While Marla and Rex were determining who killed Eloise, Kitty and Hub were progressing through his baking lessons.
“You should’ve seen him,” Kitty crowed the day after Marla and Rex had met with Chloe and Grace. “He’s a fast study. And he liked it!”
“Any samples available?” Marla asked, suddenly very hungry after several days of eating on the run.
“As a matter of fact, there are two pieces of apple pie in the fridge we saved for you. We tried a cherry pie, too, although since cherries aren’t in season, we bought a can of pie filling instead of making it from scratch.”
Marla didn’t wait to be told a second time where the pie was. While she ate, she texted Rex that a piece was waiting for him if he got there fast enough, before she devoured the second.
“Well? What do you think?” Kitty asked while hanging over her as she tried not to eat too fast.
“This is really quite tasty, Kitty. And flakier than the one we made together.”
“I shared Rex’s tip about coating the butter before combining it with the flour mixture. It was Hub’s idea to add a bit more butter. He’s really gotten into this baking thing. He’s meeting with his boss today and can’t wait to share what he’s learned.”
Rex joined them a few minutes later.
“Just in time,” Marla said. “If I’d had to wait any longer for you to arrive, you might’ve been out of luck.”
Kitty poured him a cup of coffee to accompany his pie. “I met your daughter the other night at the hospital. You hadn’t told her you’ve been consulting for the police. Wish you’d given me a heads-up so I wouldn’t have stumbled into telling her what you’ve been up to.”
“Yeah, I got quite an earful while I was supposed to be recovering from my run-in with the bug bomb. And if my latest investigative activities weren’t enough to concern her, you’d also mentioned I was working with your sister, Marla Dane, the famous TV star. She threatened to never forgive me for keeping that tidbit from her if I didn’t introduce you sometime soon.”
“That’s great!” Marla said. “After nearly being killed together twice, it’s about time I saw the other part of your life.”
“Yeah? Why? My life is so low-key compared to yours?”
“You think I’m high-profile just because I was on TV?” Marla replied.
“No, hon,” Kitty interrupted. “Because you’ve got me in your life.” And she meant it!
Rex held up his coffee cup for a refill. “Give me a couple days to come down from this case and then we’ll figure out a way you can meet my family. Maybe I’ll even fix my famous lasagna for you.”
“You cook, too?” Kitty said. “You don’t just bake pies?”
“You forget, I’ve been on my own for a number of years. Frozen food, cans and takeout got old after a while.”
“I’ll look forward to both your cooking and meeting your daughter and the rest of the family,” Marla said.
“Me, too,” Kitty added. “Oh, looks like I have a text coming in from Hub. I hope things went all right with his boss.”
She turned away to read the text. Marla waited for the anticipated shouts and cheers, but they didn’t come. Instead, Kitty’s shoulders dropped while she continued to face away from them.
“Kitty? Is everything okay? Didn’t his boss like his pies?”
Kitty squared her shoulders and turned to face them. “Uh, yes. His boss was quite taken with Hub’s demonstration. He offered Hub the promotion on the spot, and Hub immediately accepted.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Rex asked. “Wasn’t he hoping for the promotion?”
Kitty pursed her lips. “The new position is in New York City. He never mentioned that part.”
“Oh,” Marla said, not sure what to say.
“He says his boss was so impressed with his performance that he’s talking about Hub doing the commercials in addition to his new job duties.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Rex asked. “Isn’t that what you’ve been helping him with and why you pulled Marla and me into the project as well?”
Kitty sniffed, as if she couldn’t believe Rex could be so obtuse. “I, uh, thought maybe there was a chance Hub would tell his boss about how much I helped him and his boss would, uh, ask me to do the commercials.”
Marla fought the impulse to laugh or to check Rex’s expression. She wouldn’t dare. This apparently was a big deal to Kitty. “I’m sorry, Kitty. I didn’t realize you were seriously hoping for that outcome.”
Kitty dropped onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. “It was just a pipe dream. I didn’t really think it would happen. Just something nice to think about.” She released a long breath. “There is one positive piece of news, I guess. In return for the help I gave him, he’s already suggested my name to Delphine Rambling as a great committee member for her next charity event.”
“That’s a big deal,” Marla said, truly happy for her sister.
“I suppose. But there’s another wrinkle. He says since he’ll be leaving for New York next week and will be extremely busy packing and arranging for his move, it’s best we break things off now. It was great, but yada, yada, yada.”
Yet another one bites the dust. Knowing Kitty, she’d pick herself up and find someone new probably before Hub ever got to the Big Apple, but his dumping her had to hurt. “I’m sorry. I know that sounds hollow, but …”
“Don’t waste any pity on me. I knew it wouldn’t last, but for him to dump me, and in a text, well, that’s a new low for the men I’ve dated.”
“Can we do anything?” Rex asked.
Kitty held her head higher. “Let’s not mention pie baking for some time to come!”