Moira was about to argue some more, when someone cleared his throat behind her. A sense of dread knotted her stomach before she even turned to face him. “Sheriff Ronnie. Good morning.”
The sheriff wasn’t smiling. Moira guessed he was one of the nine hundred visitors to Reva’s blog. “Can you come by the department after your shift today?”
Moira swallowed past a tight throat. “Sure, Sheriff,” she practically squeaked. “Will do.”
Sheriff Ronnie looked past Moira to Reva. He didn’t seem thrilled with her either. He tipped his head in greeting and then turned to leave.
Moira’s heart was pounding, the sound reverberating in her ears. Reva gave her a sheepish look when Moira met her gaze again.
“Well, I best be going,” she said. “Say what they will, but you’re still a hero in my eyes,” she added before walking away.
Moira watched the older woman leave the bakeshop. She felt a lot of things right now, but heroic wasn’t one of them.
Chapter Four
Moira eyed the space behind the counter where her mom should be standing. It wasn’t like Darla to leave the counter unattended for long. Moira walked to the front and eyed the little bell that read RING ME. Everyone knew that workers didn’t enjoy being summoned by the bell on the counter, especially when it was a child doing the ringing.
Moira stood there a moment, and as she was about to tap the little bell, her mom appeared from the back room.
“Oh. Moira.” Darla’s smile was hesitant and forced. Her eyes looked red, which caught Moira off guard. Her mom was rarely ever upset.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“Oh, yes, of course.” Darla waved a dismissive hand in Moira’s direction. “It’s just hot in the kitchen, you know that.”
Moira did know that. She’d worked here during the summers and on weekends when she was growing up. She knew what her mom’s hot face looked like though, and this wasn’t it. She was about to press her mother on what was bothering her, when Darla turned and began preparing a coffee for her.
“Are you getting this to go?” Darla asked. “I’m assuming you’re on shift today.”
“I’m actually meeting Tess for coffee. At least that was the plan.” Moira glanced behind her in case she’d somehow missed her friend sitting at one of the tables when she’d walked in.
“She hasn’t come in yet,” Darla said. “So…” She trailed off until Moira turned back to her. “I hear yesterday was an interesting day for you.”
Moira groaned. She leaned over the counter, propping herself up on her elbows. “I wish Reva would stop broadcasting everyone’s business.”
Darla slid Moira’s cup of coffee across the counter. Steam wafted up from the rim as Darla pressed a top over it. “You know that gossip is like an addiction. A person can’t just kick the habit.”
“An addiction is a disease, Mom. Gossip is a behavior.” Moira grabbed the coffee and took a grateful sip. Sweetie’s coffee was smooth on her tongue. “Mm. Best brew in Somerset Lake.” She assessed her mother over the rim of her cup. There was something off in her green eyes. “Mom?”
Darla raised her brows in response. “Hmm?”
Moira was about to ask what was going on, when a voice interrupted behind her.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Moira turned toward her friend’s voice. “Hey, Tess. There you are.”
Tess broke into a tired yawn. “Sorry, I’m running a bit late. I overslept, and I’m in desperate need of coffee.”
“I’m on it.” Darla turned to prepare another cup.
“Late night?” Moira waggled her brows, making Tess roll her eyes.
“Mind out of the gutter, please. I stayed up reading our selection for book club, thank you very much.”
“If you say so.”
Tess sighed and looked at Moira. “Are we still having coffee together?”
Moira checked the time. “I can if you can.”
“The bookstore doesn’t open until nine, and Lara is with me today, so I’m in no rush.”
Darla handed Tess her beverage and rung her up.
“I’ll talk to you later, Mom.” Moira made a mental note to do exactly that. There was something wrong—she could tell—and she needed to know what it was.
“Enjoy your coffees, girls,” Darla called after them.
“I love that your mom still calls us girls,” Tess said as they walked to a table along the wall. “It makes me feel young again.”
“We’re not exactly ancient.” Moira plopped down in the chair across from her friend, pondering that statement. A restless night tossing and turning did make her feel a little ancient this morning. “Today is going to be miserable,” she said with a sigh. “Did you happen to see Reva’s blog?”
“I did!” Tess said enthusiastically. “You’re a local hero.”
Moira harrumphed. “Sheriff Ronnie might say otherwise. He wants to see me after my shift.”
Tess didn’t look concerned. “I wouldn’t worry. You went above and beyond the call of duty.”
“And abandoned the dispatch for fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes can be life or death in some cases, Tess.”
Her friend shook her head. “Not in Somerset Lake. Not usually, at least.”
“Well, Reva’s blog didn’t do me any favors. All I did was get Doug an ice pack and pour him some juice,” Moira said.
“You crawled through a doggie door to do so.” Tess grinned over her coffee cup, her brown eyes twinkling.
Moira let her face drop in her palm for a moment. “Ugh. I wish she could have at least left that detail out.”
“And Goldie licked your cheeks before you stood,” Tess added.
Moira’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Did she write that?”
Tess lifted a brow, one side of her mouth quirking in amusement. “So it’s true?”
Moira pulled her cup of coffee to her. “The secret is out. I’ve gotten more dog kisses than romantic kisses so far this year.”
“Despite your New Year’s resolution of going on at least one date per month?”
Moira offered an exaggerated eye roll. “That wasn’t my resolution. It was the book club’s goal for me, and it was completely unnecessary. Not everyone needs a romantic interest in their life to feel complete.” She’d been saying this to her friends and family for years whenever they’d asked why she was still single. She’d said it so often that she was starting to believe it.
“Well, we’d just like to see you go on a few dates. All of us at the book club are coupled up now. We need to live vicariously through you.”
“How about I live vicariously through you and stay happily single?” Moira took another sip of her coffee. The bell above the entrance jingled as someone else walked into the shop. Moira immediately turned to see who it was, subconsciously looking for Gil.
It wasn’t Gil.
When Moira faced forward again, Tess gave her a questioning look.
“Expecting someone?”
Moira shook her head. “No.” She couldn’t lie to Tess though. Tess always knew when she was holding something back. She was Moira’s wisest and most perceptive friend. “Fine, I was hoping to see Gil Ryan this morning.”