Page 114 of Frosting and Flames

I nod, my mouth trembling. What they’re saying makes sense. But if it’s true…

Desiree pokes her head in from the front. “Do we have any more cinnamon rolls? Mrs. Montour wants two dozen.”

“I have some here,” I say, needing to get away from Sydney and Jae’s accusatory looks. Or maybe it’s only me interpreting them that way. Because I have the sudden sinking feeling I might have made the worst mistake of my life.

I follow Desiree and pack up the cinnamon rolls, listening to Mrs. Montour chatter on about how amazing the chili cookoff was yesterday. I nod politely in all the right places, but have to stop myself from reacting when she says, “I’m getting an extradozen today to give to Nick. He’s been mowing my lawn for me, but won’t accept payment for it.”

That’s right. She lives near him. And of course he’s doing things like that for his neighbors. Like Sydney said, he’s a stand-up guy.

“Now, tell me if I’m wrong,” she says with a coy smile, “but are you two an item? I saw you acting pretty friendly with each other yesterday.”

My insides shrivel up. I should have let Sydney come out here to deal with her. “We’re dating,” I say, half-wondering if it’s still true.

“Oh, honey. That’s wonderful.” She reaches across the counter to squeeze my hands in hers, her expression looking like the clouds parted and a choir of angels started singing. “You two are perfect for each other. I’ve always thought so.”

If she has, she’s never mentioned anything to me about it, but I don’t rain on her parade. “Thank you,” I say quietly. My heart gives a leap in my chest before my brain squashes it. I still don’t know the truth, even if the Hardy Boys back there are convinced Nick is innocent.

Her face falls slightly. “It’s a bit strange that he’s friends with your ex, though.”

My brows narrow. “They’re not friends.” Enemies, if anything.

“Well, maybe it’s Tanner that is. I saw Kyle at their house yesterday, is all.”

My heart stops. “You what?”

She appears flustered, her lips pursing and flattening as a spot of color rises to her cheeks. I guess I said that harshly. “Well, I had left the cookoff early. I didn’t want to leave Dolly alone for too long, you see. And Kyle was coming out of their house. Although, now that I think about it, neither of them would have been home.”

Kyle was at Nick’s house. Kyle. Of course it was Kyle. He must have put the lingerie there.

My mind races, connecting the dots. Before I’d deleted Kyle from the video doorbell app, Nick and I had been on the porch talking about me staying the night at his place on Saturday. Kyle knew I’d be there. So he had been watching our performances.

The truth lands like a stone in my stomach, my pulse stuttering as the pieces click into place. Oh my God, I really am stupid. Kyle had been itching for a fight saying all that dumb shit about me sucking dick and then we’d kicked him out of the cookoff. Knowing him, he wouldn’t take that lying down.

“I’ll have to ask Nick about it,” I say as evenly as I can, though my knees are already weakening. I don’t want to start any gossip with her if I can help it. “It was so great to see you, but I have to get back to work.”

“Of course, dear.” She pats my hand. “Now that you’re dating Nick, maybe I’ll see you over around my way sometime.”

I smile, the action forced, and drop it as soon as I stumble through the doors to the back. My chest tightens painfully, remembering how hurt Nick had looked after telling me I meant more to him than anything and all I could say was I didn’t know if I could trust him.

I let the worst version of my fear take the wheel trying to protect my heart.

And in the process, I’d wounded his instead.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

RACHEL

“Okay, we have some theories,” Jae says when I enter the back. She’s at the whiteboard we use to list out our priorities for the day.

“I know what happened.” I sink onto a stool, covering my shame-flushed face with my hands. “Kyle planted the lingerie in Nick’s bed.”

Silence stretches through the room, then Jae shouts triumphantly. “Didn’t I say Kyle was our number one suspect?” She jabs at the whiteboard, where Kyle’s name is written in dry-erase marker near the top.

“You did,” Sydney confirms, who comes over to me, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. “How do you know it was him?”

“Mrs. Montour said she saw him at Nick’s house when no one was home.”

“Like he broke in?”

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