damaging someone’s property for the sake of a little money.”
Karen shrugged and dug a huckleberry drop from the sample bowl. “If he did it, it wouldn’t have been for a little money. I hear the insurance on that building will pay off more than a million dollars if Brandon can prove that he’s innocent.”
“Which he will.”
“I don’t know, Abby. The longer he stays away, the harder it’s going to be.”
That brought my head up with a snap. “He still hasn’t been found?”
“Not yet.”
That vague sense of uneasiness I’d been feeling all day took on sharp definition. “You don’t think something happened to him, do you?”
“To Brandon?” Karen filled the pocket of her smock with fruit drops and smiled reassurance. “I’m sure he’s just fine. You know what a charmed life he leads. He’s like a cat with nine lives.”
I stopped working so I could look at her. “Are we talking about the same Brandon? I’ve never seen that side of him.”
“Well, it’s there. The man has been skating around trouble since the day he walked into this town. It’s a miracle that some jealous husband hasn’t come gunning for him, you know?”
Heat wafting up from the burner scorched my hand and reminded me to stir if I didn’t want to toss out the whole batch. “That’s almost exactly what Wyatt said, but if that’s true, why don’t I know about it?”
“Maybe Brandon doesn’t want you to know. You two have been getting pretty friendly lately.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason for one of you to tell me?”
Karen crossed her legs and set one foot bouncing slightly. “Would you have listened?”
I shrugged off the question. “That’s entirely beside the point. You still could have said something. Do you know for sure that Brandon sleeps with married women, or are you just responding to rumor?”
“Mostly rumor,” Karen admitted. “And I didn’t say anything because it never occurred to me that you’d take Brandon seriously. I didn’t think I needed to worry.” She stopped jiggling her foot and lanced me with a look. “I don’t need to worry, do I?”
I turned my attention back to the pan. “What Brandon does is his business.”
Karen scowled at me. “You’re such a bad liar. You’re dying to know. Admit it.”
“I’m mildly curious, that’s all. Maybe it would help the police figure out who set the fire.”
Snorting a laugh, Karen hopped from her stool and pulled a Diet Pepsi out of the Frigidaire. “You knowing who Brandon sleeps with is not going to help the police figure out what happened last night. If you want my opinion, Brandon did it. Brandon’s hurt a lot of people in Paradise, Abby. You’ll be smart to keep your guard up around him.”
“My guard is up,” I assured her. But even after she swept off to help a customer, leaving me alone, all I could think about was how different the Brandon I knew was from the Brandon everyone else was talking about.
I swept sugar crystals from the sides of my pan with a wet brush and tried to imagine Aunt Grace working at my side, watching me, cautioning patience, reminding me that cooking anything requires patience and love. This kitchen had been an almost sacred place to her, and the utensils she kept here were symbols of her religion. I still hadn’t achieved that level of Zen in the kitchen, but at least some of the panic I’d felt right after Aunt Grace’s death was disappearing.
I worked steadily, trying to keep my mind centered on what I was doing by whispering bits of candy-making advice that I remembered Aunt Grace sharing. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, I caught myself staring out the window, first expecting Brandon to come down the hill, then, as the morning wore on, hoping that he would.
By three o’clock I had six dozen shiny red-cat lollipops cooling in molds on the counter. The pleasant scent of cinnamon lingered in my hair and permeated my clothes. Just as I filled the sink and began
Karen shrugged and dug a huckleberry drop from the sample bowl. “If he did it, it wouldn’t have been for a little money. I hear the insurance on that building will pay off more than a million dollars if Brandon can prove that he’s innocent.”
“Which he will.”
“I don’t know, Abby. The longer he stays away, the harder it’s going to be.”
That brought my head up with a snap. “He still hasn’t been found?”
“Not yet.”
That vague sense of uneasiness I’d been feeling all day took on sharp definition. “You don’t think something happened to him, do you?”
“To Brandon?” Karen filled the pocket of her smock with fruit drops and smiled reassurance. “I’m sure he’s just fine. You know what a charmed life he leads. He’s like a cat with nine lives.”
I stopped working so I could look at her. “Are we talking about the same Brandon? I’ve never seen that side of him.”
“Well, it’s there. The man has been skating around trouble since the day he walked into this town. It’s a miracle that some jealous husband hasn’t come gunning for him, you know?”
Heat wafting up from the burner scorched my hand and reminded me to stir if I didn’t want to toss out the whole batch. “That’s almost exactly what Wyatt said, but if that’s true, why don’t I know about it?”
“Maybe Brandon doesn’t want you to know. You two have been getting pretty friendly lately.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason for one of you to tell me?”
Karen crossed her legs and set one foot bouncing slightly. “Would you have listened?”
I shrugged off the question. “That’s entirely beside the point. You still could have said something. Do you know for sure that Brandon sleeps with married women, or are you just responding to rumor?”
“Mostly rumor,” Karen admitted. “And I didn’t say anything because it never occurred to me that you’d take Brandon seriously. I didn’t think I needed to worry.” She stopped jiggling her foot and lanced me with a look. “I don’t need to worry, do I?”
I turned my attention back to the pan. “What Brandon does is his business.”
Karen scowled at me. “You’re such a bad liar. You’re dying to know. Admit it.”
“I’m mildly curious, that’s all. Maybe it would help the police figure out who set the fire.”
Snorting a laugh, Karen hopped from her stool and pulled a Diet Pepsi out of the Frigidaire. “You knowing who Brandon sleeps with is not going to help the police figure out what happened last night. If you want my opinion, Brandon did it. Brandon’s hurt a lot of people in Paradise, Abby. You’ll be smart to keep your guard up around him.”
“My guard is up,” I assured her. But even after she swept off to help a customer, leaving me alone, all I could think about was how different the Brandon I knew was from the Brandon everyone else was talking about.
I swept sugar crystals from the sides of my pan with a wet brush and tried to imagine Aunt Grace working at my side, watching me, cautioning patience, reminding me that cooking anything requires patience and love. This kitchen had been an almost sacred place to her, and the utensils she kept here were symbols of her religion. I still hadn’t achieved that level of Zen in the kitchen, but at least some of the panic I’d felt right after Aunt Grace’s death was disappearing.
I worked steadily, trying to keep my mind centered on what I was doing by whispering bits of candy-making advice that I remembered Aunt Grace sharing. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, I caught myself staring out the window, first expecting Brandon to come down the hill, then, as the morning wore on, hoping that he would.
By three o’clock I had six dozen shiny red-cat lollipops cooling in molds on the counter. The pleasant scent of cinnamon lingered in my hair and permeated my clothes. Just as I filled the sink and began
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