Death by Scones (16 page)

His "didn'ts" made my head spin. At least he hadn't tried to deny he was referring to Jared. I sighed, no longer enjoying this conversation. I kicked off my shoes and lifted my legs onto the sofa to fully stretch out.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but nothing's changed." As I said it though, I knew I was lying. Jared may not have thought of me as anything but a friend, but I was definitely starting to wonder if I felt the same.

Will made some disgruntled sound, and then he said, "Riley, maybe it's best if we take a break."

I scoffed. Was he serious? He wanted to break up?

"We need time to decide what we want," he said.

He meant for
me
to decide who I wanted. Him or Jared. I really didn't like ultimatums, and if he made me choose, he wouldn't like the outcome. Surprisingly, my stomach didn't knot, and I wasn't as upset as I thought I should've been. "Okay."

He made a sharp intake of breath but didn't say anything.

After almost a minute I said, "I should get going now. Have a great dinner." I almost added "have a great life," but I refrained.

"Yeah," he said, and then I heard a click.

I stared at the phone and considered calling him back. I didn't want to end things unpleasantly. He may have said a break, but I knew we were over. It was just as well too. I obviously hadn't been that into him if I wasn't even going to get choked up over breaking up. But I wanted to stay civil. We'd still see one another around town, and his grandmother worked for me. Darn, Mrs. Hendrickson would be so upset.

I tossed the phone onto a cushion beside me, picked up the remote, and switched on the TV and DVD player. Just like before, static from Mom's video filled my screen. I fast-forwarded to see if there was anything after her faux commercial. A couple of minutes of static and images appeared again.

It was Mom and Nathan. They were still standing close. He'd cupped the side of her face and had pulled her closer to him. Oh my God, they were going to kiss. As soon as I thought it, their lips touched.

I closed my eyes for a second and then continued watching. It felt weird watching my mother kiss another man. How long before Dad had this happened? She didn't have a ring on her finger.

After fast-forwarding through the rest of the tape and finding nothing else on it, I pulled it out and pushed in a home video. One I'd seen many times. It was of Mom and Dad when I was in kindergarten. We were at the park having a picnic, and Dad had decided to pull Mom into his arms and started dancing around the blanket. I remembered giggling. A lot. In the video it was hard to make out because Dad had set the camera on the ground. All you saw were two pairs of feet moving and blades of grass. You could hear my giggles though and Dad humming.

I smiled. Mom and Nathan had to have happened before Dad. But how much before? And how serious had they become? There were so many questions, but I didn't know where to find the answers. Did Nathan keep mementos of Mom, like she did of him? Maybe Max, or at least Nathan's house, had the answers.

Banana Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat germ (if you don't have wheat germ, you can use 1 cup of whole-wheat flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 to 3 mashed ripe bananas—the riper the better

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Preheat oven to 375°.

Grease a 12-muffin pan, or use liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, making sure to incorporate just enough that they're combined, but do not overmix. The batter will not be smooth.

Divide the batter into the muffin tins. A scoop (ice cream, cookie, melon) works awesomely.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes before removing them from the tins.

Eat and enjoy!

I knew that ransacking Nathan's house wasn't going to be easy, especially if I was limited to the kitchen. So I called in reinforcements. Tara was more than happy to help me out by keeping Max preoccupied. She didn't mind using her beautiful assets.

When we arrived, one of the black rental cars was parked behind Max's. I sighed, hoping his aunt, whichever one was here, wouldn't ruin my plans.

Holly answered the door. "Are you and my nephew hooking up?" It was the first thing she said upon seeing me. I didn't feel like I'd visited
that
many times.

"Hardly. She already has two suitors in her life," Tara said with a mischievous grin.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the living room. Tara was going to shoot me for not telling her about Will and me when she'd first arrived at my house tonight, but I had this mission on my mind. I guess that solidified any misgivings I might have had about whether or not Will and I were meant to be.

"I date one man at a time," I said.

"Uh-huh," Tara said.

"Why do you dress like that?" Holly grimaced and pointed to my white off-the-shoulder top, aqua leggings, and hot-pink leg warmers. Or maybe she had an adverse reaction to the bright-yellow scrunchie holding up my super high ponytail.

"She loves vintage," Tara said.

Holly looked like she no longer cared, which was just as well. Will and Jared, as well as my wardrobe, were none of her business.

"Is Max around?" I asked.

"Nephew, you have company," she shouted, then leaned against the archway.

I sat on a beige sofa, claiming my spot, and studied the room.

More portraits, but this time in color, hung on the walls. The beige, black, and white furniture gave the room a glamorous feel. Other than the portraits, there were no longer personal touches, no plants, not even a candleholder. Nothing that said who lived here. Had Nathan used this room? Maybe there was a den with a ratty plaid armchair and TV tray table where he'd spent his last lonely nights.

Several medium-sized packing boxes sat on a table behind me. I wanted to turn and peek inside, but there was no way I'd get a chance to snoop with Holly standing right there.

Tara continued to stand.

From my position, I saw Max run downstairs. He was in the same outfit as the last time I was here, but his jeans were darker. He stepped into the living room, grinned at me, and did a double take at Tara.

Her dark hair was loose and hung over her shoulders. She wore a white peasant top with a light-blue bohemian-type maxiskirt with flats. Tara didn't care about fashion as much as I did. She preferred items that were comfortable, and it didn't matter if they were jeans and a T-shirt one day and hippie-wear the next. All she needed was a flower crown. It didn't matter what she wore though. She always looked stunning. I believed it was a natural glow she was born with.

She smiled. One side of her mouth lifted higher than the other, and she took in his body from head to toe in one long, slow gaze. Maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as I feared.

"Max, this is one of my best friends, Tara Fielding. She owns and runs Over the Moon Dance Academy on Main Street, down by the museum."

He stepped forward and extended his hand.

She shook it, and they held on a little longer than necessary.

Holly rolled her eyes. "Oh great, now he'll never leave." She turned and walked toward the back of the house.

I wanted to clap. This was perfect. It would be more perfect if Holly would leave though.

He didn't bother asking why I was here. It seemed to not matter. In fact, he didn't take his eyes off Tara. I wouldn't have been surprised if he forgot I was in the room.

They sat together on the black leather sofa across from me.

"Have you danced all your life?" he asked.

"Yes, since I was two." She actually batted her lashes, but she did it so fast, it looked natural.

"Have you ever tried out for
So You Think You Can Dance
?" he asked.

"No. I used to dream about being a prima ballerina, but it would've meant leaving Danger Cove. I love it here. I'll never leave."

They faced one another. I could've been streaking naked, and I doubted either would notice.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm a photographer. Most of my paid work is weddings, baby and family portraits. But I prefer nature. The rain against a window pane. Leaves falling from the trees. Bird tracks in snow. That just doesn't sell."

"That sounds fascinating. I don't know much about photography, other than the best angle to take a selfie."

They chuckled. Oh boy, this was going to be a long night.

I twisted my body to get a better glimpse of the box behind me. I slowly raised my hand and bent back the closest flap. This was hardly the correct position to snoop in. One glance in his peripheral vision and Max would catch me. I didn't want to lose his trust. I let my hand drop.

"What's your favorite thing about your job?" Tara asked.

On second thought, if I wanted to learn anything new about Nathan and Mom, or who hated Nathan enough to kill him, I couldn't just sit here listening to picture talk.

"The space of an image. When I look at a landscape or something, it's not what you see that's important. It's what you don't see."

I raised my hand again.

"That's so fascinating. Isn't it, Riley?"

I flinched. Oh my God. She chose now to include me? I dropped my arm and gave them my full attention. "Yes, fascinating."

Max stood up. "How about some coffee?"

"That would be great," I said with a smile. Then I could snoop properly.

He walked from the room, and I stood and ran to the back of the couch.

"What is it?" Tara whispered.

I opened the flaps wider and saw a box of brown and black books, perhaps journals. On top of them lay an open envelope. The yellowing corner of a sheet of paper within the envelope stuck out of the top. It was addressed to Nathan, and the postmark was twenty-nine years ago. Wow, that was old. I gazed at the return address, but the corner of the envelope was bent and it wasn't all visible. My eyes noticed the town first. Danger Cove. Then I looked farther up at the last name, and the last three letters spelled
ton
. I'd bet a lot of last names ended in
ton
, but the first one that came to mind was Mom's maiden name, Templeton. What was the likelihood that Nathan saved a letter from Mom? I was probably just being dramatic again. But I had to make sure, just in case.

"Where's Max?" Holly said from the doorway.

I jumped and almost swallowed my heart. I stared at her.

She was looking at Tara, but she had to have seen me snooping. She had on her jacket, and a black purse hung over her shoulder.

Tara was wide eyed. "Um, he's making coffee."

I turned my back to them and pretended to find complete fascination with a portrait of Nathan holding a book, but he was smiling directly at the camera. He really had the most intense green eyes. I waited and listened for Holly to walk back out, but there were no sounds. I could feel her staring at me. Dishes clanked in the kitchen, and I turned.

Holly stood right behind me, but her back was to me. I couldn't see what she was up to, but I wondered if she was looking in that box.

Max entered with a tray of cups and a plate of cookies. He set it on the coffee table. "Sorry I don't have anything sophisticated. I only have Oreos. I wasn't expecting company."

Holly
was
looking in the box. She reached into it and then pulled back. "None for me," she said. "I'm taking off."

Max glanced at her. His flat expression said he didn't mind.

She stepped forward and kissed his cheek. That was different from the last few times she was here. She walked toward the foyer, and I noticed a letter sticking out of her purse.

I glanced back into the box. No letter.

Damn.

*   *   *

After two cups of coffee and a trip to the restroom, Tara asked Max if she could see his work. And praise the gods of snooping, they went upstairs. I feigned another trip to the bathroom and stayed downstairs. When I heard their footsteps fade off, I went back to the box.

I searched again just to be sure Holly hadn't pushed the letter aside and it was wedged between the books and the side of the box. But sure enough, Holly definitely had taken it. Damn. She knew I'd seen it. Granted, I had no right to look, but I was certain she had no right to steal it. It was a long shot that it was from Mom anyway.

I picked up the top journal and opened it. Nathan's handwriting was tiny block letters. It must've taken a lot of patience to write so small and evenly. He was preparing for an audition with a huge movie deal. He hadn't had a hit in a few years, and the pressure was high—from his agent, his fans, himself.

Nothing about Mom.

I glanced up at the date. During this time, she and Dad were already married. I wondered if she and Nathan were still in contact.

I skimmed through the middle of the book. From what I could tell, there was no mention of Mom. If I wasn't trying to find references to her, his talk about the industry would have been interesting, but I didn't have a lot of time. I didn't know what Tara and Max were doing upstairs, but I had to plan they wouldn't be long. I put the book down and skimmed through another. Book after book, page after page, there was no mention of Mom. The dates on these entries were too new. He'd obviously stopped being her mentor at this point in their lives. I needed to find journals from before Mom and Dad were married.

Near the end of one book, a passage caught my eye.

I saw her on the street today. Even though we live in the same town, it's been a while.