“Wait…her boyfriend? I don’t follow. Isn’t that your girlfriend?” Clarissa asked in confusion.
“Yuck, no,” Parker laughed. “That’s my sister Elise. She’s visiting from out of state.”
“Oh,” Clarissa managed to say as her irrational hatred of the woman immediately faded.
“So about dinner,” Parker said again. “You have to say yes. My sister already ditched me so she can call her boyfriend. If you turn me down too I’ll start to develop a complex!” he joked. “Besides, you owe me.”
Clarissa blinked. “I do?” Then she remembered he had paid for her gas that day she had found herself low on cash and with an empty tank. With all that had been going on lately, it had slipped her mind. She smacked her forehead. “I’ll pay you back right away,” she promised.
“I don’t want your money,” Parker insisted. “I just want you to come to dinner – my treat.”
“Your treat…? Are you sure you understand how payback works?” Clarissa teased.
“Apparently not,” he grinned. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“You don’t know where I live,” she pointed out.
“Yes I do.”
“How?” she demanded.
“You’re not the only one with investigative skills,” he announced, giving her a subtle, playful wink that made her heart skip a beat. “Besides, you’re listed in the phone book.”
Chapter 14
There was a monster in Clarissa’s closet.
It wasn’t the gigantic, terrifying kind with sharp teeth and pointy horns.
It wasn’t even the fuzzy, harmless type typically seen in children’s storybooks.
No, this monster had long loosely curled dark hair, a face full of makeup and a terrible potty mouth. It seemed intent on trashing the room considering how it had pulled nearly every item from the closet and tossed it on the floor.
Come to think of it, the monster resembled Clarissa an awful lot.
“Where is it?!” Clarissa wailed as she dug through her closet in search of her favorite little black dress. It was old but awesome. She loved the way it gave her the illusion of having a perfect hourglass figure and because of that, it was her go-to date outfit.
The problem was Clarissa hadn’t been on a date in so long that she had no idea where she had put the dress. And considering it was a quarter to seven and she wasn’t even dressed yet, that wasn’t her only problem!
“Okay well…what about the blue one?” Clarissa reasoned, defaulting to Plan B.
She didn’t love the blue floral wrap dress quite as much as the black one, but it still looked nice enough on her. Or at least it had when she had tried it on last spring. How many cookies had she consumed since then? She didn’t dare do the math.
“Aha!” Clarissa declared triumphantly, pulling the blue floral dress from the very back of her closet. She held her breath, sucked in her stomach and wiggled into it. Then, crossing her fingers, she walked over to her full-length mirror.
She cocked her head to the side as she scrutinized her appearance.
“Not bad,” she decided when she realized she didn’t have time to be irrationally picky.
Parker was going to show up any minute! She took a few deep, calming breaths…which did absolutely nothing. Her heart was pounding like a drum. When had she become so infatuated with the man she despised? When had she stopped hating his guts and started wondering what it would be like to kiss him?
“Oh, perfume!” Clarissa remembered.
She was so flustered that she had to pause and sniff the inside of her wrist to make sure she hadn’t already spritzed some on. The last thing she needed was to smell like she had marinated in it! She hurried over to her dresser where she kept her favorite scent.
The cat lunged out at her from beneath a pile of clothes.
It was so unexpected that Clarissa let out a shriek.
That seemed to be exactly what the cat had been hoping for. Looking extremely proud of itself for nearly giving Clarissa a heart attack, it gave a self-satisfied flick of its tail and then pranced out of the room.
“Jerk,” Clarissa muttered right as the doorbell rang.
She practically flew to the door.
“Is everything okay?” Parker asked the second they came face-to-face. “I heard a scream.”
Clarissa blushed. “Everything is fine,” she said, opting not to offer an explanation. She wasn’t sure that admitting to being outsmarted by a devilish black cat was very becoming. Besides, she was too nervous to even think straight never mind blurt out more than a few words at a time!
“Okay, good. And hello,” Parker said, grinning. “You look really nice.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
Parker was wearing a black button-up shirt and expensive looking jeans. He looked…well, he looked like someone who was about to go on a date. At least Clarissa hoped they were both on the same page about that.
After much agonizing and second guessing, she had assumed they were going on a date. So she had dressed accordingly – and then changed her mind approximately five million times. That was why her bedroom presently looked as though it had been hit by a hurricane.
“Hurricane Clarissa,” she breathed.
“Sorry?”
“Oh, nothing!” she said quickly, embarrassed that she had spoken out loud. “Should we go?”
“Yes.” Parker paused and appeared to mull something over. Then he leaned in closer.
For a moment Clarissa was certain he was going to kiss her! In fact, she batted her eyelashes and nearly started puckering up in anticipation. This was going to be fantastic. She couldn’t believe their date – if it was a date – was off to such a wonderful start.
Then Parker spoke.
“Uh, I don’t know if I should say this,” he cautioned, looking nervous.
“You can tell me anything,” Clarissa purred, making a point of batting her eyelashes.
He cleared his throat, suddenly seeming very unlike the overly confident, self-assured heir to a newspaper empire that Clarissa had come to know. He took a deep breath. Then he reluctantly informed her, “I uh…I’m pretty sure you’re only wearing eyeliner on one eye.”
***
“I think you’ve got it all wrong,” Parker said as he set his fork down and pushed his plate aside. He looked at Clarissa intently. “You mean to tell me you’ve discounted Bonnie, William and Nora already because of…what, a feeling?”
“Don’t do that,” Clarissa protested. “Don’t act like I’m stupid for trusting my gut.”
“I don’t think that,” Parker insisted. “But help me understand. From my perspective, Bonnie had all the reasons in the world to want her husband dead. Maybe she didn’t want to be married anymore. Who knows, maybe she wanted to get remarried,” he shrugged.
“She wasn’t seeing anyone,” Clarissa said with certainty.
“How do you know?”
“If she had been dating someone, the town gossips would be blabbing about it nonstop. Trust me on that. So no, your theory doesn’t hold water.”
“She could have had a secret boyfriend,” Parker theorized.
“No,” Clarissa shook her head. “You’re from the city so you don’t get it. It doesn’t work that way in small towns. It just doesn’t. If she’d had a boyfriend – even a secret boyfriend – everyone would have known. Bonnie is without a doubt innocent. I’m positive about that.”
“What about her dad then?” Parker asked. “He hated Jed’s guts and he’s a gun-lover. I mean, the gun that killed Jed is even one William gave him. That’s pretty compelling evidence, wouldn’t you agree?”
“William has an alibi,” Clarissa reminded Parker.
“Yeah, a receipt from a gas station hundreds of miles away. Maybe that’s his cover. For all we know, his wife could have traveled to visit their daughter alone,” Parker pointed out. “Maybe William stayed behind and killed his son-in-law.”
“No,” Clarissa said immediately.
&
nbsp; “What makes you so sure?” Parker asked.
“You didn’t hear the way William talked my ear off about his grandson,” Clarissa explained. “Not even an award-winning actor could fake that kind of adoration. There’s no way William stayed behind while his wife went to see the baby. He was out of town the night of the murder,” she concluded with conviction.
Parker was leaning forward as if he was hanging on Clarissa’s every word. His focus was solely on her as though they were the only two people in the restaurant. The attention was rather flattering, as was what he said next – at least on its face.
“The way you read people is pretty impressive,” Parker remarked.
“But…?” Clarissa prompted, sensing he was holding back.
He hesitated. “Maybe I’m a cynic, but I’m just not convinced we can rule Bonnie or her father out quite yet. I’m not trying to disrespect your investigative skills,” he added quickly. “I’m simply trying to consider every possibility – like you’ve mentioned before, I have an uphill battle when it comes to restoring the Chronicle’s reputation as a trustworthy source of news.”
The mention of The Green City Chronicle hit Clarissa like a ton of bricks. For a moment there she had nearly forgotten she and Parker were rivals, at least professionally. It had been nice to pretend they were simply two curious people intent on getting to the truth…while on a date.
“Is that why you asked me to dinner?” Clarissa asked with a smile as she picked up her water glass. “You’re trying to pick my brain about the Jed Black murder so you can write about it in the Chronicle?”
“What? No!”
“It’s okay,” Clarissa assured him while simultaneously trying to mask her disappointment. “Actually, it was pretty clever of you. And a reporter’s gotta do what a reporter’s gotta do, right? I get it. No hard feelings.”
“I am trying to fact check and leave no stone unturned,” Parker admitted. “And I do admire your work a lot. It might come as a surprise to you, but I used to read your columns back when you wrote for the Gazette. You were good. You are good,” he corrected himself. “But that’s not why I asked you out tonight.”
“So then why did you?” Clarissa asked as she locked eyes with him.
Parker immediately seemed bashful. He looked away and then grabbed the dessert menu. “How about we discuss that over dessert?” he suggested. “The chocolate cheesecake sounds amazing.”
Dumbfounded, Clarissa watched him carefully. It wasn’t like him to act so nervous. What was going on with him? If he didn’t know better…well, if she didn’t know better she’d think he had a massive crush on her!
Her cheeks burned at the realization.
She never would have taken successful, stylish, fast-talking Parker Tweed to be the shy type. But all the signs were there. He had asked her out to dinner and chosen a nice quiet restaurant with plenty of privacy and a romantic atmosphere. He was alternating between being unable to look away from her and completely avoiding eye contact.
Oh! Ohhh! He was interested in her!
Clarissa grinned so broadly her face felt like it would crack.
“Are you okay?” Parker asked.
“Yes!” she chirped brightly as she tried to scale her smile back a bit so she wouldn’t look like a mentally unhinged psycho. “I’m fantastic!”
Parker caught the attention of their server and ordered cheesecake for them both.
Then he turned back to Clarissa. “So who do you think did it?” he asked point blank.
She hesitated.
She knew exactly who she thought was guilty: Adam Burke. He had been Jed Black’s business partner at the investment firm, he was in the middle of a contentious divorce and he had a gambling problem.
The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place – but the picture still wasn’t quite clear.
“I’m still working that out,” she said. Technically it wasn’t a lie.
“Ah, playing hard to get – that doesn’t surprise me,” Parker joked. Then he grew serious. “I hope you won’t play quite so hard to get about this next bit,” he told her earnestly. Sheepishly, he admitted, “I’m nervous to even bring this up considering our history.”
This was it.
This was the part where Parker Tweed was going to declare his undying love for Clarissa.
Well okay, maybe that was slightly over the top. But he was at least going to tell her he had feelings for her…feeling so intense he couldn’t ignore them a moment longer. She could hardly stand the anticipation! Her head felt like it might explode.
Clarissa felt like she had fallen right into the final scene of a romantic movie – and she really couldn’t complain. She was going to get the guy and then live happily ever after as the credits rolled. What wasn’t to love about that?
“I really do admire you a lot,” Parker began. “I know we got off to a rocky start, but I hope that’s all behind us now and that going forward, things can be different. We have a lot in common and at the end of the day we both want the same thing. I think we make a good team, don’t you? Well, I know that technically we haven’t really been working together. But I think we could make a good team, don’t you?”
Clarissa nodded enthusiastically, her eyes still locked on Parker’s. She wished he would stop talking and kiss her already! She leaned across the table and pursed her lips slightly, hoping he would pick up on her not-so-subtle cue.
“So here’s what I’m thinking,” Parker said. He took a deep, steadying breath before speaking. “I want you to come to Green City and work for the Chronicle. It makes perfect sense – you’re a skilled reporter with no newspaper to write for and I’m looking for fresh talent. Come work for me. What do you say?”
At first she couldn’t speak. Clarissa stared at Parker blankly, her mind reeling. This wasn’t what she had expected at all. Even more mortifying was the fact that she was still sitting there with her lips puckered in expectation of a kiss!
“Clarissa?” Parker was giving her a funny look.
She sat back. Then she tried to collect her thoughts.
“You’d be my boss?” she asked.
“Well, yes, technically speaking I guess so,” he confirmed.
She said nothing, because she couldn’t speak.
Sensing her disapproval, Parker rushed to placate her. “But let’s not get hung up on formalities. I would be your boss in name only. I can help you find an apartment in the city and we can offer a competitive salary. I think this could be a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Once again, Clarissa said nothing. She was frozen.
“So,” Parker asked again, “what do you say?”
“No.”
He blinked, looking taken aback. “No?”
“No thank you,” Clarissa corrected herself, remembering her manners.
Parker mulled that over for a moment. “Okay well…can I ask why not?”
“I’d have to leave Sugarcomb Lake,” she pointed out. “This is my home.”
“True, but the city isn’t that far away,” Parker reminded her. “You could come back to visit.”
“It wouldn’t be the same,” Clarissa insisted.
She wasn’t some country bumpkin who didn’t know what else was out there. She’d had a taste of big city life during college – and had returned to town after that. That had been a deliberate move on her part. But she didn’t understand Big City Newspaper Heir to understand her reasons for preferring small town life.
“Is that your only reason?” Parker pressed, apparently sensing that she was holding back.
“I also don’t think us working together would be a good idea,” she said honestly.
She didn’t elaborate for fear of putting her foot in her mouth. On top of that, she was worried her voice would crack and give away her embarrassment if she spoke too much. She felt like an idiot for misinterpreting Parker’s motives.
Even more concerning, if she could be so wrong about Parker then who was to say she wasn’t mistaken abou
t the suspects in Jed Black’s murder too?
Clarissa also didn’t bother stating that she would, under no circumstances, be willing to call Parker her boss. There was no polite way of getting that point across. So instead she focused on having some semblance of professionalism.
She straightened up in her seat and stiffly said, “I’m flattered by your offer but have to respectfully decline. Thank you.”
“So what, you’re going to stay here and landscape people’s yards?” Parker asked curiously. “I hear that’s what you’ve been doing lately. No judgment,” he added quickly. “I’m just struggling to understand why someone with your kind of talent would turn down a great opportunity and choose to garden for a living.”
Clarissa considered telling Parker she was starting up an independent newspaper. But she quickly decided against it. What good would opening that can of worms do? Instead, she offered a small smile as she considered her response.
“I have something lined up,” she said, opting for the vague yet truthful approach.
“Ah, I see – my loss. I have no doubt you’ll be successful,” Parker told her graciously.
Now that he had recovered from the shock of being turned down, he was back to being his usual classy self. Unfortunately, that made it really hard to dislike him. And Clarissa really just wanted to go back to disliking the guy. Channeling all her energy into hatred would at least help distract her from how mortified she felt.
“Here’s our cheesecake now,” Parker noted as the server approached carrying a silver tray.
“You know what? Thanks for tonight but I think I’d better be heading home.” Clarissa said abruptly, pushing her chair back from the table. She reached down and grabbed her purse from its spot on the floor beside her foot. Then, because she felt like some sort of explanation was necessary, she added, “I hadn’t realized how late it was getting.”
“But…cheesecake,” the handsome newspaper heir reminded her, looking utterly baffled.
“I’m actually not very hungry.”
That was, of course, completely uncharacteristic of a sweets lover like Clarissa. But it was the truth. Her stomach was in knots and her appetite was gone. All she wanted to was to leave the restaurant and pretend she had never gone on a pseudo-date with Parker Tweed in the first place.
A Taste of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 13