Page 20 of Hot Pursuit
“Never thought I’d see the day that a good southern boy from Virginia would pass up the opportunity to accompany a lady…” Jo prodded, sharpening her tone ever so slightly. Oh, she could flirt and play nice, but she wanted him to remember she wasn’t some silly girl he was dealing with. And she didn’t plan to go down without a fight. “I guess chivalry really is dead.”
His gaze snapped toward her.
She winked.
Yeah, that’s right, Agent Parker—or should I say Nathaniel Parker. I did my research.
Agent Parker was the son of a former FBI agent who died almost twenty years ago while undercover. He was the oldest of three children. His mother still lived in the 1892 center-hall Colonial where he’d grown up. He graduated top of his class in high school and college. Earned a master’s degree in criminal justice. Joined the agency young and quickly rose to the top ranks, gaining a highly sought-after position in the competitive organized crime unit. All of which led Jo to wonder how in the world he’d landed here, hunting an art thief and his daughter.
Agent Parker clenched his jaw, refusing to respond.
“Suit yourself.” Jo shrugged, letting the carefree tone slide back into her voice. Then she finally let her lips break out into the wide, brimming smile she’d been suppressing for the past few minutes. “Just try your best to keep up.”
She spun on her heels and slapped her palm against the roof of their car twice, drowning out any response either agent might have muttered. And then she took her phone out of her bag and proceeded to do exactly what she’d told them she would—visit three more bakeries while chatting with her girlfriends to keep herself entertained.
@TheBakingBandit: You’ll never guess where I am…
@Sprinkle-Ella: Where?! Where?!
Jo sent the selfie she’d taken with her cronut.
@Sprinkle-Ella: OMG! Jealous! I want to go to NY so badly!
@TheGourmetGoddess: Ugh. Still can’t believe the one weekend you come to NY is the one weekend I’m out of town. What are the chances?
Pretty good, Jo thought, chewing on her lip. Because well, McKenzie, the Gourmet Goddess, was speaking at the annual American Pastry Chef Association conference being held in California for the next few days. And Jo may, or may not, have had something to do with introducing her name to the organizers. If she had, for argument’s sake of course, it would have included hacking into one of their computers and planting her friend’s information into the conference files. But McKenzie totally deserved the recognition, so Jo hardly considered it a breach of the rules, and it hadn’t really been about her friend anyway.
Keeping the two vastly different sides of her life from ever crossing paths was of vital importance to Jo—baking was baking, crime was crime, and never the two should meet. Which was why she refrained from divulging personal details in their chats, keeping the conversations focused on craft, and went out of her way to ensure they’d never meet in real life, planned or accidental. Digital deceit was one thing, but Jo never wanted to put herself in a situation where she’d have to look her friends in the eye and lie to their faces. They were her escape from this life, and she planned to keep it that way.
@TheBakingBandit: How’s the conference??
@TheGourmetGoddess: Great! My panel isn’t until tomorrow, and the food tents don’t begin until the weekend when the conference opens to the public, so right now I’m just enjoying myself and trying not to freak out. Get back to me in the morning.
@Sprinkle-Ella: You’ll be amazing!! And so will your food! Wish I could be there!
@TheBakingBandit: Agreed! No need to freak!
McKenzie was an eternal perfectionist, something she vented to Jo and Addison about all the time. It was one of the reasons she’d been drawn to pastries—all the precision and calculations. Jo and Addison, on the other hand, were a little bit freer with their baking. Okay, Jo was a lot freer…and sometimes it gave McKenzie anxiety. But it was all part of how their odd little threesome worked. Addison’s eternal optimism, Jo’s unfailing enthusiasm, and McKenzie’s endearing snark.
@TheGourmetGoddess: So, Jo, what’s the verdict on the cronut? Tasty enough to end your unrequited grudge?
@TheBakingBandit: Maybe…
@TheBakingBandit: But if he starts selling a coopie, it’s back on in a heartbeat! That goes for all of you…
@TheGourmetGoddess: Shaking in my Louboutin boots.
@Sprinkle-Ella: I’d kill for Louboutin boots, watch out!
@TheGourmetGoddess: You couldn’t kill a fly, let alone me :)
@Sprinkle-Ella: I just got commissioned to bake a black wedding cake…black! My lethal instincts have increased since the last time we spoke.
@TheBakingBandit: Black?! Sounds fun!
@Sprinkle-Ella: You would say that… It’s tragic.
@TheBakingBandit: It’s unique! A challenge!
