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My friend Charlotte used to work at the same bakery as Granny; that’s how we became friends. She now bakes at home in order to be with her kids; she’s a single mom. And she provides all the baked goods we use here.”
    “You like it here, then,” he said. “You like your work.”
    “I love it!” she said with even more enthusiasm than he’d expected. “I am grounded to this house. I can get away when I need to, but this is my home port. It’s a part of me; I’m a part of it. This house is generations of my family. I can’t even imagine living anywhere else. And I do love the work. It’s perfect for me. I like taking care of people, helping them get some good R & R. I can afford to hire enough help that it makes my workload pretty light. I have a good life.”
    Jackson glanced around, as if his surroundings represented the life she spoke of. “I can see that,” he said, then looked at her again. “But it’s just you and Granny?”
    A flash of anger came into her eyes so quickly that he was afraid she’d get up and leave, but she only said, “Now you’re getting way too personal, Agent Leeds.”
    Neatly put in his place, he nodded and said, “Forgive me. I’ll try to be less personal . . . Mrs. Henrie.” He wanted to add a snide “touché,” but he could tell by her eyes that she’d already gotten it. Then they were saved by the bell.
    The ringing of a phone startled Chas, then she realized it was on Jackson’s belt.
    “Sorry,” he said and stood up as he pulled off the phone, glanced at it, and answered, “Agent Leeds here.” He moved into the hallway, but certainly not far enough away to be out of earshot. Apparently he didn’t care if she overheard. Discreetly listening was a great distraction from the gamut of emotions she’d just gone through during their little chat.
    “What do you need?” Jackson said into the phone in a voice that made it evident he likely held some position of significance; he was accustomed to giving orders. “Or did you just call to shoot the breeze?” Long pause to listen. “No, I do know you better than that.” Another pause. “No, I’m not all right. Did you expect me to be?” Short pause. “Then you’re a bigger fool than I took you for.” Very long pause, then his voice became gentler, more concerned. “How are Mary and the kids?” Long pause with occasional grunting noises to indicate that he was listening. “I’d ask you to give them my love, but I don’t think it would go over very well.” More silence. “No, I’m not going to tell you where I am, and if you trace my credit card or the GPS on my phone, I’ll have you fired.” Forced chuckle. “I still have enough clout to get you fired, so mind your manners. Thanks for calling.” Silence. “No, I don’t know when I’ll be back. Maybe I won’t come back.” He hung up the phone without saying good-bye.
    “Sorry,” he said again as he sat back down.
    “Why are you apologizing? It’s not like we’re on a date or something, and even if we were, I wouldn’t be offended by your taking a phone call.”
    “Would you go on a date with me?”
    “No,” she said without even looking at him, and he knew that she knew he was teasing. “Did you want to go on a date with me?”
    “No, I was just wondering.”
    “Glad that’s settled,” she said and finished off her cocoa. The silence made it simply too tempting not to say what she was thinking. “I couldn’t help overhearing.”
    “And what did you figure out about me . . . Detective?”
    Jackson expected to hear summary and speculation over the entire conversation, when he wasn’t certain he could even remember what he’d said. But she looked at him squarely and said, “That you’re not all right.” He looked away abruptly, not wanting her to see the echo of her words in his eyes. Then she added gently, “You obviously weren’t trying to keep me from overhearing.”
    “Maybe I should have,” he said and stood up and left