Murderous Muffins (4 page)

After I put away the tools, I went back into the house. Frank and Lily sat at the kitchen table.

Lily popped a piece of muffin into her mouth. “Miss Bezu, I really don’t want to bother you because you are so nice to us, but, seriously, you really have to do something about Mr. Phong. My Frank is getting so grumpy and bad-tempered.”

Frank let out a grunt, then kissed Lily.

Realizing that I had to make peace so that everyone could be happy and live together, I said, “I will talk to him.” I went into the refrigerator and pulled out some fresh fruit salad that I had made the day before. “Y’all are welcome to this as well.”

“What you need to do is wring his neck,” Frank grumbled as he spooned some fruit onto a plate.

“Hey, he’s not that bad.” Lily scowled at Frank.

“Poor guy,” I said. “It’s got to be hard on him, not knowing the language, not being able to communicate.”

“Can’t he learn to fit in?” Frank shoved a piece of apple in his mouth.

“I’m sure he tries. And in your profession, you’ll have to learn to get along with all types of people,” Lily said to Frank.

“No, I won’t. I’m going to be a PA who gets straight to the point, examines, diagnoses, prescribes, and moves on,” Frank said. “I don’t have to make friends with them.”

“But you’ll have to make a little small talk and get to know your patients,” Lily said.

Frank shook a finger in the air. “I’ll get annoying people like Mr. Phong in and out of the exam room in record time.”

Attempting to gain empathy for Mr. Phong, I said, “How lonely he must be. We are the only people he knows.”

“I thought he had a relative who paid his way here. An uncle or cousin,” Lily added.

“I’m not sure about that.” I picked up the empty plates and walked them over to the sink.

“Yeah, I remember. I think he had friends here for like a minute and they argued a lot. I don’t remember if you were home then, Miss Bezu.” Frank took a sip of coffee. “See? This goes to show that the Phong guy can’t get along with anyone.”

“You know, I do kind of feel sorry for him. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to live in a strange country.” Lily stood.

“He’s the one who’s strange, not the USA.” Frank got up and thrust his chair in. “I tell you what, he keeps that up, we may have to find another place to live.”

“Good heavens. You won’t have to do that. I’ll do my best to make sure that Mr. Phong is quieter.” Although I had no idea how I was going to do that. I just had to do damage control.

“What are you going to do?” Lily raised an eyebrow.

“Whatever it takes.” I squirted soap on the dishes in the sink. “I will make sure that he knows that he needs to be a little quieter.”

“Humph.” Frank’s watch beeped. “Time to inject my medicine.”

“Oh?” I filled the sink with hot water and then turned to look at Frank. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, Miss Bezu, he’s not sick.” Lily put her hand on Frank’s thick bicep.

“Just a maintenance thing.” Frank grabbed Lily by the hand, leading her out of the kitchen.

“Like vitamins, sort of,” Lily called back. “He really is a sweet, nice guy but gets grouchy with lack of sleep, and his special medicine seems to make it worse. Please forgive him.”

After I finished the dishes and wiped down the countertops, I placed the remaining muffins on a plate and covered them with plastic wrap. I didn’t want the ants to get to them.

Hearing the front door squeak open, I went into the hallway.

Cat held two brown paper bags with the words Sunshine Market on the side. “I got some vegetables and fresh fruits and lots of other yummy organic things.”

I took one bag from her, as we both made our way to the kitchen. “I can put them away.”

Cat added, “I’ve got to get more from my car.”

I sat the bag on the counter and peered in. The smell of sweet peaches wafted from the bag. “There’s so much here already.”

“Not more groceries. Boxes of paperwork.”

“Paperwork?” I took out tomatoes and placed them on the windowsill.

“My mom handed over her accounting duties to Andrew. She just doesn’t want to deal with it anymore. Of course he doesn’t mind; however, he can’t seem to make the books balance. I told him I’d take a look and see what’s going on with them. Now that Andrew and the kids aren’t here, I’ll have uninterrupted time to look them over.”

“That’ll be nice.”

Cat made a deep sigh. “I don’t get it. My dad never had a problem balancing them, but Andrew does.”

Lifting a fragrant bunch of cilantro from the bag, I said, “You’ll get it under control in no time, I’m sure.”

Cat pulled a few avocados from a bag. “I thought for dinner we could make guacamole and tacos. And whip up some frozen margaritas.”

“That would be fun.”

“And for dessert, vanilla ice cream. We can add some fresh peaches on top.”

“Sounds heavenly. By the way, your room is all set up. And here.” I gave her a vase with fresh hydrangeas. “These are for you.”

“Thanks, I’ll put these and the boxes in my room. I really appreciate you letting me stay here.” Cat gave me a hug. “It’s like a grown-up pajama party.”

Mr. Phong entered the kitchen and headed over to the covered plate of muffins on the table. Unwrapping the plastic covering, he pulled out two muffins and shoved them into his blazer pocket. He held up a hand and waved as he exited humming.

I chuckled. “A pajama party with a little singing man.”

Cat giggled. “Doesn’t that get on your nerves?”

“What?”

“The singing. Him taking all the muffins.”

“He left one this time.”

“I see that.”

“I guess he just likes them. So I should take that as a compliment.”

“If he starts taking your good silver, don’t take that as a compliment.”

“Cat, he’s not a thief. He’s just hungry.”

“No kidding. So which side of your family is the cutie from?”

My voice rose. “Mr. Phong?”

“No. That dark-haired Spanish-looking guy?”

“Xavier?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a cousin. He’s so far removed from my immediate family it’s like he’s not even a relative.” I hated these white lies. How badly I wanted to tell her the truth, but my pride wouldn’t let me. We Gordons had more dignity than sense sometimes. It was part of our DNA.

Cat said, “Too bad.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just saying that I didn’t see a wedding ring on his hand. And he is very easy on the eyes. Too bad he’s related, or I could see you and him together.” Cat winked.

Too bad was right for a lot of reasons. I held up my hand in protest. “You know by now that I have no intention of getting involved with any man, especially a relative.”

“Speaking of men. Did you know that your ex-fiancé is back in town? I just saw him at our store.”

It felt as though someone slammed a wrecking ball into my gut. I sensed the color draining from my face.

Cat arched an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

I kept my voice steady for fear of it quivering. “Why, of course.”

“How do you feel about him being back?”

My breath caught in my chest. I held on to the counter for stability, afraid of falling over. “Fine. Just fine. He still has family here, so I’m not surprised he returned.”

Cat asked, “Is that so?”

“Yes, it was always a matter of when and not if he would come back here.”

Cat said, “You sure seem surprised. Actually you appear a little panicked.”

I turned my head away from Cat. I should’ve known better. Of course my dear friend knew me well enough to read me.

Cat placed a hand on my shoulder. “Do you still love him?”

“No. Of course not. No feelings for him at all.” I absolutely loathed him for dumping me and disappearing.

“Oh?”

I bit my bottom lip. I’d thought about the day I’d see him again. Every scenario had gone through my mind, from slamming the door in his face, to screaming and slapping him. And in my darkest thoughts, I pictured driving my car and seeing him walking nearby as I veered my car in his direction. Of course I could never actually do something like that, but he made me mad as a hornet. Because I couldn’t trust how I’d react, it was best to avoid him. I hoped that our paths would remain separate. Indefinitely.

I said, “If he ever came marching up to my door begging for me back, I’d just hold my head up high and politely send him on his way.”

Cat eyed me up and down. “Really? I’m not sure you’d do that.”

I changed the subject. “Let me help you take your boxes to your room.”

“I take that as the end of the conversation. And don’t worry. I can get everything in myself. I’m sure you have enough to do.” Cat grabbed the vase of flowers and left.

I put away the rest of the groceries, then tackled the dishes in the sink. I sighed. When was the last time I’d seen Bradley? It had to be the week before we were to wed. He had showed up on my porch, looking like a young Robert Redford, with his sun-kissed blond hair and sky-blue eyes, his voice silky-smooth. Just thinking about him sent a chill down my spine. I shook it off. The man was trouble. So it was just as well that we didn’t get married. He’d said that he left because he had reconsidered. Reconsidered? After four years of dating? Hadn’t he had plenty of time to review our relationship in all those years?

Then the ugly truth had come out after my wedding was cancelled. My dad, rest his soul, had never liked him. My beloved father had bribed him to leave. My dad knew that Bradley was just a gold digger, which was proven when Bradley had taken the money and run. It didn’t matter. The damage was done. The two men I loved most had both betrayed and hurt me. And that made me madder than a wet hen in a tote sack.

Eventually I forgave my father, but never Bradley.

Pulling the plug in the sink, I watched the suds swirl down the drain. Round and round the watery bubbles went until the last drop gurgled through. Only the lemon scent remained.

I wiped my hands on the kitchen towel and threw it in the sink. I slammed an open cupboard shut. Thwack.

Damned Bradley Dwight Rabren.

“What did that door ever do to you?” Xavier strolled in, laying the lease on the counter.

My face flushed. “Sticky hinge.”

He opened the cupboard. “You know, a little WD-40 may help.”

“Good idea.” I whirled away from the sink and lost my balance.

Xavier caught me from behind. His hands grazed my breasts before he let go. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be inappropriate in any way. I was just trying to prevent you from falling.”

My heart raced as I stood. “Thanks for catching me.”

He stepped back and leaned against the counter. Then he let out a slight cough. “Glad to be of help.”

“Is there anything you need?” I felt myself blush, thinking of how his hands had touched me. If he’d done it on purpose, he was a creep, and I needed to remove him from my house immediately.

Xavier asked, “Do you mind if I take another?”

My eyes widened and mouth fell open. Did he want to grab me again? What a jerk. I folded my arms on my chest.

Xavier let out a guffaw. “Muffin.”

Slightly embarrassed that I’d thought he wanted something else, I dropped my eyes. “No, of course not.”

“These have to be the best I’ve had. What kind are they?”

“My Hattie’s famous chocolate chip pudding recipe.”

“Hattie?”

“She was my nanny. And our family cook, baker, housekeeper, seamstress, counselor, jack of all trades, friend, and chief in charge of the household and all those in it.”

Xavier said, “She sounds like she’s pretty indispensable.”

“She was.” My chest felt heavy. A few years after Bradley broke it off with me, my dad died, followed a year later by my mom, then several years later, Hattie. “I miss her.”

Xavier peeled back the cover on the plate and extracted the last muffin. He made eye contact with me. “Sounds like she was a very special person to you.”

“Yes, she was.”

Xavier leaned on the counter and popped a piece of muffin in his mouth. “So tell me about Hattie.”

“There are countless stories. But one really sticks out in my mind. I think I was around three or four. I wanted to look like her. So I went and cut off my waist-length blonde hair with a pair of dull children’s scissors. I twisted the short stubs of jagged hair into little curls with bobby pins, hoping to replicate her hair.”

Xavier nodded. “Did you succeed?”

“Hardly. Hattie saw what I had done and gasped. She said that I had different color skin than her, so my hair could not look like hers. I was too young to understand.” I gazed out of the kitchen window as I continued. “She nicknamed me Shadow.”

“Shadow?” Xavier repeated.

“Yes, every time Hattie cooked or baked or did anything, I was right there beside her. She was so patient with me. Letting me make a mess of things until I got it right.” Stopping myself, I realized how melancholy I sounded. “Look at me going down memory lane and dragging you along. I’m so sorry. I’m sure you have a lot to do besides listening to me rattle on.”