Death by Strawberry Cupcake Read online

“You’re welcome,” Finn said.

  “I can’t believe you remembered.”

  “I listen, even if you think I’m not.”

  “Well, I have to repay you somehow.”

  “I don’t want money for it,” he said, sounding a bit offended.

  “I thought maybe I could make you lunch or something.”

  His eyes lit up a bit. “That would be nice. Unfortunately, I have somewhere else to be.”

  Okay, now I felt kind of felt stupid. I hoped he wasn’t just saying that.

  “I saw you had another visitor as I was coming in,” Finn said.

  “Oh, the detective, right. He wasn’t here to arrest me,” I said.

  “Are you sure about that?” He laughed.

  “Actually, he mowed the grass.” I gestured.

  “He did?” Finn leaned against the porch column and folded his arms in front of his chest. “How nice of him.”

  Was I sensing a bit of jealousy?

  “I wonder if maybe you would go somewhere with me later?” he asked.

  “You would?” I tensed up immediately. “Where did you have in mind?”

  Did this have something to do with the case? Or was he asking me out for a date? Which one did I want it to be? I didn’t know.

  “It’s a surprise,” he said.

  I wasn’t sure I wanted this surprise.

  “Well what time would we go?”

  “How about seven?” he asked.

  “What should I wear?” I asked.

  “Anything you want,” he said.

  Why was he being so mysterious?

  “Should I meet you somewhere or are you picking me up?” I asked.

  “I can pick you up.”

  “All right, I’ll be ready at seven.” I touched the chair and let it rock back and forth. “Thank you again.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he said, staring at me for a moment.

  I couldn’t help but feel a tingle all over.

  “Well, I should get going.” He motioned over his shoulder. “I’ll see you at seven.”

  “All right, I’ll see you then,” I said with a smile.

  I watched as he stepped off the porch and headed over to his truck. I waved as he climbed in.

  As Finn backed out of the driveway, I spotted Lucille walking down her driveway and figured she was coming over to talk to me. She probably wanted to know why there had been so much action around here this morning. Two trucks this morning? She would definitely be curious. I never had company. I stepped off the porch and headed down my driveway to meet her. She was carrying the little pig in her arms.

  “Good morning, Lucille. How are you?” I asked.

  “I’m just fine, dear. I came over to see if everything is all right with you.”

  “Why would you ask?” I said.

  No doubt she was wondering about the trucks.

  “Well, I just saw a bunch of action here and thought something was wrong.”

  “Oh, nothing’s wrong,” I said. “Just someone mowing the grass for me and then a friend dropping off a new rocking chair.”

  She glanced over at the porch. “You had it fixed. It’s lovely.”

  “Well, it’s a new one, but it looks just like the old one.”

  “It sure does.” She hesitated. “There was one other thing I wanted to tell you.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “I saw that truck again. At least I’m almost positive it was the same truck.”

  That sent a chill down my spine. Immediately my gaze traveled to the road. As if I would see that truck coming back.

  “What did it do?” I asked.

  “It just drove down the road, that's all, nothing bad. I just noticed it.”

  The piglet wiggled in her arms. A second later, the pig jumped out of her arms and ran away around the side of the house.

  “I’ll get her,” I said, yelling.

  I didn’t want Lucille running around the house and falling. Now I was chasing a pig around the house? What would Alex and Finn say? How would I possibly catch the pig?

  I ran all the way down one side the house, around the back, and just as I turned the corner to go up the other side after the pig, I fell face first onto the ground. Now that hurt. Thank goodness I managed to get to my feet without any broken bones. Just a bit embarrassed and thankful that no one saw it. But now where was the pig? When I reached the front of the house, Lucille was holding the pig.

  “How did you do that?” I asked.

  “Practice,” she said. “He just comes back to me.”

  “Well, if I’d known that maybe I wouldn’t have chased him.”

  “I’d better get him home. Take care of yourself now. You’d better get that shirt off and treat that grass stain.” She pointed.

  “Thank you, Lucille.’ I waved as she headed down the driveway.

  I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to go somewhere with Finn tonight without even knowing where we were headed. And now I had the rest of the day to think about where he was taking me. What would I wear? I supposed just casual clothing like shorts and a shirt, nothing fancy. I hoped he told me if we were going somewhere nice. As I stopped at the kitchen door, I looked toward the road to see if the truck drove by. Thank goodness it wasn’t there.

  I dressed in my favorite shorts. Maybe I should wear something else? Was this suitable for my date? Wait a minute. Had I just referred to this as a date? What was wrong with me? I needed to toss that thought right out of my head. Not a date. This outfit would be perfectly fine for my meeting with Mr. Fine. The shorts were black silk material with white polka dots. I matched them with a white blouse and my black sandals. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail because it was extremely hot. I had just finished my lipstick when I heard a vehicle in the driveway.

  I jumped up from my makeup table and over to the window, hoping that it was Finn and not someone dangerous. I had to be on full alert at all times. Thank goodness it was Finn. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. I spotted Finn through the glass of the front door.

  Just as he reached up to knock on the door, I opened it. I think I startled him.

  I saw you coming through the window,” I said.

  He looked me up and down. “You look fantastic. Very summer like.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “It is summer.”

  “Yes, it is,” he said.

  There was an awkward silence between us which usually didn’t happen. I thought it was kind of weird, but then it hit me that this was like a date. He was picking me up. I wasn’t dressed up. He was dressed up in nice black slacks and a short-sleeved button-down shirt. Did he have to look so handsome? Maybe if I avoided looking at his face. Yes, like that was possible.

  I moved a step closer and stumbled over nothing. How could I fall on air? I couldn’t help but be clumsy around him. It was like he something caused me to have two left feet. The only thing missing was if he’d brought me flowers. I was glad that he hadn’t brought flowers. Well, kind of glad.

  I stepped out onto the porch with Finn and locked the door behind us. As we walked down the porch steps, toward his car, momentarily, I forgot about the truck that had been around. But then as I slipped into the car and looked back at the road, the thought crossed my mind. but I was going to push it out right now and just concentrate on where Finn was actually taking me. I buckled my seat belt as he walked around and climbed behind the wheel.

  “So when are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked.

  “I’m not,” he said with a smile as he started the car.

  “I just think it would be better if it was a surprise,” he said as he backed out of the driveway.

  I waved at Lucille. She was outside on the porch watering her flowers. I glanced down the road behind us, but there was no sign of the truck. Thank goodness.

  “If you say so,” I said. “But I’m not much into surprises. They can be scary.”

  “Don’t be scared.” Fi
nn patted my hand.

  His touch sent a shiver along my skin. In a good way.

  Chapter 16

  We chatted about music as we made the drive into town. As he made a few turns, I still had no clue where we were headed. Just a short distance later we pulled up in front of a black building. I was actually surprised when I saw it.

  “How adorable. It looks exactly like a pub in England.”

  “That’s the surprise,” he said. “I drove past here yesterday, and I immediately thought of you. I remembered what you said that you always wanted to go to one. I know it’s not London but maybe it’s the next best thing until you can go.”

  “Wow, that’s really thoughtful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  He could have just told me, but no, he wanted to make it special and bring me here.

  Maybe you can see the real thing someday. I’d love to go as well. You never know, they may send us there for a taping of the show.”

  A trip together? I laughed. “That’s about as likely as if we won an Emmy for our show.”

  “You never know, stranger things have happened.” Finn said.

  At least he always had a positive outlook.

  Finn shut off the car and we climb out. I stood on the sidewalk peering up at the pub. “It really is adorable.”

  “I thought you’d like it. I hope you’re hungry. I hear the food is great.”

  “I can’t wait to find out,” I said.

  Finn and I stepped into the pub. It was dark and quaint just as I had expected. The bar was at the back of the room with the tables all out front. A tall man behind the bar waved and gestured that we could sit wherever we wanted.

  “What about the table over there?” Finn pointed at a spot across the room.

  It was tucked into a corner away from others. The dim lighting gave off a bit of a romantic vibe. I suppose as romantic as could be in a crowded and loud pub.

  “Sure, that’ll be good,” I said.

  Finn and I sat at the table and grabbed the menus. I noticed he looked over at me a few times and smiled. What was he thinking? I could never quite read him. And I’d always thought I was good at reading people.

  After looking at the menus we gave our orders for burgers and fries. Finn leaned back in his chair and smiled. He studied my face.

  “What? Do I have something on my face?” I touched my cheek.

  I thought for sure I’d gotten rid of the chocolate frosting from earlier. Was my makeup smudged? I wished Ruby could do my makeup all the time.

  “No, nothing like that.” He laughed. “How many other places do you want to visit?”

  “Are you planning to take me to restaurants from all over the world?”

  He nodded. “If you’d like.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. That would sure mean spending a lot of time with Finn. Though could I complain about that? What wasn’t to like? Handsome, smart, and charming? Why did I feel so insecure around him? He watched me expectantly.

  “A tropical island would be nice. Oh, and Paris too.”

  “I hear there’s a great French restaurant in town.”

  I felt the heat rush to my cheeks.

  “I’m sure there is,” I said.

  “You don’t like spending time with me, do you?” Finn asked.

  My heart beat faster. I couldn’t believe he’d asked that. Though I suppose he had picked up on my hesitancy. I accidentally knocked the menu off the table. Finn had left me so flustered with his question that I was surprised I hadn’t fallen off my chair and onto the floor. He reached down and picked up the menu. His gaze didn’t shift from me though. I knew he wanted an answer.

  “Why would you think that?” I asked.

  My voice sounded nervous.

  “You seem nervous around me. Or maybe it’s that you don’t like me much.”

  I laughed nervously. “That’s all in your head.”

  Thank goodness the waiter brought our food. I felt a stare on me as I took a bite. I glanced around the room but didn’t notice anyone watching. It left me with an uneasy feeling though. And I wished it would go away. I tried to concentrate on the delicious food and not think about the strange feeling or the questions that Finn had asked. I just wanted this to be light and fun, no pressure. Was that too much to ask? Apparently so because that feeling stayed with me.

  I glanced around the room again and noticed someone at the back. It was hard to make out this person though because it was dark back there. He was just standing there. I didn’t know if he was watching me for sure, but it sure seemed like it. He was kind of creepy looking too, like a serial killer or something. But this was probably just my mind playing tricks on me after everything that had been going on lately.

  “Is something wrong with the food?” Finn asked.

  I had stopped mid-air with the French fry headed toward my mouth. The food never made it though.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  I didn’t want to worry him. Plus, he might go back there and confront a total stranger and ask him why he was staring. I would just let this go. It would be better that way. I continued eating but the guy was still standing back there with that same creepy stance. This wasn’t going unnoticed by Fnin either.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Is something going on back there?”

  “Nothing,” I said, trying to sound casual.

  My voice wavered though and he knew right away that I was not being honest with him.

  “Is it that guy back there?” Finn asked.

  “Oh, what guy?” I asked.

  Finn raised an eyebrow. “The one standing back there looking like a serial killer from the Halloween movies.”

  Yeah, that was the one. Before Finn had a chance to ask anything else or get up, the guy turned and headed back into the kitchen area of the restaurant. That was odd.

  “He was probably just watching the customers to make sure everything was okay,” I said.

  “Well, he needs to reevaluate his customer service because that was strange.”

  “It was odd, wasn’t it?” I asked. “But it seems to be all over now so we should get back to our delicious food.”

  Though I did look back there a few more times to make sure he didn’t show up. So far there was no other sign of him. I’d probably been right. He was just an employee and checking out the customers. I wouldn’t give it another thought.

  “Oh, I want to show you something,” Finn said, pulling out his phone.

  He showed me the screen which featured a photo of an adorable baby. Was he showing me a picture of his baby? I felt as if someone could easily have knocked me right off the chair.

  “Is that your baby?” I asked.

  He laughed. “No, this is my new nephew. My brother and his wife just had a baby.”

  “Oh,” I said with an embarrassed chuckle.

  “Don’t you think I would have told you earlier if I was expecting a baby?” he asked.

  “No, not really,” I said, picking up a French fry.

  “You honestly think I would keep something like that from you?”

  I shrugged and finished the last of the fry. “Perhaps, yes.”

  “You know you have a really cute laugh,” he said.

  Now I really was blushing.

  “Thank you,” I said. “So what’s the baby’s name?”

  “His name is Henry. I wasn’t sure about the name at first, but it’s growing on me now. They rejected the list of names I gave them.”

  I laughed again, now even more conscious of my laughter since I knew Finn enjoyed it.

  “I like Henry.”

  We finished our burgers. I still couldn’t believe I’d actually come here with him.

  “Do you have just one brother?” I asked.

  “Yep. It’s just the two of us. I think that was more than my parents could handle so they stopped at two,” he said.

  “I could see where you would be a lot to handle.”

  “Hey,” he said with a laugh.


  Now that we had finished the food, I supposed it was time for me to stop talking and asking so many questions. But I had had a nice time and thoughts of that rocking chair came to mind. I wasn’t sure what to make of this situation.

  “Thanks again for bringing me tonight,” I said.

  “You’re welcome. I hope you had a nice time,” he said.

  “This place is fantastic and I’m sure I’ll be back again soon.”

  Now that we had finished it was time to leave. Finn moved to the back of the pub to pay the bill and I headed to the front to wait. I watched as people came and went from the pub. It was taking him quite a while to settle the tab. I peeked toward the back but didn’t spot him anywhere. Should I go back there and find him? I wasn’t sure why, but an uneasy feeling came over me. I was just being way too paranoid lately. Sure there was a lot going on in my life, but he was only at the back of the restaurant paying. I was sure there was a perfectly good reason why it was taking a while. No need to panic or call the police.

  After a few more minutes of debating in my mind, I spotted Finn headed my way.

  “I was beginning to think maybe you slipped out the back door without paying.

  Finn laughed and said, “I just saw someone I know. I couldn’t get away from him. He just kept talking.”

  “Well, that’s all right,” I said. “No problem. As long as you didn’t dine and dash leaving me here to explain.”

  “Not a chance,” he said, holding the door open for me.

  Finn and I stepped out onto the sidewalk into the warm night air. Darkness had surrounded us now and the stars were out twinkling in the dark sky.

  Finn and I were walking the short distance down the sidewalk tore his car when I happened to glance over my shoulder. I thought I’d heard someone call my name. When I looked back, I saw a man back here he darted behind one of the buildings quickly. Immediately I panicked.

  “I just someone dart behind that building. I think it was the man from the truck,” I said.

  Finn quickly spun around.

  “Stay here, I’m going to take a look,” Finn said as he ran down the sidewalk.

  Did he really think I was going to stay back here by myself? What if that crazy man came back around? I would be here all alone. Plus, I wanted to see what was happening. I chased after Finn. He had no idea I was headed his way. Fear raced through me as I ran down the sidewalk. I was afraid that the man had been waiting for Finn. Would I find Finn injured or even worse?