“That’s what I thought. But the chief was looking at the paperwork right then.”

  “What? The chief doesn’t know that you’re busy on a date?” I joked.

  He laughed. “No.”

  “I don’t think he’d care either. He’s not really interested in my social life.”

  “That’s fair enough,” I replied. “Phew. What a relief.”

  He stared deep into my eyes. “Melody, are you all right?”

  I nodded. “I am now.”

  “Hold on a second. What did you think that radio call was about?”

  “It doesn’t matter now.”

  “Technically, no. But I’d still like to hear your thoughts.”

  “Well, I was worried that a crime had been committed. A serious one. The kind that would make you cut our date short.”

  “You mean, like a homicide?”

  “That did enter my mind.”

  “I’m happy to report that I’m not going anywhere.”

  “It’s great to hear that.”

  “Do you know what’s really going to be great?”

  I shrugged. “What?”

  “Dessert.”

  I smiled. “I can’t argue with that.”

  Chapter Eight

  We ended up having some cake for dessert. From there, we went to a movie. He took me to a great little romantic comedy. After that, he could have taken me home, but surprisingly, there was more on his itinerary.

  What was next?

  A stroll along the boardwalk. What a nice little change of pace. I had to admit, I didn’t go to the boardwalk very often. As a local, I frequently viewed the boardwalk as a spot that was designed for tourists. Not just because there were a lot of t-shirt shops and souvenir places there. Nor did it have to do with the cotton candy and salt water taffy that was sold there.

  I had just gone there so often growing up that I felt like I had seen everything the boardwalk had to offer.

  Apparently, I was wrong. Now that I was seeing it through the lens of a date, it took on an entirely different feel. It was fresh and fun again. Suddenly, I didn’t mind doing something touristy. Although, maybe that wasn’t the right term for it. After all, every city had its draws. In Majestic Cove, the boardwalk happened to be one of them. Why should tourists be the only ones that got to appreciate this?

  Scott clearly agreed with me. Otherwise, why would he have brought me here?

  Scott looked up at the sky and said, “What a beautiful evening.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” I replied.

  “You know, sometimes I forget what a great view there is from here.”

  “Well, here’s a stunning reminder for you. The water looks incredible tonight.”

  “Same with the sky. Look at all of those stars.”

  “You’re not kidding. We got lucky that it’s a clear night. The entire sky is blanketed in stars.”

  “It really is quite an amazing sight.”

  “I’m so glad that you brought me here.”

  “You act like this was an out-of-the-box choice.”

  “Maybe it was an obvious call. But it’s still been a long time since I came here at night.”

  “Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “I mean, I come here during the day sometimes to look out at the water, but the vibe is completely different. At night, there’s an electricity to the boardwalk. The area comes alive.”

  “It is pretty great that we have something like this in our town.”

  “The crazy thing is, when I was a kid, I used to come here all the time. Practically every weekend, it seemed like.”

  “Same here.”

  “I was actually here so often that I got sick of it.”

  “Even the taffy?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I never get sick of treats.”

  “I just wanted to be sure.”

  “It was just everything else that I got tired of. I felt like I’d seen it all.”

  “How about now?”

  “Honestly, it feels all-new to me.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “Maybe because I haven’t experienced the boardwalk at night in a while. Or perhaps because I’m older now. I definitely have a different perspective on things.”

  “I’m with you there. When I was a kid, I was in a hurry to grow up.”

  “I know what you mean,” I replied. “What were we thinking?”

  He chuckled. “I have no clue.”

  “Adulthood is so overrated.”

  “There’s so much responsibility.”

  “And bills. And stress. And hassles.”

  “It’s definitely a lot different than being a kid.”

  I stared out into the distance. “Oh, what I’d give to be a kid again.”

  “You’re not alone. Remember play time? And nap time? And snack time?”

  “Of course, I do. Those were all the best times.”

  “They were certainly some of the best times. There are perks to being an adult too.”

  “True. Like going out on dates. Amongst other things.”

  “Exactly.”

  “My point is that when I was a kid, I didn’t appreciate how easy I had it.”

  Scott threw out his arms. “Did anyone?”

  I shrugged. “Probably not. I want to do my best to learn from my mistakes now, though.”

  “How do you plan on doing that?”

  “By taking cues from the past. By appreciating this moment. Just being here with you. Having fun. Not looking forward to the future.”

  “There is something to be said for living in the moment.”

  “Especially a moment like this. It has been a wonderful evening.”

  “I agree. And the night isn’t over yet.”

  “Do you have more plans?”

  “Speaking of living in the moment, how about we split a bag of taffy?”

  “I love the sound of that.”

  He smiled. “I thought you would.”

  Chapter Nine

  Unfortunately, the date had to end at some point. What a real shame. It felt like one of those evenings that could go on forever. Of course, the clock on my phone said otherwise. It was actually getting pretty late. Midnight was fast approaching.

  Not that there was a cutoff time for a date or anything. It was more that we both had work in the morning. Besides, there was something to be said for not overstaying our welcome. It had been a magical evening. There was no reason to risk things getting stale.

  Scott drove me back home and then walked with me up to my front door.

  “So, I guess this is it,” he said.

  “It is. Or, at least, it should be. I’m having trouble saying good-bye, though,” I replied.

  “You’re not alone. It isn’t easy saying goodnight.”

  “Especially after a date like this.”

  “You’re not kidding.”

  “I have to say, tonight was wonderful. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You don’t have to thank me.”

  “I disagree. You showed me a great time,” I said.

  “Let me tell you something. You were wonderful as well,” he replied.

  “You know, we could stand here and compliment each other all night.”

  He chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Rather than doing that, why don’t we just say that a good time was had by all?”

  “Agreed. In fact, my only complaint is that it has to come to an end.”

  “Don’t worry. There’s always tomorrow.”

  “Are you saying you’d like to go out again?” he asked.

  “Isn’t that obvious?” I replied.

  “I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.”

  “I’m going to make myself perfectly clear. I would love to go out with you again.”

  He smiled. “I’m so happy to hear that.”

  “I’m over the moon as well.”

  “Wow. What a great way to end the evening. Now I have something to look forward to.”

  “You and me both.”

  “All right. Well, I guess this is goodnight then.”

  “I suppose it is.”

  He smiled at me one more time and then turned around.

  At that point, I could have put my key in the door and headed inside.

  I didn’t, though. Instead, I just stood on the doorstep and watched him move down my walkway.

  Much to my surprise, he stopped before he reached my driveway and turned back around.

  “Actually, there is one more thing I’d like to say before I go,” he remarked.

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve been thinking. There’s one thing that can make this evening even better.”

  “What’s that?”

  He rejoined me on the doorstep and gazed deep into my eyes.

  He then said, “I’ve been wanting to do this all night.”

  Scott leaned in and gave me a deep kiss. As our lips pressed, I went weak in the knees. What an amazing kiss. To the point where I didn’t want it to end.

  Scott did finally pull back, however. When he did, there was a smitten look in his eyes.

  “I hope I wasn’t too forward,” he said.

  “Are you kidding? That was incredible.”

  “Good. Then maybe you won’t mind if I kiss you again.”

  “I wouldn’t mind in the least.”

  His eyes lit up. He then leaned in and gave me another kiss.

  Talk about a sweet way to end an evening. This was suddenly the best first date that I had ever gone on. Which made me wonder what our second date would be like.

  I would certainly find out soon enough. In the meantime, I was determined to savor this moment.

  The End.

  Brownies, Bistros, and Betrayal

  Chapter One

  “We’re on quite a streak, aren’t we?” I asked.

  “Yeah. It’s been refreshingly peaceful in Majestic Cove for a couple of weeks,” Detective Scott Webster replied.

  “I was actually talking about how many great dates we’ve had in a row.”

  My detective boyfriend smiled at me. “That has also been wonderful.”

  “I’ll say. I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”

  “It has been quite a while for me as well. Too long, in fact.”

  “Guess we’re both just making up for lost time.”

  “I certainly don’t want this ride to end.”

  “Maybe it won’t.”

  “Wouldn’t that be great? Both romantically and professionally.”

  “I can’t speak for your detective work, but I don’t see any reason why things wouldn’t continue to be great for us.”

  “I love this new optimism of yours. I’m so used to you being a skeptic.”

  “Can you blame me? Look at all the crazy things I’ve seen at my job,” I said.

  As a private eye, I had investigated countless wild cases. Some involved infidelity. Others involved insurance fraud. A few were focused on tracking down long-lost relatives. During that time, I had also investigated a few deaths.

  “We’ve both witnessed the darker side of humanity,” Scott replied. “Honestly, no one would blame us if we told them that all relationships were doomed to fail.”

  “For a while, I believed that.”

  “Not anymore, though?”

  I shook my head. “No. Now I think that with the right situation, you can make it work.”

  “That’s great to know.”

  “Don’t you agree?”

  “I do.”

  “I’m glad I’m not alone.”

  “Let me tell you something. As long as I’m around, you’ll never be alone.”

  “You sure know how to make a woman’s heart melt.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I didn’t realize I had that power.”

  “Now that you know, be sure to use it wisely.”

  “I will.”

  “Good.”

  He then leaned in and gave me a kiss.

  Chapter Two

  The following morning at Majestic Cove Bakery, my mother didn’t hesitate to gloat. You see, she had been telling me for years that Scott and I should get together. At first, I didn’t believe her. Finally, I warmed up to the idea. All it took was one date to realize that my mother was correct.

  Since that wonderful first date, Scott and I had gone out a number of additional times. Much to my delight, each new date was better than the last.

  That morning at the bakery, my mother was looking for some kudos.

  “I was spot-on, wasn’t I?” my mother asked.

  I chuckled. “It didn’t take you long to say I told you so, did it?”

  My mom shook her head. “Nope. And I’m going to keep saying it.”

  “Thanks for the fair warning.”

  “Melody, you owe me a genuine thank you. After all, I called you and Scott being a great couple over twenty years ago.”

  “I realize that.”

  “Which makes me wonder, what if you had listened to me back then? How different would your life be now?”

  “What does it matter? The past has already been written. Besides, Scott and I are together now.”

  “Trust me. I’m over the moon about that.”

  “So am I.”

  “You two make such a delightful couple.”

  “I’m definitely excited to see what the future has in store for us.”

  “Only great things, I imagine.”

  “If you’re right, I wouldn’t complain.”

  My mom put her hands on her hips. “What do you mean, if I’m right? Aren’t you ready to take my words at face value yet?”

  “Mom, just because you were right about one thing doesn’t mean that you’re correct about everything.”

  “We’ll have to agree to disagree about that.”

  I chuckled. “I’m sorry. Do you have some sort of psychic powers suddenly that I’m not aware of?”

  “No.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “I just have a great intuition. Which, by the way, you should be really appreciative of.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because if I didn’t have such reliable gut instincts, then I wouldn’t have been able to pass that trait on to you. What kind of private investigator would you be then?”

  “Wow. You’re just taking credit for everything today, aren’t you?”

  “I’m only taking credit that’s due to me. In some cases, long overdue.”

  I laughed and then shook my head. “You’re something, you know that?”

  “I know.”

  “Since you’re feeling particularly bold, why don’t you help me out with this case?”

  “I wish I could.”

  “Why are you being so timid all of a sudden?”

  “When it comes to love, I have great instincts. But digging up dirt is your specialty.”

  “All right. If you say so.”

  “Good luck with the case…and with Scott.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Now, time to go treat myself,” my mom said. “I deserve some chocolate.”

  Chapter Three

  A few minutes later, I headed over to the detective agency where I worked. Generally, I liked to ease my way into my work day. That morning, I wasn’t able to do that.

  Shortly after I unlocked the front door to the agency, a potential new client entered. And he meant business. I was barely able to introduce myself before Steven McMurray blurted out why he had come to my office.

  “There is trouble brewing at my restaurant,” Steven said.

  So much for small talk.

  In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by his candor. After all, Steven was in the food industry. It was a fast-paced line of work. So much had to be accomplished in any given day that there was no time to mess around.

  Steven didn’t just work in any restaurant. He ran the Majestic Cove Bistro on Third Street. It was a great little place. I had eaten there a few times. The food was delicious.

  It did not bring me joy to hear that trouble was afoot at Steven’s establishment. It was always a shame when I discovered that businesses I enjoyed were experiencing difficulty. In this particular case, the situation was even worse because Steven had come to me to conduct an investigation into his business.

  I had to admit, this was a pretty rare type of case for me. As a private eye, most of my work centered around romantic relationships. More specifically, whether a significant other was being unfaithful to their partner. When I was hired to work on a business-related case, it typically involved conducting a background check. Or looking into insurance fraud. This was a different animal. Or, so it seemed. I didn’t have all of the details yet.

  “What kind of trouble are you talking about?” I asked.

  “I don’t know for sure. But trouble is definitely brewing. I can feel it.”

  “Mr. McMurray, can you be a little more specific?”

  “I wish I could. Unfortunately, I don’t have any details to share with you.”

  “What a shame.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that. Then again, if I knew exactly what was happening behind the scene, I wouldn’t need to hire you, would I?”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “I came here because I need help. It’s hard enough running a business without feeling the need to look over your shoulder every second of the day.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “It’s also a terrible feeling, worrying that your own staff is actively plotting against you.”

  “I know you don’t have concrete details, but what makes you so certain that your staff is getting ready to turn against you?”

  “It’s just a feeling that I have in my gut.”

  “You haven’t heard any whispers then?”

  “No. I have noticed a number of staff members getting uncharacteristically quiet when they see me.”

  “Have you asked them why?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “They just tell me that I’m being paranoid.”

  I scratched my chin. “Hmm. Interesting.”

  “Don’t you mean infuriating?”