Pistols & Pies (Sweet Bites Book 2) (Sweet Bites Mysteries) (17 page)

I could see Shawn sizing up Lenny, and vice versa as the testosterone levels rose in the little shop. “Nice to meet you, Lenny.” Shawn offered him a handshake. “You must really like working for Tess if you’re willing to move cross-country to live here.”

Lenny shrugged, defensiveness in his eyes. “I needed a change and she needed someone she could count on. It worked out for us.”

I knew what Shawn was getting at—he thought there was something romantic between Lenny and me, but he couldn’t be further from the truth. “We all need an annoying little brother, of sorts, to push around. He’s mine.” I hoped that would make it clear, though it didn’t seem to ease the tension between them.

The bell chimed again as a neighbor woman entered, and after a hard look at Shawn, Lenny turned to take care of her.

Shawn studied me for a minute, “So there’s nothing going on between you two?”

“Not even remotely. His girlfriend would probably claw out my eyes if she thought there was—and she’s the most easy-going person I know.” I studied Shawn for another moment, so surprised to see him, happy he was there and wanting to soak it all in. “So you
really
just happened to have some time off?” I wasn’t sure I was buying it. If that had been the case, wouldn’t he have made arrangements to visit?

“Yes.” His hands slid into mine, enveloping them with warmth.

“And how long are you staying?” I’d missed having him around, and a nice visit would be much appreciated.

The way he shifted on his feet said he wasn’t comfortable with the answer. “A few days, maybe a week or so. You know, however long.”

I lifted my brows as doubt began to creep in. Border Patrol wasn’t the kind of job where you came and went at will. I gave him what I hoped was a piercing stare. “Really? And you just happened to have a flexible number of days off right now—at my hour of need?”

His gaze was direct, but his jaw twitched. “I had a few days off and some leave coming. I thought I’d take it now. Luckily my sergeant said he could spare me, and some guys were willing to swap shifts.”

I considered that, as I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. “Huh. And Tingey calls you every time someone around here gets a few scratches?” 

“You want me to give it to you straight?” He shifted his shoulders back as if bracing for my reaction. “You know I keep in touch with Tingey. I happened to call to see how he was doing yesterday and asked about you. He said you’d been in a bit of trouble and filled me in.” He sucked in a breath, but didn’t look away. “I was worried when I heard someone was trying to kill you. I haven’t been able to forget our time together last spring.”

Those little flutters I’d felt when he first arrived—yeah, they turned into huge, super-flapping butterflies. My mouth went dry when I realized he’d rearranged everything to watch over me. I was both irritated that he thought I couldn’t take care of myself, and intensely flattered that he felt so strongly about me. Okay, and I was relieved, too, since I was pretty unnerved about being alone in my place once Lenny moved out again, and having Shawn only a phone call and a few minutes away was reassuring. Despite the security improvements I’d made in the past few months, being alone was a risk.

“No response to that?” he asked me after a moment.

“I’m trying to decide how I feel about it,” I admitted. “I think I’m going to settle for flattered and a little relieved because yesterday was really scary.”

“I’ll take flattered and relieved.” He leaned back against the stainless steel counter, hooking his fingers under the edge.

My first thought was that I was going to have to sanitize the counter again before I used it next. On its heels was the recognition that he still had really terrific shoulders and biceps. Seriously, the man was packed with muscles. I reminded myself not to drool. “So, if you’re planning on hanging out to take care of me, you’re going to be super bored. I have some cupcakes to finish here, and several other things to take care of and if you don’t have a food handler’s permit, you’re going to end up doing a whole lot of watching and not much else.”

“That’s okay. I like to watch you.” His smile turned that light compliment into something more heated, but I chose to ignore it as I picked up my pastry bag again, waiting until my back was turned to him to bite my lip in excitement at having him here again, even if only for a few days.

I couldn’t wait to tell Honey about this.

At one that afternoon, I headed up to my place to change for my appointment with Anise Xochictl. Shawn trailed me upstairs, and I was glad that Lenny had cleaned up the dishes so it looked presentable this time, unlike with Jack. The thought of Jack made me feel momentarily guilty, but the fact that something had passed between us didn’t mean anything. We weren’t dating, and Shawn would only be here for a few days.

“You’ve done some redecorating since I was here last,” he said when he came into the living room.

“Some new paint, a few pieces of furniture from Chicago, nothing much.” I headed for my room—formerly my grandma’s room—to look for something to wear for my business meeting. I left the door open so we could talk.

“And when did you become the big computer geek with special equipment?” He came to my door, leaning against the jam as he watched me pick through my wardrobe.

“Oh, that’s Lenny’s. He’s staying here for a few days and he couldn’t live without his computer that long. He’s such an electronics nerd.” I pulled out the red dress suit that flattered me so well. I’d only worn it once since moving to Silver Springs; there wasn’t that much opportunity when I worked so many hours.

“He’s living here?” There was an odd note in Shawn’s voice.

It occurred to me that he was jealous, which pleased me. “He signed a contract for a place a couple of nights ago. He finally got some furniture, so he’s going to move his stuff over there later today. It’s all a matter of timing.” I shifted to my jewelry armoire and started poking through it, trying to decide whether to go for funky or classic.

“How long has he been staying here?”

I picked out jewelry while I filled him in on the bare basics of the situation between Lenny and Kat—circling around the more private details.

My eyes fell on my favorite pair of red Ferragamo heels and I snatched them up, thrilled to have an excuse to wear them. “That’s what I was looking for.” I turned to him, holding them to his view.

“Are you dressing to kill?” he asked, looking at everything I’d tossed on my bed.

“Of course. And I need to change.”

After shooting me a curious look, he closed the bedroom door, giving me privacy.

Marge’s brilliant idea for getting in to speak with Anise Xochictl was all business. Apparently there was a big, annual party coming up. Since Nova Cosmetics now had well over two-hundred employees and spouses were invited, that was a lot of cakes and cookies and fun treats for me to make.

If I could manage to wrangle a contract.

Against his protests, I left Shawn in the foyer downstairs, and made my way up the lavish elevator to the executive level, smiling brightly as I walked through the deep-pile carpets and up to the reception desk, which was topped with granite. I wondered what the receptionist thought about the cold stone and if it ever made his arms cold.

“Hi, I’m here to speak with Ms. Xochictl,” I said, extending a business card to the sharply dressed young man.

He glanced at it and smiled. “Yes, of course, Ms. Crawford. I’m pleased to meet you. Let me tell her you’re here.” He lifted his phone and made a quick call, then stood and moved toward the door. “Go on through.” He opened the door for me, and I passed into the office, which was even more opulent than what I’d seen in the rest of the building. Apparently Anise believed in taking care of herself in every way, not just cosmetically.

Besides dressing to the nines, I had checked my make-up twice before leaving the car, wanting to look perfect. I put on my most confident look. I’d long ago learned that all of these trappings weren’t that important in most situations, but there were times it came in handy.

Anise’s expression said she was suitably pleased with my appearance and would take me seriously. “You must be Tess Crawford,” Anise greeted me, but didn’t rise from her desk. A power play if ever I saw one. Her smile was wide with perfect, white teeth. Her outfit was expensive, but not flashy. Her jewelry glittered gold and sapphire to match her clothing.

“Yes, I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me, Ms. Xochictl.”

She gestured with manicured hands to a chair across from her and waited for me to sit before she spoke. “I know what it’s like to start a new business. It’s an exciting and challenging time.”

“Yes. It’s very rewarding, despite how busy it makes me.” I crossed my ankles and settled back in the chair, bringing out the menu I had put together for large clients. “I know you’re very busy, so I’ll cut to the chase. I understand you have a big event coming up and you’re looking for a caterer for the refreshments. I don’t do veggies and appetizers, but I can do a nice spread of baked delicacies, both sweet and healthy.” I passed over the portfolio.

“I’ve heard good things about your products, though I didn’t make it to the fitness center opening to taste your cake. I saw pictures in the paper. It was quite impressive.” She glanced over the cover letter I’d handed her

“Thank you. It was a fun project. I hope I have many more chances to do things like it. Big business anniversaries or gatherings are an ideal opportunity to pull out all of the stops.”

Anise opened the folder and examined the pages. She made humming sounds every so often, though they didn’t denote whether she approved or not. The papers were in front of her face, so I couldn’t gauge her expression, which made my hands itch to pull it down.

“So you weren’t at the opening party for the fitness center?” I asked, building on her remark. “It’s a very nice facility. I’m sure your employees are very excited.”

“Yes, there’s been quite a bit of talk about it on the production floor.” She closed the folder with a snap. “Unfortunately, I spent the day in meetings. Your product line is very impressive, Ms. Crawford, and your prices are reasonable. Would you be open to discussing a few variations, or creating a special menu for us?”

“Absolutely. I’d be happy to discuss anything you like. I’m here to serve.” I tried not to show my disappointment when I learned she had been in meetings. She couldn’t be the one who killed Eric if she was busy at the office that day. On the other hand, gaining a new client would be well worth the effort I made for the meeting, even if I was no closer to finding the killer.

“I’m glad you’re so flexible with clients,” she said. “We love that quality in a caterer.” She rose this time, a sign that she wanted me to leave. “I’ll be sure to discuss your menu with Jane. She’s helping me coordinate the party. I’ll keep you in mind.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I stood and shook her hand before heading for the door.

Shawn waited for me downstairs and took my elbow as we walked out. He kept studying the space around us.

“Will you cut it out?” I finally asked. “You’re making me nervous. No one is going to shoot me in the middle of town.”

“If you’re nervous, you’ll be careful.” He pushed the button to unlock his car remotely and helped me into the passenger seat, then went around to his own side. “And if the killer shot at you on the drive to the wedding, they’re getting desperate. This is a serious escalation from nasty notes.”

I didn’t know how to answer that, so I kept my mouth shut.

When we pulled into traffic, he asked, “So how did your meeting go?”

“Hold on.” I flipped my phone open to call Honey. She picked up after two rings, so I plunged ahead, making sure I spoke loud enough for both of them to hear. “It’s a dead end. She said she was in meetings all day.”

“How do we know that? And with whom?” Honey asked. Zoey made rooster sounds in the background, then switched to a horse’s neigh.

I repeated the question for Shawn’s benefit before responding. “That’s a very good question. And one I’d like answered.” I thought of Lenny. “But I think I know who might be able to figure it out.”