Page 81 of Sweet Somethings

"I don't know. We were friends once. Maybe at the very least we could stop being enemies. This is a small town. If we're all here, we're going to run into each other."

"I'm not staying that long," he said. "And let's be honest—your real reason for trying to clean this up is so your run for mayor won't be tainted."

"That was a big part of my motivation," Doug admitted. "But it was also about finding out what my father did back then. I have big plans for my future, and I don't want any surprises."

He actually appreciated Doug's honesty about his ambition.

"What do you think, Travis?" Doug asked.

"I'm hoping that this new information means Roman might hire me." Travis's gaze swung to him. "Does what Doug found out change anything?"

He pondered that question. Was he really going to hang on to an old grudge that had obviously been based on misinformation? And wasn't he just as guilty for believing in their betrayal as they'd been for believing in his?

"Yes," he said, giving Travis a nod. "I'll hire you by the hour for the next three days. My grandfather will have to sign off on anything beyond that, but if you are an asset, I'll recommend that he do that. There's a lot of work, so if you're good, you'll probably stay busy."

"All I need is a chance," Travis said, relief in his eyes.

"You've got it." He looked at Doug. "I will not impede your efforts to be mayor."

"Thank you. In return, I'll make sure that Martha Grayson and some of the other town criers have the correct information regarding the fire," Doug said dryly.

"How do you think your father will respond to that?" he asked.

"He won't love it, but I'm happy that he didn't do anything illegal during his investigation. He just didn't work that hard to get to the real culprit. But even if he had, it's doubtful he would have found the arsonist. Neither of the other two fires has ever been solved." He paused. "If you want to stay here, Roman, you can start over with a clean slate."

"I'm not sure it will be that clean even if we wipe the fire offense away. I wasn't exactly a choir boy."

Doug smiled. "True. We did have some fun back then."

"Yeah, we did," he muttered.

"The best was putting that bulldog in the lake," Travis added, his expression much lighter now.

"I really thought he'd just jump off and swim back," he said. "I didn't think the entire fire department would come out to rescue him."

"I thought the best time was when you put crime scene tape around the principal's car, and spread ketchup on the ground," Doug said. "He had a day off but everyone thought he was dead for a while."

He groaned. "I don't think we need to rehash the old days."

"Well, if we do, we should do it over a beer," Travis said. "Do you have any, Roman?"

"I have some in the fridge," he admitted.

"Along with some chairs?" Doug asked. "Looks like we're going to stay long enough to sit."

"Looks that way," he agreed, leading them into the kitchen.

* * *

Juliette left the bakery in Susan's capable hands around four o'clock on Thursday afternoon. She'd been thinking about her conversation with Martha all day, and she really wanted to talk to Cecelia Grayson while she was at work and not with her sister.

Cecelia managed the Bella Terra nursery down by the bay. The nursery consisted of a red brick building, a greenhouse, and two acres of plants.

She made her way into the main showroom and asked a saleswoman if Cecelia was there. She was directed to the outdoor patio, where she found Cecelia with her hands in a big pot of soil.

"Hello, Juliette," Cecelia said with a welcoming smile. "I can't believe you're away from your bakery. There's always a line in there now when I pass by."

"It has been busy with Valentine's Day around the corner. You must be selling a lot of flowers as well."

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