Cool, cut, get a big glass of milk, and enjoy!
That afternoon, I wanted fresh air and to get out of Tara's apartment, but no one wanted me to go far on my own. They were treating me as if I were fragile and about to break. So I convinced Grams to walk on the beach with me. Despite living near the ocean most of her life, she wasn't a fan of sand and the way it clung to everything, especially her feet. It was one of her pet peeves, but she did it for me.
The air was warm and smelled like summer. A gentle breeze ruffled the hem of the shirt Tara had lent me. I barely fit in it. I had more boobage than she did, so her tops were tight. I seriously needed to hit a thrift store and find a new wardrobe.
There weren't many people on the sand. Kids were still in school, people still at work. In another month, it would be mobbed with tourists. I liked it in the off-season best.
We found a spot where the rock formation had become smooth over time and sat down.
"I guess this isn't the worst," Grams said while brushing sand off of her shin.
I smirked. "Thanks for coming. Tara's tiny apartment was starting to close in on me."
"You want to be baking," she said matter-of-factly. She knew me well.
"I'm sorry about the house."
She whipped her head around and frowned. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't start the fire, did you?"
"Of course not, but if I'd stayed out of this murder business, it probably wouldn't have happened."
Grams stared out at the water. "You think this is related to the scones?"
I'd been thinking about it since I'd left the hospital. It was either Nathan's killer or Erin. I didn't feel like explaining all of that though. Grams may have been the only Danger Cove resident who didn't know about Jared's and my kiss, and only because she had been out of town. It wasn't a secret. I knew Grams wouldn't judge, and she adored Jared. I just didn't feel like discussing that with anyone else. It felt too personal. When I had it all figured out though, I'd gladly share.
"Probably," I answered. "But…"
"What?"
Something had been nagging at me since the hospital.
"Why the house?" I asked.
Grams didn't say anything.
"Was it just to silence me? To stop me from digging into Nathan's death? That made sense, but it wasn't as if I'd learned anything useful." I wanted to believe I had, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I hadn't. Nathan's killer shouldn't have been scared of my digging.
"You think it's more personal, as if someone is angry with you?" Grams asked.
I nodded vigorously. Her saying the words out loud made me surer of it. "Yes!" That, of course, led to Erin or Will, but there was no way Will would try to kill me. Yeah, he was hurt and probably angry, but deep down he still cared about me. I knew that.
There was Gloria. She'd had it in for me the other night, but throwing a punch to setting a fire seemed like a big leap. Maybe Holly had been cooking something up. No pun intended. But she struck me more as a big talker. No one seemed capable of setting Grams' house ablaze any more than killing Nathan.
What was I missing?
Grams said "personal." Was it possible this had nothing to do with Nathan and everything to do with the bakery? Or Grams?
"Do you have any enemies?" I asked.
She widened her eyes and then chuckled. "I may have pissed off a woman or two over the years." She shimmied her cleavage toward me. "It's hard not to."
I giggled and shook my head. Nothing should've surprised me anymore about her and her sexuality.
"Anyone in particular stand out?" I asked.
A bark caught my attention. I turned and watched a man toss a ball down the beach for his golden retriever. The dog ran to fetch it.
"No, nothing at all."
"What about the bakery? Does it have any bad blood?"
"Absolutely not. Cinnamon Sugar Bakery has an excellent reputation." She sounded a little feisty.
I smiled. "Okay. But I'm missing something. I can feel it. I should go back to the bakery and retrace my steps from that day."
It had been closed since the fire, just when business was doing exceptionally well, too. And today was Saturday. I didn't want to think of all the lost revenue. Tomorrow and Monday we were normally closed, so come Tuesday, I planned to be open with bells on. Which meant I had two more days to nurse my dry throat and to figure out this mess.
"Not before dinner," Grams said and stood up. "Let's go."
"What?" I followed her even though I had no idea what she was talking about.
"You've barely eaten all day. You want to go sit in the bakery and figure things out, fine. But first we're going to dinner, and you're filling that belly. You need the strength."
My stomach growled in agreement with her. I had no intention of arguing. Food sounded heavenly.
"Fine."
* * *
At the Lobster Pot, Jared slid a business card across the table to Grams. It was white with a graphic of a house on the upper left corner. The larger lettering read: Finials and Facades Renovation and Restoration Services.
She picked it up and studied it. "Alex Jordan's business?"
Jared used his fork to cut into his pan-seared sea scallop. "Yeah. She did some renovations for my folks at the restaurant. She's fast, inexpensive, and very good. Plus, she's professional."
Grams nodded and stuck the card into her purse. "I'll give her a call and get an estimate."
I hadn't asked if the home insurance would cover arson. I was afraid to find out. Without it, there was no way we could afford… Then I remembered Nathan's estate and how I'd eventually get an inheritance. It was more than we'd need to repair the house and get us new wardrobes. It would be a while before we saw the money, but we could take out a loan in the meantime if needed. Suddenly, the buttery, garlic shrimp scampi tasted more delectable.
"And she works with some pretty cute construction workers," Tara added, using her fork for emphasis by punctuating the air. "I'm just saying."
Grams' brows lifted. "Oooh, I'll call her tomorrow."
I groaned, and Jared and Tara laughed.
"Until the house is repaired, you guys can stay with me," Tara said.
As much as I wanted to, the thought of staying in that cramped place was a bit overbearing.
Grams, who was seated beside her, patted her hand. "That is a gracious offer, but you do not have enough room. I will continue to stay with my son and his family." She bit into a piece of steak from her surf and turf.
I had a feeling that once I felt better, Grams would be staying with Julius, so we didn't need to worry about her accommodations for long. Me, on the other hand…
Jared playfully elbowed my arm. He sat beside me in the booth. "My apartment is bigger than Tara's. You can stay with me."
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. I didn't know what to say. Heck yes, I wanted to stay with him, but there were so many questions and ramifications. Like, where would I sleep? Clearly he hadn't expected to jump our possible relationship from kiss to sleeping together so soon. And as far as I knew, he only had the one bedroom. I could sleep on his sofa, and I was fine with that, but I wasn't sure if that was what he meant.
And then there was Erin. She shouldn't have been a thorn in my life, but she was in town, and whether she set the fire or not, we couldn't keep ignoring her. She needed to be dealt with in some way. Too bad we hadn't a clue what that way was.
I glanced up from my plate and my thoughts and found Tara and Grams staring at me, waiting for an answer. "What?"
Tara cocked a brow and pointed her fork at Jared. "He's waiting for an answer. So am I." She shoved a forkful of rice pilaf into her mouth.
I looked to Jared, not wanting him to think my silence was a refusal, but I also felt weird asking about sleeping arrangements.
Before I summoned the nerve to do so though, he said, "You can sleep in my bed, and I'll take the couch. It pulls out to a bed also."
Relieved, I giggled. "I wouldn't want to throw you out of your bed though." Visions of him and I entangled in his sheets sprung to mind. My face heated up. I grabbed my glass of ice water and sipped.
Staying with him meant we'd have time to figure out if he and I could be a thing, if we truly wanted to try.
"We'll figure it out later," he said with a huge smile. He was too gentlemanly to wiggle his brows and teasingly suggest more with Grams right across from him, but I knew that's what he wanted to do.
"Great," Tara said a bit too cheerfully. Luckily, I knew her enthusiasm was about playing matchmaker and that it had nothing to do with not wanting me around.
I glanced at Jared's profile and spotted someone walking toward our table. Expecting the server to ask how our food was, I looked up with a grin. But it wasn't him. It was Will.
"Hi," I said, surprised.
"I've been looking all over for you." He nodded to everyone seated, including Jared. "I was worried. Where have you been?"
"I've been at Tara's."
"But now she'll be…" Tara started. I kicked her beneath the table. She yelped and frowned. Now wasn't the time to rub anything in Will's face. He didn't deserve that.
I scooted closer to Jared and motioned for him to let me out of the booth. He rose, and I slid out all of the way. When he just stood there between Will and me, I stepped away from the table. I didn't want this to be any more awkward than it already was.
Will followed me a couple of feet away from the table. "Sorry you worried. I've been at Tara's and with Grams."
He placed a hand on each side of my face and gently tilted my head back so he could see me better in the light. He scrutinized my eyes. "How are you feeling? How's your throat?"
I hadn't expected an exam in the middle of the Lobster Pot's dining room.
"Um, better. Throat's still a bit scratchy."
He nodded and let me go. "That'll go away. If anything bothers you, come into the office."
I smiled, not wanting to actually agree. Having my ex perform a physical wasn't high on my list of things to do.
We stood there in silence for a few moments. I wasn't sure what to say, and he obviously wasn't either. Then he glanced at his watch. "I can't stay."
Thank goodness.
"I'll check in on you at Tara's soon."
Crap.
"Okay." What else was I going to say?
Please don't—I'll be staying at Jared's. You know—the man you're jealous about, and the one I kissed while we were on a break
.
As he walked out, I watched him, sad that our friendship would probably never be the same.
At the door, he looked back. He glanced to Jared, and his expression was stern and menacing.
* * *
Will hadn't a menacing bone in his body. I knew this. I was probably just on edge from the last couple of days. But that look he gave Jared stayed in my mind for the rest of dinner. After we settled the check, we walked to the small parking lot and Jared pointed to his car. I didn't want to go though. I mean, yeah, I wanted to get to his place and contemplate our futures, or whatever we'd do, but I still had the bakery, the fire, and Nathan's murder on my mind.
"Um, I'm going to head back to Tara's and get my things. She'll drop me off at your place after. Plus, she wants a little girl talk with me about Duncan."
Tara and Grams were near her car, so they hadn't heard my lie.
Jared nodded. "Okay, I'll see you later. Do you know where my place is?"
I didn't. I knew the general area, but I hadn't visited it yet. "I'll text you when I'm ready to leave, and you can give me the address."
He smiled. "Okay."
I hurried to Tara's car and squeezed into the backseat.
"Why aren't you with Jared?" she asked.
"After you take Grams to Uncle Doug's, please drop me off at the bakery," I said.
"She wants to replay the events from the day Nathan died," Grams said.
Tara pushed her key into the ignition and started her car. "Again?"
I stared out the side window. "Yeah, again."
* * *
I entered the bakery through the back door and flipped the light switch. Fluorescents flickered on and brightly lit the kitchen. I walked up front and reached for the lights but decided against it. Standing in the darkness and silence helped. Plus, it wasn't completely dark with the kitchen lights spilling in, as well as the street lamps from outside.
I walked to the register and stood with my back to it, facing the front door. I closed my eyes and envisioned that day. The nervousness that had swum through me because it had all been so unexpected, so rushed. The worry over losing revenue and what it could mean for the business. If only I'd known then that sales would get so much worse before they got better.
Then Mallory had entered along with what had felt like half the town. I had looked at everyone's face, not their hands or feet. Then I'd moved around the counter to get out of the way.
I repeated my actions from that day and stood behind the register. I had watched everyone eat, hoping for a sale.
I sighed. This wasn't helping. I hadn't seen anything unusual. I circled back around the counter again and stepped in the spot where I saw the person with the gloves and moccasins in the security feed. From my distance to the register, that person was right in the middle of the crowd. I probably wouldn't have seen him or her if I'd been staring.
Now what? I knew I was missing something but couldn't figure it out. What was it Max said that day at his house?
It's not what you see that's important. It's what you don't see
. If only that made sense now.
I turned, ready to go back around the register, and saw a tall figure standing in the kitchen doorway.
I gasped and flinched.
Oh my God, I hadn't heard anyone come in. I must've forgotten to lock the door behind me again.
Dammit, Riley.
I took a step backward, ready to run out the front door, but remembered it was locked and my keys were on the counter. And the French rolling pins were in the kitchen.