Angel in Disguise Read online

  Julie laughed. “I refuse to go there.”

  “Good. As for Jake, he’s adjusting quite well.”

  Julie sobered. “Do you think he’ll ever want to move back to New York?”

  Lynn frowned. “I sincerely hope not.”

  “As do I. We should have dinner one night. We never seem to have time to catch up.”

  Lynn stood. “We’ll make it a point to do that.” She rubbed her tummy. “I don’t normally eat this much this early, but I have to admit, your new pastry chef can bake.”

  The bell tinkled and more customers came in.

  Julie gave Lynn a hug. “The menu changes every day,” she whispered.

  Lynn laughed, waved at Gabe and walked out.

  Julie had a feeling Gabe’s name was going into the sheriff’s computer. She took a deep breath. Maybe it was time to find out about him. He certainly wasn’t telling her anything on his own.

  A chill slid down her back. Did she really want to know his background?

  Don’t ask the question if you don’t want to know the answer.

  But she did.

  By the time Mia ran into the shop at four o’clock, the case was almost empty. Gabe had been right. Who could resist his confections?

  Her gaze drifted to the window to the kitchen. Who could resist the man? He might look tough, even dangerous, but to Julie he looked as good as the pastries he whipped up. Even Mia couldn’t resist him and was busy on a stool at the sink washing the dishes they’d dirtied after he’d showed her how to bake Happy Jack Cookies. But what was Gabe doing? He had a pad in his hand and was writing on it. Mia turned to him and laughed when soap bubbled up in the sink. Gabe put down his pad and went to help her. When they finished, he picked up the pad again and his hand flew over the paper.

  Julie turned back to her own tasks just as Mia let out a squeal.

  In seconds, Julie was in the kitchen. Miaʼs face was alight with laughter over the paper in her hand. When she saw Julie, she yelled, “Mom. Look!”

  Julie stared at the caricature of her daughter standing at the sink with bubbles swirling up to her nose. The sketch looked like Mia, and it didn’t. Everything from nose to feet was exaggerated.

  Instead of signing his name, he signed, Mia at Work.

  It was adorable.

  “How did you learn to do this?”

  He shrugged. “Not something I went to school for.”

  “I love it.” She turned to Mia. “Let’s tape it to the wall.” She walked out, Mia on her heels. “How about here?”

  Ever since she opened the shop she’d wondered what to put on this wall. Mia’s caricature would be perfect. If she were lucky, he’d do more of her precocious daughter.

  Mia bounced with joy. “Do one of Mom,” she begged.

  He looked Julie up and down. Heat scrambled. How could he do this to her when no man since James ever had? Besides, it was almost closing time, and she’d been working all day. She had to look a mess. But the look in Gabe’s eyes was admiring.

  “Gabe’s tired.”

  “Not that tired.” He went back to the kitchen to grab his pad.

  Julie gave Gabe a quizzical glance as she taped Mia’s picture on the wall. When she turned to see what he was doing, he was grinning ear to ear. She didn’t want to see the sketch, but he thrust it at her and she had to take it.

  There was an outrageously curvaceous woman in jeans with an apron around her waist, a tipping tray of cupcakes in one hand, and a spilling tray of cookies in another. The woman had an I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening look on her face.

  It was priceless. He’d signed it, Julie’s bad day.

  She couldn’t stop the chuckle bubbling up inside. “I’ll tape it next to yours, Mia. How’s that?”

  “I love it.” Mia whipped around to Gabe. “Will you do more?”

  He didn’t answer as his gaze went to the clock.

  Julie realized he was calling it a day. His hours were way too long. But she didn’t know what to do about it.

  “I can’t leave the shop to take you home. Can I call someone and get you a ride?”

  “Nope. Told you I liked to walk. Besides, Jay’s Automotive isn’t too far down the street, and I need to talk to them about the Harley.”

  “You should have invested in a used car. That Harley will never make it on the road again. Plus winter is coming, not spring.”

  “Haven’t invested a dime yet. But I promise to take you for a ride when I’ve finished.”

  “In your dreams.”

  He went over to tell Mia goodbye. She pouted. “Can we do more cookies tomorrow? And more pictures?”

  He dropped to his haunches to talk to her. Julie tried not to notice his nice and tight thigh muscles. She had to force herself to focus on Mia instead.

  “Of course we can.”

  “Okay.”

  Mia wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly toppling him over, then rubbed her hand over his beard. “My daddy had a beard like yours.”

  Julie gasped. Mia couldn’t possibly remember her dad, but she saw his picture every day on her nightstand. Did she relate Gabe to her dad?

  If so, this couldn’t be good.

  Gabe was one of those people who had one foot inside the building, the other on the road.

  When he took off again, he would break Mia’s heart.

  Julie shivered.

  When Gabe pulled Mia close for a hug, Julie’s blood turned to ice.

  Her daughter wouldn’t be hurt. She had to find out more about this man who was inching his way into their lives.

  Though he baked like an angel, he could be anyone. The thought worried her. Determined now to uncover the mystery of Gabe Vaughn, she went about her work.

  Chapter Eight

  “See you in the morning,” Gabe said as he walked out the door. Damn it to hell and back, he really cared for the kid. When she’d put her arms around his neck, he’d felt something he’d never felt before. He didn’t like it. He couldn’t afford to get close to anyone. Not the kid and not her mom.

  He’d watched the door all day. Every person who walked in made his stomach curl into knots. Had Valine found his trail? Had Gabe left one? He thought of everything he’d done since the minute he’d found out Valine knew his identity—every step he’d taken to stay safe. The bus had been the safest means of transportation. As far as he could ascertain, no one had followed him.

  But the fear remained, and he wondered how far he’d have to go and how long it would take for it to go away.

  He had another problem. The sheriff was way too close to Julie. He could tell how she looked at him what she was thinking. He’d had the same look himself at times. But Gabe was just a pastry chef. Would the sheriff leave him alone?

  Fool yourself if you dare. What you are is a stranger with the look of a criminal who shows up out of nowhere. Of course the sheriff will be suspicious. Anyone in law enforcement would.

  He turned left when he walked out of Julie’s and kept up a brisk pace as he passed the Venus Gallery, Hazeltine’s, and The Bridal Store. Then he was at Jay’s Automotive. An older guy in overalls looked up from under the hood of a car and went back to his work. “Hi there,” Gabe greeted him.

  The guy looked up again. “Busy. Come back later.”

  “Just a couple of questions.”

  The guy grunted. Gabe ignored his obvious lack of manners.

  “So who are you and what do you want?”

  “Gabe Vaughn. I’m the new pastry chef at Julie’s. I’m trying to fix up an old Harley my landlord, Jeff Knox owns.”

  “Why waste your money? Damned thing don’t run.”

  Did everyone in this small town know everything about everyone else?

  “That’s the thing. I want to get it running again, but I need some parts.”

  “We don’t work on motorcycles. See the sign, autos and trucks only.”

  This wasn’t going well at all. “I realize that. All I want is the name of a dealer in the area where
I can get the parts I need.”

  “Hmmm.” The guy put down his tools, walked over. “Name’s Davis, Lou Davis.”

  “Glad to meet you.”

  They shook hands. Gabe ignored the fact that Davis’ hands weren’t the cleanest. “Got a name? Or a place?”

  “Whatcha need?”

  “Battery to start with. Don’t know what else until I do some more work.”

  “I could sell you an auto battery, but I can tell by looking you won’t go for that. Tell you what, I know the guy who owns the Harley dealership in Bangor. I’ll order one and you can pick it up here.”

  “That would be great.”

  “Make and model?” Davis went to grab a paper and pen.

  “It’s a ten-year-old Dyna. Could you also order a helmet?”

  “Guess I can if you know the size. Have a number to call when it comes in?”

  Gabe thought a minute. “Tell them it’s for a woman of average size. If it doesn’t fit, ask if we can exchange it.”

  “I’ll find out if they’ll do that.”

  “Call Julie’s. I’m there all day every day except Sundays.”

  “Yeah, most shops close on Sundays during the off-season.”

  This was going better than Gabe hoped. If everything went right, he’d soon have wheels.

  Gabe left the auto shop, his steps light. Though Davis had been grumpy and uncooperative in the beginning, he’d come through. Gabe wanted to explore more of Lobster Cove, and he couldn’t do it on foot. He backtracked by Julie’s and stopped at The Lobster Cove Grocery Mart. He’d have to put in a few items. He wouldn’t get an invite to eat at Jeff’s every night, and he didn’t want to. It made him nervous.

  The interior of the store was more modern inside than it looked outside. Bright lights lit up the aisles. He grabbed a basket, put in a loaf of bread, some cheese and lunchmeat, a half-gallon of milk and a dozen eggs. He wouldn’t eat much at the apartment, but just in case, he added a couple of steaks, some baking potatoes, and salad fixings.

  Since he wanted to add some sugar free items to the menu at the shop, he found the baking aisle and picked up two bags of substitute sugar.

  The woman who checked him out had a badge that read Helen. She was middle-aged, dark hair that was getting some silver streaks, and she wore a frown that wasn’t conducive to good business.

  He got out of there as fast as possible.

  By the time he’d put away his groceries, he was more than eager to get started on the bike.

  Two hours later he’d taken down the carburetor, cleaned it, and put it back. He’d drained the old gas and cleaned the tank. He needed the battery and new gas so he could fire it up. He’d put some air in the tires and see if they held. If not, he might need new ones.

  Standing back, he gave the machine a once-over. He’d found a tire gauge and an electric pump when he cleaned the garage. He walked right to it. Nice to know where things were, he thought. In no time the tires were pumped up. So far so good.

  He was in the process of waxing the machine when Jeff pulled his car into the garage.

  “Sure work late,” Gabe greeted him. “Or do you have a lady friend?”

  “Nah! Couple of nights a week I stop off at Murphy’s Bar and grab a couple of beers with some of the guys. You should join us some evening.”

  Gabe ignored the invitation. “How does she look?”

  “Not important. Does she run?”

  “Not yet. Need some clean gas and a new battery, then we’ll see.”

  Jeff walked over to the corner where Gabe had put a gas can yesterday. “Fresh gas. Help yourself.”

  “Sure it’s good?”

  “Keep it filled for the lawnmower.”

  “I’ll owe you.” He filled the tank. The itch to get on the machine and take off down the street was overpowering. He couldn’t wait for that battery to come in. Strangely, the desire to take off and not come back wasn’t there. Was it because he enjoyed his job, or because he liked seeing Julie every morning and Mia in the afternoons? Maybe both.

  He had to watch himself, or he’d get too attached. When the time came to hook it out of here, he had no intention of leaving entanglements behind.

  He went upstairs, built himself a big sandwich with a glass of milk to wash it down and was back shining the bike in no time.

  It looked good and the tires seemed to be holding up.

  He’d keep his fingers crossed that the battery was all he needed.

  When he hit the sack, he didn’t have time to think of anything other than his menu for the morning. He didn’t finish before he was dead to the world.

  Two-thirty came all too soon. He dropped, did his twice-daily push-ups and sit-ups, took a quick shower, and walked to work. It was a chilly morning. His thoughts went to the bike and how nice it would be to ride to work instead of walk. As for the chill, it took a lot less time to get places on the bike than walking.

  By the time Julie came in, the case was almost filled with goodies.

  He watched as she put her purse under the counter, looked his way, and smiled a smile that made his heart rock in his chest. He’d miss her when he left.

  She started the coffee brewing before she came into the kitchen, wrapping a clean apron around her waist. A waist that was getting more and more enticing; one he had visions of wrapping his hands around. He shook his head. “Morning,” he said. “Ready for the menu items?”

  Julie pulled a pad and pen out of her apron pocket. “Ready.”

  “Espresso chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and a sprinkle of espresso on top. Wedding Bell cupcakes, you can’t miss them; they look like a mini wedding cake. Plus, I made a dozen sugar free blueberry tarts just to see how they sell.”

  “We’ll find out. Where did you get the fake sugar?

  “Grocery Mart.”

  “I’ll add it to my order. Right now I want to see those cupcakes.” She dashed back to the case and looked inside. “Oh, my. They’re beautiful. They aren’t really a cupcake, are they?”

  “Of course they are. I cut a large cupcake in half, added a raspberry filling, iced it with white icing, and added a few deco items. Voila! A mini wedding cake.”

  Tiny edible pearls circled around the cupcake twice, a small dab of icing formed a bell on top of each.

  “What will I charge for these? I’ve never had anything like them before.”

  Gabe chuckled. “Just a little extra, they are labor intensive.”

  “I want to sample one, but they’re too pretty.”

  His gaze went to the counter. “I put a couple that crumbled over there.” He nodded in their direction. “It’ll give you an idea.”

  Julie grabbed one eagerly. “My mom did that. We ate the not-so-perfects.”

  She took a bite. Closed her eyes. “I’m dreaming.”

  “Good?”

  “Better than.”

  “Okay then, finish up the board with a strawberry cake. I added a chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips and pecans to the cookie menu. The others you’ll recognize. The birthday cake on order is in the fridge.”

  He turned back to his work. “If you have time, you can decorate the last tray of wedding bell cupcakes.”

  “What are you making now?”

  “The strawberry cake isn’t quite done, and I want to make another large batch of chocolate cupcakes.”

  She looked back at the case. “Don’t you think we have plenty?”

  “Not the way this town loves chocolate.”

  Julie grinned and hurried to get the board up before the first customer showed up.

  No sooner than she had it propped on the counter than the bell tinkled and the day began.

  Gabe was getting used to the regulars’ faces. Not so much the names. That was a good thing.

  Over time, like other Lobster Cove residents, he’d be able to recognize a stranger.

  Most wandered over to the wall where the caricatures were taped. They’d point and laugh.

  Wh
en they left, Gabe grabbed his pad and quickly sketched one then another of the customers. Then he had Julie tell him their names so he could tag them.

  They were so exaggerated as to be outrageous. Big heads, big ears, larger than life grins. He’d hand them to Julie to put on her wall. For the heck of it, he did one of Jeff in his cluttered garage with stuff hanging out of his pockets, attached to his shirt, in his hair. Tomorrow, he’d find out if the customers were insulted or pleased. He only hoped Jeff didn’t kick him out of his apartment.

  Between customers, Julie gave him a hand with the baking. He marveled at how well they worked together. When she finished the cupcakes, she handed him the pan or the ingredient he’d need next.

  He liked working with her. Unusual. Normally, he liked working alone. Now he found himself missing her when a customer came in. “Do you think we should add another sugar free item to the menu?”

  She looked over at him, and his heart did the double dip. Damn it. He didn’t want this. “I’m amazed how many diabetics there are in Lobster Cove. Very few are left over, if any. So yes. What do you have in mind?”

  He chuckled. “I think some are watching their calories. What do you think the customers would like best?”

  “Cookies and cupcakes. They love the tarts, but we do need a variety.”

  “Okay. I’ll do one cookie and one of either a cupcake or tart daily until you tell me to stop.”

  “Deal.”

  The kid came in right after lunch. Gabe couldn’t remember his name, but he came in each day around the same time and pigged out on at least three items, mostly the cupcakes. Around nineteen, he was around five-ten or eleven, good build, blondish hair, and who knew what color eyes as he wore sunglasses inside and outside.

  Today, he teased Julie, “Hey, pretty lady, what’s new today?”

  “Hi, Chad. Do you like that we have different items each day? Or did you like it better when we had the same thing or almost the same every day?”

  “You’re kidding, right? Best part of the day is to see what’s cookin’ at Julie’s. Love the surprise.”

  “Then what would you like?”

  “Two of everything in the case.”

  Julie laughed. “It’s your turn to tease me.” Another customer came in. “Look the goodies over. I’ll be right back.”