Long ago, chocolatiers had used intricately crafted molds to fashion chocolate into charming designs. So far, she’d collected French molds in the shape of a rabbit and an Easter egg. One American mold in the shape of a rooster. And a German mold in the shape of St. Nicholas.
The silver bear peering up at her with a contemplative expression was not an inexpensive piece. Nor easy to find. She lifted her chin to beam at Zander. “I’ll treasure this. I might even make some teddy bear chocolates from it.” She rose to give him a hug.
He straightened and enclosed her in his arms.
The hug didn’t feel the way their hugs usually felt. She was all too aware of his body and the fact that she was female and he was male and maybe there was some truth to the theory that men and women could never truly bejustfriends, after all—
She didn’t want anything about their relationship to change. Letting it change meant risking his presence in her life. And that was too, too high a price.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“You’re welcome.”
Britt didn’t like to think of herself as a coward, but she swept up her purse and moved to the door before she did or said anything that couldn’t be undone or unsaid.
She paused on the threshold and raised the chocolate mold. “Because of this I forgive you for your rudeness to Reid and for walking out on my birthday party.” She grinned.
“I didn’t ask for your forgiveness,” he countered, amused.
“Right, but you should have, so I forgive you.” She turned to go.
“Britt.”
She glanced back.
“Happy birthday,” he said.
The sight of him in bare feet and pajama pants and a gray T-shirt was perhaps an even better gift than the teddy bear chocolate mold. “Thanks.”
She strode to her car with the long, purposeful strides of a woman determined to resist a powerfully sweet temptation.
Phone call the following morning from Britt to Zander:
Britt:
As if we needed more proof that my sister Nora is a genius—which we don’t—she just called to tell me that she’s located a current address for Ricardo. And listen to this. He lives here in Washington.
Zander:
Where?
Britt:
Maple Valley. Which proves that he and Frank both started out in Chicago and both ended up near Seattle. Which, in turn, makes me suspect that Ricardo was one of the thieves involved in the Triple Play.
