He laughed. “Leave it to you to bring up milkshakes.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Those were some killer shakes.”

  “I miss Edgarton’s cheeseburgers far more.”

  “There are plenty of places to get a good burger in this town. Shakes are an entirely different story.”

  “Hold on a second. What are the names of these so-called great burger places?”

  “Have you been to Billingsley’s?”

  “No.”

  “How about Turner’s?”

  “I’ve never even heard of those places.”

  “I guess that makes sense. They only opened a couple of years ago.”

  “It seems like a lot of new businesses have opened up since I left town.”

  I stared out the window. “I guess so. Come to think of it, a fair amount of things around here have changed.”

  “You aren’t kidding. In some ways, it feels like a completely different town than the one I grew up in.”

  “Really? Do you seriously believe that it has changed that much?”

  “In a lot of ways, yes. In other ways, things are exactly the same as I left them.”

  “Like Kristina’s Bakery?”

  “There you go, talking about sweets again.”

  “Well, they are my favorite.”

  “Speaking of things that are exactly the same, you haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “In my mind, that’s a very good thing,” he said.

  “I have to say, you sure know how to bring a smile to a woman’s face,” I replied.

  Chapter Seven

  When we arrived at the restaurant, a hostess seated us at a table in the corner. I didn’t even have to look at a menu. I knew exactly what I wanted. I was going to have steak. After all, this was a steakhouse. Filets were their specialty. I saw no reason to try anything different.

  While my mind was made up, Scott wanted to take a look at the menu. Perhaps he just wanted to see if they offered any new items. In the end, when our waiter came by, he ordered just what I expected. He liked his steak well-done. He also loved potatoes. And even though he wasn’t a huge fan of vegetables, he was going to eat them because they came with his meal.

  Once the waiter left our table, I wanted to get to the meat of the matter.

  Meanwhile, Scott seemed far more interested in continuing to make small talk.

  “I don’t think the menu has changed here at all,” Scott said.

  “Nope. And I hope it never does,” I replied.

  “The owner is probably smart enough to realize that they have a winning formula. Why mess with that?”

  “Scott, I don’t want to come across as too blunt, but can we get down to business?”

  “Oh. Okay. I just thought we’d ease into things. I mean, we have all night.”

  “I realize that. It’s just that I’ve been holding on to these questions for a while.”

  “Let me guess. You’ve run out of patience?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right. I guess we can get down to business.”

  “You don’t sound too excited.”

  “That’s because I’m not.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll find out when you hear my answers.”

  “Okay. So, let’s get started then. What brought you back to Majestic Cove?”

  “This job.”

  “But what’s so special about this position? You were a detective in San Francisco.”

  “I just needed a change of scenery.”

  “That’s funny. You said the same thing when you left Majestic Cove.”

  “True, but the circumstances are much different.”

  “I’ll bet,” I said. “We don’t have to talk about why you left.”

  “Good. I don’t want to go over that trauma again,” he said.

  “Why would you? That was a devastating thing for you to go through. In fact, after what happened, I thought you would never set foot in Majestic Cove again,” I said.

  The event I was referring to was the death of Scott’s parents. One night in late October, they were driving home from the movie theater when a drunk driver ran through a red light and plowed right into them. The collision was so brutal that Dave and Veronica Webster were both killed on impact. In addition, the drunk driver died as well.

  Understandably, Scott was completely heartbroken when he heard the news. For a number of weeks afterward, he could barely get out of bed. It was just so shocking. It was one thing to lose a parent, but to have both of them die at once, in such a terrible fashion, made the tragedy even more devastating.

  Eventually, Scott did try to cobble his life back together, but he was never able to look at Majestic Cove the same way again. In his eyes, this town was haunted. If he was going to rebuild his life, he’d have to do it elsewhere. So, he moved to San Francisco.

  “When I first moved to the city, I told myself that I would never come back here,” Scott said.

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “But over time, my opinion changed.”

  “Why? What happened? Did your heart finally heal? Did enough time pass that you started to feel more like yourself again?”

  “That’s part of the reason.”

  “Is there another part that I don’t know about?”

  “I also discovered that living in San Francisco was different than I thought it would be.”

  “How so?”

  “I’m a small town guy. And San Francisco is a very big city. I tried to make as many adjustments as I could, but in the end, it just wasn’t a good fit for me.”

  “Is that all? You came to a gradual realization that you’re not meant for big-city life? Or did something crazy happen to you that turned your entire life upside down?”

  Scott took a deep breath, but he didn’t say a word. I had never known him to be an overly emotional guy. So, to see him having trouble getting words out was kind of shocking.

  I didn’t want to press him. If anything, I tried to calm his nerves.

  “Scott, it’s okay,” I said. “Take your time.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

  “How come?”

  “Because I almost died.”

  “Oh no.”

  “That’s not all.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No, there’s more.”

  “Okay.”

  “I didn’t just have one near-death experience. I almost died three nights in a row.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “That’s crazy,” I said.

  “You don’t have to tell me. Once was wild enough. But three times? That’s insane.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Looking back, it’s amazing that I’m still alive. I mean, very few people survive even one close call, much less three.”

  “You definitely have a reason to count your blessings.”

  “I’ll say. First, a drug bust went bad. The next night, I had a suspect from domestic disturbance call attempt to stab me. Finally, on night number three, I got shot at by a burglar that I was chasing after.”

  “Wait a minute. That all happened in the course of one week?”

  He nodded. “Can you believe it?”

  “No, that’s crazy.”

  “It was more than that. I felt like the universe was trying to give me a sign. A sobering warning. And I got the message loud and clear. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before something like that happened again.”

  “Especially in your line of work.”

  “Exactly. Only maybe I wouldn’t be quite so lucky to escape without a scratch on me. I told myself that I would get out of San Francisco while I could. I craved a simpler life.”

  “I understand completely. What I don’t get is why you decided to stay a detective. After all, it’s an inherently dangerous job.”

  “It’s also the only job that I’m good at. Besides, being a detective in a small town is much different than being a detective in a big city.”

  “At least, in theory. Majestic Cove has certainly not taken things easy on you since you returned.”

  “It definitely hasn’t.”

  “Which brings up an interesting point. There are plenty of small towns out there. Most of which you have no history with. In fact, this is the only town that you have a tragic history with. So, why did you decide to move back here?”

  “I didn’t like the idea of starting over from scratch. I did that when I moved to San Francisco. It wasn’t easy making new friends. Or getting adjusted. Or familiarizing myself with my surroundings.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  “Also, despite the recent crazy events that have taken place, Majestic Cove has a lot going for it. Not just in terms of activities. It’s also a beautiful place.”

  “I agree,” I said. “Does that mean you are happy with the decision that you made?”

  “I am.”

  “That leads me to another peculiar decision of yours.”

  He squinted. “What are you talking about?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming back here?” I asked. “You didn’t call me. Or post about it on social media. Or send me an email. You just picked up and moved without telling anyone, including your old friends.”

  “In my defense, I had a lot going on.”

  “I’m sure you did. Moving takes a lot out of you. But you still could have picked up the phone. Why didn’t you? I would have loved to have heard from you. In fact, I would have welcomed you with open arms.”

  “I know.”

  “How do you explain your actions then?”

  “If I’m being brutally honest, I wasn’t sure that I was going to stay.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Really?”

  “It was one thing to tell myself that I was ready to face my fears. That I could handle moving back here, despite the way that I lost my parents,” he said. “Being back here is a different story. Part of me was worried that I would get back here and have a panic attack.”

  “Did that happen?”

  “No. And let me tell you, I’m incredibly relieved about that.”

  “I’m sure you are.”

  “But like I said, I didn’t know what my reaction would be until I actually set foot in town again. I didn’t want to get all of my friends excited for nothing. What if you threw me a welcome back party and I had a nervous breakdown? That would have been a disaster.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I fully intended to call you. But you ended up phoning me first.”

  “That was only because I heard gossip about you being back in town. I wanted to hear from you directly.”

  “That’s one thing that I didn’t anticipate. I forgot about how gossipy small towns are.”

  “Well, now you’ve gotten quite the reminder.”

  “I certainly have.”

  “More importantly, after everything you just told me, there’s one more question that I need to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Now that you’ve been back for a couple of weeks, are you planning on staying?”

  He nodded. “Absolutely. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I smiled. “That’s great news.”

  “Anyway, I’m sorry that I didn’t reach out to you before I came back into town. Will you forgive me?”

  “Of course.”

  “That’s a relief,” he said. “Do you have any other questions for me? Or did I cover everything?”

  I put my hand up. “There is one more thing that I want to know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know about you, but on a night like this, I could definitely go for some dessert. What do you say?”

  “That sounds like a delicious plan.”

  “I had a feeling you’d say that. What kind of dessert do you want?”

  “How about some strawberry shortcake?”

  “You still love shortcake, huh?”

  He nodded. “Of course. I always have and I always will.”

  “I guess some things really do never change,” I said. “In that case, shortcake it is.”

  Chapter Eight

  Even though the evening had gotten off to a tense start, once Scott finished answering my questions, the entire complexion of the night changed. Scott loosened up. So did I. We began to joke around and have a lot more fun with each other. It was like the old days again.

  What a treat that was. In fact, it was impossible to overstate how happy that made me. Of course, it helped that we ordered some shortcake. I had forgotten how good shortcake was. Even though I frequently ate desserts, I rarely ordered shortcake.

  Most of the time, I didn’t even think of it. There were just so many other desserts to choose from. I would definitely have to add it back to my rotation. The cake at the steakhouse was incredible.

  All told, the entire evening was pretty fantastic. So much so that I didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, with all of the catching up that we did, it got pretty late. At that point, Scott drove me back to my place.

  He even walked me to my front door.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said.

  “I know. I just felt like it, though,” he replied.

  “Thanks for doing that.”

  “No problem.”

  “I wasn’t just talking about walking me to my door. I wanted to thank you for the entire evening. Not only did you answer all of my questions, but it’s been really great to reconnect.”

  “I know what you mean. Tonight has been a lot of fun.”

  “It would be great if we did this more often.”

  “Maybe we will.”

  “Does that mean you want to make plans to hang out again?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Fantastic.”

  “There’s just one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “My schedule is all over the place.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s good to know.”

  “I know what it’s like to have my life turned upside down at random.”

  “I suppose you do. It turns out we have a lot in common.”

  “We sure do,” I replied. “Anyway, we could always make plans and then reschedule if something comes up. After all, we’re just talking about hanging out. It’s not like we’re going out on a date.”

  “True.”

  At that moment, he stared deep into my eyes. I wasn’t quite sure why. Was it the mention on the word date? Or did something else come to his mind? Either way, he remained silent for a few moments.

  “What are you thinking about?” I asked.

  “The future.”

  “What about it?”

  “I hope things stay calm around here.”

  “So do I.”

  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Is that the only thing that’s on your mind?”

  “There’s a couple of other things bouncing around in my head, but I won’t bother you with them. Especially since it’s really late.”

  “All right. Well, you can tell me all about them the next time that I see you. Speaking of which, you didn’t mention a day that would be good for us to get together again.”

  “How about tomorrow morning at the bakery, just like usual?”

  “That wasn’t what I meant, but that will work. Same time, same place, same chocolate-glazed donut?”

  “Of course. Why would I order something different?”

  “To mix things up a little.”

  “Those donuts are perfect the way they are.”

  “You’re a funny guy, you know that?”

  “If you say so. Anyway, I really should be going.”

  “In that case, I hope you sleep well tonight.”

  “So do I. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Good-bye,” I said.

  Scott headed back to his car. I then opened up the front door of my house and headed inside. A few minutes later, I was in bed. It would be nice if I could tell you that I went straight to sleep.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, I stared at the ceiling for a while and thought about the future. Were things looking up for me, or would I be dealing with all sorts of new drama shortly? I had no idea what the answer to that question was. I could say this, though. It sure was good to reconnect with my old friend.

  The End.

  Cookies, Curiosity, and Craziness

  Chapter One

  “Mom, are you okay?” I asked.

  Usually, my mother was the one who spent a great deal of time worrying about me. And not just because I was a private investigator. Although, she definitely would have preferred it if I had chosen a different profession. Honestly, when she named me Melody, she had a music career in mind for me. It made perfect sense. After all, before she retired, my mom was a music teacher for a number of decades.

  These days, my mother was playing a completely different tune. When I wasn’t staring down danger while working on a case, my mom was generally pretty happy. In fact, most afternoons, her biggest concern was when I would settle down, get married, and have kids.

  This wasn’t just an ordinary Wednesday, however. It had been a brutal evening. There was one very specific explanation for that.

  It was my father’s birthday. In the past, February twenty-first had been a joyous day for our family.

  All that changed when my dad had a heart attack a number of years ago. Ever since that happened, a number of different dates on the calendar had taken on a completely different meaning. To start, there was October fifteenth, the day that he actually had his heart attack. Of course, the holidays were rough as well. Then there was May third, the date of their wedding anniversary. Finally, there was February twenty-first, my father’s birthday.

  When this day came up on the calendar each year, my mom became very solemn and introspective. I didn’t blame her. I was a wreck too. I was doing my best to put on a good face, though.

  My mother was attempting to do the same thing. Much to her chagrin, she was failing miserably. That said, my mom was a persistent woman. She tried to stay strong.