My Sweet Valentine

by Sanders, Jill

  “Hey.” She turned and looked at him, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “You're early.” She looked at the clock. “Where did the time go?” She said this with a smile. He couldn't image why she liked working in a hot kitchen all day. He'd rather have his nails pulled out one at a time. Slowly. But he did enjoy the perks. The hot cookie melted in his mouth and sent something close to a shiver up his spine.

  “What are these called?” Sara looked over at him as he waved the chocolate cookie around.

  “Chocolate melts. Do you like them?”

  “Best cookie…ever.” He smiled when she laughed.

  “I'm almost done here.”

  “That's okay. I thought we'd head to the Golden Oar for dinner.”

  “Sounds wonderful. I'm ready for someone else to cook for me.” She dusted off her hands.

  “Larry's taking me there tomorrow night,” Josie said, smiling from across the room.

  “How's that going?” Allen leaned on the wall and crossed his arms. He didn't know Larry all that well, but he knew he and Sara had been lifelong friends.

  “Great.” Josie beamed. “Just wonderful.”

  “You can't tell, because she's so short,” Sara laughed, “but she's been floating around here all day. I say it's love.”

  Josie smiled at her. “I'd say I'm not the only one feeling those effects, either.” Josie pointed to her and Allen almost choked on his bite of cookie.

  Sara looked over at him with concern in her eyes. She'd probably gotten the wrong idea and had thought that it had freaked him out, the thought of her falling for him, but it had actually been the opposite. Ever since the attack, he'd been trying to work up the nerve to tell her how he felt about her. He'd never fallen before, so it had come as a shock to him that it had happened so quickly.

  He'd been planning on making it a special event, but he just didn't know how yet.

  When they drove to the restaurant in silence, she stopped him before he could get out of the truck.

  “Josie was just joking.”

  “Hmm?” He turned to look at her. Her curly hair was tied up in a loose braid, tiny wisps hung around her face. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. “I know. I think I'm finally getting her humor.” He smiled as he pulled away. “Besides, you should be the one to tell me you love me.” He gave her his wickedest smile. “After all, it's hard to resist this.” He waved his hand up and down in front of himself.

  She laughed, getting his joke. “Yes, what woman could resist your charms?”

  “Certainly not you.” He leaned over and kissed her again. “I know I have a hard time resisting your…baking.” He quickly ducked her light punch and got out of the truck to walk around and open the door for her. Helping her down, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless. “Maybe we should grab dinner to go?” He ran his mouth down the column of her neck, enjoying the smell and taste of her. “Sugar. How is it you taste like sugar?”

  She laughed. “Josie throws it at me.” She giggled when he ran his tongue over her neck.

  “Mmmm, better than those melted cookies.” She laughed.

  “Chocolate Melts.”

  “Yeah.”

  Just then they heard a cough and looked over to see Iian and Allison standing there smiling at them. Conner was tugging on Allison's hand until she finally let him go. He ran right into Sara's arms. She picked him up effortlessly and twirled him around as the little boy squealed with delight.

  “We were just coming in for some dinner,” Allen said.

  Allison signed as she spoke. “So were we. Conner and I were, at least. Iian was just meeting us outside.”

  “What do you say to grabbing a big table together?” Sara looked at him. How could he deny her? He'd wanted to tell her the news he'd learned from Robert, but he knew they had plenty of time that night.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  It was nice having friends to laugh and joke with over dinner. It was normally hard to communicate with Iian, since he rarely liked to speak, but with Allison there as an interpreter, the night went smoothly.

  “You know, we were wondering if you'd be interested in offering some desserts here,” Allison said once everyone's plates were empty. “We have our standard desserts, but they just don't compare.” Allison smiled.

  “Sure, I bet we can work something out.” He could see the spark in Sara's eyes with the possibilities.

  “Wonderful,” Iian said. “I tried your white chocolate cheesecake the other day.” Iian rolled his eyes. “Best I've ever had.”

  “Thank you.” Allen watched Sara blush a little.

  “Have you heard anything about the attack?” Allison asked, holding her sleeping son against her growing belly.

  Sara shook her head and looked down at her hands.

  Allen grabbed her hand. “Actually, Robert came to see me right before I drove over.” He spent the next few minutes relaying what Robert had told him.

  “I just can't believe Mr. Mathis is behind all this.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Sure, he was a pain and always hitting on his employees, but to do everything…” He watched her shiver. “I just don't see it.” Her face dropped a little. “Poor Bethany. What is she going through? She was a tough boss, but she didn't deserve this.”

  “People can be sick,” Allison said. “When Kevin Williams burned down my house with my mother inside, no one in town would have thought he could have done something like that. But he'd changed. Maybe your Mr. Mathis is going through some rough times.”

  Sara looked out the large windows towards the choppy waters, deep in thought. “I suppose.”

  “I'm just thankful they finally have a lead. The rental car, his lack of alibi,” Allen said. “Maybe now we can all get back to our normal lives and Sara can be safe.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next day Robert came around and told Sara that there had been enough cause to book Stephan Mathis. The tire treads matched the molds taken by the house, the rental car company confirmed that the car had been rented with his credit card, and Stephan didn't have solid alibis for any of the events. Even the night her Seattle apartment had been vandalized, his only alibi was he'd been at home watching sports and drinking beer alone.

  Sara felt like a weight had lifted off her chest. She hadn't realized that for the last four years she'd been living in terror. Finally, she could go where she wanted without fear.

  Besides, one of her favorite times of the year was right around the corner, and this year she had reason to celebrate it. Valentine’s Day had always been high on her list, along with playing dress up during Halloween. She'd celebrated plenty of Valentine’s Days with boyfriends, but this was the first she'd celebrate knowing she was truly in love. She enjoyed decorating the bakery and enjoyed cooking the specialty items for the season even more. Now all she had to do was tell Allen how she felt, and she knew exactly how she was going to do it. She'd been sketching up her plans all week, since they'd hung all the Valentine's decorations.

  Josie had signed the lease on the apartment above Patty's place. Since the house they'd rented was still being renovated, the landlady had canceled the lease. She'd even refunded them their whole deposit. Sara hadn't really given much thought to staying longer at Allen's. She still questioned what he really felt about it, but every time she asked, he'd tell her that he loved having her there.

  They'd gone shopping in Edgeview for new clothes and toiletry items, since she'd been running low on everything. She'd gone shopping with Josie on another day and bought Allen a special Valentine’s gift. She kept the see-through black-and-pink teddy hidden until the right moment. She'd even bought a special dress for the occasion she had planned.

  She knew the days before a major holiday were going to be busy, but she didn't know that it would be crazy busy. She and Josie ended up staying past eleven most nights working on special orders and the orders for the Golden Oar.

  She knew she had to hire another full-time baker
, but decided to hold off interviewing until things slowed down.

  Since Allen had moved his shifts around during the time they’d been unclear who was stalking her, he found himself working doubles to catch up. Most nights she arrived home an hour or two before he did. Some mornings he was gone before she even woke up.

  They'd fallen into a pattern, spending their days off together, even if it meant he sat down at the bakery for a few hours watching her work.

  This weekend though, she had their special dinner planned and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of her plans.

  She spent the night before their date working at the bakery alone. She wanted everything just perfect. When there was a knock on the back door, she almost jumped. Looking out the peephole, she was shocked to see Bethany Mathis standing in the rain.

  Sara disarmed the security system and opened the door a little. “Bethany? What are you doing here?”

  Bethany had been Sara's boss for the four years she'd worked in Seattle. She was a larger woman who hadn't given her appearance much attention. She'd spent most of her time in the kitchen, baking. Something Sara had forced herself to learn from Bethany was to always maintain a life outside of the kitchen. Smiling a little, she opened the door farther. The larger woman's face was red and Sara could tell that she'd been crying.

  “I'm sorry to bother you. I tried to make it here earlier, before you closed, but something came up at the shop.”

  “Please,” Sara motioned for her to come in. Whatever the pain the woman's husband had cause her, Sara couldn't say much against Bethany. The woman had been a wonderful boss, caring and kind the entire time she'd worked for her. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No, thank you.” Bethany took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped at her nose. “I've been meaning to get down here and see your place.” She looked around, walking farther into the kitchen.

  Sara shut the door behind her. She didn't know what to say to the woman whose husband had caused her so much grief.

  “You've really made a place for yourself here,” Bethany said, her back to Sara. “I suppose I should have seen this coming.”

  Sara stood still, unsure of what she'd just heard. Then Bethany turned around, a smile pasted on her lips. “Stephan was always talking about how talented you were. Sara this. Sara that. It drove me nuts!” She screamed the last part.

  “I'm sorry. I know you must be upset.” Sara tried to think how she'd feel if her husband had been cheating on her, and stalking one of her employees.

  “Upset? Upset!” Bethany laughed. “You think I'm upset?” She crossed her arms over her chest and started walking around, running her hands over the tables and utensils. “I'm more than upset. When I found out how Stephan felt about you, I knew he'd cheated before. I always looked the other way, but with you, it was different. He couldn't stop talking about you. Every time you walked into the room, I saw it there in his eyes.” She turned and glared at her. “Love.” The word sounded like poison coming from her lips. “So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

  Sara's back was to the door, but she was so frozen in place, she didn't think she could blink, let alone breathe. Bethany's fingers ran over the row of knives hanging on the magnet.

  “Breaking into your apartment was easy and fun.” She smiled and Sara gasped. “Oh yes, cutting up your things gave me great pleasure. Everything you are is tainted.”

  Sara gripped behind her, looking for the door handle. “Then you gave your notice and left. I thought things would change. I thought Stephan would finally pay attention to me again, but he didn't. Instead, he would go away for days at a time. I knew he was coming down here to you.” She screamed, and slowly slid the largest knife off the wall magnet. The metal on metal sound echoed in the empty building.

  “I'd been coming down here, trying to catch the two of you together, but you were too sneaky for me. I followed you everywhere you went. Everywhere! Then it became clear to me. I needed to get rid of you once and for all. I thought the hit over the head would work, but I guess I didn't hit you hard enough.”

  “But aren't you divorcing him?”

  “Of course!” Bethany started walking slowly towards her. She dragged the sharp knife along the top of the worktable, leaving behind a large scratch. “I had to keep up my appearances.” She stopped a few feet from her, smiling. Sara could see it now, the empty look that showed the evil inside. “I handed him the papers, then I drove down here on his credit card and hit you over the head with the largest stick I could find. I wanted to kill you. I will kill you. It will be easier after you’re gone. Stephan will be cleared, then he'll come running back to me, like he always does. And you won't be around to distract him.”

  Bethany lunged, the knife held high. Sara saw the lights sparkle off the sharp edge just before she screamed.

  Allen smiled and looked down at Beast. He'd spent the last hour bathing him. The dog now smelled as good as he looked. Frowning, Allen looked down at himself and then looked at the clock. He had just enough time for a quick shower before his plans. He'd kept his secret from Sara all week and it was killing him.

  Jogging upstairs, he looked over his shoulder. “Don't go messing anything up, buddy. We've got a date tonight.”

  He knew it was early, that Valentine's Day wasn't until this weekend, but he had overheard Sara telling Josie that they'd be too busy that day to do anything other than work. So he’d decided an early Valentine couldn't hurt. Plus, she wouldn’t be expecting it.

  After showering, he put on his new jeans and shirt and took a look at his reflection. Yup, he was ready for this, he told himself.

  It took some doing getting Beast and the large box into the truck. He finally decided to put the box in first and then go back for the dog. Beast now weighed almost a hundred pounds, easily.

  Driving through town, he smiled as he stopped in front of the bakery. She'd sure outdone herself with the window decorations. The pink, red, and white lights flashed in the window. She'd even changed the blubs in her sign so that her lettering showed up with a slight tint of pink.

  Yeah, love was in the air. He opened the door for Beast to jump out. It was raining lightly and he frowned at the sky. “Looks like we're going to get a little wet.” Couldn't the weather work with him for one night? Hoping it would clear by the time they made it to the beach, he walked to the back bakery door just as Sara pushed out of it, screaming. She ran right into his arms, yelling, “She has a knife!”

  For a split second, he thought she and Josie were just fooling around, but then a large woman with bright blonde hair came rushing out the door, waving a large knife. In a blink of an eye, Beast had his jaws wrapped around the woman's wrist, the one with the knife in it. The woman screamed and dropped the knife and tried to kick the dog off of her.

  “Dial 911.” Allen shoved his cell phone into Sara's hands, then he walked over and kicked the knife away from the woman before pulling Beast back two steps. Allen told him to sit and he did, but he didn't stop growling and glaring at the woman.

  “Who are you?” Allen asked, hearing Sara talking on the phone behind him.

  “That dog attacked me. I'm going to sue.”

  “Who are you?” he demanded a little louder.

  “I'm Bethany Mathis, and that dog attacked me on her property.” She pointed to Sara. “I was just walking out the door, minding my own business when he attacked me. Look at my wrist. I think he broke it!” she screeched.

  Allen saw the red marks on the woman's wrist. Beast had broken skin, but there was no way he'd broken her wrist.

  “I'm leaving. I'm going to go call my lawyer.”

  “You'll stay right where you are.” Beast's growling became louder when the woman started to move. “We'll just wait and see what Robert says when he arrives.”

  “I don't care what you say. I'm leaving. If that dog attacks me again, I'll have him shot.” She smiled and Allen could see the wickedness in her face.

  “They’re coming,”
Sara said, standing behind him. He felt her shiver and wanted to tell her to go inside, but he knew she wouldn't leave him. Didn't want to leave him.

  “Hold Beast,” he said softly.

  Sara bent down and knelt next to her protector. When she started to rub between his ears, his growling stopped. “Thank you,” he heard her whisper into his ear. He smiled when he heard the sirens in front of the building.

  “What's going on?” Robert said when he stepped out of his patrol car.

  An hour later, Sara and Allen sat in the bakery’s dining room. Beast lay by their feet. He'd lit some candles and placed them all around the room. They sat there alone, eating the picnic he'd packed for their romantic dinner on the beach. The steady rain pelted down outside. Robert had hauled Bethany Mathis away after her confession to Sara had been retold. The woman had denied it up until the point that Robert put her into the back of the patrol car. Then she'd screamed, “I'll kill you yet, you bitch,” sealing her fate.