Free Desert Gift by Sally John

time?”
    “Jill might be coming home sooner than expected.”
    Baxter’s brows rose in question.
    “Gretchen called. Things are not going well.” Jack removed the last of his favorite kitchen utensils, all of them things Jill did not use nor would she miss. He tossed the empty box toward the door that led out to a hallway.
    “Jill’s probably pretty upset?”
    “Yeah.” He put his hands on his hips. “The message I got from Gretchen was that I want out because I’m not happy, which means Jill has nothing to talk about.”
    Baxter cocked his head. “That’s what she talks about? Your happiness? Guess I missed that part in the book.”
    “It’s convoluted. Bottom line, I didn’t want her to have to watch me move out.”
    “You’re such a nice guy.”
    “Yeah. Happy, too.”
    “You know you could have moved in with me.” He chuckled. “For a short time anyway. The swinging bachelor and the churchgoer who actually talks about God now and then. We could have handled a few days together.”
    Jack smiled. “Thanks anyway. I don’t know what’s next, Bax. I need some time alone to sort it all out.”
    “And see your attorney?”
    He nodded.
    “You seem to be moving pretty fast, bud. I can give you my marriage counselor’s number.”
    “For a swinging bachelor, you’re kind of gung ho on me not divorcing.”
    “The key word is you . It wasn’t supposed to happen to you.” He shrugged. “You guys were different.”
    That was what they all said.

Chapter 9
    San Diego
    Vivian Kovich closed her laptop with a decided thump. “Date Night, schpate night. Give me a break, Jill.”
    “Schpate?”
    She looked up and saw her nephew Dustin in the doorway to her office. “You heard me. Schpate. It’s German for ‘my sister is goofier than ever.’”
    The young man laughed. “Was that her on the radio, the real Jill Galloway?”
    “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
    “Not for half an hour.”
    Viv shook her head. “Yes, that was her. She was interviewed on an L.A. station the other day. I found it in their archives.”
    Dustin slid into a chair on the other side of her desk. “She’s a famous whatever, right?”
    “Yep.” Famous whatever. Loudmouth, mostly. Viv loved her sister like crazy, but she refused to let that make her delusional.
    Dustin pointed at the book on her desk. It lay upside down with Jill’s photo on the back cover in full view. “She doesn’t look like you.”
    As always, the camera loved Jill. Her dazzling smile lit up her face like lights on an aluminum Christmas tree. The trendy hairstyle suited her. She resembled their short, blonde mother. Viv took after their dad, rangy with medium brown hair and eyes and a splash of freckles. The same went for their personalities, flighty versus grounded.
    “I think she looks much older than you, Aunt Viv.”
    “Mister, you are not gaining any points with that remark. You’ve got a twenty-minute drive ahead of you. Old folks are always ready early. And why am I telling you this for the umpteenth time?”
    He grinned. Beneath thick curly lashes, his dark chocolate eyes twinkled. The kid was a charmer.
    “I swear, Dust, if you were not related—”
    “You’d hire me anyway. You know you would.”
    Yes, she would hire him in a heartbeat. He was an asset to her business, which catered to senior citizens. Totally unflappable with a ready smile, dimpled cheeks, and broad shoulders, he was every elderly person’s dream grandson.
    “I was like twelve last time I saw your sis.” He was also a chatterbox.
    “Her visits are infrequent and short. This time will be no different. She and Jack will pop into town and pop right back out.”
    He cocked his head. “I detect a sour tone. Bad blood between you?”
    “Dustin Kovich, you are a nosy little bugger. Go to work.”
    “Right.” With a smile and a wave, he left, probably because he realized he’d pushed her buttons long enough. Docking his pay for lateness had never been a