Page 45 of Cornered

Cassie couldn’t meet Bronwyn’s eyes. She’d been hoping to avoid this conversation.

“Cass? What’s going on?”

Cassie stared at the ground and tried to come up with ananswer that wouldn’t get anyone in trouble. “I didn’t want to say anything. It’s a temporary situation, and I can handle it.”

“Explain.” Bronwyn’s voice had shifted from concerned friend to concerned CEO.

But Cassie wasn’t prepared to give in. “I’m not a rat. And it isn’t my kitchen. If it were, I’d handle this differently. But Chef Louis has been nothing but gracious, and I won’t ruin what he has worked so hard to put together.”

Bronwyn shook her head, her frustration obvious. “We can table this discussion temporarily. But after we talk, we will be revisiting this topic.”

Thatdidn’t sound ominous at all.

Before Cassie could ask what she meant, Bronwyn pasted on a smile. “Let’s grab our food and go back to Hideaway to talk. I don’t want to be overheard, and my office will have too many people there now.”

They chatted about safer topics as they picked up coffees, a muffin for Cassie, and a chocolate croissant for Bronwyn.

“I heard you had a date last week.” Bronwyn’s oh-so-casual tone didn’t fool Cassie.

“Who told you that?” It had to have been Cal or Meredith. Cassie’s cousins—technically they were her cousins once removed, but seriously, who could keep up with all of that—Cal, Meredith, and Mo had grown up with Bronwyn, then in their teens they’d drifted apart. Everyone was back in Gossamer Falls now, and Cal and Meredith got along with Bronwyn fine. Mo was another matter entirely.

Bronwyn’s laughter held so much mischievous glee that Cassie groaned. “Spill it.” She took a bite of her muffin and stared Bronwyn down until she answered.

“I heard it from our very own police chief.”

The muffin went down all kinds of wrong. Cassie coughed and spluttered, and tiny crumbs flew out of her mouth. She wanted to die of embarrassment. She couldn’t stop coughing,but Bronwyn was laughing so hard, she was doubled over. Hopefully she’d missed the crumb debacle.

Police Chief Grayson Ward was Donovan’s boss. If Gray knew, then...

Cassie finally got the coughing under control and ran a finger under each eye in hopes of preventing her makeup from running down her cheeks. When she refocused on Bronwyn, it was to see that the laughter had been replaced by concern.

“I’m sorry.” There was no way to miss her sincerity. “I didn’t expect you to nearly choke to death. And I’ve just realized why this isn’t funny to you. Gray heard it from Cal at breakfast. Donovan was on a night shift, so I doubt he heard anything about it. If you care about that?”

Cassie took a sip of her coffee. Then another. She didn’t respond until they were almost to the back door of Hideaway’s kitchen. “I don’t know why I reacted that way. I’m free to date whomever I want. And it shouldn’t matter if anyone”—she refused to say his name—“overheard or knows.”

Bronwyn put an arm around her and squeezed. “I understand so much more than you know.” With a final squeeze, Bronwyn slid her ID card in front of the security sensor to unlock the door. “So, how was the date? Good?”

Cassie followed her inside. “It was—”

Bronwyn had flipped on the lights and they both stared at the kitchen. A kitchen that had been pristine when Cassie had left it a few hours ago but now looked like someone had taken a chain saw to the appliances.

The kitchen had been destroyed. Knives lay in pieces on the warped counters. Shelving had been overturned. The refrigerator door had a hole large enough for a gallon of milk to fit through it.

Cassie didn’t even know how that was possible.

On the floor, written in a red sauce, was one word.

Oops.

TWO

OFFICER DONOVAN BLEDSOEtook a sip of his tea—sweet iced tea, the way the good Lord intended it to be—and then set the tumbler on his desk. At the moment, he was the only officer in the building. Their police force was small. Too small for their population. But his boss, Grayson Ward, believed in quality over quantity. Gray had been hired to fix the mess the previous chief had made of law enforcement in this small community, and the day he was hired, over half the force turned in their resignations. Those who could took early retirement while others sought employment elsewhere.

Chief Ward was rebuilding, but it was hard to find people who wanted to protect and serve in a small community. And while he’d interviewed a number of candidates over the past few years, only a handful had made the cut.

Donovan was delighted that he was one who’d been brought on board. He felt nothing but pride in his work, the team of officers he served with, and the people he was getting to know better as he settled into life in Gossamer Falls. He’d been here eighteen months, and if it was up to him, he’d retire here.

These people were, for the most part, what his grandpa would have called “good folk.” Crime was present, but it wasn’t unusual for him to go through an entire shift with nothingmore problematic than a disabled motorist or a cow on the loose.

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