Reluctant Romance (16 page)

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” she sputtered, putting her index finger up to her eye to stop the annoying nervous twitch that was starting in her lower lid. “My dog got out of my yard through the fence.” She pointed towards the edge of the back yard where the gap in the fence abutted the edge of her back yard.

She shoved her hand out towards the man. “I’m Lexy Baker.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You’re Mona’s granddaughter?”
 

She nodded, taking his hand. It was warm, and the handshake was firm. Lexy felt an alarming tingle as they shook hands.

“I’m Jack Perillo. This is my house.” He gestured with his free hand to indicate the house they were standing next to.
 

“How is Mona?” His forehead creased in a frown and he looked her up and down as if trying to decide if she was a suitable replacement for his backyard neighbor.
 

“Oh, she’s fine - she loves it over at the Senior housing complex.” Lexy felt a wave of uncustomary self consciousness under Jack’s scrutiny. She looked down at her torn pajamas and realized she must look a sight in her bare feet, ripped pajamas and no makeup. Who could blame him for looking at her like she was some sort of deranged criminal.

She noticed Sprinkles had made her way over to Jack and was enthusiastically sniffing his shoes.

“This is my dog, Sprinkles,” she said pointing at the small dog.

“Sprinkles?” Jack snorted out a laugh, his right eyebrow raised up in a question. Lexy couldn’t tell if the laugh was in good humor or he was mocking her, but she felt her heart melting when he bent down to stroke the fur of the little white dog.
 

“Hi Sprinkles, I hope you don’t keep using my garden for your bathroom because I.....” Jack was interrupted by the sound of a doorbell coming from his pants pocket. He straightened up and pulled a cell phone out.

“Perillo.” He barked into the phone, he listened for a few seconds the creases on his forehead growing deeper. “I’ll be right there.”

Jack snapped the phone shut and nodded towards Lexy. “Sorry, but business calls.” He held up the phone. “Nice to meet you Ms. Baker.”
 

Turning abruptly, he set off in the direction of the driveway. “And don’t forget to pick up that mess, it’s not good for the plants.” He shot over his shoulder, walking away and leaving Lexy to wonder if she just made a friend or an enemy.

***

Jack turned the corner of his house and couldn’t help the grin forming on his face. His new neighbor
was
kind of cute, he thought.
 

He chuckled to himself, remembering how her grandmother, Mona, would always sneak in a mention of her with a certain twinkle in her eye - Jack knew Mona had visions of fixing them up, but he always changed the subject because he didn’t have time for any women in his life, right now.

But tonight Jack had felt something stir inside him which he hadn’t felt in a long time...something which might cause him to break his vow of bachelorhood. He hoped he hadn’t been too harsh with her about the dog poop. Maybe he would have to make an excuse to drop in on her some night. He wouldn’t mind seeing Lexy Baker again, thats for sure.
 

Little did he know, it would be less than 24 hours before he saw her again and the circumstances wouldn’t be as pleasant as he was hoping.

Chapter Two

Lexy woke the next morning to a beautiful summer day. She rolled over on her back and felt the comforting warmth of the small body next to her. She reached under the covers to pet the silky fur.
 

With a wistful sigh, Lexy realized Sprinkles had been the only warm body in her bed since her breakup with Kevin two years earlier.

Thoughts of warm bodies in her bed, reminded her of Jack, the neighbor she had met the previous night. Lexy had felt attracted to him despite his gruff demeanor. She wondered if she would see him again.
Did she even want to?

Lexy pushed thoughts of Jack out of her mind. After what she had been through with Kevin, she wasn’t sure she was ready to trust anyone again and, besides, she had her new bakery to run and no time for romance.

Thinking of her bakery, the
Cup and Cake,
brought a smile to her face. Lexy had loved baking, even as a little girl and had always dreamt of having her own bakery. After selling their house to travel the country in an RV earlier in the year, her parents had helped her make her dream come true by lending her the money to open the bakery.
 

She’d chosen a small storefront in an old mill building located in downtown Brook Ridge Falls. Her bakery and small cafe had done very well. Lexy was focused on the success of the her new business and that, along with Sprinkles, were about all she had time for.
 

Sprinkles poked her face out from under the covers, putting her chin on Lexy’s chest and staring at her intently as if willing Lexy to get up and fill her food bowl.
 

“OK, my friend, let’s get up and get going.” Lexy pulled back the covers and Sprinkles bounded out of the bed, ready to start the day. Lexy swung her legs over the side, hopped out of bed with almost as much energy as Sprinkles and made her way to the closet.
 

She pulled out a pair of jeans and a pink tee-shirt. Dressing for work was easy since jeans and tee-shirts were her unofficial uniform. She had a variety of vintage aprons she wore to give her bakery a nostalgic appeal and protect her clothes from flour and frosting, so she didn’t fuss too much about what she wore underneath.

What she wore on her feet, however, were another matter. Lexy had an obsession with shoes - the higher the heels and the more expensive the better. Her closet was a shoe lovers paradise with custom racks and bins that would turn any fashionista green with envy.
 

Lexy bit the inside of her cheek trying to decide which pair to wear. Her eyes scanned the rows, arraigned by color until they fell on a cute pink number by Steve Madden. They were stilettos with a platform toe, ankle straps and stainless steel studs.

She pulled them from their slot and brought them over to the bed. Sitting, she slipped them on her feet, feeling the soft texture of the suede under her fingertips. She stood and marveled at how the shoes brought her from a short five foot one to a respectable five foot four. Sure, her feet might hurt after standing on them all day, but Lexy loved the extra height and was used to wearing tall stilettos and platforms. Standing sideways in front of the mirror she admired the shoes from all angles.
Perfect!
 

Glancing at her watch, Lexy cursed under her breath. She had only 15 minutes to finish getting ready and make the short drive to the bakery!

She quickly pulled her medium length mink colored hair into a pony tail and dabbed on some lip gloss. A light brush of mascara made her green eyes stand out against her tanned skin.

Racing down the stairs, she heard the grandmother clock in the dining room chime the quarter hour. She rushed through the cozy living room to the kitchen, pausing only a second to feel grateful for her good fortune to be living there.
 

The house had been her grandmothers but Mona, or Nans as Lexy called her, had decided a few months earlier she would have more fun if she moved into the
Brook Ridge Retirement Community
- the senior housing where all her friends were. She had asked Lexy to move in and take care of the house and Lexy had happily agreed. With limited space in senior housing, Mona had left most of the furniture and the home still had a magical feeling of comfort and safety Lexy remembered from her childhood.

Reaching the kitchen at high speed, Lexy scooped up Sprinkle’s pink dog bowl and filled it with dog food from a stainless steel canister she kept handy on the counter. Glancing out the window, she couldn’t help but sneak a peek through the gap in the fence at Jack’s house.
Was he home?

Sprinkles danced in circles waiting for her food bowl, her nails making clicking noises which
stole Lexy’s attention from the window. She bent down, placing the bowl in front of the dog.
 

“You be a good girl.” She scratched the little dog behind the ears, then hearing her own stomach growl, she stepped over to the fridge.
 

Pulling the door open, she reached in and grabbed an eclair. Giving silent thanks that she was blessed with a high metabolism, Lexy shoved the end of it in her mouth. The cold, creamy filling coated her taste buds and she heard herself making little “nummy” sounds.
 

She stood there for a moment enjoying the rest of the eclair, then rummaged in the fridge for something to eat on the way in to work. She felt lucky she could eat whatever she wanted without gaining an ounce because it allowed her to bring home all the day-old bakery items she didn’t want to sell in the store and enjoy them herself.

 
Grabbing a cream cheese frosted pumpkin muffin, she closed the fridge door, then grabbing her keys from the key rack, she ran out the side door to her car.

***

Lexy rushed through the backdoor of the
Cup and Cake
without a minute to spare. She took a deep breath, the aroma of sugary baked goodness filling her nose. She stood there a moment to savor it.

“Morning!” Her perpetually cheerful assistant, Cassie, appeared in the kitchen doorway. Her magenta hair spiked up on her head gave the impression of an exotic bird. The vintage 1940s cherry patterned apron she wore was already covered with something red and gooey.
 

“You’re in early today,” Lexy said with a smile. Best friends since high school, Cassie always made Lexy smile. She had hired her when she opened the bakery and Cassie had proven to be an invaluable asset with her artistic creativity and dedication to the success of the bakery.

Lexy kept a peg rack by the door with a selection of vintage aprons. She choose a light green one with big pink cabbage roses on the front. Slipping it over her head, she peeked out into the main bakery area.
 

“Is anyone here yet?” The front of the store had a large window with an amazing view of the waterfall. To take advantage of this, Lexy had recently setup a few tables in front of it so people could eat their pastries and have tea or coffee while enjoying the view.

“No.” Cassie checked her watch. “I was just about to open, though.”
 

Lexy nodded, she could smell the pungent aroma of coffee brewing. “Thanks for starting the coffee, what do you have going in back?”

“This morning, I’m doing some raspberry turnovers.” Cassie said, pointing down to the red gooey stuff on her apron.
 

Cassie usually liked to get in before the bakery opened for customers so she could concentrate on some baking without interruption. Then, once open, the girls took turns at watching the front and baking in back. Their long time friendship kept them in tune and enabled them to synchronize the day perfectly. The arrangement worked for them both.

“OK, you keep at it and I’ll open up and then tidy some of the cases and put some of the freshly baked goods out.” Lexy pointed her chin towards the large glass front cases where the baked goods were displayed.

Cassie nodded and turned back to the kitchen. Lexy made her way to the front door. Unlocking it and turning the sign on the door to Open.

Grabbing some paper towels and a spray bottle filled with organic cleaner, she opened the big case in the middle of the store and started removing some of the items inside. She brought out trays of cannoli's, eclairs’s, half moons and some of her signature pieces - cupcake tops, and placed them on top of the case.
 

Wriggling to get a good position for cleaning, Lexy had her front half in the case, her back end sticking up in the air when the tinkle of the bells over the door alerted her to the presence of a customer.

“Just a sec.” She said, extracting herself from the case like a contortionist climbing out of a trunk.
 

“How can I help yo.....” Her words were cut off, her mouth forming a surprised O when recognition dawned on her. Standing on the other side of the case was Jack Perillo, her neighbor. But somehow he looked different. It took her a minute to realize the difference was the official looking badge he was holding in front of her face.

“Oh... Hi.” She said, her mind whirling.
Did he come just to visit her?
 
And what was the badge all about?

“Hi Lexy.” Lexy saw a look of discomfort pass his face. He quickly added, “I’m a detective with the BRPD, and, unfortunately, I need to ask you some questions.”

“Questions?” Lexy felt her face eyebrows knit together in confusion. “I don’t understand. What’s this about? Did something happen to my grandmother?”
 

“No, Mona is fine, it’s about your boyfriend Kevin.”

“Kevin?
 
He’s my
ex
boyfriend. I haven’t seen him in almost two years.”
 

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you he was found dead. Murdered.”
 

The impact of the news hit Lexy like a ton of bricks.
Murdered?
Kevin?
 
Even though they had broken up two years ago,
and
he had treated her badly, she still felt a pang of sympathy for him.