by Hope White
“I’m sorry. I thought…never mind. I tend to go to the worst-case-scenario places. But you’re okay, that’s all that matters. Everything’s fine.”
But it wasn’t fine. There was no way a mouse could open the lid of a teapot and climb inside.
“Has this happened before?” he asked.
“We have mice problems. All restaurants do,” she said, defensively.
Good, she was coming out of her fright.
“The teapot was on my desk when I came upstairs. Strange, because I don’t remember leaving it here.”
She touched the calendar desk pad. Somewhere, deep down, she sensed the danger as well. But for now, Luke would shelve the possibility of this being a threat against her and help her get her bearings back.
“Krista!” a girl called from downstairs.
Krista didn’t answer at first. She just stared at Luke. He stepped aside, giving her ample room to pass. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel threatened. She needed to trust him if he had any chance of protecting her.
“I’ll clean up,” he said. “Broom?”
She pointed to the far end of the long attic office. He stepped around her and she rushed downstairs.
The high pitch of excited female voices drifted up from the restaurant. He grabbed the broom and hesitated, trying to calm the adrenaline rush. Couldn’t help reacting the way he did. He’d been a few seconds too late and his partner died because of it. Luke wouldn’t make that mistake again, especially not with a complete innocent like Krista.
With a deep breath, Luke got the broom and began sweeping up the mess. Shards of china, loose tea and a few candy wrappers.
He eyed the dead mouse. A few inches away he spotted a white scrap of paper folded a few times. He grabbed a pair of latex gloves used by the kitchen staff and opened the note.
Welcome Home, Pretty Lady.
“Great,” Luke muttered. He had to assume this was a threat, right? A dead mouse in a teapot. So Garcia’s man had been here in the shop?
“That’s too close.” It’s not like the quaint tea shop would have video surveillance. He’d have to do it the old-fashioned way and check the locks for signs of tampering.
He took his time cleaning up, giving Krista space. She needed to recover from the sight of the dead mouse, and a man pointing a gun at her. But he wasn’t going far. When the chief stopped by Luke would hand off the note and have him send it in for prints.
It seemed tame for a drug lord’s henchman. Subtlety wasn’t their style. They were more direct, more in-your-face vicious.
Now you get to watch him die.
Garcia’s words slashed through Luke’s chest like a knife. His best friend, the only guy in the world who both understood and accepted Luke for who he was, broken parts and all, died right in front of Luke. And he was unable to do a thing about it.
Luke shoved back the memory and the pain. Stuffing the note into a plastic baggie and then into his pocket, he headed downstairs to call in this development.
If only he knew what it meant.
Thank goodness Krista was feeling more like herself halfway through the lunch rush. She thought her nerves would never stop skittering.
First a break-in, then a dead mouse, then Luke aiming a gun directly at her chest.
She reminded herself that that was normal behavior for a man like Luke, but still, the image was not easy to shake. Pulling a gun because she’d found a dead mouse was definitely overkill. Then again, he didn’t know what had made her scream.
“Table four needs more cream and jam,” Tori Sass said, breezing into the kitchen with a handful of plates.
“Right up.” Krista squirted sweetened whipped cream onto a plate and spooned a dollop of jam beside it. Some liked their scones extra sweet. She wondered how Agent McIntyre liked his.
No, he’d probably never tried a scone. He seemed more the doughnut type of guy.
Why was she thinking about him again? She was tired, that’s all. Tired and frightened out of her right mind between the mouse and firearm.
She’d never forget the look on his face when he’d swung around and pointed it at her. He looked powerful and determined.
And maybe a little frightened. Was that possible?
Sure, even in his line of work a person felt fear, she reminded herself.
“How’s the order for table seven?” Tatum Sass asked.
“Almost there.” Krista refocused on the tea sandwiches in front of her and arranged red rose petals in between them.
Make them feel special, Mom had taught her. It was Krista’s role to give local women a place to gather, share dreams, hopes and fears, in a safe environment.
Yet Krista wasn’t feeling safe right now. Between the jet lag, lack of sleep and this morning’s excitement, she was exhausted and more than a little off kilter.
“You look tired,” Tatum said, waiting for her order.
“Thanks, now I feel so much better,” Krista joked.
“Why don’t you take a break? This is the last food order.”
Krista nodded. “I’ll be out back.”
She untied her apron and flung it over the hook. She could use a few minutes of fresh air. Luckily, it was unseasonably warm for a November day in Michigan, so she grabbed a sweater and stepped outside.
And spotted Luke trimming back the rose bushes. She’d meant to do that before her trip, before the fall hit. But she’d run out of time, what with the Sass girls starting up community college and having limited availability.
As Luke tended to the rose bush, she remarked how normal he looked, like a regular guy. Not like a violent man who packed a gun against his ribcage.
With seemingly gentle fingers, Luke snipped the rose stem with some kind of knife. A pocket knife.
“Hey, I’ve got pruning shears,” she said.
He turned to her and she could have sworn she read regret in his eyes, probably because he’d scared the wits out of her earlier.
“Hang on,” she said. She went back inside, dug into the white china cabinet and found the shears. As she opened the door to go back out, she nearly ran into him.
She didn’t expect him to be so close. Nor did she expect her heart to skip a few beats. And not out of fear.
She handed him the shears. “Thanks.”
“It’s the least I can do considering I scared the—” he paused “—you know.”
“Have you been out there all afternoon?”
“Pretty much.”
“Did you get lunch?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll make you a sandwich.” She motioned him into the shop, but he hesitated.
“Come on, it’s safe,” she joked.
He followed her inside and washed his hands.
“Turkey okay?” she asked, putting on gloves.
“You even guessed my favorite sandwich? How do you do that?” He settled at a table in the back.
“Everyone likes turkey.” She pulled out bread, lettuce and tomatoes.
Tori came into the back with a tray of plates. She slid them by the sink and turned to Krista. “Who’s the guy?”
“A friend of Chief Cunningham,” Luke said.
Krista kept working on the sandwich. She couldn’t blame Luke for acting the way he did this morning. It was his job to suspect danger around every corner.
And that suspicion might keep her safe.
Tatum joined her sister in the kitchen.
“Chief Cunningham’s friend,” Tori explained to her sister.
Tatum walked over to the Luke and shook his hand. “I’m Tatum and this is Tori.”
“Tori, can you start on the dishes?” Krista asked. “I’m not sure I’ve got the energy.”
“Sure.”
Krista finished making Luke’s sandwich, garnished the plate with a pickle and a few olives and put a mini scoop of fruit salad in a dish. She placed it in front of him.
“How much?” he said.
“On the house.”
He glanced into her eyes. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Krista asked.
“It’s freeloading. Let me at least do the dishes after I eat.”
“Great idea!” Tori said, drying her hands and rushing off into the dining room.
“No, really I couldn’t—”
“Sure she could,” Tatum said, putting her arm around Krista’s shoulder. “In case you haven’t noticed, she has a hard time accepting help from people.”
“Wise guy,” Krista said.
“It’s true.” Tatum smiled and breezed out of the kitchen.
“Nice kids,” Luke said.
“They consider me their auntie.”
“Well, Auntie, I’d really like to do your dishes in exchange for lunch. And anything else I can do to help, just say the word. Okay?”
“Sure.”
Krista went to clean up the stainless steel prep counter. Her insides warmed at the thought of how nice it was to have a man care about her.
Then she reminded herself he was here for work, and part of his job required him to stick close and catch whoever was working in tandem with the drug cartel.
She rinsed off the prep table with bleach water and started on the dishes.
“Hey, hey, that’s my job,” Luke said.
“I’ll leave some for you, no worries.”
The back door opened and Alan stepped into the kitchen. He glared at Luke. “You’re still here?”
“I work here.”
“Yeah, right.” He turned his back to Luke and went to Krista. “Hey, I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”
He touched her arm and she tried not to recoil. Alan wasn’t a bad guy, just not a guy she wanted touching her. She knew he wanted more than she had to give him, and she didn’t want to encourage the affection.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Really? Because I was worried this morning.”
“Thanks, just tired.” She stepped away from him and rearranged the tea jars. Maybe if she kept her distance he’d get the message.
She didn’t want to be rude, but she wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. She’d been clear with him months ago that she wasn’t interested, that she wasn’t ready to get serious. With anybody.
Which wasn’t exactly true. If she found the right man, a Christian man as devoted to God as he was to Krista, well, she’d definitely consider. Only there weren’t a lot of single guys of her generation left in Wentworth. Most of her classmates had gone off to college, landed important jobs in the city and didn’t return home.
“Business run smoothly this morning?” Alan asked, eyeing the tables out front.
“Sure, why?” she asked.
“It’s your first day back and you’ve got to be exhausted. I mean with your long travel day and early morning…”
God give me patience.
If he kept reminding her how tired she was, she was going to pass out right here on the hardwood floor.
She turned to him. “I’m fine, Alan, really. And I appreciate your concern. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to finish up these dishes, so I can close early this afternoon.”
She smiled brightly and hoped she’d been nice about her obvious attempt to kick him out of her space.
“I’ll check on you tonight.” He reached out to touch her shoulder.
“Great, thanks.”
The phone rang, saving her from having to rudely pull away.
She sidestepped Alan to answer the phone. “Grace’s Tea Shop.”
“Yes, this is Thunder Travel Tour. We’re bringing a bus through Wentworth and would like to book your restaurant for a high tea.”
“Great, what’s the date?”
As she took the order, she spied Alan hovering over Luke as he ate his sandwich. What was Alan’s problem? One, she and Alan weren’t dating, and two, Luke wasn’t interested in Krista that way.
As if he heard her, Luke glanced at Krista.
She snapped her attention to her reservation book. “That date looks good. How many?”
“Twenty-six.”
“We offer a set menu for that number. Would you like me to e-mail it to you?”
“That would be great.”
Krista spied Alan hovering by the doorway as if he wasn’t leaving without saying a proper goodbye. As she finished the call with the travel agency, she wondered if she needed to be more direct with Alan so he could move on and find another woman to date.
“I look forward to working with you,” Krista said and hung up.
Alan took a step toward her just as Tatum rushed into the kitchen. “A group of eight just walked in for high tea.”
“Now?” Krista checked her watch. “We didn’t have a reservation.” It was nearing three, which meant Krista wouldn’t be closing up anytime soon.
“No reservation, but they hoped we’d have an opening.”
Krista nibbled at her lower lip. She was exhausted.
“Tell them you’re booked,” Alan offered.
Krista looked at Tatum. “Tell them we’ll have a table ready in fifteen minutes.”
Tatum nodded and went into the dining room.
“Krista, you’re obviously exhausted,” Alan said.
“It’s all part of running my own business.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out spreads to get working on the tea sandwiches. “Thanks for stopping by, Alan.”
He must have heard the dismissal in her tone. She’d been pleasant enough, and hoped he’d take his cue to leave.
“I’ll call you later,” he said.
With a nod, she focused on the sandwiches. A minute later she heard the door close and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Luke walked behind her to the sink. “Eight is a big order. Sure you’re up to it?”
She eyed him. “What is with everybody today? I’m a big girl and I know my limitations,” she said a little more firmly than she’d intended.
Luke put up his hands. “Didn’t mean to offend.”
“You’ve got a sink full of dishes.”
“So I do.” He turned and got to work.
Krista was exhausted by the end of the day and looking forward to a nice, quiet evening.
Instead, she came home to a crowded house full of friends who’d orchestrated an official welcome-home party.
As she stood in her living room surrounded by friends she felt so full, so at peace. Yet a part of her had hoped for quiet time to upload more photos to her blog, and maybe even sneak in that long bath she’d been fantasizing about.
She should have known something was up when the Sass girls offered to close the shop. They always had friends to catch up with after work, and church activities to attend, yet today they practically forced Krista out the back door so they could clean up.
They’d all been in on the plan: the Sass twins, Natalie and friends from church. Their goal was to show her how much she’d been missed.
“Krista?” Luke said.
She turned to him. He seemed completely out of place and more than a little uncomfortable surrounded by these down-to-earth folks.
“Looks like you’re okay here so I’m going to meet up with the chief for an hour,” he said.
“Oh, okay, sure.”
“Hang in there.” He smiled.
She realized he was the only person in the room who saw through her smile and knew how tired she really was.
“Thanks. And thanks for being my busboy today.”
“Maybe you’ll promote me to handyman?”
“We’ll see.”
“Enjoy yourself.” He made his way through the crowded living room and practically ran out the front door. She wondered what made him so uneasy about the group. Was it simply that the suspect could be among them? No, she wouldn’t accept that possibility.
Natalie weaved her way through the crowd. “Did we surprise you?”
“Totally.”
Natalie put her arm around Krista and gave her a squeeze. “I know you’re tired, but t
hey insisted.”
Krista glanced around the room and spotted Tori and Tatum’s mom, Julie Sass, chatting with the youth minister.
“I should have known something was up when the Sass girls offered to close.”
“Yeah, why’s that?” Natalie asked.
“They’ve always been nervous about locking up and setting the alarm.”
Natalie scanned the room. “Where’s Alan?”
“He doesn’t like to share me.”
Natalie snapped her attention to Krista.
“Sorry, that was mean,” Krista said.
“No, it was accurate. I didn’t think you noticed.”
“I notice a lot. I just keep it to myself.”
Like she noticed how Luke bolted from the party as soon as possible. He acted as if being around friendships and laughter physically pained him. Maybe even terrified him.
Her cell vibrated on her hip. It was a text message alerting her that something tripped the alarm at the tea shop.
“Drat. The girls must be having trouble setting the alarm. I’ve gotta buzz over there for a minute.”
“You can’t go,” Natalie said. “It’s your party.”
“It will take five minutes.”
“Then I’ll go with you. You look too tired to drive, anyway.”
“Gosh, thanks.” With a smile, Krista led Natalie out the front door. Within minutes they were at the shop.
“Stay here,” Krista said, grabbed her keys from her purse and went to reset the alarm. The back door was open.
Why would they set the alarm before they locked up?
Panic gripped her stomach. “Tori? Tatum?” Krista called as she stepped into the shop.
No one answered. “Girls!”
She started for the stairs to the office and spotted broken glass and loose-leaf teas sprinkled on the hardwood floor. Backing up, she grabbed her cell phone from her belt and called 9-1-1.
“9-1-1 emergency.”
“This is Krista—”
Someone grabbed her from behind, yanking the phone out of her hand and tossing it across the room. He had his arm around her neck and waist.
“Where is it?” he growled into her ear.
“What do you want?”
“Your purse, your money.”
“Let me go!” She struggled against him, but he was too strong and about five inches taller than Krista.
