by Jessica Beck
I grinned at him. “What do you think?”
He smiled warmly in return. “That I just wasted my breath asking the question.” Jake paused a moment, stood, and then got his phone out. “Excuse me, ladies, but I’ve got to call my boss.”
I stood as well and put my hand on his shoulder to steady myself. “What are you going to do, Jake?”
“One way or the other, I need to get off this case so I can help the two of you.”
I could see where this was going, and I didn’t like it. “Jake, that’s truly sweet of you, but I still don’t think you need to do that.”
“Suzanne, I appreciate what you’re saying, but ultimately it’s my decision. I’m going to step away from this, even if it means I have to turn in my resignation to do it.”
I knew how much of Jake’s identity was tied into what he did, and I wasn’t about to let him throw that away for me. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”
“I’m not sure you have the right to forbid me from doing anything,” Jake said, his voice creeping into the cold zone.
I don’t know what I would have said if Momma hadn’t just come out of the kitchen. She looked at Jake and said, “Would you like to join us for some chicken soup? I’m making plenty.” Then she took in the tension in the room, and looked squarely at me. “Suzanne Hart, what have you done this time?”
“Jake’s threatening to quit his job to help us on this case just because he’s worried about me.”
“And why wouldn’t he be?” Momma asked.
“Not you, too,” I said. “I’m a grown woman, you two. I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can,” Momma said. She turned to Jake, and then took his phone gently from his hands. I wouldn’t have tried that myself, but Momma had a way about her, and he let her take it without raising an eyebrow. “I’ll just hold on to this until you come to your senses.”
“You don’t want me looking out for her?” he asked gently.
Momma laughed. “Oh, no, I’m not stepping into that bear trap. I just don’t want you doing something that I’m certain you will regret. You knew that Suzanne liked snooping into murder when you first met her, agreed?”
“Yes,” he acknowledged.
“So, what’s changed since then?”
He bit his lip, then shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Momma smiled brightly. “I do. You love her now, and you don’t want to lose her.”
He nodded. “That’s it. Of course it is.”
“So, do you think you’ll win any points shadowing her every move, trying to wrap her in bubble wrap to keep her safe all of the time?”
Jake shook his head. “Of course not. I’d never do that.”
“Then you need to know that whatever happens, Suzanne is doing what she wants, or feels that she needs to do. You’ve got an important job to do, Jake, and you love it. Throwing that away for my daughter, no matter how altruistic your motives are, is just plain stupid, and you’re not dumb. Now, may I give your telephone back to you, or do I need to keep it a little while longer?”
Jake sheepishly reached a hand out for it. “No, ma’am. I’m good now. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she said. After Jake had his phone back, she pulled him down to her level and kissed his cheek, and I could swear I saw the tough old bear blush. No doubt about it, my momma had a way with people. “Now, how about that soup? Surely you have that much time to spare before you go back to work?”
“That would be great,” he said.
She nodded. “I’ll make some of my famous grilled cheese sandwiches as well, and there’s some pie left over from yesterday. We’ll have ourselves a regular feast.”
“What just happened?” Jake asked as Momma disappeared into the kitchen. “She took that phone from me as though I were a kindergartner with a toy that didn’t belong to him.”
“Don’t feel bad,” Grace said. “She’s focused her magic on me before, and there’s just no way to say no to her.”
“Don’t look at me,” I added. “I’ve been around her my entire life, and she can still do it to me when she sets her mind to it. It’s kind of unnerving, isn’t it?”
We all agreed, and Jake and I took our seats again, waiting to be summoned into the dining room.
After a moment, Jake asked tentatively, “Suzanne, are you planning on opening the donut shop tomorrow?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, I may be overstepping my boundaries again, but unless I miss my guess, you two are going to be pretty sore tomorrow. It might not hurt to take a day off.” He looked as though he were waiting for an explosion, and I felt sorry for the poor man. He’d taken enough beatings tonight, and I wasn’t about to add to them. “I’ll close the shop, then.”
“Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but I really … Hang on. What did you just say? Did you actually agree with me?”
Grace laughed. “Don’t take too much credit for it. She’s already been persuaded. Donut Hearts will remain dark tomorrow.”
Jake looked at me closely. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”
I reached back for a pillow and threw it at him. He plucked it deftly out of the air, and then laughed. “I’m just saying,” Jake added with a grin.
“Okay, maybe I am a bit of a workaholic, but then again, so is my boyfriend.”
“Agreed,” Jake said.
“Don’t look at me,” Grace chimed in. “We all know that I goof off every chance I get.”
As Grace said it, her cell phone rang, and she grimaced. “It’s my boss. I’d better take this outside. It might require some major tap dancing on my part.”
Grace stood up, a little unsteady at first, and then walked out onto the front porch.
Jake stood, moved to my couch, and then kissed me soundly. “It’s about time. I thought she’d never leave.”
CHAPTER 15
I grinned up at him after his welcoming kiss. “If I’d known what you were waiting for, I would have thrown her out when you first walked in the door.” I kissed him again, and then said, “Listen to me, you big lunk. I’ll promise to be careful and not take any chances I don’t have to, but you have to promise me you’ll stop trying to protect me from the world and myself. Okay?”
“It’s a deal,” he said as he brushed a bit of hair out of my face. I thrilled to his touch, such a gentle gesture that left me feeling so loved. “I promise.”
Of course, Momma chose that moment to come out of the kitchen. “I’m sorry, I’ll come back later,” she said as she started backpedaling. “Dinner is ready whenever you are.”
“It’s fine, Momma,” I said. Jake steadied me as we stood. “Grace is on a phone call with her boss, so I’m not sure when she’ll be back in.”
Just as I said it, the front door opened and Grace came back in with a puzzled expression on her face.
I immediately jumped to the worst conclusion. “She didn’t fire you, did she?”
“Actually, she seemed pretty happy that I was okay. She said they’ve been meaning to upgrade my company car for months, and this will give them the perfect opportunity to do it.”
“So, you’re not in trouble at all?” I asked, amazed by Grace’s continuing ability to fall into a barrel of mud and come out dressed for the prom.
“No, she said everything was fine on our end. Remind me to give Chief Martin a big kiss the next time I see him.”
“Why is that?” Momma asked, a sentiment I echoed. I wasn’t sure that I’d heard her correctly myself.
“He found my emergency contact info, and since my boss was on the list, along with you and your mother, he thought he’d save me some grief. He called my boss, explained to her that the accident wasn’t my fault, and that I was lucky to be alive. Somehow he made everything right.”
Momma nodded. “I told you all that Phillip has a good heart.”
“He must. He chose you, didn’t he?” I asked, and then I hugged my mother.
“What w
as that for? I didn’t do anything,” she said, a little confused.
“Pass that on to your boyfriend for me, would you? I’m not sure I could do it face-to-face myself,” I said with a grin.
She just nodded. “I’ll do it, and add a little interest as well. Now, who’s hungry?”
We all admitted that we were, and Momma led us into the dining room, where she’d laid out our best china and silver.
As we took our seats, I said, “This is a little fancy for chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.”
“Your grandmother always used to say that the plainer the meal, the finer the china should be,” Momma replied.
“Funny, I never heard her say that,” I protested.
Grace laughed at me. “It still makes for a good story, though, doesn’t it?” She turned to my mother and added, “Thank you for taking me in, yet again.”
Momma hugged her. “Grace, I couldn’t love you more if you were one of my own.” She turned to me, and said, “You know what I mean, Suzanne, I intend no offense to you by saying it.”
“Hey, I agree, Grace is a part of the family.”
Grace looked a little embarrassed by the outpouring of emotion. To deflect the attention, she looked at my boyfriend and said, “Don’t feel bad not being included.”
Jake held both hands up as though he were defending himself. “Are you kidding? I’m just happy to be here right now, sharing a great meal with three such lovely and classy ladies. How could I possibly feel bad about anything?”
I looked around the room. “Is there someone else here I don’t know about?”
“Suzanne,” Momma scolded me lightly, though I could see her suppressed smile.
“Momma,” I replied, mimicking her tone perfectly.
She laughed outright then, and spread her hands. “Shall we say grace, and then eat?”
Grace and I both said, “Grace,” so nearly perfectly in timing that it sounded as though we’d used one voice.
Momma looked at Jake and said, “See what I put up with?”
“I don’t know how you do it,” he said. “You are a saint, no doubt about it.”
As we ate, we enjoyed the delicious, simple, and yet very hearty meal. Though the food was excellent, the company meant even more. After the soup and sandwiches, we each had a hefty portion of pie, but when it was finally all gone, Jake stood and stretched. “That was delicious. I hate to eat and run, but I’d better get back.”
“If you’d like to spend the night, you’re welcome to our couch,” Momma said.
“Thanks, but I’d better be heading back if I’m going to wrap this case up so I can get back here.” He took my mother’s hand, kissed it lightly, and then said solemnly, “Thank you for everything.”
Momma beamed. “You are most welcome. Grace, why don’t you take a seat on the couch and I’ll take care of the dishes while Suzanne shows her young man out?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Grace said. “You’ve done enough for us tonight. Why don’t I start the dishes, and after Suzanne’s said her good-byes, she can help me.”
“You’ve both had a rather eventful day, and tomorrow is going to be difficult enough as it is,” Momma protested.
“All the more reason to help out now while we can move with relative ease,” Grace insisted.
“At least let me help a little now,” Momma said.
Grace could clearly see that she wasn’t going to win that battle, so she did the smart thing and agreed.
They were just starting the dishes when I walked Jake out onto the porch. “Isn’t that sweet? They wanted to give us some privacy so we could say good night.”
He grinned, and then said, “Let’s not waste it then, shall we?”
After a deep and satisfying kiss, he said, “I’d better go while I still have the willpower.”
“I’ve never known you to crumble before,” I said with a grin.
“Well, I’ve never come so close to losing you once I found you, either.”
“I’ll be okay. I’ve been in some tough jams before, remember?”
He nodded, and then hugged me tighter. “That doesn’t make it any easier, though.”
“Call me when you get back to Spruce Pine,” I said as he put one foot on the step.
“I promise,” he said, and then Jake was gone.
When I got to the kitchen, the dishes were nearly finished. “Hey, I wasn’t gone that long, was I?” I asked as I picked up a dish towel and dried the remaining dishes.
“What can I say? Your mother and I work well as a team,” Grace said.
Once we were finished, I caught myself yawning. “What’s next?”
“You sound as though you could use some sleep.”
“I’m too full to sleep,” I said just as the telephone rang. Since I was standing closest to it, I started to reach for it as I said, “I’ll get it.”
Somehow Momma beat me to it, though. I listened as she told whoever was calling to phone back tomorrow after lunch, and then she hung up.
“Who was that?” I asked, naturally curious.
“Another friend of you two girls calling to see how you’re doing. I’ve told them all to call again tomorrow after lunch, but a few apparently didn’t get the message.”
“That’s a relief,” I said.
“Why is that?” Momma asked.
“I was beginning to think that no one cared,” I said.
“Trust me, dear girls, it is only out of respect for me that they haven’t flooded the cottage by now with their well-wishes.”
“It’s either that, or they’re afraid of you,” I said with a grin.
“I’ll allow that, since I’m not above using it as a motivating factor.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I answered.
She swatted me with a towel, and then said, “I’m putting you two in my bedroom, and I’ll take your room, Suzanne.”
“I can sleep on the couch,” Grace volunteered. “I don’t want to displace either one of you.”
Momma answered, “Nonsense. I need a minute to put on fresh sheets, and then I suggest you both try to get some sleep. It will be just like old times. Grace, I swear, sometimes you were here more as a child than you were at your own home.”
“That’s because my mother couldn’t feed me nearly as well as you could,” she said with a grin.
Momma returned the smile. “I loved your mother dearly, but she could burn water, couldn’t she?”
We all laughed at that with fond memories of someone now gone, and Grace and I stopped protesting about the sleeping arrangements. The last few eventful days since the murder, plus the accident, had taken a great deal out of both of us, and I had a feeling that neither one of us would have any trouble at all falling asleep tonight.
* * *
I woke up at my usual time, though, started to climb out of bed more out of habit than anything else, and every muscle in my body screamed out in protest. The wreck must have jarred me more than I’d realized. I’d planned to get up, sneak out of the house, and open the donut shop as usual, despite everyone else’s expectations.
That clearly wasn’t happening, though. I’d be lucky to be able to do it tomorrow, judging by the way I felt at the moment.
I settled back into sleep without much trouble, and heard the reassuring sound of Grace snoring softly beside me.
* * *
I woke up again to the smell of fresh pancakes, not a bad way to start any day, in my opinion. Grace was still asleep, but as I got up and stretched, I must have woken her up. Shots of pain ran through me as I moved, and I realized that everyone had been right. I felt as though I’d been worked over by someone who knew what they were doing.
“Sorry,” I said. “Go back to sleep if you can.”
Grace sat up in bed, and then gasped a little. “Tell me you’re hurting at least as much as I am,” she said as she rubbed her neck gingerly.
“I feel like I got hit by a bus,” I admitted as I put on my robe.
“Or a pickup truck,” she amended. “Wow, I thought everyone was exaggerating.”
“So did I. It smells like Momma’s making breakfast, but if you want to stay in bed, I’ll make your excuses.”
“No, I’ve got to face getting up sooner or later,” she said. “The faster we start moving around, the sooner this stiffness is going away.” Grace managed to get out of bed, and after putting on one of my robes, which she absolutely swam in, we walked out into the living room.
Momma was smiling brightly as we moved into the dining room, flitting among platters of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs.
“Who else is coming by for breakfast?” I asked as I surveyed the layout.
“It’s just the three of us,” she said. “I wanted to be sure you both got whatever you wanted today.”
“Do we have anything for pain?” I asked, still marveling at just how sore I was.
“Coming right up,” Momma said as she presented a tray full of bottles of aspirin, pain relievers, and other meds, along with two large bottles of water and a pair of glasses already topped off.
As I grabbed two pills and a glass, I said, “Wow, you were really ready for us.”
“I wanted to be prepared,” she said.
After Grace took a dose as well, Momma said, “I hope you’re hungry.”
I wasn’t sure that I would be, but to my surprise, I found my stomach growling at the sight and smell of all of that food. “This all looks great.” I grabbed a plate and started dishing out goodies, with Grace just behind me.
I noticed that Momma wasn’t eating, though. “Aren’t you going to join us?”
She laughed. “Goodness, I ate hours ago. Suzanne, did you even glance at a clock when you got up?”
“No, it never even occurred to me,” I admitted as I peeked into the living room.
It was after ten.
“I can’t believe I slept that long,” I admitted. “Why didn’t you wake me?”