Chapter 19

19

Lila grabbed onto Duke’s arm, beaming up at him. “I can’t believe it. Can you believe it?”

“That everyone said yes to your brilliant idea? Yes, I totally believe it.”

They walked with her holding onto the crook of his arm for a short while before she realized how the gesture might look and let go. It hadn’t been in a sexual way whatsoever, just her excitement bursting out. She had every store on Main Street agree to her plan. The last thing she needed was to turn those yeses into noes because they thought she was making a move on Duke.

“Why do you seem so shocked?”

Good question Duke posed. Maybe because Bryce had a very decent point this morning. This town was bleeding dry of money. Not many could afford to give stuff away. It would be hard in the beginning. She made sure to be very honest about that aspect of the idea. But it would work out in the long run. She honed in on that point as well.

“I guess the pessimistic part of me didn’t think everyone would be on board.”

They made it to the cafe where they decided to meet Bryce for lunch. Duke stopped in front of the door, holding the handle but not opening it.

“I know you went through hell with those rumors Denise spread. But nobody believed her. Because it wasn’t true.”

But now it was. How could any of them be sure she and Bryce hadn’t hooked up before her murder?

“It is now.”

Duke’s grin widened. “And thank goodness for that. You fit right in. You belong here. With Bryce.” He swung open the door, gesturing for her to enter first.

She didn’t know how to respond to his kind words, so she chose not to.

They were early. Bryce hadn’t arrived yet and she didn’t want to order without him. Duke remained in front, but she ducked into the kitchen to say hi to Juliet and Aster. Eve was in the front with Tabitha. She’d make sure to chat with her as well before she left.

Juliet was at the counter rolling out dough while Aster stood to the side staring at her with stars in his eyes. It made her pause in the doorframe, in awe of the look. He never looked at women like that.

Could her brother be falling for a woman for once?

“Hey!” Juliet beamed at her, not stopping once in her rolling technique. “How did it go? Who said no so I know who to bother?” The fierceness in her eyes said she wasn’t kidding. She’d get into someone’s face if they declined to be part of the welcome gift idea.

“They all said yes.”

“I knew it!” Juliet smirked at Aster. “Did I not tell you they’d all say yes?”

“You sure did.”

Lila feigned a hurt look. “Hey, did you not have complete faith in me, brother?”

“I always have faith in you.” He winked, though little devils danced in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes and directed her attention back to the dough. “What are you making?”

“Sugar cookies for Shannon. She’s attending a craft fair tomorrow two towns over and wants some refreshments at her table along with the T-shirts and such she’ll be selling.”

“I love that!” Lila walked closer, eyeing the cookie cutters waiting to be used: a Santa, a snowman, a reindeer, a circular ornament, and a candy cane. “Will she be advertising they’re from your cafe?”

Juliet shrugged. “No big deal if she doesn’t. She’ll reel in customers for her store. I hope, anyway. She hasn’t done one of these craft fairs in years, but…” Juliet’s voice trailed off. There was no reason to explain why she was doing it this year. Anything to make money and get people to come back to town.

“Well, she should.”

Juliet set the roller down. “It’s okay, Lila. I’m not worried about it. She’s paying me for the cookies, so it’s not my business what she does with them once I get paid. It’d be different if she wanted them for free.”

Lila didn’t like it, but she hadn’t been involved in the initial talk about the craft fair. “Why didn’t you sign up for the fair as well? That would be a great way to get your name out there.”

“I don’t have the manpower for that. We’re bare bones at the cafe as it is. Me, Eve, Tabitha, and Chip. And Marcy only works weekends. I can’t blame Dawn, who I hired a few months ago, that she didn’t last long. I just can’t swing that kind of thing right now.”

“I’ll do the booth.”

Juliet shook her head. “It’s too late to sign up, Lila. Maybe the next one.”

She would add looking up the local craft fairs to her to-do list. In fact, Sleighville should host their own craft fair.

Aster had pulled his phone out, holding it up and directed at Juliet.

“What are you doing?” Lila asked with a giggle.

Aster’s face dusted a light red. “Grabbing a quick picture of Juliet. She’s cute making cookies.”

“Stop it,” Juliet jested, her cheeks blooming a light red as well.

That simple action sparked another idea in her head. The ideas kept rolling in.

“That’s a great idea.”

Juliet and Aster trained their attention on her, both frowning at her enthusiastic outburst.

“Does Noel’s Cafe have social media?” Every store in this town needed a social media presence. Though she wouldn’t spring it on all of them at once. Baby steps. She’d start with Juliet.

“We have a website so people know our menu, location, and when we’re open. It’s a simple one.”

She nodded, already aware of that. She was talking about everything else. “Aster will help you get set up on everything. He’ll start filming you baking and such. He has a good eye, so he’s perfect for the job.”

Juliet stepped away from the counter as if that would stop Lila’s idea in its tracks. “Ummm…I’m not a big social media fan. I don’t even have personal accounts anywhere.”

Lila walked to Juliet and thought about grabbing her hands, but they were covered in flour and small specks of dough. “Do you want Sleighville back on the map? Do you want people to flock to town and come try your delicious food?”

“Of course.”

“You have to put yourself out there. The whole town does. I can only do so much. Do you know how we got so many new people to the winter festival? Because Aster and his band posted everywhere about it like crazy. It trended on several apps. So now let’s get Noel’s Cafe trending.”

Juliet looked at Aster, who wore a confident, encouraging smile. Her brother knew she was right.

“I hate to do it,” Juliet pouted. “But I will because I trust you. If you say I should, I’ll do it.”

“Awesome!” Lila glanced at Chip working quietly at his worktable. “Make sure you get a few pics and videos of Chip. The ladies will love his handsome face.”

Chip winked, but also blushed at the compliment.

Aster already had his phone at the ready, focused on the device as his fingers rushed across the screen. “I’m on it, Lilac. This place will be crazy busy in a week. Tops!”

And she had no doubt he was correct. They were a lot alike in that respect. When an idea popped in their head, they put their full focus on it.

She left them to it, baking and starting the new journey of social media, and went back to the front. What a productive day. And the ideas kept popping out of nowhere. How long would it keep up?

She stopped in her tracks at the scene before her.

Duke was near the front door, toe to toe with Gregory.

“I told you to leave,” Duke said through gritted teeth.

“Not until I speak to Juliet,” Gregory spat back. “I don’t appreciate having the cops on my doorstep accusing me of murder!”

Oh, dear.

Their theory last night about Gregory sleeping with Melody and having something to do with Denise’s murder was causing the wrong reaction. Juliet hadn’t even been a part of the conversation. Why would he think she had something to do with the accusation? Because his brother—who beat Juliet to near death—was in prison? Ridiculous.

This wasn’t a headache Juliet needed.

“She had nothing to do with that.” Lila jolted forward, standing next to Duke before he could tell her to stay out of it. “I learned an interesting tidbit yesterday while visiting around town. I was the one who wondered about your relationship with Melody.”

She felt Duke tense next to her and she knew she’d be getting an earful from him later for putting herself as a larger target.

“So you went to the police because you think I’m sleeping with Melody?” he snarled, and so venomously she almost stepped back from the hatred in his eyes. But she held her ground. She would not let any person intimidate her.

“No, I spoke to Sheriff Carter about it,” Duke stated. “I would’ve spoken to you myself, but since he’s in charge of the investigation, I went through the appropriate channels.”

Gregory straightened his stance, considering he’d been leaning closer to Duke. Something Duke had also been doing. She let out a quiet breath that they were both releasing some of the tension between them.

“I imagine you didn’t like it when rumors spread that you were sleeping with Bryce while Denise was still alive.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t true so I didn’t let it bother me.” Not a full truth from her lips, but she wasn’t going to tell this asshole how she felt. “Are you denying sleeping with Melody?”

“She’s not married. I’m not married. We’re both single. I didn’t think it was wrong of me to do so.”

“It’s not.” Lila didn’t care who he slept with. But if it had caused him or Melody to kill Denise, then that was another story.

“Well, as I informed Sheriff Carter, Melody was with me that evening. She stayed overnight and didn’t leave my house until eight o’clock. Neither one of us killed Denise. Nor did we have a reason to.”

Pretty convenient they were each other’s alibi. Not that Lila would voice that out loud.

“How about the rumor Melody has feelings for Bryce? What do you think about that?” Gregory was being forthcoming, why not keep interrogating him.

“Again, she was with me all night and into the morning. Why would she kill her best friend?”

“Maybe she told Denise about her feelings and it didn’t go well.”

“That would be between her and Denise. I wouldn’t have anything to do with that.”

“Do you even care she has feelings for another man?”

Gregory burst out laughing. “She’s not my soulmate or some shit. It’s sex. Something you’re engaging in right now with Bryce. You’ll use him and abuse him and then leave.” Gregory leaned closer to her. “Good riddance to you.”

“And to you as well.”

Gregory flinched and turned around at Bryce’s harsh tone.

“You’re not welcome in my sister’s cafe. Leave.”

Perhaps Gregory got the answers he’d been looking for, believing Lila when she said she’d been at the heart of further police scrutiny. Or maybe he didn’t want to get into it with Bryce, afraid of him for some reason. Either way, Gregory threw her a nasty look before leaving.

Bryce looked pissed. “What the hell was that about?”

She shared a look with Duke, who appeared to not want to answer that as much as her. Because when she relayed the entire encounter, she knew Bryce would holler at her for the part she played in it.

“How dare he come into my shop!” Juliet paced back and forth in front of the cookies she was still preparing.

Bryce let her get her ire out. One of them had to.

They’d ventured to the kitchen after Gregory left, where Bryce demanded from Duke and Lila what happened. The story didn’t bother him when Duke told him part of it, but as soon as Lila jumped in with her side, his anger rose to the surface.

What had she been thinking?

Was she asking for another target on her back? A much larger and deadlier one?

“He’s gone now. I wouldn’t have let him near you,” Aster crooned, though he didn’t get closer to Juliet. Not even his soft voice stopped her vigorous pacing.

“He wouldn’t have gotten past me,” Duke added.

Bryce had to stifle a chuckle. Both men were fighting for her attention and neither one was getting it.

Eve was the only one who managed to get close enough to Juliet, and even her presence wasn’t enough to stop her jaunting back and forth.

“He’s gone now and there’s nothing to worry about.”

Bryce couldn’t hold back the glare he sent Lila’s way. “Seriously? Nothing to worry about? You practically shoved a neon sign at yourself. Hey, pick me as a target.”

Lila crossed her arms, pressing her lips together as if she didn’t want to say something she’d regret.

Oh, she didn’t appreciate his anger? Bummer! Because he wasn’t going to lessen any of it until she got it through her thick skull how dangerous her actions had been.

Juliet slowed her pacing down though. Eve took advantage of the opportunity, wrapping her arm around her. As if she didn’t want her to start pacing again. “Yes, Lila, I have to agree with my brother. You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Just so you all know, I didn’t come back to town to hide. I came to weed out the asshole terrorizing me with threats.”

That statement ramped up his fury.

“I don’t think Gregory had anything to do with the notes,” Aster said. “If I’m going to threaten someone, I’m going to do it to their face. Gregory strikes me as the same kind of guy. He’s not going to write a note and send it as a Christmas present.”

Bryce hated to admit how that made sense.

“Now a woman, on the other hand…” Aster let his voice trail off when Juliet, Eve, and Lila stared daggers at him.

“So Melody,” Juliet snapped, took a deep breath, and continued. “If she did have feelings for Bryce, she wouldn’t want someone else in the way.”

“But Lila left town with the first threat,” Eve pointed out.

“Yes, she did,” Duke agreed. “Melody tried her hardest to get Bryce to see her as more than a friend. She constantly showed up at Frost’s and you kept ignoring her.” Duke looked at Bryce as he said it. “It angered her so she sent another threat because she blames Lila for it all. She’s right because now you are with Bryce. Her plan backfired. She wanted to get her anger out and all it did was send you back here.”

As much as he wanted to disagree with all of that, he couldn’t. It made sense.

“We have nothing to prove it was her.” That irked him more than he cared to admit. “The only way to know is to ask her.”

Duke grinned, as if he loved the idea. Bryce knew the cop in him would devour the opportunity to confront her. Juliet and Eve frowned, indicating they hated it. Aster looked indifferent. And Lila…well, she wore close to the same expression as her brother. He couldn’t determine what she thought.

“And I don’t think we’d get far doing that either.” Bryce knew a losing battle when he saw one. “She’ll never admit to doing it.”

“So we catch her in the act,” Duke said.

“How?”

Duke turned his attention to Juliet. “Only something big will do. If it’s her, she won’t be able to resist.”

Something big?

How big?

“Are we saying Melody sent the threat and killed Denise?” Aster asked. “I want to know where we stand on all of it.”

Bryce shrugged. “I can see her sending the threats. But murdering her best friend? I do have a hard time picturing that.”

“That would make it two different people,” Duke pointed out. “And maybe one big thing will draw them both out.”

“You already said that. What’s this big thing?” Juliet sounded like she was on the verge of screaming her ire right out of her body.

Bryce felt bad for Duke because she kept letting it out on him. Duke hadn’t done anything wrong but put her best interests at heart. All the time.

Duke tossed up a loose shoulder. “I don’t know.” He glanced at him and Lila. “Maybe an engagement. That would really piss Melody off.”

Bryce swallowed hard, peering at Lila out of the corner of his eyes. She wasn’t looking at him.

“A fake one?” Aster asked, his annoyance finally popping to the surface. “Because a real one is a little too fast.”

“It’s not your business what I do with my life.”

That statement from Lila had him directing his full attention her way. Was she saying she wasn’t opposed to marrying him? And if so, was he ready for that kind of commitment again? His last marriage had failed spectacularly.

“Do you love him?” Aster demanded, throwing a hand in his direction. “Are you ready to move to this small town? Absorb yourself in this kind of life? Is that what you’re saying?”

“What I’m saying, Aster ,” she enunciated his name with derision, “is that the decisions I make are none of your business. You can say something is too fast and I can disagree. The same thing could be said about you.”

“I have no intention of marrying Juliet!”

Silence coated the room at his outburst. Aster had the grace to look repentant, his cheeks blooming red again.

“I’m sorry, Juliet. That came out wrong.”

Juliet offered Aster a short grin. “It was honest though. I can’t fault you for that. I never asked for marriage. So there’s nothing to be sorry about.” Juliet turned her gaze at him. “Bryce, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Real or fake.”

He knew that dig had gone to Duke once again. He’d have to talk with his sister later and ask why she kept hurting Duke that way. It had to stop.

“Forget I said anything,” Duke muttered.

Oh, he wasn’t planning on forgetting anything that was said today.

“Lila, if your main goal is to flush out the person threatening you, let’s do that. Marry me?” His heart pounded as he waited for her answer. It didn’t look promising by the slight terror he saw deep in the depths of her eyes. “As a ruse, of course. Then you’re free from this town.”

And from me.

Because he saw it so clearly now.

She wasn’t going to stay. She never was. Her goal had always been to find the person threatening her. That’s why she returned. Not because of him. He would never forget that again.