down with Clarissa, taking a sandwich of her own. “But you didn’t think about what you were doing, either. You know everything that’s going on. A man died in this bakery. Someone broke the front window. It’s dangerous here. That’s why I decided to sell the place.”
“You what?”
Oh, right. She hadn’t told Clarissa that part yet. “Yes, I’m selling the bakery. There’s too much going on here for it to be worth the effort anymore.” The words hurt, no matter how true it was. “Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get back to this Hamish boy. He’s the one that’s been hanging around my bakery, right?”
Clarissa bit her lip, and nodded.
“And that’s why you’ve been wanting to go out at night? Because you knew he was there?”
Another nod.
“How did he even know where you were?”
“Because I texted him before Mom kicked me out of the house. I told him where I’d be. He came all this way and he’s been trying to work up the nerve to knock on the door and show himself to you but… oh, it’s just all so complicated! I told him we couldn’t tell Mom about us yet and so he thought you couldn’t know, either, and I’m sorry, all right?”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to be good enough. You set a lot of people scrambling when I couldn’t find you. We were worried about you.”
Cookie had felt stupid when she had to call Jerry from the car and explain that her granddaughter really had been at the dance. There was no kidnapping, and Clarissa was fine. Jerry had laughed it off, and been understanding again, and she was finding it very hard to hate the man, even if he was taking up with her former best friend.
“You shouldn’t have snuck out like that, Clarissa.”
“I know, I know.” With a pout, Clarissa sat back in her seat. “Geez. No matter what I do I’m wrong.”
“That’s because you aren’t trying to do things right.” Cookie took her granddaughter’s hand. “You’re trying to be all grown up, because you think that will fix everything. It won’t. Trust me. Being grown up only brings more problems.”
“Gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better.”
Cookie chuckled. “I know. My point is that you should consider everything your mother is going through right now, too. She has a man in her life again who she loves, but her daughter is miserable because of it. You’re causing her to choose between you and her new husband.”
“She shouldn’t have to choose,” Clarissa said miserably.
“Then don’t make her. Is there anything wrong with Joseph? Does he yell, or spank you, or tell bad jokes or something?”
Clarissa rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not like that.”
“Well, does he snore and fart and smell bad?”
Her granddaughter giggled and then schooled her face to look serious again. “No, he does not.”
“Does he make you eat gruel for breakfast?”
“What’s gruel?”
“I’ll take that as a no. So, he isn’t a monster?”
“No, he’s not a monster, Gram. It’s just… he’s there, you know? He’s there in our house and it’s like I have to be nice to him even though he’s taking the place of Dad…”
She stopped abruptly, and Cookie knew they had reached the real heart of the issue.
“Honey. Please hear me. Joseph isn’t trying to take your father’s place. He isn’t trying to make you forget your father. He loves your mother. He may not be perfect, but he would never do anything to hurt your mother, or you either.”
Clarissa took a deep breath. “And hey, he doesn’t snore and fart, right?”
“I thi
nk those are very important aspects in a man.”
After a long moment, her granddaughter rolled her head back on her shoulders. “I just wish it wasn’t all so complicated.”
“I’ll bet,” Cookie said, “that if you work with your mother to fix what’s broken, things will get better a whole lot quicker.”
“I wish I could believe that.”
“If you try, you might see I’m right.”
“Are you going to tell Mom about Hamish?”
“No,” Cookie promised. “Because you are. Starting now, we’re both going to be completely honest with your mother, and we’re going to expect her to be honest with us. How does that sound?”
Clarissa smiled. “Like a recipe for success.”
“Oh, a cooking reference. I approve.” She patted Clarissa’s hand, then took a good sized bite out of her sandwich. Suddenly she had her appetite back. “Now, tell me about this boyfriend of yours.”
“If he still wants to be my boyfriend after the scene you made.”
“True. I’ll apologize to him. I will. For now, tell me what he’s like.”
A dreamy look lit the corners of Clarissa’s eyes. “He’s a few months older than me, you know? Just that much, but it makes all the difference. We’re in the same grade in school, and he likes taking me bowling, and when he laughs his eyes turn from this greenish color to almost gray.”
She bit at her lip again, probably unaware of the smile hovering on her lips. There was no doubt the girl was in love.
Cookie sighed. Too bad she’d never know that feeling for herself.
***
Cookie was about to settle into bed with Cream at her side. Clarissa was in her room, texting with Hamish. Now it was her turn to hit the sack. The day had left her exhausted. Roller coasters had fewer ups and downs than this day had given her.
She put on her pajamas and listened to the quiet apartment while she turned down the bed There would be so much to do tomorrow. Contact Roth, and tell him they could make things official, even if could be a murderer. That, at least, was one worry she could put aside. Someone else would have to figure out who Julien’s killer was. She’d have to call Madison, though, and tell her everything. The failing business. The sale of the bakery. At least she could also say that she and Clarissa had grown closer.
The promise she had made to her granddaughter was one she intended to keep. She wouldn’t say anything about Hamish. So long as Clarissa told her mom about it first.
She went around and turned off the lights in her apartment then came back and settled into bed. Cream was already asleep in his little bed under the dining table. The night was just falling outside, and the world was calm and peaceful. She needed a good night’s sleep. That would make her feel better. Maybe sleep wouldn’t escape her this time.
Her eyes were just fluttering closed when the doorbell chimed.
Sure. Why not.
With a heavy sigh Cookie threw the blankets off and put her fuzzy slippers on, grabbing her robe as she went. The way the past few days had been, she couldn’t afford to just ignore whoever was at her door. For all she knew it was Death himself come to invite her to tea. Well, she’d just have to offer him some day old donuts and cold coffee, and send him on his way. She had too much on her plate right now to go with him.
When she pulled back the curtain from one of the apartment windows that faced the street, Cream whuffed a question at her. “I don’t know who it is, boy. Go back to sleep.”
It didn’t take her long to figure out who was here, when she saw Jerry’s beat up pickup truck parked at the curb. Wonderful. A visit from the Grim Reaper would have been preferable.
Still, she cinched the robe tight to her waist and patted Cream’s head to let him know it was all right. When he settled back into his little bed, she made her way down the stairs as quietly as she could, hoping not to bother Clarissa. Assuming her granddaughter was already asleep and not keeping herself up to text with her boyfriend.
Downstairs she made sure to turn on every single light she could. Not that she thought Jerry was here to do anything bad. She knew him better than that, no matter what he and Jamie might have brewing on the side. She just wanted to make sure anyone walking by would see them, whatever he was here for.
He waved to her through the window. In jeans and a blue hoodie, he looked so different than how he looked in his uniform. More down to Earth. More like… a man. Cookie shook her head to clear her thoughts before they could lead her into places she didn’t want to go.
She opened the door for him and waited for him to come in before closing it and locking it again. Silly, she supposed, with that plastic still duct taped around the empty space where there used to be glass. “Hello, Jerry. It’s late. I was in bed.”
“So I see.” His eyes took in her robe and fuzzy slippers, and then settled on her eyes. She felt exposed to him like this and she really wished she’d taken the time to at least throw on a pair of proper pants.
Cookie tugged the robe tighter. “What do you want, Jerry?”
The smile slid way from his face. “I felt like we needed to talk. Did I do something wrong?”
She gaped at him. Was he serious? “That’s why you came here?”
“Well, sure. I mean, it’s one of the reasons. Ever since yesterday you’ve been very distant. I thought we were getting closer but now I’m not sure. I like you, Cookie. You know that, don’t you?”
“I thought I did.” She crossed her arms, refusing to be made a fool of again.
“Look, I know you’ve been distracted. With everything that’s going on I can’t blame you. The murder, Roth, your granddaughter pulling a Houdini to sneak off and see her boyfriend. I get how crazy your life has been. I thought I was being a good guy, just giving you space, but when I went home from work an hour ago it hit me. I don’t want to give you space. I want to know what’s wrong. What did I do?”
“I can not believe you. Are you really standing here and asking me this? What, did you think I wouldn’t find out? This is a small town, Jerry, and things like that just don’t— Wait. You only went home from work an hour ago?”
She checked the clock on the wall. Jerry’s shift should have been over long before this.
“It’s been a long day for both of us,” was his answer. He shrugged, then took a seat at one of the tables, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. “Don’t worry about that. Go on. You were saying something about how small towns don’t keep secrets.”
“Well, no, they don’t.” Why had he been at work for so long? Did it have something to do with Julien’s murder, and Sweeney’s arrest? Yes, it must! “But what about…?”
“Cookie, please.” He leaned across the table, towards her, his hands animated. “There’s something going on between us, I can feel it. Something not good. I just don’t have any idea what it is. If I did something to upset you, just tell me what it is. Please?”
He was so sincere. She couldn’t believe he could sit there and look her in the eyes after what he’d done. “I saw you, Jerry. I saw you this morning over at Jamie’s house. There. Is that what you wanted to hear? Does it make you feel better that I’ve said it out loud and humiliated myself all over again? And here I thought you were actually beginning to like me until I saw you with my best friend!”
Slowly, Jerry’s eyes went wide. He sat back in his seat and at least he had the good grace to blush. “You saw…? Oh, Cookie. Why didn’t you just say something earlier?”
“Because you broke my heart, that’s why!”
The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she was going to say. With a gasp, she realized that was exactly what had happened. She had dared to let herself love Jerry and he’d broken her heart by playing her for the fool. She really didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
Until he said just three little words.
“It didn’t happen.”
She opened her mouth to snap at him again, and stopped mid-breath. “What?”
He stood up, and came to her, but she pulled back from him still. “Cookie, it didn’t happen. Now I understand. Oh, God, woman! Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Tell you? You wanted me to send you a nice text saying it was great to see you in my best friend’s kitchen with her falling all over you?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“Oh, of course not. You didn’t mean for me to see you there at all, did you? Well, I saw the look Jamie gave me. She knew I was there, and it didn’t stop you at all!”
“That’s because I didn’t know you were there.”
The room spun around Cookie. “You… you didn’t know?”
“No, Cookie, of course not.” This time she let him take her hands in his. “I wasn’t there to have some sort of bootie call. I was on duty!”
She realized he was right. He’d been in uniform. That wasn’t a lover’s tryst she’d seen at all.
Oh, she felt so foolish.
“Then why… why were you there?” she made herself ask, even if she couldn’t make herself look directly at him.
“I was there,” he answered her, “because Jamie called me. She said you and she had gone over to the mayor’s house. She said you spoke to the mayor’s wife and had information about Julien’s murder. I couldn’t believe it, but I couldn’t ignore it, either.”
Cookie let herself squeeze his hands. “I told you about that. We did go there. Jessica Carson came here, to my bakery, and it was like she wanted to tell me something but something was stopping her. She was afraid of someone seeing her here. All we really found out was that she and her husband both knew Julien from way back in high school. They were good friends, from what I’ve found out.”
Jerry nodded. “I remember what you said. There’s more to their story than anyone in town knows, I think.”
“There was something else, too.” Cookie remembered what Jessica had said now. “She told me that you can’t always escape the mistakes of your past. I don’t know what she meant.”
“I think I do.”