by Mary Maxwell
I patted her shoulder. “Sorry about that one, Jules. I’ll never bring it up again.”
“Deal,” she said, checking the prep list on the whiteboard. “Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
I glanced at the roll of tasks. “I’ll do the buttercream frosting after lunch,” I said. “And we can probably put the Red, White & Blue Trifle off until tomorrow.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Julia said. “I think we can get it all done today. It just takes focus, dedication and a few galloons of strong coffee.”
I walked over to the far side of the kitchen and reached for the coffee filters. “That’s my cue,” I said with a smile. “I’ll get the java going before I do anything else.”
While I worked on grinding beans and filling the water reservoir, Julia slipped into an apron and began gathering ingredients for a batch of cinnamon rolls. As the coffee maker gurgled into action, I grabbed my apron and started to drop it over my head when my phone rang.
“Who else gets up this early?” Julia said, glancing at the clock. “It’s not even five o’clock yet.”
“I think I know who it is,” I said, reaching into my pocket for the phone. I checked the Caller ID and smiled. “I wondered how long it would be before I heard from them.”
She chuckled lightly and went back to work.
“Good morning, mother,” I said after swiping the screen to accept the call. “And are you on the other line, dad?”
“Hey, there!” my parents said together. “Rise and shine!”
“I’m up,” I said. “I’ve only overslept once this week, so I think you can rest assured that all is well in Crescent Creek.”
My dad muttered something that was too garbled to understand.
“Speak up, honey,” my mother suggested. “I don’t think Katie heard you.”
“Okay, dear,” he said. “Katie, we’re both very proud of you.”
I felt my heart flutter with pride.
“And we want you to know that our top secret spy on the ground there has been reporting back all week,” my mother said. “They told us all about how well things are going, how delicious everything is and how cute you and Trent looked together when you were talking on the front porch.”
I groaned softly to myself. “Well, I’m glad your spy is keeping you updated on my progress,” I said. “How is Blanche Speltzer doing anyway?”
They both went silent. I could hear the television droning in the background, but neither my mother nor father would confirm that Blanche was their undercover agent.
“Well, I’d love to chat,” I said finally. “But I should probably get back to work.”
They both wished me well and told me they were proud of me. “But don’t let that go to your head,” my father said. “You’ve got to stay on your toes to keep Sky High running right.”
“Don’t you worry,” I told them. “I’m going to stay on my toes and whatever else it takes to keep the family business running smoothly for at least another twenty-five years.”
When I finished talking to my parents, I slipped the phone in my pocket and surveyed the dining room. Everything was neat and tidy. There was no indication that a crazed gun-wielding woman wearing expensive shoes and too much makeup had been there the previous day.
“Hey, Kate!” Julia called from the kitchen. “I think you’ve got company.”
I started toward the swinging door just as she came into the dining room.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Trent Walsh,” she said. “He just pulled into the back parking lot.”
I checked the clock above the register. “Talk about the early bird,” I said. “That man must never sleep.”
“Well, it doesn’t hurt him at all,” Julia said, giving me a mischievous wink. “Because he’s dressed in a suit and he looks H-O-T!”
I slipped into the kitchen just as Trent came in the backdoor. He gave me a little wave and smiled at Julia.
“Morning, ladies,” he said. “How’s everyone doing on this beautiful day?”
I stopped in the middle of the room and grinned. “What’s got you so bright-eyed and bushytailed this morning?”
“I’m flying to Chicago later this afternoon,” he said. “Chet asked me if I could spare the time to confer with him on the Gustave Landecker case.”
I nodded. “Moving up to the big leagues, huh?”
Trent shook his head. “I just want to make sure it’s buttoned up nicely,” he said. “I don’t want any loose ends that might come back to bite you on the butt.”
I knew what he meant. And I thanked him for the sentiment. Then I asked why he was stopping by Sky High so early in the morning.
“Oh,” he said. “Because I wanted to ask you a question.”
“And you couldn’t call me?” I asked. “Or send me a text?”
He shrugged. “Nope. I wanted to ask you in person.”
Julia sighed. “Oh, this is too much,” she said. “I really—” She caught my side eye and stopped in midsentence. Then she smiled and went back to measuring flour for the next item on the prep list.
“What is it?” I said.
Trent came toward me. “Well, Miss Reed,” he said. “I was wondering if you might like to go to dinner this weekend. I thought maybe we could talk about the past one last time.”
I felt a warm tingle skitter around my heart. “Didn’t we already do that?”
He frowned. “Nope. I’d like to revisit a couple of things,” he said. “So that we might then be able to talk about our present.”
I glanced at Julia. She was doing her best not to giggle, clap her hands and jump up and down.
“Our present?” I said, lifting my chin slightly. “What are you talking about?”
Trent heaved a sigh. “Oh, for crying out loud, Kate. I know that I really bungled things when we were kids. But seeing you these past few days…” He swallowed, licked his lips and gave me one of the most endearing smiles I’ve ever seen in my life. “Well, shoot,” he continued. “I just want to see if we can be friends again, Kate. How does that sound to you?”
I waited, feeling my stomach flip-flop as a surge of adrenalin raced from my head to my toes.
“It sounds good,” I said. “It sounds really, really good.”
