by Jessica Beck
“He’s really quite nice, even if he is kind of young for me,” Grace admitted, “but we’re a long way from doing anything as drastic as getting married.”
“Do you think Momma’s rushing things with the police chief?” I asked with a frown.
“No, of course not,” Grace said quickly. “After all, they’ve known each other forever. This has been brewing for years. Nobody’s rushing into anything!”
“I agree,” I said.
“So, when’s Jake getting here?” Grace asked me.
“I’m picking him up from the hospital tomorrow,” I replied.
“Do you need a hand?”
I had to laugh. “I appreciate the offer, but I believe I can handle him.”
“That’s what you think now,” Grace said, “but let me remind you that living together is something very different from dating.”
“It’s not like that, Grace,” I said. “I’m going to be upstairs, and Jake is going to be in the master bedroom downstairs. He’s here to recover, and that’s all. There’s not going to be any hanky-panky.”
“Not even a little?” Grace asked me, clearly looking a little disappointed.
I laughed at her again. “From what the doctor told me, he’s going to need all of his energy just recovering from his gunshot wound,” I said. As I looked around the living room, I knew that Grace was right about one thing. It would be odd having someone besides Momma here with me, no matter how short the duration. I hoped that we didn’t kill each other with kindness, tiptoeing around the place. Then again, I couldn’t imagine Jake tiptoeing anywhere.
We’d be fine.
A little voice in my head added, “Keep telling yourself that and maybe it will come true.”
I chose to ignore it.
After all, tomorrow would be there soon enough, and I still had a ton of work to do.
Grace and I ordered a pizza, and while we waited for it to be delivered, she helped me clean. By the time the food came, we were both ready for a break.
Sitting on the sofa eating, Grace asked me, “Suzanne, how is this new arrangement going to work with the donut shop?”
“I’m taking two weeks off, and then we’re going to see how it goes from there,” I said, trying to be as nonchalant as I could.
Grace stopped the slice of pizza headed for her mouth. “You’re not shutting the place down for two solid weeks. I don’t believe it.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not about to do that. Emma and her mother are going to run Donut Hearts for me while I stay here and take care of Jake.”
“You won’t last two days,” Grace said flippantly.
“Hey, that donut shop isn’t my entire life,” I protested.
“Can you honestly tell me that you really believe that?”
“Okay, I’ll admit that it’s going to be tough,” I said, “but Jake needs me. There are only three people in the world that I would do this for: Jake, Momma, and you.”
“I’m touched,” Grace said. “What does Jake think about your plans of being with him around the clock?”
“I haven’t told him yet,” I said as I bit my lip. “It’s going to put us together during our entire waking moments, and to be honest with you, even though we’ve been dating for quite awhile, this could be a real stumbling block in our relationship.”
“You could always look at it another way,” she suggested.
“How’s that?”
“Think of it as a perfect way to find out if you’re right for each other in the end. If you can survive his recovery together, you can endure anything.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I said. “But Grace, what if he gets tired of me and decides to break up with me after this is over?” I’d been fretting about that very thing since the plan for him to recover at the cottage had first been discussed. Saying it out loud just made the prospect of losing Jake even worse.
“That’s impossible,” Grace said as she put her pizza down and hugged me. “If you want my opinion, he’s just going to end up loving you even more than he does right now.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said with a heavy sigh as I picked up another piece of pizza. “Anyway, we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Just be sure to cut him a little slack,” Grace said. “After all, he did just get shot.”
“Not only that, but he barely fought his boss on the mandatory leave of absence they gave him. Jake told him that he wanted to stay out a week, but his boss insisted on the full month. The funny thing about it is that Jake didn’t really put up that much of a fight. A part of me wonders if he even wants to go back to his old job.”
“I can see how getting shot might do that to him.”
“That’s the thing, though. You don’t know Jake,” I explained. “He’s always lived for his work. When his family was killed in that car accident, he told me that the job was the only thing that saved him. I’m not so sure he feels that way anymore.”
“I totally get that. After all, he’s got something else to live for now,” Grace said.
“What’s that?”
“You,” she said.
“I don’t want to lose him, that’s for sure.”
“You won’t,” Grace said.
After we finished the pizza, she looked around the cottage’s living room. “This place looks pretty good. What else do we need to do? How’s the master bedroom situation?”
“Momma already took care of that, and the kitchen, too. That just leaves the upstairs, and I’m not going to worry about that. It’s going to be days before Jake has the strength or the energy to climb those steps.”
“And the bathroom down here?” Grace asked. “Is there room for his stuff in there?”
“With Momma’s things gone, he’s got the entire run of the master suite.”
Grace looked around once more, and then she added, “I can’t believe that she’s actually gone. Your mother has lived here as long as I’ve been alive.”
“Me, too, but she told me that even if Jake hadn’t been shot, she was going to move out anyway, so I don’t feel so bad about evicting her. There were just too many memories here for her to start a new life with someone else. Too many ghosts around every corner, I guess.”
“I can see that,” Grace said. “Anyway, now that our work here is finished, would you like me to stay over with you? Take it from me, it can be awfully lonely being all by yourself in a big old house.”
“You do it all of the time,” I protested.
“Yeah, but I’ve always been tougher than you,” she said with a laugh.
“We both know that’s not true,” I said. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m going to go solo tonight. Since it’s going to be my only chance to do it for awhile, I want to embrace the experience.”
“I understand, but if you get scared or lonely in the middle of the night, I’m just down the street, okay? I won’t tease you if you decide to call me and ask me to come over here later.” She paused, and then she added with a wicked grin, “Well, not much, anyway.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Grace,” I said as I walked her out onto the porch. “This was fun. Exactly what I needed.”
“You’re most welcome. I had a good time, too.”
Once she was gone, the cottage seemed to get awfully quiet. It wasn’t that Momma was normally that loud, but I missed her presence there nonetheless. Looking around for something to do, I saw the pizza box still sitting on the coffee table, so I decided to throw it away outside so the living room wouldn’t smell like pizza when Jake came tomorrow.
When I opened the front door, though, there was movement outside in the bushes.
“Grace, that’s not funny,” I said loudly.
There was no response.
I got out my cell phone and dialed Grace’s number on speed-dial.
When she answered, my best friend said, “Wow! That was even faster than I thought it would be. I just walked through my own front door.”
“Do you mean that you’re n
ot still here?” I asked as I peered out into the gloom. “Seriously?”
“Suzanne, like I said, I’m home. Wow, you really are jumpy, aren’t you? No sweat, though. I’m on my way.”
“No. Stay there. Please.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, the uncertainty clear in her voice.
“Positive. I’m okay. Listen, I’m probably just jumping at shadows. Once I’m back inside, I’m going to deadbolt the front door and light a fire.” I glanced at my watch, and then I added, “On second thought, maybe I’ll just call it a night and go to bed. I’m giving Emma and her mother a final run-through tomorrow at the donut shop, so I have to be up in five hours.”
“Fine, but you have to promise that you’ll call me if you need me, or if you see or hear anything else outside, okay? I mean it.”
“I promise,” I said as I walked back in and deadbolted the door. Just that action alone gave me a great deal of comfort. “But I have one question for you.”
“What’s that?”
“What are the two of us going to be able to do that I can’t do on my own?”
“We can double-team the bad guy together,” she said. “Isn’t that enough?”
I paused and listened outside for a moment before I spoke again. “Now that I think about it, I’m sure that it was just the wind.”
“I don’t know. I’m looking out my window, and the trees seem kind of still over here,” Grace said a little tentatively.
“Maybe the park has more of a breeze than you do.”
“Sure, that’s exactly what it is,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Suzanne. Sleep tight.”
“You, too.”
After we hung up, I walked all around the first floor of the cottage, turning the lights on and off as I inspected each room to make sure everything was locked up tight. I would have felt ridiculous doing it if anyone else had been there, but then again, if they had, I wouldn’t have felt the compulsion to do it in the first place.
Tomorrow would be there soon enough, and I had a big day ahead of me, what with turning over the keys to the donut shop, then driving to Hickory and picking Jake up from the hospital. Getting him settled in would take some time, but after that, we were wide open.
It would be the beginning of our time living in the house together, even if it was only temporary.
I didn’t want to think about that now, though.
There would be time enough to worry about all of that tomorrow.
For now, I really had to get some sleep.
“I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Mrs. Blake,” I told Emma’s mother the next morning bright and early at Donut Hearts. “It’s unbelievably kind of you to step in on such short notice.”
“Nonsense,” Emma’s mother said. “It will absolutely be my pleasure working here with Emma every day. And don’t you think it’s time that we were on a first-name basis?”
“I suppose,” I said, not sure how I felt about that. She’d been Mrs. Blake to me for as long as I’d known her.
“Call me Sharon,” she said.
“I’ll try, Sharon,” I replied, but it felt weird calling her by her first name.
Emma asked, “Should I call you Sharon, too, Mom?”
“You’d better not, young lady,” her mother told her with a smile. “There’s only one person in the world who can rightfully call me mother, and I’m not missing out on that for anything. Is that okay with you?”
Emma hugged her mom as she said, “That’s fine with me. I was just teasing.” She turned to me and asked, “What should we do first, boss?”
“I’m just here today as an observer and an advisor in case anything goes wrong. This is your donut shop for the next two weeks. I’ll try to sit back and not comment unless I see something dangerous about to happen.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Emma said, and then she turned to her mother. “Okay, Mom, are you ready to get started?”
“I can’t wait,” she said, and the two of them got to work. Sharon flipped on one of our coffee pots while Emma turned on the fryer, and the two of them worked in perfect tandem as they prepped for the first treats of the day, our cake donuts. I didn’t know why I was all that surprised that they worked so well together. After all, the mother-daughter duo had filled in for me before, just not on such a long-term basis. While I was clearly the boss when Emma and I were there working alone, these two were equal partners. It was a pleasure to watch them, at least it was after I’d clamped down on myself from adding anything that wasn’t completely necessary. They might not have done things my way, but their methods were certainly sound ones.
“How are we doing so far?” Emma asked after the cake donuts were finished and the dough was raising for the yeast ones. It was time for our traditional break, and the three of us were outside in the cool morning air.
“I’m taking notes on how to improve my techniques,” I said, only partially joking.
“I’m sure that you’re just being gracious,” Sharon said.
“Honestly, the more I think about it, I’m not even sure why I’m here. You two clearly don’t need me.” It felt odd saying that about my own shop, and it was even stranger knowing that it was indeed true.
“Don’t kid yourself, Suzanne. My daughter and I might be able to fill in while you’re away,” Sharon said, “but we’ll never replace you, nor do either one of us ever want that. Do we, Emma?”
My assistant shook her head. “No way. I’m perfectly content with my usual role at Donut Hearts. This is going to be a tough few weeks, and I have a hunch that I’ll be ready to get things back to normal as soon as we can. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Suzanne, you’re doing the right thing taking care of Jake. He needs you more than this old donut shop does right now.”
“I can see that,” I said.
“How does he like all of the attention he’s been getting in the press?” Sharon asked.
“He hates it,” I said. “Jake was never one to go for the spotlight, and he can’t wait until he’s yesterday’s news. That’s a direct quote, by the way.”
“It will happen soon enough,” Sharon said. “Tell him I said that he should enjoy it while he can.”
“I would if I thought that it would do any good, but the man’s just not built that way.” The timer went off, and as the mother and daughter team headed back inside, I paused. “You two clearly have things under control here. If you don’t mind, I think that I’m going to head back home and catch a quick nap before I have to pick Jake up.”
“Are you sure?” Sharon asked. “We don’t want to run you off from your own shop.”
“I’m positive. Keep up the good work.”
“You know that you can count on us. We won’t let you down,” Emma said, and then she hugged me.
“What was that for?”
“I think it’s wonderful what you’re doing for your boyfriend.”
“He’d do the same thing for me if the roles were reversed,” I said.
“Then you’ve found yourself a winner,” Sharon said. She hesitated a moment, and then she asked, “We’ll try not to bother you with any of the more mundane details around here, but is it okay if we call you now and then if we need you?”
“Are you kidding? I’m counting on it,” I said. “To be honest with you, I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to stand being away from the shop, so a call every now and then would be greatly appreciated.”
“We’ll try not to disappoint you,” Sharon said.
“You couldn’t if you tried.”
If felt odd leaving Donut Hearts in the darkness. On a normal day, I would have hours more work to do before we unlocked the front doors, and then it would be more time spent selling coffee and donuts until we closed for the day.
But today was anything but a normal day.
I drove home in the darkness, and to my shock, as I pulled into the drive, I saw that the front door of the cottage was standing wide open.
The problem was th
at I knew that I’d locked it when I’d left.
Someone had obviously gone inside without my permission.
Chapter 6
I briefly thought about going in and checking out the cottage myself, but I’d been a part of too many investigations in the past to take a stupid chance like that. I hated it when people did crazy things on their own in movies or in books, so I wasn’t about to echo their behavior in real life.
I slowly backed out of the drive and started to dial 911 when I saw a dark form rush out of the house into the darkness of the park just beyond our doorstep. I could probably go in now, but what if there was someone else still inside?
I finished dialing the emergency number, and I was surprised to get Chief Martin on the line.
“What are you doing at work at this time of morning?” I asked him.
“Ruthie stepped out for a minute, so I said I’d take over. Two of my people have the flu, so I’m pulling double shifts all week. What’s going on, Suzanne?”
“Somebody just broke into the cottage.”
“Are they still there?” he asked.
“Well, I just saw one person run out of my house and into the park,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean that somebody else isn’t still inside.”
“You’re not thinking about going in and checking it out yourself, are you?”
“No way. I saw the door standing wide open when I pulled up. Whoever was inside must have seen me arrive, because when I started dialing 911, they ran away.”
“Do not, I repeat, do not go into that house!” he said in a voice that would not tolerate disobedience.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I said. “Just hurry.”
“Don’t do anything stupid. I’m on my way.”
I decided that I’d probably be okay parked in the road where I was. If someone else came out of the house, or if the mysterious guest in the park decided to come after me, I’d be able to back down the street in reverse at least until I could turn around. Until the police chief got there, I spent every second scanning the immediate vicinity, searching for any sign that I might be in trouble, but I didn’t see anything.