Devin-2 by Kathi S. Barton Read Free Book Online Page B

over the stove and was startled by the hour.
    Ronnie looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. She had been baking for nearly six hours and the room looked it.
    There were cookies cooling on every flat surface of the room and some surfaces that were not. There were also trays and trays of stacked cookies, all decorated and iced. Peanut butter ones with white and dark chocolate drizzled on the top. Small sugar cookies decorated and dressed with sprinkles and hard frosting. No bakes had firmed up and were now ready for the containers, and tiny pecan tarts were golden brown and still warm from the oven. There was a batch of fresh cinnamon rolls topped with browned pecans rising in two pans near the warm oven, waiting to be baked for a breakfast treat. Coffee that turned on automatically dinged when she looked at it. It had just finished brewing.
    “Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry. I’ll pay for all this. Maybe we can give them away for gifts or something. I was just going to bake a few then try and go back to bed. I’m so sorry.” She was crying and could not seem to be able to stop. Even with all the baking, her level of stress was very high.
    “Oh, darling, don’t cry. You know we don’t want you to pay for this. Our employees enjoy the hell out of all this. I’ll go down to that container store today and pick up some really nice Christmassy sealable ones and you and I will divide them up into gifts. How many you think we’ll need? Five...maybe six hundred?” When she started to cry and laugh, Ben pulled her into his arms and held her. She loved these men. They were the best in the world. And she wanted to stay in Ben’s arms forever. The phone ringing did not stop them from their humor and Ben answered it full of silliness.
    “Ronnie’s house of ill repute and baked goods, the place where, if you want it hot and naughty, then we have it for you. Head food taster Ben speaking.” She watched as he closed his eyes for a brief second then looked over at her and shook his head. Ronnie knew it was Mr. Grant even without him telling her so and started shaking her head as well.
    “Yes, she’s here, but I’m not so sure she wants to talk to you right now. Why don’t you call back in a few years, preferably in about thirty? I can do that, but I guess you’ll need to ask that one yourself. Hang on.” He turned and put the phone on hold and looked at her. “He has some questions about your family and he said that you told him to call if he needed answers. How did he get that information, Ronnie?”
    “He had his brother do a background check on me. But it was bound to come out sooner or later. I’m actually surprised that someone hadn’t mentioned it before now. Is he mad?”
    “He doesn’t sound like it, but I could be wrong. Do you want to talk to him?
    If not, you know I can take care of this for you.” And he would, too, she knew. But she had told Devin to contact her if he had questions. She just wondered if he would think of her differently, but then realized that he already did. She reached for the phone and pushed the hold button to talk.
    “Mr. Grant. It’s Ronnie Frey. What can I do for you?”
    “My name is Devin, Veronica. I have a few questions I’d like answered, if you have time. I’d really like to do this face to face instead of over the phone. Can you come by my office today? I have time this morning until eleven, then after three the rest of the day.”
    “I have a test at ten and it runs until six tonight. I can leave after I’m finished, but I don’t know how long it will be. My Tuesday and Wednesday class is from nine until eleven, Mr. Grant. I think classes will be canceled for Friday, but I don’t know what the profs will do.”
    “I want you to call me Devin. All right, I’ll see you here after your test today.
    Veronica, I’ll expect you to be honest with me on this. I have your complete file and there are things I’d like to talk to you about before we begin our