“You’re preaching to the choir,” Clarissa deadpanned.
“I’ve also been looking into the Chester Atkins case.” Liana waited expectantly for her best friend to freak out and demand details. Nobody loved a good mystery more than Clarissa.
“Who?” Clarissa sounded distracted.
“Chester Atkins...the guy who turned up dead by the lake. I sent you some texts about my investigation,” Liana reminded her best friend. “Didn’t you read them?”
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I think I remember something about that. You said you were ninety per cent sure that his son poisoned him. Matty, was it?”
“Mikey. And it turns out I was wrong. Mikey has an alibi. He was with his football teammates all day. I checked with his coach and double checked with the team mascot. There’s no way Mikey would have had a chance to slip away and dump Chester’s body by the lake.”
“Hmm, okay. So what now?” Clarissa asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Liana sighed. “I was so sure it was him. Mikey was in Sugarcomb Lake around the time Chester’s body was left by the walking path. It fit. Or at least I thought it did. I thought for sure it had to be Mikey...but I guess I got ahead of myself.”
“What made you so sure it was Mikey?”
“What does it matter now?” Liana asked dejectedly. “It wasn’t him. That’s all that matters.”
“But what made you suspect him in the first place?” Clarissa pressed. Then, sounding guilty, she made a confession. “Okay, look, I’m just gonna come right out and admit it. I’ve been so busy trying to keep my aunt out of trouble that I only skimmed your texts. So you’re going to have to fill me in on the details.”
“Chester was a jerk,” Liana explained. “He left his wife for a younger woman. He tried to bully his son into losing weight. He stopped showing up to Mikey’s football games. He may have even stopped paying child support.”
“What a piece of work,” Clarissa muttered. “That poor kid.”
“Yeah. And his poor wife.”
Suddenly Fluffy stopped acting like a demure little statue. One second he was preening and primping on the chair. The next, his back was arched, his pupils were dilated and his tail was poofy. He scrambled off of the chair and tore around the living room like a madman.
The hyperactive cat made three laps around the sofa. He dove across the coffee table, knocking the TV remote control onto the floor in the process. He paused momentarily and stared at it, nostrils flaring. After a moment’s deliberation, he batted it under the couch. Then he attempted to climb the curtains.
“Fluffy!” Liana gasped, equal parts amused and horrified. “You’re going to destroy my house!”
The cat gave Liana a mischievous look. He clearly didn’t care if he destroyed the house. All he cared about was having fun. He stood there panting for a moment. Then he stood up on his toes and half-danced, half-galloped out of the room.
“What’s going on?” Clarissa asked, sounding confused.
“Oh, nothing. Fluffy is losing his mind, that’s all.”
“So in other words, he’s being a cat?”
“Yup.”
“I’ve got to go,” Clarissa said. “Thanks for looking into Chester Atkins’ death for me. When I get back into town, I’ll write a newspaper article about your findings. But if you don’t have time to keep pursuing the case, I understand. You’ve done so much already. I owe you one.”
“Bye,” Liana said. “Try not to strangle your aunt.”
What she didn’t tell Clarissa was that she had no intention of giving up. What had started out as a favor to her best friend had turned into a bit of an obsession. Liana wasn’t about to walk away from her investigation. No, she was determined to find out who killed Chester Atkins.
And now that she had ruled Mikey out, she was zeroing in on another suspect.
Chapter 13
“Fluffy, watch out! I’m going to trip over you if you’re not careful!”
The cat had been underfoot all morning, butting his head against Liana’s shins and purring loudly. It would have been cute had it not been so inconvenient. Why did cats always pick the worst possible times to demand affection? It almost seemed like they did it on purpose.
“It’s bad enough I’m at work before dawn on my day off,” Liana told her faithful sidekick. “The last thing I need is to fall face first into the cookies I baked. Could you please stop pestering me and let me work? The sooner I finish, the sooner we can go.”
“Mew?” Fluffy asked, staring up at Liana expectantly.
“No, I can’t pet you right now. It isn’t sanitary to pet you while I’m baking,” Liana explained. Then she shook her head in frustration. “Last night I had all the time in the world to cuddle with you. And all you wanted to do was alternate between sitting in the chair ignoring me and charging through the house at full speed.”
Fluffy gave Liana a blank look. Then, without warning, he hopped up onto the counter.
“Fluffy!” Liana hissed. “You know you’re not allowed on the counter! What if a customer saw you prancing around up here? I’d never hear the end of it, and rightfully so. Cats don’t belong on counters! Get down!”
Of course, Fluffy ignored the command. He stuck his neck out and sniffed the cookies.
“Down!” Liana shooed him.
Just then the bell above the door jingled.
Startled, Liana glanced up. “We’re not open,” she called out. Then she saw it was Luke.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied, instantly feeling her heart skip a beat.
“I know you don’t open for a few hours,” he acknowledged as he unzipped his black quilted jacket. “But I was passing by and saw the light on. I thought...well, I don’t know what I thought. I guess I just wanted to come say hi since I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“It has been a while,” Liana agreed. Technically it hadn’t been that long since Luke had stopped by, but it felt like it had been ages. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Liana was secretly delighted. It sounded like Luke had missed her.
“Whatcha making?” Luke asked as he looked at the baking ingredients spread out on the counter.
All the basics were there, like eggs, flour and sugar. Liana had all her favorite staples handy too, such as chocolate chips, fresh strawberries and chopped pecans. She even had some slightly more exotic treats on hand, like coconut palm sugar and almond flour.
Needless to say, the countertop was piled high.
“What am I not making?” Liana smiled as she picked up a large mixing bowl. “I just finished whipping up a double batch of chocolate chip cookies - help yourself. It’s on the house. I’m thinking I’ll make banana muffins next. And maybe some coconut squares.”
“Those are all my favorites,” Luke grinned as he reached for a cookie. “But then, I like everything you make. Everything you make is my favorite.”
“That’s quite the compliment,” Liana told him, blushing a little. “The problem is that I seem to make the same few things over and over. Nobody has complained, but I don’t want to be too predictable. Half the fun of baking is trying new recipes.”
“What are you thinking?” Luke asked as he took a seat at his usual spot.
“I’m not sure.” Liana glanced at the giant container of red, juicy strawberries. “I really ought to use these berries up before they go bad. I majorly overestimated how many I would need for the strawberry shortcake.”
“Mmm, strawberry shortcake sounds good,” Luke said, licking his lips.
“But I made that the other day. Like I said, I don’t want to be too predictable. I want to try something new. Or,” Liana said as her gaze fell on her muffin pan, “I might try a new version of an old favorite.”
“Ooh, what do you have in mind?” Luke asked eagerly.
He was way more interested in the baking process than he ought to have been. It wasn’t that exciting. But his enthusiasm seemed genu
ine. Maybe it wasn’t the baking he was so taken with. Maybe it was the baker.
“I’m going to make strawberry shortcake cupcakes!” Liana announced with a gleam in her eye. Feeling inspired, she set to work immediately. First she washed and sliced the strawberries. Then she filled a measuring cup with flour and dumped it into the mixing bowl.
Suddenly she gasped.
“Oops, what was I thinking? That was way too much flour!” She hastily scooped half of it back up into the measuring cup.
“You okay?” Luke asked, watching Liana intently from where he sat.
She nodded. “Just distracted,” she replied.
As much as she loved baking, this morning her head simply wasn’t in it. Usually whipping something up in the kitchen came naturally to Liana. It was almost like breathing. But not today.
She was far too preoccupied with her investigation into Chester Atkins’ death to concentrate on work. It was all she could think about. Or at least it had been before Luke had walked into the coffee shop.
“Do you want some help?” Luke offered, standing up. “I’m nowhere near as talented a baker as you, but I can follow instructions. As long as you keep them simple,” he added with an endearing, self-deprecating little chuckle.
“I would love some help,” Liana smiled, motioning for Luke to join her behind the counter.
Fluffy watched with great interest as Luke washed his hands. The cat seemed to have forgotten all about his mission to get in the way. He stared, wide-eyed, as Luke rolled up his sleeves and readjusted his glasses.
Fluffy was completely transfixed by Luke.
Liana felt the same way.
“What would you like me to do?” Luke asked, stepping closer.
Butterflies instantly began to flutter around inside Liana’s belly. She was suddenly very aware of how tall Luke was - and how little space there was between them. Had they ever stood so close before? He smelled good. He smelled really good.
A million thoughts invaded Liana’s brain.
Baking was definitely the furthest thing from her mind.
Luke cleared his throat.
“Oh!” Liana exclaimed sheepishly, realizing she hadn’t answered his question. “Would you mind grabbing the vanilla out of the pantry for me?” she asked. She was pretty sure her face was as red as the delicious, succulent fruit.
“Your wish is my command.”
Liana and Luke worked side by side for the next little while. Time flew, probably because they were having so much fun. They made a good team. Together, they concocted a delicious strawberry shortcake cupcake recipe.
Even though Liana was nervous about saying or doing something dumb, she enjoyed their time together. They chatted and joked around as they worked. It felt natural. It felt nice. Even the silence was comfortable.
Suddenly Liana remembered the state of her eyebrows.
Her eyes bulged in horror.
She quickly turned her back to Luke so he wouldn’t be able to see her face. Unfortunately, she did it right as he began talking to her. She knew she couldn’t face away from him for much longer. Soon it would seem rude, as if she was ignoring him. That wouldn’t do.
Liana frantically looked around for something - anything - to hide behind. She grabbed a dishtowel and held it to her forehead. Then she turned around, letting Luke know that she was, in fact, paying attention to what he was saying.
He paused mid-sentence. He looked at Liana with bewilderment.
She readjusted the dish towel she was holding over her eyebrows. Then she tried to lean against the counter in a manner that made her seem confident and put together...even though she was panicking inside. The move probably looked as awkward as she felt.
“What’s with the dishtowel?” Luke asked.
She shrugged and tossed it aside. At the same time, she covered her forehead with her hand.
“Do you have a headache?” Luke asked with concern. “I’ll get you some water.”
“I’m fine,” Liana assured him. At the same time, she attempted to toss her hair in a sultry, sensual manner. Her intention was to make it cascade across her forehead, softly and subtly concealing her freakishly thin eyebrows.
It was a move Liana had seen time after time in those old black and white movies she and Fluffy liked to watch. It was dramatic, flirtatious and effective. It was a move she had practiced several times in front of the mirror, much to the cat’s amusement. She was dying to try it out in person.
In Liana’s mind, The Hair Flip would be so fabulous that it would instantly make Luke swoon. It would make her completely irresistible. He would melt at her feet and immediately declare his undying love for her.
Well, maybe that was a bit much.
But Liana figured The Hair Flip would at least hide the damage Delia had done to her eyebrows.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Luke chuckled to himself as Liana managed to flip her hair right into her face. He was trying to hold it in, but the way his shoulders were shaking was a dead giveaway. He was cracking up at her misguided attempt to channel old Hollywood glamor.
She couldn’t blame him.
She probably would have laughed herself had she not been so mortified.
“Okay, fine,” Liana sighed, deciding honesty was the best policy. “I may as well quit trying to hide it. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now anyway and you’re just too nice to say anything. Amy said I could fill them in with makeup until they grow in, but that calls more attention to them.”
Luke scrunched up his face in confusion. “Huh?”
“My eyebrows,” Liana said, spelling it out for him. “They’ve been destroyed!”
He took a step closer and squinted.
“Ah,” he nodded. “They do look a bit different than I remember.”
“A bit different?” Liana repeated incredulously. “They’re hideous. I look so stupid. My mother actually suggested getting eyebrow tattoos.” She paused to let that sink in. “My tattoo-hating mother wanted me to get my face tattooed.”
Luke pushed his glasses up and offered a sympathetic smile. “That sounds painful.”
“Yeah, it does. Anyway, that’s why I was acting so weird,” she explained sheepishly. “I’ve had more people than I can count comment on my awful eyebrows. It’s mortifying! So I was trying to hide them from you. It’s silly, I know. But I just feel so gross.”
“It is silly,” Luke agreed. “You’re not gross.”
“You’re only saying that to be nice,” Liana told him.
“I’m not. Now that you mention it, your eyebrows do look kind of sparse, yeah. But so what? They’ll grow back. And even if they don’t, that’s okay too. You’re pretty no matter what your eyebrows look like.”
Liana’s breath caught in her throat.
Luke thought about his statement and then clarified, “I think you’re pretty no matter what.”
His words hung in the air.
Liana’s heart skipped a beat as she replayed the compliment over and over in her mind. Luke didn’t know it, but he had made her entire week. She was ecstatic.
She and Luke locked eyes.
He moved closer.
Luke was close enough for Liana to see that he was greying at the temples ever so slightly. She had never noticed those few grey hairs before, but she thought they made him look distinguished. The fact that he didn’t dye them made her like him even more.
He leaned down so that they were eye to eye - and mouth to mouth. Then he tilted his head ever so slightly to the left side. In that instant, Liana knew without a doubt that Luke was going to kiss her.
Finally, their first kiss! It had been a long time coming. But Liana knew it would be worth the wait. She had been daydreaming about it for a long time. Now that it was finally happening, she could barely contain her excitement.
She wanted to squeal and dance around in celebration - but that would ruin the moment.
Instead, she leaned in eagerly.
That was when the ov
en timer started beeping.
Startled, Liana stepped back. She didn’t mean to. It was merely a reflex.
Luke straightened up and took a step back, too.
The moment was gone.
Disappointment didn’t even begin to describe the way Liana felt. She wished she could press a rewind button and have a do-over. But there was no recreating the perfect, magical moment that had been interrupted before it could finish.
Luke cleared his throat and looked at his feet.
“I should get the cupcakes,” Liana said reluctantly, reaching for her oven mitts.
“And I should be going,” Luke replied.
“Already?’ Liana wanted to ask him to stay. The last thing she wanted was for him to walk out the door. She couldn’t think of a better way to spend her time than baking with Luke. Even though the cupcakes were done, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“Uh huh. Thanks for the baking lesson,” Luke said. “The cupcakes smell great.”
“You can’t go yet!” Liana exclaimed, grateful she had thought of an excuse to ask him to stay without seeming clingy. “You need to sample the cupcakes first. Don’t you want to know if they turned out?”
“You made them. Therefore, I’m sure they’re perfect. Everything you make is delicious.”
“All the more reason to sample a cupcake!” Liana insisted.
“I’ve already had two cookies, and the sun is barely even up yet. Besides, I have to get going.” He stifled a yawn. “I was up all night, teleconferencing with some colleagues in China. When I left my apartment, I only meant to go for a quick walk to stretch my legs before hitting the sack. I’m ready for a good, long nap.”
The oven timer beeped again.
“I really do need to grab the cupcakes,” Liana said.
Luke nodded. “Have a good day.”
“You too. Don’t be a stranger.”
Feeling inexplicably sad, Liana headed through the swinging door that separated her kitchen from the front of the shop. She hoped she would see Luke again soon. As strange as it sounded, she missed him already.
She took the cupcakes out of the oven, salivating at their delicious aroma. She was eager for them to cool so she could ice and decorate them. She knew they would be a bit hit with her customers once they were dressed up with some sweet, creamy frosting and freshly sliced, juicy strawberries.
Strawberry Shortcake to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 9