Her face pales, and I wrap my arm around her. “Hey, it’s okay. How about after work I drive you home and take a look around your property?”
“S-Sure,” she says, still looking a little pale.
“You want me to walk you back into the bakery?” I ask, not wanting to leave her like this.
“No. No, it’s okay. Just nerve-wracking to hear someone is looking through your windows.” She smiles weakly, and I feel like there’s something more. Does she know this person? My mind goes back to an ex.
“Okay. Well, I’ll see you in a few then.” I let go of her and watch as she heads back into the bakery before I turn around and make my way back to the station.
When I get there, Cade is back and has Hudson in tow. “Hey, little man. Coming to work for me today?” I joke, ruffling his hair.
“No. I have soccer,” my nephew tells me, bouncing on his feet.
“Sounds fun.” I clap my brother on the back. “How’s it going with Vivienne’s texts?”
“It was a burner. There’s nothing.” He sighs, shaking his head in defeat.
“Goddamn it,” I mutter.
“We’ll catch this guy. He’ll make a mistake sooner or later. They always do,” Cade says, looking me in the eyes.
“Let’s just hope it’s sooner,” I comment.
Cade gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Listen, I gotta head out and get Hudson to soccer, but we can talk about it more later.”
I accept that there is nothing I can do about it now and tell Hudson to have fun at soccer as the two leave.
A couple hours later, it’s my turn to pack up. I say goodbye to Garrett who’s on shift this evening and get into my car to head to the bakery. When I get there, Jade is back to being herself. The paleness from earlier is gone, and her rosy cheeks and soft smile are in its place.
“You ready to go?” I ask her.
“Yes. Just give me one moment,” she says, turning towards the kitchen and coming back a moment later with a box. “I havean extra cheesecake. Would you like to come over for dinner and some dessert?”
I’d love nothing more than to have her for dessert, but I don’t say that. I clear the rise of heat in my throat and reach for the box so I can take her hand in my other. “Absolutely. I love cheesecake.”
When we get to her house, I ask for her key and have her stay in the car with the doors locked while I take a look around her property and quickly sweep through the house. She had that intruder a while ago, so I want to be extra thorough. All locks are secured and nothing in the yard suggests anyone was here. Could this be the same person that broke in? If so, what are they after? And if not, why are people checking out her house? I have an uneasy feeling about this, but for now, everything looks good. I return to the car to let her know I’ve finished, and then together, we head inside.
While Jade cooks, I make myself comfortable at the counter with Pumpkin in my lap. I’ve grown fond of this little kitten. She purrs softly as I stroke her fluffy fur and talk about my day with Jade.
“Gosh.” She giggles. “I’ve never even been on a boat and here a couple teenagers are driving one.”
“You’ve never been on a boat?” I ask, intrigued. Most people along the river have a boat or have at least been in one.
“No.” She laughs.
“Huh. You got anything planned for Saturday?” I ask, already making plans for the two of us.
She dishes us up and sets both bowls onto the counter. “No. I actually have the entire day off. Wren will be working my shift,” she says, sitting down next to me.
“How about a day on the river? I happen to own a boat, and I’d love to take you.”
Her face lights up. “Really? West! That would be awesome.” She smiles widely, and fuck, I hope I can always make her smile like that.
“It’s a date then,” I say, taking a bite of the pasta in front of me and letting out a moan. “Damn, Jade. What is this?” I ask, looking at the bowl. It’s pasta in some kind of orange sauce with parmesan and what I think looks like basil.
“It’s penne alla vodka,” she says with a bit of pride in her voice.
“It’s really good,” I tell her, shoveling in another bite. “I knew you could bake, but damn, you can cook too.”
