Page 68 of Playing for Keeps
Caroline glanced back toward the crying girls. “You’re right, but her cousin has never been kind to me and has refused to work at events with me in the past.” She ducked her head back into the vehicle. “Did you tamper with the cookies for the decorating contest at church?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jessica said, hiccupping through sobs.
“Destiny let us in!” Haley said.
“Destiny is a grown woman! I can’t believe she did this!” Caroline said. “Have you called their parents?”
“Garrett called them,” Justin said. “Since the girls confessed, they’re looking at quite a few misdemeanors in the eyes of the state of Colorado.”
“What’s going to happen to them?” Skye asked, bundling her coat around her neck.
“With everything Jordan and the police department have been compiling, we have enough evidence that these girls could get a pretty harsh sentence.”
“What about the messages you’ve been getting?” Caroline asked Justin. “Are they connected?”
Garrett flipped through his notebook. “Actually, they are. One of the girls said they thought they could pit the two of you against each other to break you up.” He hooked his thumb toward Justin. “One of them said her mom has a major crush on Heartbreaker.”
“That’s interesting, considering we haven’t actually defined our relationship yet. I can’t believe this,” Caroline whispered. “So they wanted to ruin my business because they’re connected to Donut Haven, and they were bothering me because they wanted to get to Justin.”
“And don’t forget the threats. That’s big too,” Justin added. “Trust me, they’ll be punished for this.”
Caroline rubbed her hands together. “They’re all so young. I don’t want anything bad to happen to them.”
Justin’s smile spread over his face. “You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. After all they did to you, you’re still giving them a chance.”
She shrugged, tucking her chin. “I was thinking maybe they could help out at the bakery as part oftheir punishment. I could use the help, and they’d get a glimpse at what they were trying to destroy.”
He couldn’t take it anymore. He’d given her space because she needed to trust him again, but that didn’t mean he had to hide his feelings.
Justin cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up. “Those girls don’t deserve the grace you want to offer them. I’ve never met anyone who would treat their enemies like that until I met you.” His hands slipped down her neck, over her shoulders, and grasped her hands. “I love you. I always have.”
Her lips parted in a small gasp, and her eyes widened. “I love you too.”
His mouth crashed against hers, and he slid his arms around her waist. Her hands moved up his chest and behind his neck. Kissing Caroline was everything he remembered and more. Nothing would separate them this time.
Garrett cleared his throat. “I guess Operation Christmas Romance is a success—mission accomplished.”
Justin pulled back, wishing for a brief moment he could kick his friend out of the square.
“Chief is here,” Garrett whispered.
Justin was on duty. Right. Police persona activated.
He took Caroline’s hand in his as he leaned down to explain, still a bit out of breath. “You andSkye can go inside. I’ll call Clint and ask him to replace the door as quickly as possible.”
Caroline jerked her attention to the bakery, noticing the shattered door for the first time. “Biscuits. I didn’t even see that.”
Justin rubbed a hand up and down her back. “I’ll let you know when you can clean it up. We’ll need to photograph the scene first.”
“Okay.” She pressed a light kiss against his cheek. “Justin, I’m glad I had you beside me for all this. I might have let it go on too long if you hadn’t been around to help and encourage me.”
“I’ll be by your side through everything. It’s you and me now, and I’ll do anything to protect you.”
28
JUSTIN
You can do this. You were invited.
