about how your breakup would tear me up? No!”
“You got one part of that sentence right. It was my breakup, not yours! It has nothing to do with you!”
“It has everything to do with me! You’re two of the people I love the most!”
“It’s still none of your business. Just like when you and Tate were doing your ridiculous little dance around each other, it was none of my business and I butted out. Do you think that was easy for me?”
“Oh, yeah, you butted out,” Angie scoffed. “You told him he’d had everything handed to him all of his life and that he didn’t know how to go after what he wanted. So he up and quit his investment job, you know, where he was making oodles of money, so he could come and work here. If it’s anyone’s fault that he’s keeping me at arm’s length, it’s yours! Well played, Mel.”
“How was I supposed to know the numb-nut was going to quit his job?” Mel asked. “You can’t blame me because he’s an idiot.”
They stared at each other over the steel worktable. Both were red-faced and breathing heavy.
“This is ridiculous! I don’t know how talking about the business turned into a fight over our personal lives,” Angie said. She looked as if she was visibly trying to calm herself with deep breathing exercises. Mel wasn’t there yet.
“It’s your fault,” Mel said, still peeved. “You brought commitment issues and low self-esteem into it.”
“Well, it was overdue,” Angie snapped. Obviously, the breathing hadn’t worked. “You’re
not
the fat girl anymore. You’re a beautiful, brilliant small businesswoman and shoving away the guy you love to flirt with someone else just because you’re a scaredy-cat is just stupid.”
“Oh, so now I’m stupid?” Mel asked.
Angie growled. “Fine, don’t listen to the important stuff I’m saying, just hear the insults you’re looking for.”
“Hard not to hear them when you’re shouting them at me, Miss Temper Tantrum,” Mel snapped.
“Fine! I’ll stop talking to you altogether,” Angie snapped. “In fact, I’ll just go work in the other room.”
“Good!” Mel said as Angie packed up a tray full of butterflies and luster dust.
“Great!” Angie agreed.
“Fantastic!”
“Terrific!”
Angie banged through the swinging kitchen door to the front of the bakery. Mel watched until the door swung to a stop.
“Damn,” she said.
Sixteen
“Am I interrupting something?” a voice asked from the back door.
Mel turned around and there was Joe. Her shoulders, which had ratcheted up around her ears while tiffing with Angie, sank back down.
“Can I have a hug?” she asked.
Joe opened his arms and Mel scooted across the kitchen, and into his embrace.
“Uncle Stan called me at the office,” he said. His hand ran up and down her back. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she said. She stepped back and studied him. “Angie is the one who found the body. She could probably use a hug, too.”
Joe glanced around the kitchen. “Where is she?”
“She’s in the front of the bakery,” Mel said. She glanced down at her hands, which were clenched together. “We’re fighting.”
Joe nodded. As the middle brother of Angie’s seven older brothers, he was the one who negotiated the peace treaties within the family. Mel was pretty sure that was how he’d ended up going into law. With six hotheaded Italian brothers, Joe’s skills at hammering out a compromise were unparalleled.
He threw an arm around her shoulders and led her toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go work this out.”
In the front of the bakery, Angie had taken over a booth. She was brushing luster dust onto fondant butterflies and muttering under her breath. Her legendary temper looked ready to erupt.
“Maybe I’ll just let you talk to her on your own,” Mel said and began to back out of the doorway.
Joe glanced from Mel to Angie and back. “That might be best.”
Mel slipped behind Joe and back through the door as he strode
“You got one part of that sentence right. It was my breakup, not yours! It has nothing to do with you!”
“It has everything to do with me! You’re two of the people I love the most!”
“It’s still none of your business. Just like when you and Tate were doing your ridiculous little dance around each other, it was none of my business and I butted out. Do you think that was easy for me?”
“Oh, yeah, you butted out,” Angie scoffed. “You told him he’d had everything handed to him all of his life and that he didn’t know how to go after what he wanted. So he up and quit his investment job, you know, where he was making oodles of money, so he could come and work here. If it’s anyone’s fault that he’s keeping me at arm’s length, it’s yours! Well played, Mel.”
“How was I supposed to know the numb-nut was going to quit his job?” Mel asked. “You can’t blame me because he’s an idiot.”
They stared at each other over the steel worktable. Both were red-faced and breathing heavy.
“This is ridiculous! I don’t know how talking about the business turned into a fight over our personal lives,” Angie said. She looked as if she was visibly trying to calm herself with deep breathing exercises. Mel wasn’t there yet.
“It’s your fault,” Mel said, still peeved. “You brought commitment issues and low self-esteem into it.”
“Well, it was overdue,” Angie snapped. Obviously, the breathing hadn’t worked. “You’re
not
the fat girl anymore. You’re a beautiful, brilliant small businesswoman and shoving away the guy you love to flirt with someone else just because you’re a scaredy-cat is just stupid.”
“Oh, so now I’m stupid?” Mel asked.
Angie growled. “Fine, don’t listen to the important stuff I’m saying, just hear the insults you’re looking for.”
“Hard not to hear them when you’re shouting them at me, Miss Temper Tantrum,” Mel snapped.
“Fine! I’ll stop talking to you altogether,” Angie snapped. “In fact, I’ll just go work in the other room.”
“Good!” Mel said as Angie packed up a tray full of butterflies and luster dust.
“Great!” Angie agreed.
“Fantastic!”
“Terrific!”
Angie banged through the swinging kitchen door to the front of the bakery. Mel watched until the door swung to a stop.
“Damn,” she said.
Sixteen
“Am I interrupting something?” a voice asked from the back door.
Mel turned around and there was Joe. Her shoulders, which had ratcheted up around her ears while tiffing with Angie, sank back down.
“Can I have a hug?” she asked.
Joe opened his arms and Mel scooted across the kitchen, and into his embrace.
“Uncle Stan called me at the office,” he said. His hand ran up and down her back. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she said. She stepped back and studied him. “Angie is the one who found the body. She could probably use a hug, too.”
Joe glanced around the kitchen. “Where is she?”
“She’s in the front of the bakery,” Mel said. She glanced down at her hands, which were clenched together. “We’re fighting.”
Joe nodded. As the middle brother of Angie’s seven older brothers, he was the one who negotiated the peace treaties within the family. Mel was pretty sure that was how he’d ended up going into law. With six hotheaded Italian brothers, Joe’s skills at hammering out a compromise were unparalleled.
He threw an arm around her shoulders and led her toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go work this out.”
In the front of the bakery, Angie had taken over a booth. She was brushing luster dust onto fondant butterflies and muttering under her breath. Her legendary temper looked ready to erupt.
“Maybe I’ll just let you talk to her on your own,” Mel said and began to back out of the doorway.
Joe glanced from Mel to Angie and back. “That might be best.”
Mel slipped behind Joe and back through the door as he strode
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