Murder Al Dente: A Southern Pasta Shop Mystery (Southern Pasta Shop Mysteries Book 1) (26 page)

After the stop bath came the fixer
, and after that the one-minute wash, followed by the hypo and then the five-minute wash under running water.

"
All that just to get to the negatives staged," I murmured as Jones cleaned up, discarding the used chemicals into waste buckets he kept under the sink. The little canister filled with water, overflowing and spilling into the sink. "You don't even know if you have anything worth looking at yet. No wonder those one-hour photo places charged so much."

"
The process is a bit different with color. And I'm strictly a small-time operator, focusing on quality over quantity." Jones stopped the water and added a few drops of photo flow to the canister and his hands. Skillfully, he unraveled the reel and hung the strip on a makeshift clothesline.

I stood on tiptoe and peered over his shoulder.
"Wow. That's some skill set you're rocking, Jones. Color me impressed."

He turned his head toward mine, a smile in place. Our gazes locked. I thudded back down on my heels as he turned the rest of the way around.

"Andrea," he murmured.

Blinking stupidly, I didn
't realize I'd been backing up until my shoulder blades met the wall. "I don't think—"

"
Don't think." His lips claimed mine, cutting off my half-assed protest. My brain shrieked
finally
! Sinking my nails into his black T-shirt, I pulled him to the floor.

Gorgonzola and Onion Sauce

12
ounces spiral pasta, cooked, and drained

1/4
cup extra virgin garlic-infused olive oil

2
sweet onions, sliced thinly

2
garlic cloves, crushed

2
tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2
teaspoon salt

1/4
teaspoon pepper

4
ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled

Heat the oil in nonstick a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often until they turn soft and golden brown, approximately five minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over pasta in a large serving bowl, and toss with Gorgonzola.

**Andy's note: Gorgonzola is one stinky cheese. Add the garlic and onion, and we could also dub this,
recipe for bad breath
. I strongly recommend getting your kisses in before you eat!

"I have a confession to make. I only slept with you so you'd let me play in your kitchen."

I winked at Jones over my shoulder
, and without looking, cracked an egg into the exquisite frying pan sizzling on the range top.

"
Works for me." Jones grinned appreciatively while pouring coffee into a large black mug. "As long as I get to eat the results."

The second egg landed on my foot with a wet plop.
"Damn, I think my heart just stopped."

He laughed.
"Don't start what you can't finish." Retrieving a paper towel, he bent down to clean up the mess I'd just made.

Not wanting another kitchen disaster
on my record, I forced myself to focus on the eggs, but I imagined he took advantage of the position on his knees to check out what I was wearing beneath the black button front shirt I'd snagged from his closet. Namely, nothing. I reached for the sea salt and pepper grinders, blushing furiously, unable to remember the last time I'd had so much fun.

His lips brushed the back of my knee
, and I shivered. Finished with his task, he offered me a crooked smile and turned away. Yeah, he'd definitely looked. Why the thought made me so happy I didn't know, but my attitude had done a complete one-eighty since walking through his door last night. It wasn't just the sex either, though that had been out of this world. On an orgasmic intensity scale, we're talking a perfect ten. But that moment, just being with him, teasing, getting ready to share a meal was a ray of magic in the pre-dawn blanket of night.

I checked the electric griddle, turning the maple bacon over so it cooked evenly on both sides.
"Do you have any cheese?"

He gave me a
what do you take me for
kind of look and rummaged in the refrigerator. I held my breath—half afraid he'd emerge with those hideous processed American singles Pops liked to age to petrification in his dairy drawer. I should have known better.

"
Cheddar or Swiss?"

"
Cheddar, sliced thinly so it doesn't overload us with flavor." The whole grain English muffins popped out of the toaster oven, and I added a light drizzle of maple syrup to each one. "And real butter if you've got it."

"
Are you trying to kill me with cholesterol?" He put a brick of Cabot Seriously Sharp white cheddar on the counter.

I bit my lip to keep from asking him to marry me then and there. Weren
't all the best relationships based on sex and cheese? "Nana always told me it's better to have a small portion of real food than the same amount of calories in substandard highly processed junk. Obesity, cholesterol, diabetes, and the like weren't rampant problems in her time, and everyone ate like this. I don't skimp on anything when I cook, so the meal is more satisfying."

Jones leaned against the counter.
"And here I thought all you cooked was pasta."

"
Oh ye of little faith." The eggs were done, and I slid them onto the buttered muffins and added a paper thin slice of cheese on top. "You know what they say—once you go foodie you can never go back."

After layering the bacon and the top of the muffin on one sandwich I slid the plate over to Jones.
"Captain's Special, en route from Vermont. Give it a whirl."

He took a bite, and his eyes slid shut.
I grinned and sipped from his coffee cup. It really was the little things in life. "So, tell me about what happened with your ex. Have you slept with anyone since her?"

Jones made a face as though the sandwich had turned to ash on his tongue.
"This is your morning-after etiquette?"

I rolled my eyes.
"I don't have enough mornings after to have developed a plan of attack. If I'm curious, I ask. Besides, we didn't have the safe sex talk." Although we had practiced safe sex. There had been a moment of pure panic when I realized I had nothing, was totally unprepared for an adult situation, and thought we'd have to stop. The unopened box of condoms in the ebony-colored nightstand had made me sigh in relief even as it had raised questions.

Jones finished the last of his sandwich and indicated that I should eat mine while he talked.
"No, I haven't been with anyone since my marriage ended. Not that I planned it that way, but after having my heart stomped on, I wasn't looking either."

"
Until a fresh splash of Andy broke up your dry spell. I'll admit rear-ending your car was a calculated risk, but it definitely snagged your attention." Why couldn't I stop smiling?

Jones seemed to be having the same trouble.
"Exactly. How about you?"

I grimaced.
"If it's possible for virginity to grow back, I was well on my way. I haven't been with anyone since before Kaylee was born…"

His dark blue eyes went wide.
"You're telling me you hadn't slept with another man since Kyle?"

I did a palms
-up shrugging gesture. "I was focused on my career."

He still looked stunned
, and I was pretty sure if I'd had a feather on hand I could have knocked him on his sexy backside. "I…" He shook his head. "You are a constant surprise, Andrea."

I rose to refill my coffee mug.
"In a good way, I hope."

He snagged me around the waist and dragged me down onto his lap.
"The best way."

The kiss was just heating up when the doorbell rang. With a muttered oath, he set me aside.
"Who could that be? The sun's barely up."

"
You could always ignore it." My fingers threaded through his dark hair and pulled him in for another maple flavored kiss.

"
Malcolm!" Lizzy's shrill tone could have cracked a crystal goblet. "What the hell is going on?"

Reluctantly, I scooted off his lap and headed for the door as Jones said,
"Calm yourself, Elizabeth."

I winced. Poor foolish man. Didn
't he know it was never a good idea to tell a woman to calm down?

Her shouts carried through the bedroom door as I hurriedly grabbed my clothes. I hadn
't slept more than a few winks, but I was refreshed and filled with energy, ready to face the worst.

As I exited the bedroom, Lizzy turned her wrath on me
and grabbed my arm. "What is
wrong
with you? I tell you he's married, and you run right over here and seduce him?"

I tugged my arm free. Jones and Kyle might kowtow to the princess
, but I refused to put up with her drama. "For the record,
he
seduced
me
. And I don't see how it's any of your business what either of us do."

"
You did it in my house!" she screeched.

"
Andrea, will you leave me alone with my sister?" Jones said. "I think we need to have a conversation."

I met and held his gaze. He was going to tell her about Rochelle. Hopefully, she would accept his explanation and not have me tarred and feathered in the town square for being the Whore of Beaverton.

"I should get home anyway, to check on Pops." Hopefully he was alone.

"
I'll call you later." He ignored Lizzy's strangled cry and gave me a farewell kiss.

I left him to it, ready to tackle my own troubles. First up, a couple of love-starved senior citizens.

* * *

Thankfully, Pops was alone in the house when I got there.
"Your little friend left for the Bowtie Angel. Cecily is very happy with her work ethic."

"
Speaking of Aunt Cecily…" I cast him a meaningful look.

His face flushed
, and he didn't say anything. Eugene Buckland was not the sort of man to be open to discussing sex with his granddaughter, but I needed him to know I was all right with it.

So long as I didn
't have to see it ever again.

I cover
ed his hand with mine. "Pops, it's all right. You're not betraying Nana, you know. I think she'd be glad you found a little happiness."

A tear slid down his whiskered cheek.
"I just miss her so much. She took my heart with her when she died and left me here without it. Being with Cecily, well, it's the only thing that makes me feel alive." His head jerked up, and he shifted, clearly uncomfortable

We were tap dancing on that line again but hadn
't crossed it, yet. "I get it, I do."

"
I asked her to marry me," my grandfather said, surprising me.

"
And?" I prompted.

"
She said I was a foolish old man."

"
That sounds like Aunt Cecily."

"
She won't as long as I'm determined to sell off the pasta shop." Pop's expression turned sour. "Stubborn old bat."

I leaned back in my chair.
"Did she tell you we're going to do a booth at the Spring Fling?"

"
She agreed to that?"

"
Reluctantly. I have an idea, but I'm going to need your help getting her to agree to it." Briefly, I outlined my plan.

"
Might as well convince water to run uphill," he groused. Then he squared his shoulders. "Do you really want to do this? I mean stay here in Beaverton and run the Bowtie Angel?"

My grimace was pure reflex. I recalled finding
Zoltan Farnsworth's body and the creepy message in the flour. Then I thought about the feeling of acceptance I'd had at Emma's little get-together, at least before Lizzy's proclamation. The eagerness of Mrs. Bradford for the Bowtie Angel to have a booth in the Spring Fling and the compliments Mrs. Tillman had made on my catering.

I thought about my sad little one
-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. Not one person I knew had called to check on me after Flavor TV had canned me. The only things waiting for me there were bills I couldn't afford to pay and the possibility of lawsuits from my debut debacle.

I thought about Jones and smiled.
"I'm getting there."

Pops grinned back.
"It's good to see you happy, sweetheart. Now he just needs to make an honest woman of you."

"
Practice what you preach, Pops."

He made a disgruntled sound but then said,
"I'll tell you what. I'll stay out of your love life if you stay out of mine. How does that sound?"