A Half-Baked Murder by Emily George

Author:Emily George [George, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2022-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

“You look like someone kicked your puppy.”

I’d made my way deeper into the crowd to avoid Tate and turned to find Jake standing next to me, looking as roguishly handsome as usual. Now that was a man I was happy to see. He wore a rumpled white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, light blue jeans and a pair of black-and-white sneakers. An expensive-looking silver watch sat on one wrist, like a remnant of his time on Wall Street.

“That would require me owning a puppy, which sadly I do not.” I eyed his plate. It was piled precariously high with a good selection of the potluck offerings. “Maybe I should get one.”

“A puppy? Why not?”

Why not? His breezy response made me laugh, because naturally I would overthink such a decision. Maybe I needed a little more “why not?” energy in my life.

“It’s a big decision.”

“Do you want a dog?” he asked, taking a toothpick and stabbing at a small meatball covered in sauce, before popping it into his mouth.

“I’ve always wanted a dog, actually. My aunt has a border collie, Moxie. She’s so smart and funny. But I see myself with something a little more . . . fun sized.” I nodded. “Maybe like a Chihuahua or a little terrier of some kind. Something I can easily pick up if it’s being naughty.”

Jake chuckled. “Hello control issues.”

I flushed. “Maybe a little.”

“So why are you looking sad when you’re here, surrounded by amazing food and lovely people?” he asked, seeming genuinely interested.

“I’m worried that the police are going to arrest my aunt for Brendan’s murder.” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a rush, like I had some deep-seated desire to share the burden of my worry with another person. The right person.

And in that moment, Jake felt like the right person.

“Okay.” He nodded, his expression turning somber and his brows drawing together. There were fairy lights strung across the ceiling of the town hall and the glow reflected in the warm tones of his dark hair. “No wonder you’re worried. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Want to come and question suspects with me?” I joked.

Well, I was more half joking because I wasn’t sure exactly how he would react. Most people would probably look at me like I was nuttier than a fruitcake for suggesting such a thing.

“Suspects?” He narrowed his eyes. “You have suspects?”

“I guess they’re not considered suspects until the police deem them so, but let’s just say there are people who could have motive. And maybe they had the opportunity. I simply want to gather some information and take it to the police to help them with their investigation.”

“You’re serious?” He blinked. “Wow.”

“Ridiculous, huh?”

“I don’t think so. If someone I cared about was in your aunt’s position, I’d be doing everything in my power to help them. It shows what kind of a person you are.”

“Oh.” I was taken aback by the kind words, fully having expected him to extricate himself from the conversation and avoid me until the end of time for being a freak.

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