Free Make Your Move by Samantha Hunter Page B

have been. Jason had obviously been a stand-in for Dan, anyway, and the original was always better than a facsimile, she mused, and then turned her attention to the problem at hand.
    “We can’t know for sure who it was, unless the cops turn up a usable print, or some other kind of evidence,” she said. “But Jason has an ego the size of King Kong. He’s going to want us to know he did it, and he’ll enjoythe fact that we can’t do a thing about it without any evidence. He’d get such joy out of thinking he’d outsmarted us.”
    Dan met her eyes over the top of the case and nodded.
    “Well, he’s in for a surprise, then. When he makes his next move, we’ll figure out how to beat him at his own game.”
    “And until then, we have massive cleaning and baking to do,” Ginger said with a sigh. “I’ll call Mom and see if Anna can stay overnight.”
    Jodie nodded, waving Dan off. “You don’t have to stay, Dan. I know you probably have more important stuff to do.”
    He looked surprised. “Nothing is more important than being here with you right now. I want to help,” he said plainly, his eyes and tone speaking volumes. Jodie couldn’t help but be touched.
    Ginger cleared her throat awkwardly. “Okay then. I think I’ll start working out back so that we can get some baking done as soon as possible. Not that things aren’t already pretty warm around here,” she added with a chuckle as she left them alone.
    Jodie and Dan smiled at each other. They’d figure it out, she knew. Together, like they always had.
     
    T WO DAYS LATER THEY were open for business while a contractor finished replacing some of the casing glass that had been wrecked by their intruder. Life was almost normal again. There had been no word from Jason, and Dan had said he wasn’t around the offices at all. Theycould simply speculate he was holed up somewhere, trying to decipher the frosting formula.
    Every time Jodie thought of it, she wanted to strangle Jason Kravitz. But as time passed, she wondered if they didn’t have it wrong? Maybe it was a random break-in? Her cookies were well advertised. Maybe it wasn’t Jason. More likely some puritanical freak who didn’t approve of her Passionate Hearts cookies or their side effects had finally decided to cause her some trouble.
    They did live in a large city, and there was crime. Dan was still sure Jason was to blame, but Jodie wondered if that wasn’t just a reaction to the fact that she and Jason had almost hooked up.
    That was now in the past. They were exhausted but couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. She’d almost been late for work again this morning, and Dan for a meeting, as well.
    “So, you and Dan are an item now, huh?” Ginger inquired casually, though with a sparkle in her eye. “I always thought you two had some chemistry between you. And it’s nice that you’re friends. Friendship is a great thing to build a future on,” she added, wiping down the counter as Jodie finished boxing up an order for delivery.
    “Future? Don’t go there, my friend. Dan and I have agreed we’re just friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be. Friends with benefits maybe, but that’s all. So you can keep that romantic imagination of yours in check.”
    “Really, Jodie? I thought you were the expert on men. Don’t you see how he looks at you?” Ginger stopped working, obviously surprised. “The man is besotted.And for what it’s worth, you look at him exactly the same way.”
    Jodie pushed down irritation, or was it another emotion altogether? Fear? Apprehension?
    “You have it wrong, Ginger. Believe me, Dan and I do care about each other. We have for years, and so we already have a relationship. We’re giving in to this fantasy, this chemistry, but it will wear off. Trust me, it always does.”
    “Sure, after you’ve been married for years. And then it turns into something better.”
    “There’s no need to get nasty and start using the M word,” Jodie said with