“That’s fine. I understand,” she said, and then she turned to me. “Everything’s taken care of in back. If you’d like, I can do the last two trays.”
“I’ve got it covered. Go on, take off,” I said with a smile.
“Thanks, Suzanne. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Emma nodded curtly to Peter, and then she left.
“You really do care about her, don’t you?” Peter asked me softly.
“I do. She and Emily are two of my very best friends, along with Grace and Trish, of course.”
“How is Grace these days?” he asked.
I didn’t have to warn him about paying too much attention to her. Grace would be able to handle him with no problem at all. In fact, I kind of hoped he made a play for her at the wedding. It would be a real pleasure watching her dismantle him right in front of me.
“She’s doing quite well, as a matter of fact,” I said.
“Married, I suppose,” Peter said.
“No.”
“Really?” he asked, a hint of interest slipping into his voice.
“Really and truly. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a business to close.”
Peter nodded as he looked around. “Max told me about this when you bought it. You’ve done quite well for yourself, haven’t you?”
“I’m happy,” I said, and I realized that now, more than ever, it was true. Sure, I would have loved having more customers, and seeing Jake stationed closer to April Springs would have been nice, but I liked living in my childhood home with my mother. We’d grown to be more than mother and daughter since I’d come to live with her after my disastrous divorce from Max. Actually, I should thank him at the wedding. If he hadn’t cheated on me, I never would have gotten to know my mother as a person and not just as an authority figure from my past, not that she still didn’t order me around now and then.
“That’s good to hear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some plans of my own to make.”
“Don’t tell me that you’re involved in the wedding planning, too,” I said. Was I going to have to spend every bit of the next three days with him?
“No, I have a more important task than that. I’m in charge of the bachelor party again.” That grin resurfaced, and I wondered just how much the man had changed after all.
Only time would tell, and I was fresh out of that at the moment.
I was balancing my register when my cellphone rang. I nearly ignored it since I was going to be late as it was, but when I saw who was calling me, that didn’t seem to matter anymore.
“Jake, I miss you!” I said.
“Sorry I’ve been gone so much lately,” he said, his voice heavy with weariness. We’d been dating for a while now, and I could tell that something was weighing heavily upon him.
“Are you okay? How’s the case going?” He was working on a double homicide, a pair of newlyweds as a matter of fact. Someone had robbed them on their honeymoon, and then shot them as well. It was dark business, and I didn’t know how he stood it all of the time.
“It’s over. We caught the guy. Turns out that he went off his meds and just went crazy. The Bannisters just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t want to talk about it, if it’s all the same to you.”
“I understand completely. So, when am I going to see you again?” I asked cheerfully.
“I’ve got tomorrow off, so I’m headed your way right now, if that’s okay with you.”
I couldn’t help myself; I whooped into the phone. “It’s more than okay, mister. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me, too, you,” he said so softly that I could barely make out his words. “Suzanne, will we have some time to talk?”
“That sounds ominous,” I said. “Did you have any topic in particular in mind?”
Jake sighed heavily, and then he said, “It’s too complicated to get into over the phone. I’ll be there in six hours.”
I knew better than to push him about it, no matter how much my curiosity was aroused. “I’ll see you then. We can go to Napoli’s tonight.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not go out. Could we eat at your place?”
“If you don’t mind leftovers, we’re all set,” I said.
“That would be fine.”
“I’ll see you soon,” I said. “I love you,” I added softly.
“Me, too,” he said, and then he hung up.
What was that all about? Was I about to be dumped? I couldn’t imagine what would make Jake decide not to be with me anymore. If I let myself dwell on it, I’d be in tears by the time he made it into town. I’d hear what he had to say when he got here, but in the meantime, I had a job to do.