Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,1

it down properly or… Um…” Matthew's cheeks turned scarlet as his words vanished. “N-never mind. None of my business.”

He thrust a foil-covered casserole dish out in front of him. “For you. She said it’s lasagna. Your favorite kind with mushrooms and I think she said zucchini, but I didn’t know people put that in lasagna, so I could be mistaken. My mother makes it with disgusting broccoli, but don’t tell her I said that. To each his own, I guess.” Matthew gulped and dashed his gaze about the room. “So, yeah, lasagna. For you.” He shuffled into the room like he was entering a lion’s den and wasn’t sure if it was safe. He set the dish on the corner of my desk and backed up as he pointed at the foil covering. “The heating instructions are written on the top there. She said it wasn’t complicated. There’s a heart there too. It’s cute.”

I shook my head and found a reassuring smile for Matthew since the poor kid had been terrified of me since day one. “Let me guess. Belinda?”

His head bobbed, and he smoothed a hand over his severely gelled hair. “I-I went to grab coffees for Lucas and Harriet”—he thumbed over his shoulder—“b-because they were busy, and Belinda was working. She pulled me aside and gave me explicit instructions I was to hand-deliver it to you and no one else. She said…” Matthew checked over his shoulder before turning back and lowering his voice. “She said some of the others might try and get their hands on it, but it was for you and you alone.”

I chuckled. This was nothing new, but Matthew didn’t know that yet. “Thank you, Matt. This is fairly common. Unfortunately,” I tacked on, eyeing the delivery. “You can take the lasagna and stick it in the conference room. Let everyone know it’s there. I’ll happily share it.”

“But, she said—”

I held up a hand, stopping him. “I don’t have room in my freezer at the rate Belinda cooks for me. Trust me, I can spare a lasagna.”

“Oh.” His baby blue eyes shifted side to side as he processed that little tidbit of information. He was such an innocent kid, fresh out of college but hardworking and determined. His eyes widened, his cheeks turning crimson. “Ooooh! You mean she… That explains the heart and the—” He clamped his jaw shut and shook his head. “None of my business, sir. I’ll just…” He inched his way back into the room and took the casserole pan. “Thank you, sir. Sorry to bother you.”

He turned to go but stalled and glanced back. “If you have trouble rebooting your computer, let me know. If they aren’t shut down properly, those old systems can be a bugger to get back up.”

“Thanks, Matt.”

Another issue with the led weight of a machine I still used in my office was how long it took to get it going again when I shut it off. By the time I found my way back to the university’s webpage and pulled up Tomi’s biography, there was another knock at my door.

Resisting the frantic urge to hide what I was doing, I glanced up and found Matthew hovering yet again.

“I’m so sorry.” He grimaced. “You look busy, but I got a call from the high school. They’re having an issue and need someone over there.”

“Are Lucas and Harriet still around?”

“No, sir. Lucas went to deal with a neighborhood dispute. The crazy cat lady… Um… I-I mean, Jasmine Walters was pelting the stoner guy…” Matthew pinched his lips together. “I’m sorry, Jordie Rembark with peanuts again, and their shouting drew the attention of the old man across the street who claims he was woken from his afternoon nap. I’m sure he exaggerated the brawl, but Lucas said it was normal, and he’d take care of it. Something about chipmunks and trees and wrecking flower beds. I wasn’t following.”

Again, it was normal. Jasmine and Jordie were two clashing personalities who unfortunately lived beside each other. Mostly they solved their issues without our intervention, but when Fred Pearson from across the street got involved, we usually had to step in since he liked to make their disputes sound like a war was brewing.

“And Harriet?”

I could tell Matthew wanted to roll his eyes but resisted. “Mr. G thinks someone is stealing from him again, so she went to check it out.”

I let out a resigned sigh. “That’s the third time this week.”

“Yup. Harriet said she’s going to insist he talks to