| |
DANA WAS BOTHERED BY the fact that she was back to square one. But she also felt something else was missing. Did Detective Troy want to say something more? Last month, she’d brushed him off after he’d cancelled then tried to reschedule their last date after Valentine’s. Since then they’d been distant with each other. She was beginning to regret that. Then a thought swept into her mind. She proceeded to make a quick call to Troy’s number.
“What are you doing?” Katie asked, cleaning up the dishes.
“Calling Troy.”
“But didn’t he just call? Oh, I get it. You just want to hear that sweet sexy deep voice of his again.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “No. I just thought of something.” She couldn’t help but feel a tingle spiral in her belly. Yes, she certainly did like hearing his sexy deep voice. His voice was sweet and silky like warm melted caramel and soothed her. In fact, everything about Detective Troy Anders was sweet and sexy, even the way he handled things, the way he looked into her eyes with his deep ocean blue eyes that always seemed to captivate her and the way he dressed so immaculate in his sharp, expensive suits and the scent of his sweet cologne.
It was as if she always felt his energy and got a rush from speaking to him and being around him. But she had brushed him off, hadn’t she? She hadn’t exactly been very responsive to him lately—especially after he’d had to cancel their first official date after Valentine’s because of his mother. His mother had a beauty emergency and required him to take her to the salon. Dana couldn’t believe it at the time. If it had been a medical emergency that would have been different.
That was just as well since Dana had been busy with her work at the café and her mystery riddles blog.
She’d managed to avoid personal talk or small talk whenever he’d tried to speak with her—each and every time, like even at the police station when she’d visited him at his office.
Was she really that fearful of being in another relationship thanks to her cheating ex-fiancé? She knew that the betrayal of her ex being with her best friend was overwhelming. She was betrayed not by one person but two.
Then again, Katie made a valid point the other day.
Her ex-fiancé had hurt her once by breaking her heart, why let him hurt her again, by stopping her from giving her heart to someone else? Maybe she won’t be so evasive next time whenever Troy tried to ‘talk’ to her. Maybe she won’t be in such a denial as Katie would say, when her heart leaped in her chest when he was near by.
His cell phone rang. And rang. And rang.
Drats.
His voicemail came on.
“Hi. You’ve reached Detective Troy Anders. Please leave a message.”
Ooh, there went those butterflies in her stomach feeling again. Man, she loved the sound of his deep voice. It always sent shivers of delight and a pleasant sweet rush spiraling through her.
“Um...hi Troy. It’s Dana. Dana Sweet from Cozy Cupcakes....” Duh, of course, he knows who you are by now, Dana. “Um...anyway, when you get the chance can you please call me? It’s regarding the...um...the case.”
After she’d gotten off the phone she felt as if she could kick herself. Why on earth didn’t she just say that she wanted to speak with him about...well, anything.
He’d told her once that she should call him for anything. The way he said it when he looked at her was as if he was inviting her to be closer than just acquaintances.
And what did Dana do? as Katie would say, avoid him at all costs. Even though her heart wanted him more than anything.
Yikes. Did she just admit to herself that her heart wanted him more than anything?
So it wasn’t just about the case then. Sure, she was dying to solve this murder mystery. But a part of her wanted to be with Troy. A huge part of her.
“Why didn’t you just tell him the truth?” Katie said, drying her hands while standing at the doorway from the kitchen to the living room.
“Excuse me? Were you listening to my conversation?”
“Nope. Was certainly not. Just saying that you drool over this guy every time you see him and I see him eyeing you like he would love to be with you. You’re both driving me nuts. Just go out on a real date already.”
“We’ve been out together,” Dana said in her defense.
“Not as a couple. I mean really date this guy. He couldn’t make your last date and you avoided him when he tried to reschedule. You owe it to yourself, cuz. I mean I hate to bring this up, but I will if it will do you some good. Don’t you think your ex has moved on? I mean he’s with your ex-BFF!”
Dana felt a jolt of electricity to her heart. Okay, she was not completely okay with that but she had to get over it now. They both betrayed her and now they were living happily ever after. So what? Life goes on, right? It wasn’t as if moping about how unfair it was that they did this to her behind her back, would ever change anything, right?
“You remember what Grandma Rae used to say about people letting you down in relationships?”
“Oh, right. I remember.”
“The ones who are quick to walk away were never going to stay in the first place.”
The girls both said it in unison as their eyes drifted to the crackling fire in the stone fireplace in the living room.
“So true,” Dana said. “Grandma Rae was so right.”
“Yup. And Grandma Rae was so married, too.”
“Katie!”
“What? It’s true. She was the only person I know married more times than Elizabeth Taylor. After Grandpa died, Grandma never let anyone ruin her chance at love. If one husband let her down, she’d divorce him and find another.”
Dana couldn’t help but grin. Then a shadow of doubt crossed her mind. She had silently vowed to never go that route again, at least not for a long time after her ex-fiancé ran off with her BFF, but who would that be punishing? Herself or her ex-fiancé and best friend?
But then again, she was fearful of getting her heart sent through the blender again, too. Like double ouch. But then again, as Grandma Rae would say, life was an adventure to be lived and enjoyed. You’ve only got one shot at it.
Just then the phone rang.
Dana’s heart leaped in her chest.
Should she answer it and tell Detective Troy what she really felt?
Or should she continue to keep her heart under protective custody where it would be safe and sound from possible heartbreak?