Reluctant Romance (17 page)
Authors: Leighann Dobbs
“Murdered?
But what does that have to do with
me
?”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Jack said, his face a mask of stone. “He was found face down in a box of your cupcake tops...they were poisoned.”
Lexy felt a jolt of shock, her head was swimming, her ankles starting to feel wobbly. She grabbed the side of the display case to steady herself, wishing that, just for once, she had the good sense to wear shoes with a lower heel.
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About The Author
Leighann Dobbs lives in New Hampshire with her husband, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. She likes to write romance and cozy mystery novelettes perfect for the busy person on the go. These stories are great for someone who doesn't have a lot of time for reading a full novel. Why not pick one up and escape to another time and place the next time you are waiting for an appointment, enjoying a bath or waiting to pick up the kids at soccer?
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Links to my other books:
Contemporary
Romance
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Lexy Baker
Cozy Mystery Series
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Dobbs “Fancytales”
Regency Romance Fairytales Series
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Excerpt From “Killer Cupcakes” Book 1 in the Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series:
“Sprinkles - no!” Lexy hissed at her dog who was wriggling through the gap in the backyard fence.
With a sigh of resignation, she padded out into the yard in her bare feet, her pink cotton pajama bottoms fluttering around her calves in the late night, summer breeze. The glow of the full moon lit the yard well enough for Lexy to see where she was going without a flashlight.
She reached the gap in the fence and turned sideways to squeeze through. Despite her slim size, she had to push to make it.
Rip!
Lexy looked down. Her favorite pajama bottoms - the ones speckled with cute images of fluffy cherry, topped cupcakes -
now had a gigantic rip in the side.
Perfect.
She felt an uncustomary flare of irritation at her dog.
Was it too much to ask for the dog to simply run out in the yard, do her business, and run back in?
Lexy had images of running through the neighborhood in the dark, her ripped pajamas flapping behind her, frantically chasing her dog while neighbors peered through their windows at the crazy lady. It wasn’t the way she had imagined meeting her new neighbors. Luckily most of them were elderly and, since it was 10:00 at night, hopefully they were all in bed.
She cleared the fence and emerged in the neighbors backyard just in time to see Sprinkles squatting in an impeccably groomed flower garden.
“No!” She hissed again, but the dog was determined.
Rushing over, Lexy grabbed Sprinkles by the collar and gave a silent thanks she had remembered to bring a poop bag. Whipping it from her pocket, she knelt down to scoop Sprinkles’s little gift into the bag, the sharp corners of the bark mulch poking into her bare feet.
A slight movement to her right sent a jolt of panic through her heart. Still squatting down, she turned her head and her eyes fell on a pair of thick, heavy, black boots. Men’s boots.
Lexy slowly scanned her eyes upwards.
Slightly faded jeans. Slim waist. Broad chest covered by an, almost too small, black tee shirt.
Was this one of her elderly neighbors?
Her eyes completed their upwards journey and stopped at a ruggedly handsome face. Slightly tanned with honey brown eyes and framed with dark, close cut hair.
Nope, definitely not elderly
.
Mr. Ruggedly Handsome, whoever he was, stared down at her with a smirk on his face. Suddenly, Lexy felt like a child who had been caught doing something naughty.
“Can I help you?” His voice sounded a bit gruff with a hint of annoyance.
Lexy felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. Straightening her shoulders, she made an effort to stand and try to retain some dignity, or at least as much dignity as one could while squatting in cupcake pajamas to scoop a pile of poop.
She felt the bark mulch shifting under her feet, struggling to gain control, Lexy fell backwards her arms flapping at her sides like a bird trying to take flight. Mr. Handsome shot out an arm to steady her, but not before she crashed into the side of a large rhododendron, breaking off one of it’s branches. Lexy felt her cheeks burn even hotter.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” she sputtered, putting her index finger up to her eye to stop the annoying nervous twitch that was starting in her lower lid. “My dog got out of my yard through the fence.” She pointed towards the edge of the back yard where the gap in the fence abutted the edge of her back yard.
She shoved her hand out towards the man. “I’m Lexy Baker.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re Mona’s granddaughter?”
She nodded, taking his hand. It was warm, and the handshake was firm. Lexy felt an alarming tingle as they shook hands.
“I’m Jack Perillo. This is my house.” He gestured with his free hand to indicate the house they were standing next to.
“How is Mona?” His forehead creased in a frown and he looked her up and down as if trying to decide if she was a suitable replacement for his backyard neighbor.
“Oh, she’s fine - she loves it over at the Senior housing complex.” Lexy felt a wave of uncustomary self consciousness under Jack’s scrutiny. She looked down at her torn pajamas and realized she must look a sight in her bare feet, ripped pajamas and no makeup. Who could blame him for looking at her like she was some sort of deranged criminal.
She noticed Sprinkles had made her way over to Jack and was enthusiastically sniffing his shoes.
“This is my dog, Sprinkles,” she said pointing at the small dog.
“Sprinkles?” Jack snorted out a laugh, his right eyebrow raised up in a question. Lexy couldn’t tell if the laugh was in good humor or he was mocking her, but she felt her heart melting when he bent down to stroke the fur of the little white dog.
“Hi Sprinkles, I hope you don’t keep using my garden for your bathroom because I.....” Jack was interrupted by the sound of a doorbell coming from his pants pocket. He straightened up and pulled a cell phone out.
“Perillo.” He barked into the phone, he listened for a few seconds the creases on his forehead growing deeper. “I’ll be right there.”
Jack snapped the phone shut and nodded towards Lexy. “Sorry, but business calls.” He held up the phone. “Nice to meet you Ms. Baker.”
Turning abruptly, he set off in the direction of the driveway. “And don’t forget to pick up that mess, it’s not good for the plants.” He shot over his shoulder, walking away and leaving Lexy to wonder if she just made a friend or an enemy.
***
Jack turned the corner of his house and couldn’t help the grin forming on his face. His new neighbor
was
kind of cute, he thought.
He chuckled to himself, remembering how her grandmother, Mona, would always sneak in a mention of her with a certain twinkle in her eye - Jack knew Mona had visions of fixing them up, but he always changed the subject because he didn’t have time for any women in his life, right now.
But tonight Jack had felt something stir inside him which he hadn’t felt in a long time...something which might cause him to break his vow of bachelorhood. He hoped he hadn’t been too harsh with her about the dog poop. Maybe he would have to make an excuse to drop in on her some night. He wouldn’t mind seeing Lexy Baker again, thats for sure.
Little did he know, it would be less than 24 hours before he saw her again and the circumstances wouldn’t be as pleasant as he was hoping.
Chapter Two
Lexy woke the next morning to a beautiful summer day. She rolled over on her back and felt the comforting warmth of the small body next to her. She reached under the covers to pet the silky fur.
With a wistful sigh, Lexy realized Sprinkles had been the only warm body in her bed since her breakup with Kevin two years earlier.
Thoughts of warm bodies in her bed, reminded her of Jack, the neighbor she had met the previous night. Lexy had felt attracted to him despite his gruff demeanor. She wondered if she would see him again.
Did she even want to?
Lexy pushed thoughts of Jack out of her mind. After what she had been through with Kevin, she wasn’t sure she was ready to trust anyone again and, besides, she had her new bakery to run and no time for romance.
Thinking of her bakery, the
Cup and Cake,
brought a smile to her face. Lexy had loved baking, even as a little girl and had always dreamt of having her own bakery. After selling their house to travel the country in an RV earlier in the year, her parents had helped her make her dream come true by lending her the money to open the bakery.
She’d chosen a small storefront in an old mill building located in downtown Brook Ridge Falls. Her bakery and small cafe had done very well. Lexy was focused on the success of the her new business and that, along with Sprinkles, were about all she had time for.
Sprinkles poked her face out from under the covers, putting her chin on Lexy’s chest and staring at her intently as if willing Lexy to get up and fill her food bowl.
“OK, my friend, let’s get up and get going.” Lexy pulled back the covers and Sprinkles bounded out of the bed, ready to start the day. Lexy swung her legs over the side, hopped out of bed with almost as much energy as Sprinkles and made her way to the closet.
She pulled out a pair of jeans and a pink tee-shirt. Dressing for work was easy since jeans and tee-shirts were her unofficial uniform. She had a variety of vintage aprons she wore to give her bakery a nostalgic appeal and protect her clothes from flour and frosting, so she didn’t fuss too much about what she wore underneath.
What she wore on her feet, however, were another matter. Lexy had an obsession with shoes - the higher the heels and the more expensive the better. Her closet was a shoe lovers paradise with custom racks and bins that would turn any fashionista green with envy.
Lexy bit the inside of her cheek trying to decide which pair to wear. Her eyes scanned the rows, arraigned by color until they fell on a cute pink number by Steve Madden. They were stilettos with a platform toe, ankle straps and stainless steel studs.
She pulled them from their slot and brought them over to the bed. Sitting, she slipped them on her feet, feeling the soft texture of the suede under her fingertips. She stood and marveled at how the shoes brought her from a short five foot one to a respectable five foot four. Sure, her feet might hurt after standing on them all day, but Lexy loved the extra height and was used to wearing tall stilettos and platforms. Standing sideways in front of the mirror she admired the shoes from all angles.
Perfect!
Glancing at her watch, Lexy cursed under her breath. She had only 15 minutes to finish getting ready and make the short drive to the bakery!
She quickly pulled her medium length mink colored hair into a pony tail and dabbed on some lip gloss. A light brush of mascara made her green eyes stand out against her tanned skin.
Racing down the stairs, she heard the grandmother clock in the dining room chime the quarter hour. She rushed through the cozy living room to the kitchen, pausing only a second to feel grateful for her good fortune to be living there.
The house had been her grandmothers but Mona, or Nans as Lexy called her, had decided a few months earlier she would have more fun if she moved into the
Brook Ridge Retirement Community
- the senior housing where all her friends were. She had asked Lexy to move in and take care of the house and Lexy had happily agreed. With limited space in senior housing, Mona had left most of the furniture and the home still had a magical feeling of comfort and safety Lexy remembered from her childhood.
