CHAPTER 19
The sun broke through the snow clouds as Mia beat eggs in a bowl. She opened the oven and poured the egg-and-cheese mixture over the potatoes and sausage. Breakfast would be done in thirty minutes; then she and Trent would snowshoe to the library to pick up the Jumpdrive, leaving Levi with Grans and Christina. The weather reports given hourly on the local radio station said that temperatures would be skyrocketing into the low thirties today, and then dropping back into the teens at night.
She rinsed out the bowl and looked at the kitchen witch. “Please let Barney be found today, alive.”
Mia heard a footfall behind her. She turned to find Trent leaning against the table watching her.
“Praying to your Goddess?”
Mia cocked her head. “Asking for favors, I guess. Barney needs all the good luck he can get right about now. It got pretty cold last night.”
Trent walked closer and ran his finger down her cheekbone. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
Her breath caught and she wanted to reach up and run her fingers through that tousled hair. Her heartbeat quickened. Not here, not now. She held back from leaning into him, the musky smell of wood chips and peppermint toothpaste trying to draw her closer.
The beep of the second oven, where a batch of cinnamon rolls were baking, jerked her out of the spell he had over her. She ducked her head, then moved around him. “I didn’t time breakfast right. The rolls will be cold before the egg dish is done.”
Trent moved over to the coffeepot and poured another cup. He sat at the table and watched her pull out the pan. The smell of cinnamon and sugar filled the kitchen. “I guess we’ll have to eat the rolls first.”
Men. She hid a small smile as she pulled small plates from the cabinet and cut one of the rolls for Trent. “You first?”
He grinned, but accepted the plate. “Sorry, but it’s been a while since we’ve eaten. You have to be hungry, right?”
“Why do you think I made cinnamon rolls? I’m addicted.” Mia set her plate on the table and nodded to the door. “I’m sure the rest of the group will be showing up any time.”
As if her words brought them rather than the smell of baked goods, Christina, Levi, and Grans piled into the room. Their chatter broke her uncomfortable draw toward Trent, but when she glanced at him, she saw the surprise on his face. So he’d felt the power too. She dropped her eyes and muttered a new mantra: I don’t need a new man in my life. She heard a giggle from the Goddess.
As the baked goods disappeared and another pot of coffee was started, the timer on the oven announced that the casserole was done. Christina stood and retrieved a bowl of chopped fruit from the fridge. Trent grabbed larger plates for the main course, Grans poured fresh coffee, and Levi cleaned off the used plates to make room. The five of them moved as if meals together were a normal, everyday occurrence. Like a family.
As they passed the food around the table, Mia watched Christina bubble over. The way she had that summer, when her only worry was buying clothes for the new school year. A weight had been lifted from the girl. If calling Roxanne and ratting out Isaac would do any good, Mia would be on the phone in an instant. Instead, she knew Christina would be seen as the problem, not the golden boy. At least she had this makeshift family for now, until she made her own.
Grans patted her hand as if she knew the path Mia’s thoughts were taking. Swallowing her tears, Mia focused on eating. She’d been starving, but with all the excitement, food just hadn’t been a priority. Now they needed to refuel before they went to get the damaging evidence against the man known as William.
“After we get back we’ll figure out what Adele had and then make a next step,” Trent was outlining the morning for the others.
“What about the store?” Levi’s words were garbled because his mouth was full of the last cinnamon roll.
“I’ve already called Sally. She’s opening today.” Trent smiled. “What about you? EMT duties?”
“I’m off this week.” Levi snuck a glance at Christina. “I was planning on teaching someone to snowboard.”
“I don’t want you two disappearing up on that mountain before the police find Barney and we figure out if Danforth had anything to do with his disappearance. We don’t need to be missing anyone else.” Grans raised her eyebrows and waited.
“She’s right. We need to stick together.” Trent focused on his brother. “Agreed?”
Levi shrugged, then glanced at Christina. “Sorry, babe, we’ve been grounded.”
“It’s kind of nice to have someone worry about where you are,” Christina added quietly.
And with that, everyone focused on their breakfast, with Christina’s words floating around the room.
Trent and Mia bundled up in coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. Mia had to scrounge to find an appropriate scarf to wrap around Trent’s neck.
He held it up. “Purple is not my color.”
“You can wear pink instead,” Mia offered. Everyone else was upstairs, focusing on chores. Levi and Christina had kitchen cleanup duty while Grans tried to piece together more of Adele’s family tree puzzle.
“Purple will be fine.”
They walked outside into a wonderland of snow. No snowplows had started clearing the streets. The sidewalks were still covered in several inches of snow. The town still appeared deserted. Mia glanced up at Trent, who walked next to her. “You think Elizabeth will even make it to the library?”
“She’s never missed a day to open, even after the earthquake. She only lives a block away, so unless she’s dead, yes, I think the library will be open.” Trent reached over and took Mia’s gloved hand.
Even through the material, Mia could feel the heat Trent’s body put out. Unless it was just her imagination, the man should be melting the snow around them as they walked. This overflowing of emotion was getting way out of hand. She really needed to get a handle on her feelings before she did something really stupid, like kissing him. Again.
As if he’d read her thoughts, his face turned to meet her gaze. Smoldering hot. Oh, man, she needed to focus on something else. Like poor Barney. Poor, missing Barney.
Neither one of them spoke again until they reached the library. The snow had been swept away from the steps. When Trent pulled on the heavy oak door it opened easily. He grinned at her. “Told you.”
Mia stomped the snow off her boots just a little too hard. As she walked into the marble foyer, her footing slipped and she started to fall. Strong arms caught her below her arms and pulled her into his body.
“Whoa there. You get all the way here and slip once we’re in the building? Priceless.” Trent’s tone sparkled with humor.
“Bite me,” she answered back.
Trent moved his lips closer to her ear and didn’t let go, even though she had recovered her footing. “Where?” he whispered.
“Not the time,” she responded, pulling away from him.
Trent chuckled and followed her into the library. “That’s what you always say.”
Elizabeth was at the checkout counter, watching them enter. When they approached she tapped the flash drive on the counter. “About time you got here. I’m a busy woman. I can’t be waiting around on you two all day.”
Mia picked up the black drive. “So everything she was printing is on this?”
“You think I’m a liar?” The woman’s retort was quick.
Mia choked. “No, I mean I was just wondering if Adele had access to email or another printer while she was here working.”
Elizabeth seemed to consider that. “I guess she could have emailed herself a list of the references. She wrote all the days and pages in a notebook. There’s no internet access on the microfilm scanners. She would have had to go to another computer. Really, what would be the point? She liked her paper.”
Trent plucked the flash drive from Mia’s hand. “Thanks a lot, Elizabeth. I’ll bring you back a pack of new flash drives from the store later this week. My treat.”
“You do so much for the library, Trent. You don’t have to replace one flash drive.” Elizabeth smiled at him, causing Mia to wonder what Trent did for the library. The man seemed to scatter goodwill throughout the town, like Magic Springs’s personal Santa.
He glanced at his shoes. “Majors does a book drive every spring and fall for the library.”
“And matches what’s donated to allow us to buy new books. The city council has cut our budget for new purchases three years in a row. And don’t get me started on ebooks. The council won’t even talk to me about the need for a lending program.” Elizabeth started stacking books on the counter to check in from a basket behind the desk.
“We’d better get going,” Trent had started to squirm. “We’ll see you around.”
Elizabeth focused on Mia. “Have you got your library card yet? I understand you live in the district now.”
“No, sorry, I haven’t.” At those words, a frown creased Elizabeth’s forehead and Mia quickly added, “But I’ll come in next week with the girl who’s living with me. We’ll get cards then.”
Elizabeth nodded and Mia added one more thing on her already overcrowded to-do list: library cards.
They walked out the door and Trent laughed. “You looked like you were caught shoplifting back there. It’s just a library card.”
“I hadn’t even thought about getting one,” Mia admitted. “I’m so bad at returning books on time, it’s cheaper for me to buy them than borrow.”
“Humor her. Get a library card. You don’t have to use the thing. I think she’s out to make sure every town resident over three years old has a card. It’s her life’s ambition.” Trent poked her with his elbow. “You don’t want her to go to meet her maker one person short of her goal, now do you?”
“Guilt, the other white meat.” Mia held up her hands in mock surrender. “Fine, as soon as I get the business opened, I’ll get a library card.”
“You’re an angel in disguise.”
“And you’re a royal pain in the butt.”
Mia followed Trent as they walked back to the school. She stopped in front of the store. “You need to check in?”
“Sally’s fine. Besides, it’s my day off.
Mia snorted.
“What?”
“I never knew any small business owner who wasn’t on the clock twenty-four seven. Even when I catered at the hotel, Isaac and I were always running somewhere, fixing something.” Mia brushed the snow from the fence surrounding the park as they passed by. “You never get time off.”
“Then you were doing it wrong. Seriously, you have to have time to recharge or you’re no good to anyone.” He nodded to the park, covered in a blanket of white from the snow last night. “Nature knows how to take a rest, why don’t humans?”
“Nature doesn’t get calls from angry customers who wanted gluten-free lasagna and calorie-free desserts.” Mia slowed her pace and looked at him. “You seriously take off a day a week?”
He raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I take off two.”
“Sounds like heaven. Maybe after the business gets up and running, if I’m not in jail for killing Adele, I can learn from your slacker ways.”
He pulled her close to his side. “You’re not going to jail. At least I don’t think you are. But maybe we should see if we’re compatible in the sack before you’re arrested. That way I won’t lose one of my fishing days driving to Boise for a visit.”
“Comforting.” She pushed him away. “Besides, who said I wanted you to visit me anyway?”
“I can see it in your eyes when you look at my butt.”
She slapped his arm with her gloved hand. “You are so bad.”
He pulled her into a clench and stopped their forward movement. The cast iron of the park fence dug into her back, centering her as he reached under her chin. “You don’t know how bad I can be. Yet.”
Then he kissed her. Kisses that stole her breath away, and before she realized what she was doing, she kissed him back. He pulled away from her and adjusted her hat on her head, then took her hand and pulled her back onto the sidewalk. Dazed, she followed him, wondering what had just happened. She didn’t need a new man in her life; she’d just dumped Isaac. Of course, that didn’t seem like such a big loss now. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could even remember what he looked like.
By the time they got back to the school Trent was humming and Mia felt torn. She didn’t want to blurt out, I don’t want to date you, or anyone. Mostly because she wasn’t sure the words were true. She shouldn’t want to date him. She should focus on getting Mia’s Morsels up and going. She should help Christina figure out what she was going to do about her brother and the Adams family. She should be thinking about helping Grans deal with the grief of losing Adele.
Instead, all she wanted to do was kiss Trent again. And maybe again. Maybe something more personal, more private.
“Ready to find out what Adele was researching?” Trent held the front door open for her.
Mia nodded, not trusting her voice. She sprinted up the stairs to the apartment and banged the door open, startling Grans, who was sitting on the couch, knitting.
“Something wrong?” Grans’s head cocked and she studied her.
Mia could feel her grandmother’s magic floating over her body, trying to determine if Mia was all right. Before she could speak the tingles stopped and Grans smiled.
“Oh.” Then she went back to her knitting.
Mia shook her head. She never had been able to hide anything from the woman, even the night Ken Forrey got to second base with her in the back seat of his Camaro after the junior prom. That night Grans hadn’t just said, “Oh.” Mia’d gotten the birds and the bees speech, and the next morning a box of condoms sat on her beside with a note about a doctor’s appointment if she wanted something more reliable.
“There’s no oh.” Mia sighed and headed to the kitchen. She felt rather than saw Trent following her. Like they were attached by a golden cord, invisible yet still strong. She wondered if that was what Grans saw.