Before the man could say anything further, I screamed and Josie started throwing the whoopie pies at him with the intensity of a Major League pitcher. With both of them being preoccupied, I rose to my feet. The man's face was covered with filling, and pieces of the chocolate were all over the front of his suit. He staggered backwards like he was intoxicated until his head connected with the glass of the front door, and then he crashed to the floor.
My jaw dropped. Josie was strangely calm, armed with a cookie in one hand and her phone in the other. She wore a triumphant smile. "All those hours playing baseball with the kids in the backyard have finally paid off."
Josie and I slowly moved around to the front of the case and stood there looking down at my possible assassin. All I could see was dark hair dotted with splotches of whipped cream. His entire face was covered. Seemingly dazed, he moaned and tried to wipe the cream from his eyes as he blinked up at us.
Josie whipped a frosting knife out of her pocket. I had to hand it to her—the girl was always prepared. "Don't try anything, loser. The cops will be here soon, so you'd better plan on spending the night in the slammer."
He continued to stare at us openmouthed, but no sound came out. At that moment Brian's squad car pulled up across the street behind the Buick. He got out, walked to the side of the vehicle, and then turned to look over at the shop. Since Mr. Assassin's body was blocking the door, I stood at the front window frantically waving my arms and jumping up and down in the air. Brian ran toward the shop as Josie prodded our would-be attacker with the toe of her shoe.
"The cops are here, and you're right in the way," she said sharply.
"Uh." The man grunted and pressed his hands against the floor as he tried to raise himself up.
Josie kicked him with her sneaker, and he collapsed on the floor again. "Never mind. You're not going anywhere."
Brian opened the door slowly and managed to squeeze his body inside. He stared down in shock at the man. Then his mouth twitched slightly as he turned to me and Josie. "This is the guy you were telling me about?"
My voice was trembling. "Yes. He was getting ready to pull a gun on Josie."
Our would-be attacker wiped at his face again with the sleeve of his jacket. "Officer, this is a huge mistake."
Instinctively, Brian's hand went to his gun on his belt. "Would you mind telling me why you're harassing these women?"
The man stood and brushed more cookies and whipped cream from his body. It was a useless effort since both he and his suit were a walking disaster. He reached a hand streaked with whipped cream into his pocket while Josie and I took a step backward.
"Careful, Brian. He's going to shoot you!" I screamed.
The man swore. "Ladies, I'm not going to shoot anyone. I'm a private investigator who was hired to protect Miss Muccio, not harm her." He flashed identification at Brian.
Brian examined the photo then glanced up at the man. He handed the card back to him. "Ralph Chang. Oh sure. I've heard of your company. R.C. Investigations, right?"
Ralph nodded and reached for napkins on the nearby table to wipe his face. "Yes." He glared at Josie. "Although after the encounter with Miss Muccio's employee, I think it's safe to say she doesn't need a bodyguard."
Josie's face was suddenly pale underneath the freckles. "He's a b-bodyguard?"
Brian bit into his lower lip to keep a straight face.
Ralph checked his suit coat, sighed then took it off, and loosened his tie. "I was hired by Mr. Michael Donovan to keep his fiancée safe."
I couldn't believe that Mike had actually gone through with the plan, and without telling me first. "He hired me a bodyguard? Are you serious?"
Josie clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. "I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I had no idea. Wait, let me help you clean this mess up." She ran into the back room and returned in record time with two hand towels, one damp and one dry. She started to help clean off Ralph's coat, but he waved her off.
"No offense, miss, but I'd rather you stayed as far away from me as possible."
Brian's mouth twitched. "Well, I see that one mystery has been solved."
I exhaled a long, steady breath. "This is all my fault. I just got back from my dress fitting, and someone left a present on the bridal shop's porch that was meant for me." I showed Ralph and Brian the fortune cookie and its message.
Brian's smile disappeared as he examined the slip of paper. "Let me take this for evidence. We can try to run it for fingerprints, but chances are we won't find anything."
Ralph put a hand to the back of his head where it had connected with the front door. "Sorry, Miss Muccio, but I need to go home and change. And take a couple of aspirin. I'll phone Mike and tell him I'll be back later on. Maybe."
Josie shifted nervously from one foot to another. "I'm really sorry, sir."
He had one hand on the door but turned to look back at her. "You've got a mean right arm, Miss. Maybe the Yankees could use your help."
The bells were set in motion as Ralph opened the door and staggered across the street to his waiting car.
Brian watched him leave, hands on his hips. "The poor bastard. They say being a cop is a tough job because we put our lives on the line every day. Being hired to look after you has got to be worse though."
"Hmm." I frowned. "Thanks for the compliment."
He narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, Sally, but it's the truth. Your world is a bit scary these days."
Yeah, don't I know it.
Josie heaved a sigh. "I hope he doesn't quit. You obviously need someone watching your back."
"She should hire you," Brian grinned. "Problem solved."
Josie gave him a sharp look then snorted back a laugh as she went into the back room to get a broom and clean up the cookie mess.
"Thanks for coming." I smiled at Brian.
He watched as Josie started cleaning the floor. "Do you think we could talk privately for a moment, Sally?"
Josie looked up at the both of us. "Don't worry. I can take a hint. I need to make up some more whoopie pies for tonight anyway. My stock has somehow been depleted." She hummed a little tune low in her throat as she returned to the back room.
There were three small tables painted white with matching chairs in front of my large bay window. I sat down on one of the chairs, and Brian took a seat opposite me. "Can I get you some coffee?"
He shook his head. "No thanks. I'm trying to cut down. I have enough trouble sleeping lately as it is."
When he smiled, I couldn't help noticing how those green eyes of his shone in the sunlight that was reflecting through the window. A pang of recognition set in, and I winced. Not again. I thought Brian had finally accepted that there was nothing romantic between us. Disappointment flooded my body. I really wanted him as a friend but nothing more. I was in love with someone else and always had been. This infatuation needed to end.
"What's up?" My tone sounded a bit reluctant.
He placed his elbows on the tablecloth Grandma Rosa had crocheted so lovingly for me and leaned forward. "This is really hard for me to say."
I couldn't deal with this any longer. "Brian, you're a really nice guy, but—"
"Sally, you need to stop calling me."
I prattled on, oblivious to his words. "I'm getting married on Saturday and thought you had accepted the fact that there would never be anything—"
Wait a second. What did he just say?
Brian looked apologetic. "I confess that I was really taken with you for a while. When you turned me down and decided to get back together with Mike, it hurt a great deal. For a while it affected me so much that every time I dated another girl, all I did was compare her to you. But I'm over that now."
"Oh." I didn't know what else to say. For some odd reason, it felt like I'd been rejected. "Well, I'm glad that you and Ally are happy."
At the mention of her name, his face lit up. "I'm crazy about Ally. We've gotten close in the last couple of weeks. Very close in fact."
Okay, way t
oo much information for me.
He stared down at the table, refusing to meet my eyes. "When you called yesterday—well, Ally got kind of pissed. I know it sounds unreasonable of her, but somewhere she'd heard that I'd pursued you to go out with me and that we might have even been together, if you know what I mean."
I knew what he meant, and this didn't make me feel any happier about the entire situation. Now I understood the reason for Ally's visit today. Josie's earlier assumption had been correct. Even though I was getting married on Saturday, Ally thought I might still have designs on Brian. Or worse, that we were carrying on. "I see. I hope you set her straight."
He nodded. "I told her that, yes, I had asked you out before, but nothing ever happened between the two of us. I'm not sure if she believed it though. Then when you called yesterday—well, she kind of snapped."
I didn't like that word. I had seen people snap before, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Since I had an idea where Brian was going with this conversation, I decided to help him out. "So next time I should call 9-1-1 for assistance instead of bothering you?"
His answer was to reach out and cover my hand with his. I briefly thought about moving mine away, but the gesture wasn't construed by me as a romantic one.
"I still care about you and always will," Brian continued. "But I really want to make this work with Ally. So, yes, if you could please call someone else in the future, that would be great. I'm still involved in this case and promise to call or stop by whenever I have new information. If you could avoid contacting me directly in the future though, I would appreciate it."
I nodded mutely. Of course I understood where Brian was coming from and didn't mean to take advantage of him, but his request had hurt me. At the moment I really needed his help. My life might be in danger, and Brian knew better than anyone else about the past involvements I'd had with some shady individuals. It seemed only natural that I would call him for assistance. To learn that Ally was acting this way surprised me as well. I wondered if she might be getting too possessive of Brian already but didn't feel it was my place to ask.
He reached into his pocket and handed me a card. "If something happens, call my partner, Adam. You've met him before."
I stared down at the card for a minute before I responded. "Sure, no problem. I appreciate the thought."
Brian rose from the table. "I'm glad Mike's looking after you and hired Ralph. From what I hear, he's the best at what he does, and you should be safe. Well, if Ralph decides he still wants the job, that is."
My laugh sounded hollow to my own ears. I was saddened by his words for this felt like a good-bye of some sort. I didn't want to lose Brian's friendship but forced myself to look at things from his perspective. He was trying to make a future with Ally and didn't need me screwing things up for him.
If a woman who I thought might have been involved with Mike in the past—say, Marla—kept calling him to fix a leaky faucet, would it bother me? Okay, bad example there. Mike and I had been through so much since we first started dating at the age of sixteen. After five years of being with Colin then another five as his wife and then learning about his indiscretions, it had been difficult for me to learn to trust again. I had no doubts about my relationship with Mike or his love for me, but after all this time apart, it had come at a high price.
"I'll call you tomorrow if I have any updates," Brian continued. "I also wanted to let you know that I checked out all other assailants from past cases you were involved with and everyone is still behind bars. From the time Amanda was found dead on your doorstop to when we arrested the party responsible for killing Gianna's client and burning down your bakery a few weeks ago. But if you think I've forgotten someone, feel free to let Adam know."
For some reason, I felt like someone had been overlooked, but who that might be escaped me for the moment. "Of course. Thanks, Brian."
He paused at the door and then turned around to look at me one last time. "Best of luck, Sally." His tone was husky. "You deserve to be happy."
CHAPTER NINE
"You could have told me."
I tried very hard to keep the disapproval out of my tone. Mike had my best interest at heart, of that I had no doubt. Ever since we'd gotten back together, he'd gone to extreme lengths to prove his love for me, to show me he was over the jealousy issues and insecurities that had plagued him through his awful childhood and teenage years. The bodyguard hiring was his attempt to protect me, but the truth of the matter was it had almost ended in disaster.
Mike pulled his truck into my parents' driveway behind Gianna's Ford Fiesta. He had picked me up at the bakery and insisted that I wasn't going anywhere alone if Ralph was not available to babysit me. The bodyguard was mysteriously missing in action tonight. Go figure.
We had grabbed a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant and were now dropping off Gianna's maid of honor dress. She was moving into the apartment later this week but was at my parents' tonight. The day couldn't come soon enough, she had said.
Mike reached for my hand and brought it to his lips. "That was why Ralph came into the shop, to tell you, baby. He hadn't counted on your wacko partner going all mental on him."
Wacko partner? Real nice.
He went on. "Plus, I didn't think he was available to start until tomorrow, so I was all set to patrol the bakery myself. Ralph's been a good client of mine. I installed siding on his house a few months ago, did his roof last week, and he has more work for me. Most important, he's great at his profession."
The miracle of it all was that Ralph still wanted the job. He couldn't be that desperate for business, could he?
"How much is this costing?" I asked through the open window as Mike went around the front of the truck.
He glanced up and down the street before he opened my door. "You let me worry about that."
"Mike—"
He wrapped his arms around me before I could even attempt to move from the seat. "I don't care. There's no price on your life, baby." He kissed me tenderly. "If it makes you feel any better, the cost's not as bad as you think. I've done a great deal of work on his house, so we're trading off a bit."
"How much?" I asked again.
He ignored my question. "I don't think we should go through with this wedding at the country club. We need to come up with a new plan."
I blew out a sigh. "Mom's going to freak."
His blue eyes shot angry sparks. "Well, that's too bad. No way am I taking any chances with your safety, and I would hope that she'd feel the same way."
Well, if my mother was normal, she'd feel that way. Of course I knew she loved me, but the woman went through life seeing only what she wanted to see. Ever since she had started planning this wedding, she had been acting stranger than usual, and that was hard to believe. Perhaps she thought this was the only wedding she'd ever get to arrange. Gianna had told me numerous times that she wanted a career before settling down, and she was uncertain about children. We couldn't be more different in that respect. Gianna saying the words to my mother would be similar to thrusting a knife in her back.
I reached for the garment bag next to me on the seat and handed it to him. "That's sure to go over well."
As we walked down the sidewalk and toward the front door, it was opened by my grandmother.
"I saw you pull in," Grandma Rosa said as I hugged her.
The best part about returning to my childhood home was—and always had been—spending time with my grandmother. She had come to live with my parents after my grandfather had passed away, when Gianna was a baby. Growing up, there were many times she had been the only one who'd ever really listened to what I was saying.
"Are you hungry?" she asked. "There are leftovers and a butterscotch parfait that Nicoletta sent over."
"I'm glad she's feeling well enough to make her famous dessert again." The dessert was four layers of delicious, rich butterscotch and whipped cream goodness, but I'd barely been able to choke down my cheeseburger.
Mike shook his head.
"No thanks, Rosa. We already stopped for a burger."
Grandma Rosa frowned as she looked at me. "You have lost weight. Becky called your mother today. She is all worried about your gown not fitting right. And your mama is all upset about who is going to make the cake. Pepe has closed the shop down until next week."
I struggled not to roll my eyes. "The gown fits fine, and I know all about Pepe. He already phoned me." There was no way I could be angry with the man for canceling my order. Heck, if I were Pepe, I wouldn't want to be involved in cake preparations for me either. I'd managed to transform his elegant shop into a disaster zone.
"Josie's making the cake," I said as we walked inside. "That's the way it should have been from the beginning."
Grandma Rosa nodded in approval. "That is good, yes. But your mama is a bit touched in the head these days, more so than usual. She is in the kitchen waiting for you both. Do not say I did not warn you."
Gianna came out into the foyer, hugged me, and took the garment bag from my hands. "Thanks for picking it up."
"No problem." I watched as she hung it in the nearby closet. "You're not going out with Johnny tonight?"
Gianna shook her head. "He's spending time with Nicoletta tonight. His grandmother is feeling a bit jealous since I entered the picture." She glanced at Mike. "I hate to be a pest, but is the apartment ready to go?"
Mike nodded. "I'm going to put the final coat of paint on tomorrow, and you should be able to move in the following day."
She sighed in relief. "You're the best. Thanks."
My father shouted from the living room. "Yeah, baby! The blog is getting hits. I knew death would be popular!"
We all peered into the room. My father was sitting at his workstation, next to the mahogany coffin that stood open, and fortunately empty.
I walked into the living room hand in hand with Mike. "That's great, Dad."
"People are even commenting on it." He leaned closer to the screen to read a post and spoke in a dramatic halting tone. "You make death sound so appealing. I got a thousand hits today! I'm famous!" He pounded the desk with his fist and gave a loud whoop.
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