Free Jessica Beck - Donut Shop 18 - Dangerous Dough by Jessica Beck Page A

not
necessary, Suzanne,” Momma said.
    “No, but I want
to do it anyway,” I replied.   Did
she look a little pleased that I’d forced the issue?   Once we were both outside and were
walking to her car, I said, “That was truly a spectacular gesture, Momma.”
    She looked up at
me and grinned.   “Did you honestly
expect anything less from me?”
    I had to
laugh.   “From you?   Not a chance.   I can’t thank you enough for this.   It means everything to me.   Have a good night.”
    “You, too.”
    After my mother
was gone, I glanced at the land that was now mine—mine and my husband’s, I
corrected myself—and then I looked at the cottage.   It was the only place in the world where
I’d ever truly felt at home, and now I owned it.   The emotions were so powerful that I
wasn’t sure how long it would take me to come to grips with them.   This, above all else, was my mother’s
ultimate seal of approval.   After
all, she hadn’t made the gesture, or even hinted at it, when I’d married
Max.   She knew as well as I did that
this time it was different.
    This time I’d
done it right.

 
    “That was absolutely
delicious,” Jake said as he pushed his dessert plate away from him.   “Your mother is the supreme pie maker in
the universe.”
    “Don’t I know
it,” I said as I started to gather up the dirty dishes.   Despite my best intentions, I’d broken
down and had a piece myself.   There
was no way that I was going to be able to sit there and watch Jake enjoying
some without joining him.   Maybe I’d
start walking to work again.   That
might help me keep my weight down.   I knew that wasn’t the ultimate solution, though.   We’d both walked plenty on our
honeymoon, but I’d still managed to gain three pounds while we’d been away.   At least I didn’t have any chocolate
croissants to tempt me in April Springs.
    “Do you need any help
with the dishes?   The reason I ask
is that I’d like to make a few phone calls on behalf of your investigation if
you don’t.”
    I grinned at
him.   “Wow, what a tricky way of
getting out of a chore.”
    “Hey, I can go
either way.   It’s your call,” he
said, answering my smile with one of his own.
    “Go on and make
your phone calls.   I’ll take care of
these tonight.”   His look of
satisfaction plummeted when I added, “You can do them tomorrow night.”
    “Fair enough,” he
said a little ruefully.   “I think
I’ll step out onto the porch, if you don’t mind.”
    “I’ll be here
when you’re through,” I said.   I
didn’t even feel bad about assigning the dishes to him tomorrow.   I knew that I’d probably do them then as
well, but he didn’t have to know that.

 
    As I was putting
the last plate on the drying rack, Jake walked back in with a frown on his
face.
    “Is something
wrong?” I asked him.
    “That didn’t go
as smoothly as I’d hoped,” he said.
    “Who exactly did
you call?”
    “I pulled a few
strings that Simpson doesn’t know about,” Jake answered.
    “Was that
wise?   You don’t want to go out of
your way to aggravate him.”
    “Oh, I don’t have
to make any special effort to do that.   It just seems to come naturally.”
    “What did you find
out?” I asked him as I drained the water in the sink.
    “It appears that
there’s been more going on in Granite Meadows than first meets the eye.   My former boss recently assigned a team
to investigate the police force there for corruption.”
    “When did all of
this happen?”
    “About a month
ago,” he said.
    “So then Alex
Tyler could have been a subject of the investigation,” I answered heavily.
    “It’s entirely
possible,” Jake said.   “Suzanne, I
don’t want you and Grace to go there alone after hearing this, at least not to
talk to anyone on the police force.   This may be a little beyond the scope of your investigation.”
    “Do you think it
might be true?   I never really cared
for Alex, but I never dreamed