Pistols & Pies (Sweet Bites Book 2) (Sweet Bites Mysteries) (16 page)

1-32 oz can of peaches—sliced, not halved—with 3/4 cups of the syrup

4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (about 12-14 oz)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 box white or yellow cake mix

1/2 cup of butter, but you may need a tad more

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Pour the peaches with the syrup into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle on the raspberries, the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on the cake mix (I like to use my scratch cake recipe, but boxed mix works fine). Slice the butter into pats and cover the cake mix with it.

Bake for 45 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to see if there are any dry spots. If so, add a little more butter to them. Serve while still warm with whipped topping or ice cream.

I walked into the shop through the kitchen door and Lenny came straight back to talk to me, his jaw dropping in surprise when he saw me. “You said something came up, but you didn’t say you were hurt. What happened? You have cuts all over.”

I blinked in surprise. I’d totally forgotten about that. Tingey had tried to get me to see a doctor too, but the last thing I wanted right now was to go to a hospital when I wasn’t dying. “I’m fine. It’s nothing—just a few scratches.” He did have a point, though. I probably ought to clean up before working with customers.

Lenny said several colorful words that had me looking into the front of the store and wincing when a little girl piped up, “Daddy, did you hear those naughty words?”

I elbowed Lenny. “Watch your language around customers.” I knew that little girl’s voice—it was Sadie, which meant Jack or his mother was here. If Lenny freaked when he saw me, I was afraid I’d scare Sadie.

“Sorry,” but Lenny looked irritated, not sorry. “I just can’t believe you think this is fine. What happened to you?”

I rolled my eyes at how loud he was being. I should have gone upstairs and washed off the blood before checking in with him. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see Jack standing in the window between the customer area and kitchen. “Hey there,” I greeted, wishing I could disappear. Why did he always see me at my worst?

“He’s right, you know,” Jack said. “You could use some medical attention.”

I chuckled to cover my embarrassment. “If you think you’re getting me to the hospital for shots, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“I’m pretty familiar with your aversion to doctors. Come here.” He walked behind the counter to the kitchen doorway, though he didn’t cross the threshold, as if it were a sacred portal.

I walked to him, unable to say no. “It’s nothing serious.”

Jack studied me for a moment. “I think you’re right, though this,” he gently brushed a spot on my forehead, “could use some stitches.”

I shook my head. “That’s so not happening.”

He blew out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine. I have a first aid kit in my car. I think there are some butterfly bandages in there. At least let me have a closer look and make sure it’s cleaned up right. What happened to you?”

I knew he and Lenny would both freak when I told them, so I put it off. “Let me sit down first.” 

Sadie looked at me in surprise when Jack led me into the front. “What happened? You have some owies.” She touched her cheek as if to reassure herself that it was just me who was hurt.

“Yes, I do,” I agreed. “Do you want to come upstairs and hold my hand while your daddy fixes them?” I noticed their desserts were only half finished.

“Yes. Do you have a doggie?” Her eyes brightened as she moved to the new topic. “I have a doggie. Her name is Gracie, and she’s so cute! I love to walk with her and play games and she licks my face.”

“Really?” I treated the news very seriously, loving her enthusiasm. “I wish I could have a doggie, but I can’t bring one to work, and she would get lonely upstairs in my house during the day. Especially since I don’t have a yard for her to play in.” I loved dogs, but getting one right now was definitely out of the question.

Sadie latched onto my hand, accompanying me out the front door, bumping it so the bell above it gave an extra tinkle. “Who keeps you from getting scared at night if you don’t have a doggie? Don’t you get lonely?”

I did mention that this little girl was seriously adorable, right? “I’m all grown up, so I don’t get scared very often anymore. But you’re lucky you have a daddy and grandparents to keep you safe.”

We stopped at Jack’s car and he opened the trunk, pulling out a huge navy blue bag with a medical symbol on the side.

Dread began climbing up my throat. “You planning to wrap me like a mummy? I don’t think doctors carried bags that big when they did house calls.”

“Doctors don’t do house calls anymore, and they don’t need all of this fun stuff when they take care of people. If they do, they take them to the hospital. Carrying around supplies is my job.” He latched a hand onto my elbow and led me around to the back of the building to my apartment stairwell. “So, what happened?”

Lenny came out the kitchen door in time to hear that. “That’s my question too.”

I looked at Lenny for a moment, then decided it would be easiest not to tell it three more times (because of course I was going to have to tell Honey later). “Fine. Lock up for a few minutes and come upstairs. But you have to hurry back down to reopen the shop instead of staying to lecture me.”

“Me? Lecture? Just don’t start without me.” He turned back into the store.

“Right, because he never tells me how to do things,” I muttered under my breath as we headed to my place.

“I thought you were the boss.” Amusement tinged Jack’s voice.

“Oh, I am. Except sometimes he gets it into his head to play protective brother.” I took the stairs easily enough, though I knew the next day I was going to be sore from the tension of dealing with everything. I missed my spa in Chicago. On the other hand, I couldn’t have afforded it anymore anyway. I managed not to sigh at the thought.

“Brother? He’s not actually related to you, is he? Because you don’t look at all alike.” Jack scrutinized my face when I turned back to him.

“No, but he might as well be.” I flipped on the living room light, since the drapes had been pulled the previous evening. There were still bowls and cups on the coffee table from the popcorn and ice cream we’d had last night while we watched some old horror flicks—the only genre Lenny and I both like. “For example, don’t brothers leave messes all over your living room?”

“Wait, he’s staying here?” Jack seemed surprised, which was odd because I thought Mary Ellen had done her utmost to spread the word that Lenny was bunking with me.

“It’s temporary.”

Lenny’s feet pounded up the stairs behind us as Jack helped me sit on the sofa, as if I were some fragile flower who couldn’t manage on her own. “I’m fine, really,” I reassured him, but he didn’t look convinced.

“Okay, what happened? You’re missing a window in your Outlander,” Lenny said when the door slapped closed behind him.

“I’d really appreciate it if you cleaned up after yourself. Look at this mess,” I said, not wanting to start yet. I was still trying to deal with being shot at and didn’t need any histrionics.

“The mess is half yours, and you’re not putting me off. What happened?” Lenny crossed his arms over his chest and gave me the stink eye.

Since I wasn’t going to be able to put them off any longer, I told them what happened, which caused much silent mouthing of swear words (once I reminded Lenny not to swear because Sadie was  listening) and grim frowns from Jack. I tried to use soft phrasing that wouldn’t alarm Sadie, but she put on a puckered frown too.

When I finished, I ordered Lenny back downstairs to open the shop again, despite his fervent protests. Sadie sat by me, squeezing my hand while Jack softly cleaned my cuts and put butterfly bandages on the worst of them. His touch was gentle and his voice soft, but I could hear the note of tension in his tone.

“How long do I need to leave these on?” I asked, feeling the brush of Jack’s fingers against my forehead. Goose bumps rose along my neck and spine. It made me feel funny, and had me bursting with longing and the wonder of
what if
.

I looked at him and caught his gaze as he pressed the last bandage beside my left eyebrow. “Leave these a day or so, until the injuries seal themselves.” The light scent of blueberries on his breath mixed with his aftershave and made a lump grow in my chest. The air seemed to thin and I sucked in dizzily, swallowing when his blue eyes fixed on mine with something more than professional concern. Was it my imagination?

“Daddy, can we finish our treats now?” Sadie asked, interrupting the moment she probably didn’t even notice, though my whole being was wrapped in it.

Jolted back to reality, I looked away and Jack started cleaning up the empty Band-Aid wrappers.

“You might as well go down now, if everything’s okay,” I answered when he didn’t speak right off. “I’ll just comb my hair and check my makeup.”

“You look fine. You always look fine,” Jack said as he stood, his knees knocking against mine. He slid away, not meeting my gaze, and held out his hand to his little girl. “Let’s go downstairs and finish.”

I felt an odd sense of loss when I realized he’d emotionally pulled back again. “Thanks, Jack. I appreciate the TLC.”

He nodded and slid the bag strap over his shoulder, heading for the stairs. Before he reached the door he glanced back at me. “You’re welcome. Anytime.”

I felt a fluttering in my stomach at the intense way he looked at me. I’d been telling myself I wasn’t ready for another relationship yet, but maybe I was wrong.

The next day I was full of aches and pains and intensely aware of the tender cuts on my face. No matter how I tried, makeup didn’t quite cover them. Exhaustion dragged at me as well, since I’d woken several times in the night, reliving what had happened the previous day. I made Lenny handle the customers while I hid in the kitchen, baking. He wasn’t too happy about it, but it was a relief not to have to explain my war wounds every five minutes.

We’d had a regular flow of customers, but with plenty of lulls between—I was seriously going to have to cut back Lenny’s hours if we didn’t get more big jobs soon. I hoped having him here didn’t break me.

I was frosting some chocolate cupcakes when the bell rang again, so I subtly shifted further out of sight. Two low male voices rumbled in the background as I mulled over the case, but the one that wasn’t Lenny’s caught my attention and perked up my ears. Did I know that voice or was I imagining things?

“Tess, a guy wants to talk to you,” Lenny called back.

I heard the swinging of the Dutch door as I put down my pastry bag and Shawn Plumber walked in, his hazel eyes shining, a grin on his lips and his chiseled jaw making my heart flutter in the moment before I fully registered that, yes, it really was him.

When he took two long steps and scooped me into his arms, I wrapped mine around him, surprised and happy and confused at his presence all at once. My sore muscles ached, but I ignored them. “What are you doing here?” I asked, holding on tight.

He pulled back and looked me over. His smile dimmed. “I heard you ran into some trouble yesterday, and I had some free time.” He touched my cheek, running a gentle finger over the little cuts. “Tingey didn’t mention you were hurt, just that the shooter made a mess of your window. He probably didn’t want to freak me out.”

Someone cleared their throat in the background and I realized Lenny watched us from the doorway. He leaned against the jamb, his arms crossed over his chest, making his chef’s jacket bunch oddly. “Care to introduce us?”

I felt my face grow hot and suddenly became nervous, like I was introducing a boyfriend to the family for the first time—only Lenny wasn’t really family, and Shawn wasn’t my boyfriend. We’d had a few dates the previous spring, sure, and we’d kept in touch, but that’s not the same thing at all. With some reluctance, I shifted out of his embrace and turned toward Lenny.

“This is Shawn Plumber. We knew each other when we were kids. That first wedding I did when I moved out here was for his sister.” I turned to Shawn. “Lenny is my assistant from the restaurant in Chicago. He just relocated to work for me here.”