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The two entered the candy story again. Victoria was behind the counter about to help another woman juggling several jars of the fudge topping the restaurant had advertized.
Jessica’s phone beeped. She pulled it out and saw a message from Gray saying he was running late and to take another fifteen minutes for lunch. She put her phone up on the counter to make room for it in her purse once she bought several pieces of the Black Forest Cake Fudge she planned to take home for dessert tonight.
“Are you ready for that fudge?” Veronica asked, “Or are you way too full from lunch, as I suspect from the look on your face?”
“Both. I am too full from lunch, which is why I’ll have to take the fudge home with me and eat it later on tonight. I’d like four pieces. I may share. I may not. We’ll see what happens.”
“Good answer,” Victoria said with a grin.
Jessica’s phone beeped as a call came through. She’d left her cellular on top of the case above the fudge trays. Victoria put four nice pieces in a small box with tissue.
The screen of Jessica’s phone said, “Duke calling.”
Victoria stared at it, her mouth dropped open and she looked at Jessica with an air of surprise. She bobbled the box of fudge, finally placing it on the counter as Jessica reached for her phone and answered, “Hello?”
“Hey, Jessica. Where are you? I have some news about your car.”
“Really? What is it? Did you find it?” Jessica noted that Victoria stared at her unabashedly as she spoke to Duke.
“Well, I was hoping to talk to you in person. I’m over here standing in front of your receptionist’s desk. She said you’re out to lunch.”
Jessica smiled at Victoria. “Yes. I’m over at the Old West Town Candy Shoppe right now. Come over and meet me.”
There was a long pause. She could have heard a pin drop. “The candy shop? Seriously?” He sounded so defeated. Did he suspect her limited match-making skills were at work? Did he have lots of people trying to help this relationship along?
“Come on. I’ll buy you a piece of fudge. The flavor of the day is Black Forest Cake. Trust me. It’s delicious. You’ll love it.”
He released a long slow sigh as if beaten down, and said, “Fine. I’ll be there in couple of minutes.”
“Great. See you soon.”
Victoria, grinning through the entire short conversation, frowned the moment Jessica hung up.
“He’ll be here in a couple of minutes.”
“Oh God. I only have minutes?” She moved like a flash of light through the door leading to the back of her store, muttering to herself until she disappeared.
Lilianna dutifully grabbed her apron and got behind the counter.
“Did I do the wrong thing?” Jessica asked Lilianna.
She giggled uproariously. “Are you kidding? You have singlehandedly brought Sheriff Duke Stanton into Victoria’s candy store. She’ll probably offer up a kidney to you, in case you ever need one.”
A minute and a half later, Victoria burst through the back door again, this time with her apron off, gave a thumbs up to Lilianna, presumably because she was behind the counter, and blew Jessica a kiss before stationing herself casually in front of the case full of fudge.
“Maybe I’ll have a lunch date, too,” she said with determination coating her cheerful tone.
“Do you think so?” Jessica asked. Would this make Duke finally break down and take her out?
Victoria lifted a shoulder in half a shrug. “A girl can dream. And I’ll always appreciate you bringing him in here. I owe you one.”
The glass door promptly rattled in its frame as the handle turned in the next second. Victoria straightened, thrusting her boobs out as she did. Even the sound of the bell on the door sounded extra happy as Duke stepped inside.
“Hello, ladies,” he said politely, slipping his hat from his head as he approached the three of them. He looked like a man facing a monumental battle. Or perhaps a hangman’s noose.
“What’s the good word on my car, Duke?” Jessica asked.
“Well, we did find it earlier this morning,” he didn’t frown exactly, but she got the distinct impression this was about to be bad news. “It’s out of town quite a few miles north on a very remote back road. A medical rescue helicopter on its way from Billings to Great Falls spotted it and called it in.”
