Sinister Sprinkles Part 30

But not before Max could get there first. He plucked it out of the mess and pointed it at Wilma.

"Get up," he ordered. "I'm inclined to go ahead and shoot you after what I just saw, so don't give me any reason to follow through with it."

She stood up meekly, and I did as well, moving toward Max.

"Great timing," I said as I heard a police siren in the distance.

"I saw her force you inside, but I stopped to call the cops before I did anything else. Suzanne, are you all right?"

"I'm a little shaky," I admitted. "How about you?"

"Me? I'm on top of the world."

That's when I noticed the blood seeping high out of his chest.

"Max," I said, my voice full of terror. "She shot you."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," he said. "Maybe you'd better take the gun."

I did as he asked, and felt him start to collapse beside me. I did my best to hold him up, and as I looked away, Wilma lunged toward me.

"One more step, and I'll shoot you," I told my captive as I let Max slump to the ground.

"You don't have the nerve," Wilma said.

I put a shot into the clock just over her head, and it shattered splendidly.

"That almost hit me," she said indignantly.

"Let me try again. I'm sure my aim will get better with a little practice."

I didn't have any more trouble with Wilma after that.

Chief Martin showed up a minute later, and as he glanced at Max, he asked quickly, "Is he dead?"

"I hope not," I said.

He took the gun from my hands. "What happened?"

"Wilma killed Darlene, and then she tried to kill me."

"Looks like her aim was a little off," the chief said.

Max came around, looked up at him, and said, "I don't know, she didn't have any trouble hitting me." While I'd been watching Wilma, Max had taken a bandana out of his pocket and was pressing it to his chest. The bullet must have hit higher up and to the right than I'd first thought from the way he was applying pressure to it.

"You all right?" the chief asked him.

"I've been better," he said as the EMS crew finally showed up.

I knelt down beside Max and kissed his forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll bet you'll take me back now, won't you?"

I looked deep into his eyes, then said, "Not on your life."

Max looked hurt for a second, then I could see he finally got it.

We were finished.

"I'm still glad I saved you."

"So am I," I said.

The chief whistled above us. "Man, you're even tougher than I thought."

Max said, "You'd better believe it."

"I was talking to her."

"Thanks," I said.

"I didn't mean it as a compliment."

And then the med techs were working on Max. The chief took Wilma away, and I was left with a donut shop in ruins. Snow started to drift in through the gaping front window, but I realized that I just didn't care.

Without another glance backward-the day's proceeds still in the cash register and the shop filling with snow-I walked away, and wondered as I did if I'd ever be able to come back.

CHAPTER 15.

"Can I see her?" I heard George ask my mother as he came to the front door of our house.

I'd been coc.o.o.ning there on the couch for the last three days, hiding out from the rest of the world while my wounds healed. Wilma hadn't done anything physically to me-as much as she'd tried-but the injuries I'd sustained had been just as bad as if her errant shot had struck home. Since my divorce from Max, I seemed to be a magnet for trouble, and I had to wonder if April Springs was really the place for me after all. With the prospect of Grace leaving and everything that had happened at Donut Hearts, maybe it was time to make a clean sweep of things and find somewhere I could start over. Momma had been shielding me ferociously since I'd come home, and it was time I'd needed to think long and serious thoughts.

But I had to face my friends sooner or later, and at least now, I thought I was ready for it.

"It's okay, Momma," I called out. "Let him in."

"Are you positive?"

"It's all right," I said. "But thank you for protecting me."

"It's what a mother does," she said as she stepped aside.

George came in and offered me a smile as he took a seat opposite mine in front of the fireplace. He had a present in his hands, which surprised me, since we'd never exchanged them before. The snow was finally starting to melt, just in time to give us a slushy Christmas. That's when I realized that it was indeed Christmas day.

"Hang on one second, George," I said.

I walked over to Momma, who was watching from the edge of the room, and hugged her.

"Merry Christmas," I said. "I'm so sorry. I've been so wrapped up in what's been happening with me, I forgot all about you."

She hugged me for another second as she stroked my hair. "Suzanne, there's nothing to apologize for. As long as I get to spend the holidays with you, that's all I care about."

"I love you, Momma," I said.

"And I love you, too." We didn't say it much-probably not nearly enough-but today, it was the best gift I could get, or receive.

George had been watching us. It was easy to tell by the way he diverted his eyes when I came back to the couch.

"Suzanne, if you're not ready to talk, I understand. Just say the word, and I'm out of here."

"I have to face the world sooner or later," I said. "Merry Christmas."

He nodded, then thrust the present toward me.

I didn't accept it, though.

"George, I didn't get you anything."

"This is from me, and a lot of your other friends and customers in town," he said. "Emma pitched in, too."

As I tore the paper off, I realized that it was a photo frame. "It's lovely," I said as I flipped it over, and then noticed the picture inside.

"It's my donut shop the way it used to be," I said.

George shook his head. "No, it's the way it is now. We took that picture yesterday."

I studied it more carefully. "But the window's back in place, and the decorations are all up. How did you manage it during the holidays on such short notice?"

"We all pitched in, and a few of us called in favors, too. It's ready for you whenever you want to come back," he said.

"I appreciate that," I said, putting the frame on the coffee table between us, face down so I didn't have to look at the picture.

"When are you coming to open Donut Hearts back up?" he asked.

I looked over at Momma, who was clearly about to say something, and shook my head. "I don't know," I said.

"We all miss you," George said.

"That's sweet of you. Please thank everyone for me, would you? Now if you don't mind, I'm a little worn out."

He got the hint. "I understand. Thanks for seeing me. I hope you have a merry Christmas, Suzanne."

"Merry Christmas," I said, the words sounding hollow on my lips. What my friends had done touched me, but I wasn't sure it was enough to ever get me back to my shop.

What would I do instead, though? I'd held several different jobs over the years, but if I was being honest about it, none of them had mattered to me, except the last one. It wasn't that donuts were my life-I didn't care if I ever made another one at the moment-but they were a gateway to friends I never would have met otherwise, and that made them more precious than gold. I stared at the back of the frame for ten minutes, then turned it over and looked at my shop again. It was beautiful, even I could see that. The converted train depot had been transformed into a place that was every bit as much my home as my mother's house.

And I realized I could never walk away from it. Sure, things would be different with Grace gone, but that was life. Change was always bound to happen. No matter what might have happened at my shop before, I had to go back. Donut Hearts was where my heart belonged, and suddenly, all the angst I'd been going through, the mourning for giving up my shop, fell away like an old coat I'd just thrown off, and I had hope again.

The phone rang, and I grabbed it before Momma could. I'd been shielded long enough.

I was overjoyed when I realized that it was Grace.

"Merry Christmas, my friend," she said.

"You sound absolutely chipper," I said, a little sad that she could be so happy about leaving town.

"Why shouldn't I? Everything's worked out better than I could have hoped."

"So, you liked San Francisco," I said.

"I loved it," she said. "But I'm back in April Springs, still waiting to see you. Are you ever going to let me come over?"

I decided to ignore her question. Honestly, I hadn't been able to face her until I could accept the fact that she'd be gone soon. "When do you have to move?" I asked, trying to keep the tears out of my voice.

"That's what's so wonderful. If you won't let me tell you in person, I'll do it over the phone. Suzanne, I don't have to go."

Did I just hear that right? "What do you mean?"

"I turned the promotion down," Grace said. So why did she sound so happy about it?

"Why on earth did you do that? You've been coveting that job for years."

Grace laughed. "Apparently I wasn't the only one. When my boss found out I said no, she and her boss came up with a counterproposal. My boss gets the San Francisco position, and I get North Carolina. Suzanne, I don't have to move after all. I can work right here from April Springs most of the time."

"Outstanding," I screamed into the phone loud enough for Momma to come running into the room.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I just got the best present ever," I explained. "Grace isn't moving to California after all."

"That's wonderful," she said.

"h.e.l.lo. I'm still here," I heard Grace's voice say over the telephone.

"Then come on over. We'll celebrate."