Baked with Love

by Peggy Jaeger

  “Why do you want to know?” he asked me. “What are you worried about?”

  “I’m not worried.”

  “You say one thing, but your body language says another.”

  I rolled my eyes. “My body language says nothing. There’s no reason for me to be worried about anything since Slade and Mac are going to be with you, Lucas. Whatever you wind up doing, I know they’ll be safe. I’m asking because, like my sisters are fond of saying, I inherited Nanny’s nosy gene.”

  His brows pulled together between his eyes and that head tilt shifted.

  “What do you mean you’re not worried because they’ll be with me? And what did that crack about me never running amuck mean? Jesus.” He unfurled his arms and swiped his hands through his hair at the temples. “I’ve said amuck more times than I’ve ever said it in my life.”

  “That’s a dumb question, since you’re the chief of police.” I held my hands up at my sides. “You’re the most responsible and trustworthy human being I know. You don’t do anything that crosses a line either morally, ethically, or legally. I’ve seen you drunk once in your life after Danny’s funeral, and you deserved to be since you’d just lost your best friend. You’re dependable, Lucas. Completely.”

  It was a wonder he didn’t get a headache from the way the skin over his forehead puckered inward.

  “Dependable and trustworthy? You make me sound like a cub scout, or an unemotional robot with a stick up his ass. Dull and boring. Like I don’t know how to have a good time and never do.”

  “I’m sure you do, but I’m also sure since you became chief, you’re more aware than ever of the small minds and big mouths living in this town. You can’t be seen doing anything”—I shook my head again—“questionable or unseemly, like getting drunk in public at a bachelor party. You need to be on the safe side of gossip at all times. And you are. It’s what makes you such a good leader.”

  “Unseemly? Lord, Maureen. Now you’re making me sound like a modern version of Josiah Heaven. You gonna accuse me of having a God complex next?”

  How the heck had this conversation veered into him thinking I was comparing him to our town founder?

  “What?” I fisted my hands on my hips, well and truly confused and getting irritated by the second. “Weren’t you the one who told my sister in that very breezeway”—I pointed behind me—“not more than two hours ago you weren’t going to condone anything illegal because, quote, you’re the chief of police, unquote? I don’t think I imagined it, Lucas.”

  It was as if he hadn’t heard me.

  “I’m not old and tired and worn out yet, you know.” He started pacing back and forth, his hands slung in his trouser pockets.

  “I never said you were. I—”

  “I’ve got responsibilities to this town and its citizens, Maureen. I’m on call twenty-four hours a day for the city. Never a day to myself, never a night to call my own. Christ. I had to promise Pete Bergeron three weekends in a row off in order to be free Saturday night.”

  “Lucas, what—”

  “I haven’t had a vacation in six years. In addition, I take care of a man who wants nothing more than to die and finds it amusing to take pot shots at my son.”

  For the first time in my memory, Lucas’s voice rose. He was always the proverbial calm during a crisis, the one everyone gravitated to for guidance, the man people regarded as a natural leader.

  It dawned on me he wasn’t simply tired, but exhausted. And not only physically. The weight of all the responsibilities he carried on those strong, broad shoulders was taking its toll, and he had no one in his life to help shoulder them.

  Placing myself straight in front of him, I barred his pacing. I reached out, wrapped a hand around his forearm, and pressed, forcing him to pay attention to me.

  He blinked hard a few times, as if coming awake after a deep sleep. The confusion in his eyes worried me.

  “Lucas. Stop.”

  He focused in on me, then to where I held his arm. When he lifted his gaze back to me, his forehead was furrowed. “Maureen?”

  I squeezed his arm again. “Are you okay?”

  He tilted his head to one side while he continued to stare at me for a few beats.

  “I’m worried about you,” I told him.

  “Worried?”

  “Yes. You’re being”—I shrugged then shook my head—“weird. And you’re scaring me.”

  He blinked a few times. “You’re worried about me?”

  “Yes, dammit.” I stamped my foot, frustrated and getting mad, now. “I care about you, and I’m worried because you’re acting so out of character. What about that is so hard to comprehend?”

  I removed my hand from his arm, only to have him grab it back with his own.

  “Let go of m—” I stopped dead. One look at the expression on his face and any and all words were forgotten. The confusion reeling in his eyes shifted, cleared, then flew completely to be replaced by a piercing, all consuming…hunger.

  As surprised as I’d been when his voice rose and as frustrated with his repeating everything back to me, the intensity swimming in his eyes was staggering, especially since it was focused entirely on me.

  Lucas licked his lips, then repeated my name in a voice as far from a shout as possible. Quiet; controlled; seductive. This time there was no mistaking his tone for confusion.

  With his free hand, he covered the one he held and pulled me in, until our torsos touched, his intent clear.

  Crystal clear.

  He was going to kiss me.

  Kiss me.

  In my kitchen with a room full of people we both loved a few feet away. Mesmerized is the only word I can find to describe why I didn’t try to put a halt to his intention. Well, that, and the fact I’d wanted him to kiss me forever. The idea my fantasy was about to become a reality rendered me unable to run away.

  I lifted my chin, and I stretched up to meet him halfway, instead.

  Our bodies touched from chest to knees. The warmth of his breath caressed me as his lips hovered over mine. His lids dropped partway, but he held my gaze captive as if he were openly gaping at me. In truth, I didn’t want to look away, couldn’t. As our lips were a whisper from touching and I’d finally know what it felt like to be kissed by this man, his pager went off.

  Lucas’s head jerked back, his eyes blinking in a rapid tattoo as he clamped his lips together and shook his head with a jagged shudder. For my part, my heart slammed against my rib cage so hard I swear my blouse moved with the motion. The pager’s blare was shrill and piercing, the noise exploding in the room. Lucas pulled away from me, shot a hand to his hip to silence it, then backed away and reached with his other hand for his cell phone. All the while he kept his eyes trained on me.

  His breathing was loud and coarse as he snuck a peek at the pager’s screen, then tapped on his cell phone. As he was speaking, Robert came back into the room carrying a few teacups. He glanced at his father, then at me, a question crossing his face.

  My lungs were working overtime. I tried to slow my breathing by taking a deep breath in, holding it for a few beats, then letting it out.

  It didn’t work. Robert’s concerned perusal verified it.

  “Your dad got paged,” I told him, silently cursing the strain in my voice. “Here, let me have those.”

  He ignored my command as his father had, holding them fast. “Your grandmother told me to wash these by hand because they can’t go in the dishwasher. Something about fine china and etch marks.” He lifted a shoulder and placed the items into the sink.

  “I’ve got to go,” Lucas said in a voice as tense as mine had been. “Pete and one of my deputies are at a domestic disturbance, and they need backup.” He turned to his son, his brows drawing over his eyes. “I need to drop you home, first.”

  “Robert can stay here with us.”

  “I don’t know how long this is gonna take, Maureen. It could be fast or it could be a while.”

  “Then I’ll bring him home
if you’re going to be stuck. He can help me get ready for tomorrow once everyone leaves. No worries.”

  His shoulders relaxed as relief darted across his face. “Thanks. I’ll call you when I know what’s what, time wise.”

  He went to Robert. “Sorry, son.”

  Robert gave him a one-armed shrug. “ ’Sokay.”

  “Mind Maureen.”

  The boy nodded.

  Lucas came to me and said, “Say my goodbyes to your grandmother.”

  “Stay safe,” I told him after assuring him I would.

  He stared hard at me for a moment before he squeezed my upper arm, flicked a look at his son, then left.

  “Come on,” I told Robert a moment later when I was sure my voice wouldn’t betray my anxiety. “Let’s grab some more desserts from the fridge. Nanny’s probably ready for her second round of sweets by now.”

  “How many rounds does she do?” Robert asked as he followed me.

  “As many as I provide,” I said with a laugh.

  While he helped me plate the chocolate cookies I’d made during my most recent bout of insomnia, I did something to ease my mind: I sent a silent plea up to my twin to watch over Lucas and help keep him safe.

  I may not attend church or practice the religion I grew up with any longer, but I still considered my sister one of Heaven’s—the celestial one—angels, challenged with watching over us all. There had been many days and circumstances where I’d silently pleaded for her watchful eye on a family concern. Since Lucas was as close as family, those requests included him, as well.

  Chapter 5

  “I’m meeting with the architect I told you about again this afternoon,” I said, as I swiped a speck of dirt from the base of the marble. “Donovan Boyd. What a name, right? Midthirties, cute. He flirts as much as Nanny does.” I laughed and stretched my legs out on the blanket. “In fact, I should introduce them. He’s a bit young for her, and she told us on Sunday she’s not on the lookout for anyone to marry right now, but you never know. She’ll charm the pants off him like she does every male she comes in contact with.”

  I took a sip from the water bottle I’d brought with me and winked an eye up at the sun. The day was bright and beautiful, the humidity low, and the sky clear. The tall trees surrounding this quiet space were lushly leaved, the grass freshly groomed and pungent. Overall, a perfect Wednesday in Heaven.

  “I’m thinking of adding five cottages with enough room for families of four or five in each, depending on the ages of the kids. Two bedrooms in each, two bathrooms, and a sitting room. They could also be used as overflow for Colleen’s wedding parties. Four adults could easily stay in one, or the bridesmaids. Whatever.”

  I glanced down at my watch to make sure I wasn’t running late. I’d left the inn right after lunch service was finished, telling Robert I had an errand to run. When he offered to come with me, I begged off and told him it was something personal. Teenage boys act exactly the same as grown men when you tell them this. The idea it could be something female related, and they stop asking to accompany you, lickety-split. Robert’s face had gone as red as a maraschino cherry, and he’d avoided my eyes until I left.

  “Anyway, since the place is doing so well and I’m booked fifty-one out of fifty-two weekends a year and most weekdays as well, now looks like the best time to expand. Since that was your dream and I’m in such a good financial spot right now, I thought, why not.”

  I sighed and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I stared straight at the marble slab in front of me with my sister’s name engraved across the face. Under the lettering were the dates of our shared birthday and the date she’d finally succumbed to the horrible breast cancer that took her from us.

  “I can’t believe it’s almost three years, Ei. Cathy’s wedding is coming up and then your…anniversary. Although calling the day you died an anniversary sounds weird.”

  I adjusted the sunflowers I’d brought—Eileen’s favorite—in the vase in front of the headstone. I tried to come and visit her here at least once a month. It was difficult during the winter because the grounds weren’t always maintained due to the copious and often record-breaking snowfalls we were plagued with. But during the other seasons I never missed a month. She’d been on my mind constantly of late, more so than usual. With Colleen’s wedding behind us and her baby’s imminent arrival, plus Cathy’s wedding and pregnant state, I’d been thinking of how much Eileen was missing in our lives. She would have made a fabulous aunt and mother, had she been given the chance.

  Thinking of my sisters had me remembering the last time we’d all been together on Sunday at Nanny’s birthday luncheon. After Lucas had left to answer the domestic disturbance call, Robert and I had gone back to the dayroom. Soon after, Nanny yawned, and we all took it as a sign she’d had enough. Even though she’s as spry and sharp as she was in her heyday, she was still ninety-four. Cathy and Mac drove her back to the nursing home, armed with the cake I’d boxed. I’d waved off the offer of help to clean up from Colleen and Slade. My sister was about as done in as I’d ever seen her, so I shooed them both home. With just Robert and me left, we spent a few hours baking for the next morning’s breakfast offerings and practicing his decorating skills.

  Lucas swung by around six to pick him up after notifying me he was on his way. One look at his face when he came into my kitchen and I knew better than to ask him how it had gone. I sent them home with a bag filled with leftovers.

  Lucas mentioned nothing about the almost-kiss, and I hadn’t asked him about it. But that didn’t mean I didn’t think about it. Or wonder what would have happened if his pager hadn’t interrupted us.

  Since then, he’d dropped Robert off in the mornings without coming in and picked him up in the afternoons after texting him he was on his way.

  “Did I tell you I’m Cathy’s maid of honor? Since Colleen had the honor at Cathy’s first wedding, it made sense it’s me for this one. Besides, Colleen is so big she can barely move three steps without needing to sit down. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was carrying twins. As it is, her baby’s bound to be a ten-pounder.”

  “Good thing your sister’s not around to hear you call her huge.”

  I lifted my head to find Lucas standing behind me dressed in his uniform, his cap on his head shading his face from the sun. He held a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand.

  “I never said she was huge, just big.”

  “There’s a difference?”

  “A…huge one. What are you doing here?”

  My pun hit its mark because he tossed me a grin as he moved past me and placed a hand on top of the headstone. “Hey, Lean Bean.” The nickname he’d called her when she was a kid made my heart sigh. His grin morphed to a smile when he glanced over his shoulder at me and said, “Great minds.”

  He crouched down and added his own flowers next to mine.

  “Mind if I sit?” It was his turn to sigh. “It’s been a morning.”

  I scooted over on the blanket, and he plopped down, resting on an elbow and facing the headstone as I was, his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.

  “Thanks. To answer your question, I saw Sarah coming out of the market when I was downtown and asked why you and Robert weren’t doing the shopping. Robert told me about last week when he went with you and everyone stopped to chat.”

  “It was like old home week and an FBI interrogation rolled into one. I felt bad for him, being the object of so much scrutiny and nosiness.”

  He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Small towns. Anyway, she told me you’d taken an hour personal time. I figured I’d find you out here, visiting.”

  “How did you interpret I needed an hour’s personal time to mean I was at my sister’s grave?”

  He shrugged and lifted his face to the sky. When he closed his eyes, I was able to stare at his profile without his knowledge.

  “I know you come out here once a month to visit. Figured an hour of personal time was code
for it.”

  “Code?”

  “You know what I mean. You’re a creature of habit, Maureen Angela.”

  I was, and since he was right, I wasn’t upset with him saying it. “That’s why they pay you the big bucks, I guess. Your unmatched detecting skills.”

  “Must be.” A tiny grin split his lips.

  “Thanks for bringing flowers for Eileen.”

  “No thanks necessary. I know they were her faves, like I know yours are lilacs.”

  “More ace detecting?”

  “Good memory skills more than anything. I’ve known you since you were born, Mo. You’ve never passed a lilac bush you haven’t stopped at and sniffed. I’ve seen you do it more times than I can remember, and Eileen never missed an opportunity to pluck a bunch of sunflowers and then eat up all the seeds.”

  “Lord, she loved those things. I could never understand why. I hated them then and still do. But she’d spend every last dime of her allowance to buy bags of them to snack on.”

  He winked an eye at me and cocked his head. “Remember what happened when she snuck into Mrs. Blaylock’s garden?”

  On a groan I said, “How could I forget? Eileen was grounded for a month, and so was I even though I didn’t do anything. In my father’s eyes, because I was her twin, I was guilty by association. Always. So unfair.” I grimaced and glanced at him. “I can’t believe you even know about that much less remember it.”

  “Cathy laughed like a hyena when she told me and Danny Eileen got caught red-handed ripping old lady Blaylock’s prize-winning sunflowers from her garden because she wanted the seeds and had already spent all her allowance money for the week. The way she described how your sister had been dragged straight to your father’s office, all the while stuffing the seeds into her mouth to get rid of the evidence, still makes me laugh when I think about it.”

  “Eileen wasn’t laughing when she barfed the ‘evidence’ up on Daddy’s carpet. My hands were raw for a week after he made us scrub the darn thing clean.”

  “Your sister sure had an easy time finding trouble, didn’t she? She gets it from Fiona for sure.”