A Caffeine Conundrum

by Angela Ruth Strong

She lifted a finger. “Could I get a cup of—?”

  Griffin yanked the door open. “Against my better judgment, there’s already coffee waiting.”

  The aroma greeted her before she entered the room. And it couldn’t simply be the scent of leftover sludge from the pot out front. No. This was fresh. Plus, there was a tinge of peppermint and chocolate in the air. It would be her only taste of heaven this Christmas season.

  She inhaled as she entered. Sure enough. Steam seeped through the lids of two, gorgeous, red paper cups. She continued forward, hardly noticing the scrape of a chair as the man behind the table stood.

  Who had done this for her? Marissa who’d claimed to hate all things coffee? It certainly wasn’t Griffin.

  She reached. Wrapped her fingers around the warmth. Lifted the cup first to her nose and closed her eyes. This was what hope smelled like. And it tasted even better. Like a candy cane and chocolate Kisses whirled together with the nuttiness of her favorite beverage. Smooth. Creamy. It melted all the edginess inside. “Where did you get this? I didn’t think there was a coffee shop in town.” Whoever made this cup of liquid bliss could put her out of business should she ever start her own place.

  “I brewed it.”

  With this kind of magic, her lawyer might possibly be able to prove her innocent in a court of law. She looked up in wonder to find a clean-cut guy in a gray suit. He would have been your normal, everyday clean-cut guy in a gray suit except for the striking way his blue eyes stood out from his black hair. And the dimple in his chin.

  She tilted her head to study that dimple. Where had she seen it before?

  “Apparently you still like coffee.”

  Still? As in, he’d known her to like coffee in the past? How would he know, unless…

  “I remembered you sneaking a thermos of coffee out of your house because your mom was afraid coffee would stunt your growth. And it looks like she was right. Weren’t you this same height in middle school?”

  Her heart sputtered. “Greg?” He’d certainly grown. Because though they’d been the same height, he now stood half-a-foot taller.

  Could it be? After fifteen years, she was reunited with her very first crush, and he was her lawyer in a murder trial? While he was handsome and successful, how did she look?

  He’d see her as a criminal. If only he’d seen her last night when she had good hair. Now she was wrinkled. Dirty. Unemployed. With a puffy face. Of all the jails in all the towns in all the world, he’d walked into hers.

  Greg lifted his cup as if to toast. “I figured that with the trouble you went through to get arrested so you could see me again, the least I could do was bring you a cup of coffee.”

  Her heart sighed in relief. This was her old friend. Who cared if she looked like a prom date gone wrong? Though it was surprising he’d been able to recognize her at all in a dress. She’d lived in jeans and jean cutoffs for as long as she could remember. “I should have just looked you up on Facebook, huh?”

  His eyes lost their shine. “Yeah, why didn’t you?”

  Besides the fact that she didn’t want to find out he was already married with children? Though if he was more upset that she didn’t let him know she was back in town than the fact she’d been arrested for murder, then maybe he was still single. She sneaked a peek at his bare ring finger then motioned to their surroundings. The perfect display of why it shouldn’t matter if he was available or not. Because she wasn’t. “Been a little busy.”

  “Apparently.” He studied her with the sternness of a judge before his expression softened to the buddy she’d known as a child.

  She wasn’t sure which look scared her more.

  He nodded for her to take a seat across from him. “I’m going to pull a few strings and see if we can get you bail today. Marissa filled me in a little, but I’d like to hear your side.”

  Tandy let go of her mug with one hand to pull her chair out. What would she have to say that Marissa didn’t know?

  Wait. Greg had spoken with Marissa. Marissa retained Greg. Was the town that small, or had Marissa somehow known he’d been her childhood friend?

  “Do you know Marissa?” She sat slowly and cuddled her cup for comfort.

  Greg looked up from a manila folder that had to be a file on her. How unfair. She should get a file on him.

  “Yeah, I did some pro-bono work for the local children’s home when Marissa was raising money for them as charity for her beauty pageant. I think she was behind me a couple years in school, so I know Connor better.” He straightened his paperwork, clearly ready to get down to business.

  But Tandy had more questions. Had Marissa sought Greg out because of Tandy’s interest in him or her own? He didn’t seem interested in Marissa, but it sounded like he assumed she was still taken. “They’re not together anymore.”

  Greg chewed on the top of his pen. “Who? Marissa and Connor?”

  “Yeah. She ended their engagement.” Why was she talking about this? What did it matter who Greg was interested in dating when she wasn’t even available? Though her nervous jitters weren’t all from the possibility of making bail. Or the caffeine.

  “Well…” Greg cocked his head, as if trying to read her. “They were together last night. They went to your house to get your dog and saw an old photo album with a picture of the two of us. Once they realized our connection, they thought I might want to help.”

  Her pulse sputtered. Greg was truly here for her. “You believe I’m innocent?” she asked in a rush.

  Greg folded his hands over the papers that gave all the facts. Did they affect his feelings? “It’s been a while, Tandy, but from what I know of you, you’re a bad liar. You couldn’t even sneak coffee from your mom without turning yourself in.”

  That was true. She’d been grounded from going to King’s Island Amusement Park with Greg because of it. Back when Mom had cared enough to punish her.

  “I’m curious about this article you wrote that got you fired.” He arched his eyebrows. “My guess is you were fighting for justice.”

  “Yes.” He understood her. It was so good to be known. Without realizing it, she’d reached across the table to grasp his hand. It felt warm and strong under hers, but even if he wanted to, he couldn’t flip it over to clasp fingers like they used to. He was her lawyer. She pulled back. “Um…I wrote a piece about the negative effects many coffee bean plantations have on the environment as well as animals, and I encouraged readers to buy shade-grown coffee.” It was a good article. Both important and true. But… “Unfortunately, I didn’t think about how our biggest advertising accounts sell coffee that is not shade-grown.”

  He sat still, only his eyes moving as he connected the dots. He had really good posture. It made her want to sit straighter. She rolled her shoulders back and felt a small ripple of adjustment down her spine. It wasn’t as comfortable as slouching, but it’s not like she was comfortable to begin with.

  “How did you leave things with your boss?”

  She blinked. Why should her old boss come into this at all? “Uh, I disagreed with his decision.”

  “How so?” His pen poised to write down her answer.

  “Vehemently.” It was the nicest word she could think of that would describe her reaction to being fired.

  Greg frowned and scribbled.

  “Is that bad?”

  He looked up and sighed. “Not as good as if you’d voiced your opinion respectfully and apologized.”

  Tandy held her hands wide. “Apologized? I didn’t write anything that wasn’t true.”

  “But you did cause your employer harm.” Greg tilted his head. “The same way you did to Deputy Griffin last night.”

  Tandy slumped. “What if I think he killed Virginia?”

  Greg pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Then you offer him the same grace you wish he would have offered you.”

  Tandy guffawed. Probably neither attractive nor good for her case. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t need grace.”
<
br />   “We all need grace. Even if it’s for harm caused accidentally.”

  She cringed, remembering the lawsuit against a company for serving coffee that was too hot. The company hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone, but they’d ended up having to pay three million dollars. She remembered thinking how ridiculous such a lawsuit was. She’d wished the customer would have extended grace even though she’d been hurt.

  Greg’s mouth curved up and his eyes softened in the kind of smile that offered what she wanted. The kind that said he thought she could have avoided getting arrested, but he cared about her anyway. Which somehow made it sweeter. “Let me call Judge McMinn real quickly to see if you can post bail. And so you know, I’m not charging you a retainer fee.”

  Tandy’s throat clogged. This was tangible grace. Not to mention ironic. Since the last time she’d spoken to Greg, they’d both needed retainers. For their teeth.

  Greg made the call and worked out the details, scribbling on his notepad. One scribble caught her eye. It was a date at the beginning of the New Year. Her belly churned.

  She pointed to the date as soon as he hung up. “What’s that?”

  Greg underlined it. “Your court date.”

  Not the kind of date she’d been hoping for. She’d only been released to spend the holidays broke and alone, while the possibility of prison still hung overhead like mistletoe, threatening to make her kiss her life goodbye.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tandy heard Cocoa barking before she even knocked on Marissa’s red door with the big green wreath. If the beauty queen hadn’t helped her out with the dog, then Tandy never would have gotten help from Greg. She’d still be behind bars. She couldn’t thank Marissa enough. But she’d think of something to say. Something grateful and sincere and...

  The door swung open and Cocoa ran out to paw his front legs up hers. Only he didn’t look like Cocoa. He looked like a dog in a Santa costume. Marissa appeared behind him, somehow making a reindeer sweater look cute, arms wide for a hug.

  “Are you crazy?” The words burst out before Tandy could stop them.

  Marissa dropped her arms and pouted. “I know you’re not much of a hugger, but I figured getting out of jail might be an exception to the rule.”

  “Not if you dress my dog up like a human. I like dogs because they are not human.” Tandy squatted down to rub Cocoa’s head and let him know she wasn’t mad at him. It’s not like he wanted to wear human clothes.

  Marissa laughed, not seeming the least bit offended about Tandy’s preference for pups over people. “Connor wanted to take him on the Ho-Ho-Holiday Run.”

  Tandy tugged at the strap that held a tiny Santa hat on Cocoa’s head. “Connor has his own dog.”

  Marissa stepped back to open the door wider. “We didn’t want Cocoa to feel left out, and we didn’t know if Greg would be able to get you out of jail today or not. Obviously, he did.”

  Tandy scrunched her nose at Cocoa before standing. He cared about her whether or not she was a criminal. Kind of like Greg. Maybe it was her dog’s grace that she appreciated about him so much. Maybe she should admit she needed it more often.

  Like now. With Marissa. She’d smooth things out. Thank Marissa the way she’d been planning to. Work on her people skills.

  She faced Marissa and entered the warm, sugar-scented home with the wooden floors and built in bookshelves. “Thank you, Marissa. Even if you overstepped your bounds in dressing up my dog, I am thankful you called Greg.”

  Marissa beamed then pointed down at Cocoa, still wearing a red jacket. “You don’t think he looks cute in—”

  Tandy glowered.

  “Never mind then.” Marissa turned to lead Tandy back into her cozy kitchen with the bird egg blue cabinets and white marble countertops. An island offered cranberry scones and some type of citrusy tea.

  Tandy took a warm scone, thankful Greg had brought her coffee earlier. “Did Connor remodel your house?” she asked. If so, he did good work. A handy skill to have in a boyfriend.

  Too bad Tandy had more use for an attorney than a contractor. Not that she was dating Greg. Or complaining about Greg. For all she knew, he was good at building things too. They’d made that tree house together once.

  “Yes, Connor remodeled the place. You should have seen it when I bought it. Super old and run down.” Marissa poured a weak brown liquid into a fancy cup. “Tea?”

  “No comment.”

  “Wise choice.” Marissa sipped, pinkie up.

  Tandy sat on the cushioned barstool and reached down to scoop her dog into her lap. Her whole body ached from lack of sleep, and her skin felt covered in grime from the restless night on a mattress that was not her own. “I need to go home and take a shower, but I wanted to pick up Cocoa first.”

  Marissa sank down next to her. “Then what are you going to do? We’ve been running ourselves ragged, trying to figure out who killed Virginia, yet it’s like we’re no closer than when we began. Actually, we’re farther away. Because you’ve been accused of the crime.”

  “No kidding.” Tandy ran a hand over her face. Even the people who’d once believed in her had turned on her. “Does Connor really think I’m guilty?”

  Marissa lifted a shoulder but looked away. “He’s not convinced you did it, but he’s suspicious of the way you got fired from your old job.”

  Would things have turned out any differently if Tandy had apologized and offered to try to fix her mistake? If so, then Connor wouldn’t be suspicious of her, though his suspicion shouldn’t bother her as much as it did. Because she’d also had a moment where she’d suspected him. “I don’t blame him. At first, I thought he might have done it. You know, to win his way back into your heart the way I now think Deputy Griffin is trying to do with Jenn.”

  Marissa shifted on her seat.

  Tandy leaned forward, resting her chin on her fist to get a better look at the other woman’s discomfort. “Wait a minute. Are you back together?” Greg had thought as much.

  Marissa eyed her, saying no without words. “We are not together. We are…being friendly. Because he kinda saved my life a couple times recently.”

  Too bad the two hadn’t reconciled. Tandy had hoped something good might have come from the horrific cruise. “He actually thinks I caused the explosion to knock you into the water? Honestly, if I was going to kill you, I had so many other opportunities.”

  Marissa’s eyes widened. “How would you have done it?”

  What a question. Tandy had never considered killing anyone before. She thought back through the time they’d known each other. “Well for starters, in the car accident, I could have rammed your side of the car into the hill rather than risking my own life.”

  Marissa pursed her lips. “That’s a good point. Though maybe you were trying to make yourself look innocent before you killed me.”

  “So much for looking innocent.” Tandy shook her head. “Not even getting the firemen to lower the bucket to help prevent your fall made me look innocent.”

  “Also true.” Marissa took a sip. “You are the worst murderer ever.”

  Tandy grunted. “Connor knows about both of those incidents. How could he still suspect me?”

  “He’s paranoid like the rest of us. And when he looked you up online and found out you’d been fired from your job, he got worried.” Marissa set her cup down with a clink. “Why did you get fired anyway?”

  Tandy had hidden that fact for precisely this reason. But perhaps if she’d been honest and humble from the beginning, they never would have gotten here. She stood. “I’ll show you. May I use your computer again?”

  Marissa motioned toward the corner desk as the doorbell rang. “Probably Connor.”

  Tandy removed Cocoa’s Santa Paws suit so Connor wouldn’t take him running then she pulled up her article on the computer. She’d show Connor before he left too. Then he could return to helping her out. Maybe he could even sniff out more clues while downtown.

  Marissa studied Connor freely through th
e peephole. Why did he have to be cute even when dressed like Santa Claus with little wire-rimmed glasses? Of course, last Christmas Eve morning she’d been dressed like Mrs. Claus for the run. And they’d made good use of Billie’s mistletoe.

  “It’s me, Marissa,” he called impatiently, ending her moment of hidden reflection.

  With a heavy sigh, she swung the door open. She missed the days when she would swing the door open for him with a sigh of contentment.

  Before Connor could greet her, Ranger leaped up and smacked her face with his warm, wet tongue.

  “Lucky dog.”

  She pushed Ranger down, and wiped her cheek, though her heart chimed like a church bell. She pictured herself being whipped around by the pull rope when trying to control the ringing. Hadn’t a woman at St. Nicholas Church been knocked unconscious that way? Marissa refused to give this St. Nick that kind of control over her again.

  Cocoa charged from the kitchen, yipping at the bigger dog. Ranger watched in curiosity.

  Connor knelt. “I brought you something.” He pulled out a rubber gingerbread man and tossed it.

  Cocoa retrieved the toy without prompting then bounced in anticipation of his dog treat.

  “Good boy.” Connor rewarded him. “Why isn’t he in costume?”

  Marissa twisted her lips to one side. “Tandy wasn’t a fan.”

  Connor’s brows dropped, and he scanned the room. He leaned forward. “Tandy’s here?”

  Cocoa bent into a crouch and snarled, as if protecting his treat from the bigger dog.

  “Cocoa, hush,” Tandy’s voice called from the other room, answering for Marissa.

  Cocoa quit snarling long enough for Ranger to step forward and lower his head to the little dog’s level.

  Connor did the same to Marissa. “I don’t want you alone with her.”

  Marissa would have stepped back and created space between them if she wasn’t trying to avoid Tandy overhearing their conversation. She kept her voice low. “If she’d wanted to kill me, she could have done it already. Remember how she helped you catch me when I fell out of the fireman’s bucket?”