Page 22 of How Sweet It Is

I hang up with Noah, frustrated that he isn’t taking this seriously.

Kiera taps a finger on the counter. “What’s going on?”

I jerk my thumb out at the Corolla. “Amelia’s cousin’s been sitting in his car outside. It’s unnerving, and Noah doesn’t think it’s a big deal.”

Kiera studies me. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with her cousin sitting in his car?”

I huff and cross the bakery storefront before coming around the counter. “They’re only cousins by marriage. You should have seen him the other night. His hands were all over her.”

Kiera’s mouth makes an O shape. “I get it now. You’re jealous.”

I laugh and shake my head. “No way. I’m just concerned. I mean, it’s weird that he’s sitting out there in his car, right?”

Kiera cranes her neck to look outside. “Well, kind of. Unless he’s waiting for her to get off work. Maybe she needs a ride.”

I motion to the window. “Waiting for over an hour? And she has her own car out back.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s kind of strange.” Kiera picks up a pen from the pen cup at the register and twirls it. “But maybe it’s nothing.”

I have a feeling it’s not nothing, but I don’t want to harp on it, so I let it go. “Maybe.”

“What are you doing tonight for your birthday?”

I sigh. “Amelia and I are working on the books tonight.”

Kiera makes a face. “Wow. Adulting sucks.”

“Which you’ll know soon enough.” I go back into the kitchen and clean up my kitchen mess. By the time I’m done, Kiera has closed out the register and left.

The office door is closed, so I knock on it.

“Come in,” Amelia calls.

I walk in and notice the plate I gave her with the biscuit muffin on it is empty. “Did you like my biscuit muffin?”

She smiles at me. “It was delicious.”

I look around the office in case she hid it somewhere, but I don’t see it. “Really? You ate it?”

“Of course.”

“It’s not stuffed in this drawer?” I tug on the drawer, but it’s locked.

Amelia looks at me with wide eyes. “No. It’s not in there.” Her bottom lip twitches.

I was just joking, but now I’m convinced she locked it in the drawer. What is going on? I stare at her. “Unlock it.”

“It’s not in there.”

“Prove it.”

She looks to the floor. “I lost the key.”

“What the actual heck?” I reach past her and pull open the middle drawer, the one where I keep the key. It’s sitting exactly where it’s supposed to be. I pull it out and unlock the drawer. I already know what I’m going to find, but for some reason it still hurts when I slide it open and see the biscuit muffin sitting there on top of a pile of papers.

I turn to her, staring daggers at her. “What is going on?”

CHAPTER 11

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