by Sofie Ryan
“It’s all right, Sarah,” she said softly.
Lily stepped in front of us on the sidewalk, blocking our way. Her dark-brown eyes flashed with anger, and the color was high in her cheeks.
“You had no right to try to do an end run around me by going to my mother,” she said to Liz, her normally soft voice laced with anger. Her long brown hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. She didn’t have a jacket on, only a white-and-blue-plaid shirt over a thermal tee and jeans, but she didn’t seem to notice the cold.
“You’re right,” Liz said in a calm, steady voice. “And I’m sorry.”
“That doesn’t change anything,” Lily said. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. “I’m not selling. Stop pressuring me. Stop hassling me. And stay the hell out of my business!” She turned and disappeared back into the bakery.
I felt a tremor go through Liz’s arm and I didn’t think it was due to the cold.
“I’ve never seen Lily that angry,” I said.
Liz swallowed and looked back over her shoulder at the little shop as we started walking toward the car again. “Neither have I,” she said. “I should have known Caroline would tell her.”
“That was very nice, apologizing to her like that.”
“I shouldn’t have gone to her mother,” Liz said, giving me a sideways look. “I don’t know why I thought it would make a difference. Lily’s her baby. Of course she’s going to stand by her.”
“It’ll work out,” I said as we came level with Liz’s car. “If this project doesn’t work out, maybe some other developer will be interested. Maybe someone will come up with a smaller project, a different one.”
Liz smiled at me. “Sometimes you’re so like your grandmother,” she said. She let go of my arm and touched my cheek for a moment before pulling out her car keys. “Can I drive you home?” she offered.
I shook my head. “Thanks, but it’s not windy and my coat is warm. I think I’ll walk. But thank you for dinner.”
“You’re welcome, my dear,” she said. “I’ll make sure Avery is ready in the morning. Have a good night.”
I waited until Liz pulled away from the curb. She looked in her rearview mirror and waved at me. I waved back; then I stepped to the curb and looked both ways, planning to jaywalk instead of going back to the corner to cross.
“You’re not planning on trying to cross the street, are you?” a voice said behind me. “Because that would be against the law, and I’d be forced to make a citizen’s arrest.”
I turned to see Nick Elliot standing behind me. He was wearing a black quilted jacket, a black-and-red knitted cap over his sandy hair and a big smile.
I folded my arms over my chest. “Let’s just say, hypothetically of course, that I was thinking about crossing here instead of at the corner: How would you be planning on apprehending me? I’m pretty fast.”
He frowned in mock seriousness. “Trying to avoid capture would be a waste of time. I know where you live.” He paused. “And I’d tell my mother on you.”
I held up a hand. “Okay. You win. I’ll walk to the corner. I don’t want any trouble with Charlotte Elliot.”
Nick laughed, his chocolate-brown eyes gleaming. I started across the sidewalk toward him and stepped on a small patch of ice. My foot skidded out from under me, and I pitched forward, right into Nick’s arms.
“I’ve got you,” he said, holding me tightly.
My hands had landed on his chest. I caught the scent of his Hugo aftershave, the same one he used to wear when we were teenagers. Jess swore the reason he still wore it was because he was still hung up on me. I thought habit was the more likely reason. That and I’d noticed Charlotte had bought it for him at Christmas.
“You all right?” Nick asked.
I was suddenly aware that his arms were still around me. And it was wonderfully warm, pressed up against his broad chest.
“I’m okay,” I said, taking a small step back out of his embrace.
Nick kept one hand on my arm. “Be careful. That’s not the first patch of ice I’ve seen tonight.”
I smiled up at him. “See? If I’d crossed the street, I’d be fine.”
He grinned. “No one ever said staying on the straight and narrow was easy.”
My mouth moved, but I didn’t say anything for a moment. Then I shook my head. “Nope,” I said. “I was trying to work in ‘heading down a slippery slope into a life of crime,’ but I can’t do it.”
Nick laughed. “What are you doing down here anyway?”
“I had supper with Liz at The Black Bear. I was just on my way home. What about you?”
He gestured over his shoulder. “I was at the bookstore.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you parked close by, or did you walk?”
“I walked,” I said.
“So did I.” He smiled. “Can I walk you home?”
“I don’t know,” I said, working to keep a straight face. “Can you?”
Nick laughed and shook his head. “You spend too much time with my mother.” He raised an eyebrow. “Seriously. I’ll walk you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I promise not to break any laws on the way there.”
He smiled at me. “Do you remember what I told you the last time I walked you home?”
That had been more than three months ago. But I remembered. “You said, ‘I am my mother’s son.’”
“Uh-huh,” he said, turning up the collar of his jacket, “and you said that we both get that same look when we’ve got our minds set on something.”
“In other words, don’t argue.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
I pulled up the zipper of my coat, pulled the sleeves down, and tied my scarf a bit tighter at my throat.
With a hand still on my arm, Nick moved me to his left side and tucked my hand in the crook of his elbow. “Just so you don’t get any ideas about breaking the law when we have to cross the street.” The smile went all the way up to his dark eyes.
We walked back to the corner, crossed over and headed down the street in the direction of my house. I was acutely aware of the warmth of Nick’s body beside me, and it seemed I could still smell his aftershave. My heart seemed to be beating a lot faster than made sense.
This was stupid, I told myself. This was Nick I was walking arm in arm with, not some romance-novel cover boy. Nick, whom I’d known since I was a kid. Nick, who once wiped his nose on my Mighty Morphin Power Rangers T-shirt.
I realized he’d just said something to me and I’d missed it. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” I asked.
“I just asked if you and Jess were going to be at the pub Thursday night. Where were you?”
“I was just thinking that you still owe me a T-shirt. A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers T-shirt, size medium.”
“I don’t think so,” he said.
I leaned sideways and looked up at him. “Excuse me. I beg to differ. You wiped your nose on mine. You got boy cooties—and worse—all over it.”
He stopped walking. “First of all,” he said, holding up one gloved finger, “my mother washed that T-shirt. It was fine. Second of all, I was making social commentary when I wiped my nose on your shirt.”
“Social commentary?” I said, struggling not to laugh.
Nick pulled himself up to his full six-foot-plus height. “Yes. Social commentary. Maybe you don’t remember, but you tried to say that those Mighty Morph-whatever Power People could take on the Justice League. Wiping my nose on that shirt was my way of showing my disdain for your opinion.”
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” I said, putting the emphasis on the last word. “Not Power People. And for your information, the Rangers could have wiped the floor with the Justice League.”
Nick gave a snort of laughter. “Not likely.”
“I have one word for you,” I said. �
�Megazord.” Then I pressed my free arm diagonally across my chest.
“What? Are you about to swear some kind of oath? The code of terrible teenybopper kids’ shows?”
“The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is classic TV,” I said. I tapped my jacket with one finger. “I have a T-shirt on under this, and I’m protecting it from you.”
Nick started to laugh, and he pulled me back against his side. “I missed this, you know,” he said as we started walking again.
“Being reminded about your dubious taste in superheroes?” I teased.
He scrunched up his nose at me. “No. I mean being with someone who knows me so well. It’s nice.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
He reached over and gave my hand a squeeze.
“And, yes, Jess and I are planning on Thursday-night jam. You want us to save you a seat?”
“Please,” he said. “I’m not on call.”
I bumped him with my shoulder. “Are you bringing your guitar?”
“Are you?” he countered.
“Point taken,” I said.
“We should get together and play sometime,” Nick said. “My mother thinks you spend too much time working.”
I laughed. “She says the same thing about you.”
“That’s because she wants grandchildren.” He steered me around a slippery patch on the sidewalk.
“She told you that?” I asked.
“Not directly. She just points out every baby she sees when we’re out anywhere.”
I bumped his hip with mine. “Oh, you poor thing,” I said with mock concern.
“I’m not going to get any sympathy from you, am I?” he said.
I shook my head. “Nope. I work with your mother and Rose, and Liz is in the store all the time. They’re always trying to stage-manage my life.” I smiled up at him. “Suck it up, big guy.”
He laughed and pulled his hat down over his forehead a bit more with his free hand. “So what’s new with you?”
“Not much,” I said. “The store’s been a little quiet, but we’re getting more traffic on the website.”
“Do I dare ask what’s happening with Charlotte’s Angels?” he said. “If I ask Mom, she changes the subject.”
After they’d “solved” Arthur Fenety’s murder last spring, Rose, Liz and Charlotte had decided to open their own detective agency, Charlotte’s Angels, Discreet Investigations, the Angels for short. They’d set up their office in the sunporch at the store. Winter had moved them inside to the far end of the back room.
“They haven’t had any big cases,” I said. “I think they found someone’s missing teeth.”
Nick sighed. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“I wish I were,” I said.
We turned a corner. “I thought they’d give up this whole private detective business.”
I shook my head. “Liz, Rose and your mother. You really thought they’d just ‘give up’? Did you grow up somewhere else?”
He made a face. “I know. Wishful thinking on my part. Tell me how the work is going in the old garage. When I talked to Liam, he said he got you some shelving for storage.” Nick and my brother were good friends.
“He did,” I said. “Four big wall units. They’re in great shape and the price was terrific. All I need now is for him or Dad to come for the weekend and help me get them up. It’s more than Mac and I can do alone.”
“Let me know if I can help,” he said.
“I will. Maybe I can lure him to town with the chance of hanging out doing gross boy stuff with you.”
Nick nodded. “Now that I think about it, it’s been way too long since Liam and I have spent the evening down at Sam’s. I’m a pretty good wingman, if I say so myself.” He raised an eyebrow and gave me a sly smile when he said “wingman.”
“I don’t want to talk about Liam’s love life,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want to think about it. As Avery would say: Ewww!”
We walked in comfortable silence for a moment.
“Did you miss it when you were gone?” I asked. “North Harbor. Everyone.”
“You know, at the time, I would have said I didn’t.” He looked down at me. His mouth moved as though he were trying out the feel of what he wanted to say before he said it. “Now I realize I did,” he said. “More than I knew.”
We talked about the changes in North Harbor in the years we’d both been away, and suddenly I realized we were in front of my house.
I let go of Nick’s arm. “Thank you for the walk home.” I yawned, tried to stifle it and failed. “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s not the company. It’s just been a long day.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. And thank you for your company.” He looked up for a moment at the blue-black night sky shot with stars. “It’s good to be home,” he said when his eyes finally met mine again.
We looked at each other, the moment stretching out between us. Then Nick cleared his throat and glanced over at the house. I’d left the outside light on. “You’d better get in. It’s cold out here.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, just below my hat.
I headed for the steps, fighting the urge to touch the spot with my fingers. I turned at the door and raised one hand in good night. Nick did the same and then turned and headed down the sidewalk.
I gave in and put my fingers to my forehead. Was it just my imagination that I seemed to still be able to feel the warmth of his lips?
* * *
Avery was waiting by the side door of Liz’s house in the morning, standing under the outside light, huddled into her giant parka and big polar fleece mittens, hugging a square tin covered with pink peonies to her chest.
“It’s so freakin’ cold,” she said as she climbed into the passenger side of the SUV. “Can I have hot chocolate? Please, please, please?”
“Yes,” I said. “If Lily doesn’t have any made, we’ll stop somewhere and get you some. How did the cake turn out?”
She threw back her hood and smiled. “So excellent.” She set the rectangular tin on the seat between us. “This is for coffee-break time this morning,” she said. “There’s enough for everybody.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you, Avery. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did,” she said, fastening her seat belt. “Rose gave me that look. You know the one I mean, where she wants you to do something nice, but she doesn’t say it because she wants you to do it without being told.”
I did.
Avery flipped through the radio stations as we drove down to the bakery. I parked directly in front of the shop and we got out. I peered through the front window, but there was no sign of Lily at the counter getting ready for her day.
“That’s odd,” I said.
Avery shrugged. “Maybe she forgot we were coming.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, although that wasn’t like Lily at all. Then again, neither was last night’s outburst.
Avery tried the door. “Hey, Sarah, this is open,” she said.
That was wrong as well. I felt a prickle of apprehension. “Go wait in the car,” I said, stepping past her.
She gave me her “stupid adult” look. “Uh, not likely,” she said, following me inside.
I called out Lily’s name a couple of times, but there was no answer.
“Maybe she’s in the kitchen and has her iPod on or something,” Avery offered.
It was possible, although I’d never seen Lily with an iPod.
I pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen. The lights were on, but there was no sign of Lily anywhere. And there were no loaves of bread cooling on racks. No cinnamon rolls waiting to go in the oven. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Then I saw the door down to the basement was open.
I turned to look at Avery. “Just stay right here,” I said. “Without giving me a h
ard time for once. Please.” Something in my voice or my face must have told her not to argue this time.
I walked over to the open basement door, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. Lily was at the bottom of the basement stairs. There was blood on two of the steps. I didn’t go down to check on her. I could tell from the angle of her neck that she was dead.
Chapter 4
I turned around and hustled Avery back out to the SUV.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Just go,” I said, putting one hand in the middle of her back and pushing her ahead of me while I fished my cell phone out of my pocket with the other.
We got as far as the sidewalk before Avery braced her feet. She swung around to face me and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on,” she said. She had the same stubborn look I’d seen many times over the years in her grandmother’s eyes.
“There was . . . an accident,” I said, choosing my words carefully.
“You mean Lily’s dead,” she said flatly, “because if she were just hurt, you’d be in there helping her.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Yes,” I said. “Lily’s dead. Please go sit in the car while I call 911.”
Avery looked over at the bakery. “All right,” she said after a moment. She started for the SUV.
“Avery,” I called after her.
She stopped and looked back over her shoulder at me. “Keep your phone in your pocket for now, please.” I didn’t want her to text her friends with the news before the police had a chance to contact Caroline.
After a moment’s hesitation she nodded. “All right.”
I turned my back to the SUV, swallowed against the sudden sting of tears and called 911.
The first patrol car arrived in minutes. I explained about finding Lily’s body. The officer asked me to stay outside and went in to have a look for himself. After that things got very busy, very quickly. Avery and I waited in the SUV and watched the action swirl around us. When I saw Michelle’s car pull in at the curb ahead of us, I nudged Avery.
