“I—Well, she…” She shrugged. “Yes, she did.”
“And what did she have to say about it?”
Seemingly taken aback by the question, the woman raised her chin and met his gaze head-on. “Only that she hoped no one was accusing her of anything just because Denni Mahoney denied her a chance at motherhood. But don’t read anything into it. She’s dramatic that way. She didn’t mean it like it sounds.”
“I hope not. Because it sounds like she might be a woman bent on revenge.”
“Trust me. She’s not. My sister has had her share of trouble and she doesn’t want any more. And if you really want to know why she was here today, I’ll tell you.”
“All right. Why?” As if he didn’t know.
“Apparently my customers have missed me, because I came home to a huge batch of orders and I needed help. My sister came over to bail me out of a bind. It was a coincidence.”
Sure it was. With his hand on the door, Reece flashed her another smile. “Thank you for your cooperation, Linda. We appreciate it.”
“Detective! Wait.”
Reece turned back.
Her face was red again. “I lied to you earlier.”
He froze.
“I mean I lied about why I left so suddenly. I’ve been in a relationship for two years. The day I got the call about the luncheon being cancelled, I also got a call from him, ending things.” Tears filled her eyes. “He found someone else.”
Reece rubbed his head, anxiety rising. If she was going to cry, he was out of there.
Sean came to the rescue. “I’m sorry. It was his loss.”
Linda smiled, “That was really the last straw. And the reason I decided to go on vacation.”
And that explained the red face, Reece thought. His gut told him that Linda had shared everything she knew now. Which meant that while Elizabeth might not want Mahoney House to succeed, she hadn’t called the caterer to cancel. As he left the house, his suspect list shifted like sand through an hourglass. There was nothing easy about this case.
“Surprise!”
Denni’s smile froze as clarity came rushing over her. She was the victim of a surprise party. A sigh rushed to her lips, but she disguised it as a gasp of pleasure before it could escape and give away her true feelings about surprise parties, and birthdays after the age of thirty, in general. There would be no sliding gracefully into any new year closer to old age.
“Look, she’s speechless. That’s never happened before.” Keri’s unmistakable voice brought a round of laughter. She stepped up and gave Denni a quick hug, then stepped aside as Raven followed suit. “So, you finally get to be the center of attention.” She grinned. “How does it feel?”
Denni gave a short laugh at her beautiful sister’s ridiculous question. “You’re asking me how it feels to be center of attention? That’s a laugh.” She hugged Raven. “Thanks for coming,” she whispered. “How’s the anchor job coming along?”
“Becca’s still working her dad so he’ll get her firmly placed in that anchor chair.”
“Is it working?”
“Of course.” Raven grinned. “Too bad the guy’s married. I’d go after him and make him fall in love. Then he’d have to give me the job.”
“Way to have a plan, Rave.” Denni laughed, knowing her sister would no more use her beauty to get a job than she would defile herself with a filet mignon.
Denni glanced around the living room. Ruth beamed like a woman with a secret just begging to come out. “Ruth,” she said, giving the woman a tight squeeze. “This must have been all your idea.”
“Yes, ma’am. And everyone jumped on it like a duck on a June bug.”
“I appreciate it, everyone.”
Only Leigh was noticeably absent, but Denni knew she had to work. Denni continued to peruse the room and her heart nearly stopped at the sight of Reece, leaning against the wall, his thumbs resting jauntily in his belt loops. He sent her a lazy grin and she thought her heart might pound from her chest. Even after she’d broken off any chance of a relationship with him, he’d still come to her birthday party?
She started toward him just as the bell rang, taking her attention. Only a couple of steps from the door, she reached for the doorknob and pulled. Her stomach lurched at the sight of Mrs. James and Sarah standing there. “Were we too loud? We have a lot of people in here.”
“No. You weren’t too loud.”
“Well then…”
“Mrs. James,” Ruth’s voice, filled with delight, spoke over Denni’s shoulder. “You came, after all. We’re so glad you did. And look, you brought Sarah with you.”
The old lady “harrumphed” and looked highly offended. “She didn’t even know I was coming. Looked at me like I didn’t belong.” Sarah looked ill at ease, her eyes shifting around the room, shoulders slumped.
Ruth swept the old lady and her aging daughter into the room. “Of course Denni didn’t know you were coming. She didn’t even know she was coming. This is a surprise party, remember?”
The old lady’s face lit up. “Now I do. Glad I didn’t spill the beans.”
Denni stepped up. “Thanks so much for coming to my birthday party. It means a great deal to me.”
“I was proud to be asked. Especially after you talked that policeman into raising my fence for me so that Buffy doesn’t run off anymore.” She smiled again and handed Denni a package wrapped in Christmas paper. “That was all I had on such short notice.”
Denni laughed, and didn’t bother to set the record straight—that Reece and Sean had seen fit to take care of the fence as a favor to her rather than to the elderly widow. “The paper is just perfect. I love Christmas.”
An hour later, the party was in full swing. “Happy Birthday” had been sung slightly off pitch, but she had loved every wrong note of it. With a moment to breathe, she flopped onto the couch, slipped off her toe-pinching sandals and smiled at Cate. “How are you feeling?”
Cate gave a weary sigh. “A little tired. I’ll be so glad when this baby comes.”
“The day will be here before you know it.”
A slight frown creased the girl’s brow. “Do you think I’m making the right decision?”
“On whether to keep the baby?”
The girl nodded.
Denni sucked in a cool breath. She’d tried not to give her opinion on this subject. The girl was so adamant about not tossing her child aside the “way her mom had.”
“I don’t know, Cate. It’s a tough decision. You have to make the choice that you can live best with.”
“How will she feel, though, knowing I just gave her away? If I treat her like she was some kind of mistake?”
Denni scooted over and slipped her arm around Cate’s shoulders. Tears glistened in the mother-to-be’s eyes. “How am I going to take care of her, Denni?”
“May I pray with you?”
Cate bobbed her head. And they closed their eyes. Denni prayed for peace and wisdom. She reminded God that Cate only wanted to do the right thing. And asked Him to reveal His plan for the baby and for Cate.
When she opened her eyes, Cate’s face seemed more serene. “Thanks, Denni.” She squeezed her hand. “I’m going into the kitchen to nab me a slice of that cake. In a few more weeks, I’m going to have to start the diet roller-coaster again. Might as well take advantage of the end-of-pregnancy hunger while I can.”
Denni smiled and watched Cate waddle into the kitchen. Sensing attention on her, Denni glanced around, looking for the source. Her breath caught when her gaze rested on Reece. After a cursory happy birthday earlier, he had pretty much left her to mingle with the rest of the “family.”
He started to walk toward her, just as a loud knock on the door interrupted their would-be meeting. Reece sent her a lopsided grin and shrugged as she pushed up from the couch and made her way to the door.
Elizabeth Wilson stood on the porch, shaking with fury. Her heels clacked on the porch as she paced.
“Elizabeth?”
<
br /> “Just what do you think you’re trying to prove? Do you honestly think I have nothing better to do than to set fires in your house?”
Denni stepped back at the verbal assault. “What are you talking about? Of course you didn’t set any fires.”
“Then call off your watchdog.”
“Dog? When did you folks get a dog?” Mrs. James asked in the tense silence of the room.
Reece stepped forward. “I believe I’m the watchdog Miss Wilson is referring to.”
The elderly woman lifted her chin. “That’s ridiculous.”
“How about if we step out onto the porch and talk about this?” Reece suggested, taking Elizabeth firmly by the arm.
The irate woman jerked free. “I will not stand for this defamation of character.” Her lips trembled and Denni’s heart melted in compassion. “I have worked too hard to regain my dignity. To—to…”
“Please, Elizabeth,” Denni said, stepping between Reece and the distraught woman. “Come and sit down. Reece, please go into the kitchen and get Elizabeth a glass of punch.”
“Don’t bother,” Elizabeth said with a sniff.
“You’ll love it, trust me. Ruth made it with scoops of lime sherbet. It’s really good.”
Elizabeth expelled a heavy sigh. “Fine.”
Reece sent Denni a deep scowl that pretty much let her know what he thought of being her errand boy. Denni smiled at him, to let him know she couldn’t care less what he thought. If he hadn’t been barking up the wrong tree in the first place, Elizabeth wouldn’t be sitting on her couch, during her party, most likely getting ready to reject her application for a grant.
Chapter Seventeen
Reece sat on the barstool in Denni’s kitchen, his fingers wrapped around a cup of steaming coffee—if it could be called that. His mood was about as foul as the sludge he’d poured from the bottom of the pot.
Since when had he gotten himself so connected to a woman that she could tell him to get lost without uttering a word?
That’s exactly what Denni had done. And he felt the sting of it, just remembering. He’d carried two paper cups filled with green globs of sherbet floating in red punch, to Denni and Elizabeth. He’d had every intention of dominating that conversation. Instead, he’d gotten distracted when Denni’s fingers had brushed his while the cup was being exchanged from his hand to hers. When her gaze lifted to his, the message was clear: take a hike and stop hounding Elizabeth.
So now he found himself alone, in the deserted kitchen, drinking the bottom of the pot, which was fitting, since he felt like a bottom-dweller himself.
Footsteps on the linoleum alerted him and he looked up. “Hi, Mac.”
“Hey, now. What are you doing in here all by yourself? Don’t you know there’s a party going on in there?”
Reece gave a short laugh. “What are you doing in here?”
Mac sent him a sheepish grin. “Parties are for the young. I took on out of there lickety-split before Ruthie could get jealous and accuse me of flirting with that cute little curly-headed girl.”
Real amusement now filled Reece, lifting his spirits. It figures Mac would think Rissa and her fake Southern-belle accent were cute.
Mac walked over to the coffeepot, stared at the empty decanter and sighed.
“Sorry, I got the last of it.” Reece help up his mug for emphasis. “You’re not missing much, believe me.”
“Ah, just as well.”
“What are you doing, Dad?”
Raven breezed in, her eyes narrowing as she looked from Mac to the empty coffeepot.
“Nothing. There’s not a drop left for me to take.”
“Good. You don’t need the caffeine with that blood pressure of yours.” She walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll find some decaf and make a nice fresh pot of non-blood-pressure-raising coffee.”
Mac patted her cheek and took a seat on another stool. “Aren’t my daughters the best?”
“Sure they are,” Reece said, thinking of one daughter in particular. Denni was the best for him. That was one reality he couldn’t escape.
He sipped at the bitter-tasting liquid.
“So, Reece. Denni says you’ve been on this case for awhile now. Why do you think you’ve been unsuccessful in finding the person responsible for Denni’s troubles?”
Denni’s sister had that hard-nosed-reporter face on. The one he’d seen a thousand times from the local press. And he wasn’t impressed. Especially when she seemed to be implying that he wasn’t doing his job.
“I’d say a lot of that has to do with Denni’s insistence that no one could possibly be behind it.”
“No one?” Raven pushed the button and a red light came on just as the pot began to brew.
“Apparently, there must be a phantom here out to cause all this mischief, because your sister won’t admit that even one person she knows could possibly be out to do her harm.”
“Well, that’s just Denni. She’s like a mother who staunchly believes in her kids.” Raven leaned on her elbows. “You’ll just have to stop trying to get a date and do your job.”
Anger bit him hard and he frowned. This girl was definitely looking for a fight.
Mac chuckled. “That’s my daughter. Straight to the point. But I have to agree with her. You are too worried about getting close to my Denni. Find whoever is doing these things, and save the romancing until afterwards.”
“Yeah,” Raven gave him a quirky little grin. “A girl can’t resist a hero.”
“She can if he doesn’t go to church.”
A groan sounded from Raven’s throat and she rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding? She’s keeping you at bay because of church?”
She made a good point as far as Reece was concerned.
“Raven, honey,” Mac broke in, “You know the way things work.” He turned to Reece. “You two might be happy in the beginning, but eventually, the relationship would turn sour. You’d want things from her she couldn’t give you. And you’d resent it.”
Reece’s cheeks blazed. “I’d marry her.” What?? He most certainly would not!
“That’s noble of you,” Mac replied. “But Denni was raised to know that God has to be first. His ways are higher than ours even if we don’t understand them, or particularly like them. And He does have His reasons.”
Raven snorted. “When two people are right for each other, they should be together. Regardless of any so-called rules.”
“Well, that’s your opinion, missy,” Mac growled.
Reece was tempted to tell him to watch his blood pressure. Raven poured a cup of the decaf that had just finished brewing. She set it on the counter in front of Mac and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dad. Denni has to do what she thinks is right.” She looked up and winked at Reece. “But if she isn’t careful, some other girl without the same standards is going to come along and snatch the handsome detective right out from under her nose.”
Reece returned her wink and shook his head. Not a chance of that ever happening. Denni was his one and only and if he couldn’t have her…well, he’d managed to stay single for thirty-five years. The next fifty years or so shouldn’t be that much of a problem.
“Hey, you three are missing all the fun.” Keri breezed into the room and grabbed a cup of punch from the table. “Justin and the boys just put on the Macarena.”
“Is that song ever going to go away?” Raven asked, not even bothering to hide her smirk.
“Nope. It’s become pop culture. It’s here to stay, along with the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance.”
“Ugh. Let’s don’t start talking about the Chicken Dance. I’ll never forget the humiliation of doing it at high-school basketball games.”
“Ahh, the price of being a perky little cheerleader,” Keri said with a laugh. “I think Denni’s about ready to open gifts. You coming?”
“Yep.” Raven pressed a kiss to Mac’s balding head. “Let’s go.”
Reece followed. He thought of his gift
out in the truck but decided to wait. Maybe he’d give it to her later. A grin played at the corners of his lips. He didn’t want to share her attention when she saw his gift.
Denni smiled and thanked each person for their gift. From Ruth and Dad she’d been given a sizable check to go toward Mahoney House. With all the repairs lately, it would definitely come in handy. The electric bill, for one thing, came to mind.
The girls had chipped in and got her a gift certificate to a local day spa. Raven had bought her a full-length leather jacket she’d been dying for, but never would have spent the money on in a hundred years. Keri, Justin and the boys had bought her a complete set of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Hardback and leather-bound. Secretly, this was the gift Denni most treasured. And Mrs. James had brought her a plaque with a line from “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors etched into the wood.
Denni had to choke back a laugh at the sentiment. It should have read Taller Fences Make Good Neighbors. Things had been much calmer since Reece and Sean had raised that fence. After several more minutes, the gift-opening came to a conclusion and everyone went back to mingling.
Raven grabbed her hand. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for cake and ice cream.”
“Oooh, me too. Let’s go.”
“Everyone, let’s rally. The birthday girl wants her cake,” Raven called, commanding attention.
“Does she want to eat it too?” Rissa’s overblown Southern accent rose above the crowd, her corny joke inciting a wave of laughter.
“Yeah, I do, so I want to hear some singing.”
“Wait, we have to light the candles.” Ruth’s voice rose in panic. She shot across the room faster than Denni would have thought possible for a woman her age. Her eyes shot Denni a warning. “Don’t come near this kitchen until I have the cake prepared. You hear?”
“I hear.” Denni smiled.
“Sounds like it might be a good time for my gift.” Reece’s voice next to her ear, sent a shiver through Denni.
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