Chapter 4

Clay was stunned that she had so easily fallen in with the story he'd made up on the spot, but couldn't stay to play out any more as the man he was supposed to be following was getting away! Remembering the he'd used the 'sick' excuse to leave, he put his hand to his mouth and with a groan, ran out of the bakery.

The customer's surprised look as 'Tony' ran out, brought Mama Bianchi to her side, "Oh my dear, it wasn't you that made him sick! He had told me he wasn't feeling well before you came in. I take it that you two young people parted on less than friendly terms?"

Having no idea how Mr. Webb wanted this to go she decided to play the sympathy card with the sweet elderly lady. "I loved him, I really did! I wanted to marry him! But he only wanted to fool around…"

"Oh dear! Men can be such cads, even though Tony seemed like such a good boy since he's been working here."

Neither one of the women realized that Shane, who was within earshot of the conversation, had a personal stake in what was being said.

"Why don't you let me get you a nice cup of coffee and a pastry and if you like we could sit and talk about what happened?" Mama Bianchi offered.

Not wanting to get in any deeper than she already was in a situation she knew nothing about, Francesca gently declined the generous offer. She explained that she'd come in for one of the bakeries fabulous tiramisu cakes. Some one very special to her was having a birthday and she wanted to surprise them with this favorite treat.

"Is this special someone a man?" Mama Bianchi asked as she took one of the cakes from the shelf and carefully boxed it up.

Francesca acknowledged that it was and Mama Bianchi beamed her a smile. "I am glad that you have moved on then my dear! It isn't good to linger over the past."

Paying for the cake in cash, since she couldn't use a check or her credit cards without giving away her real name and blowing Mr. Webb's story, she left the shop without telling the elderly lady that the cake was for her father.

Clay followed the man down the street wondering all the while what was going on back at the bakery. AJ Chegwidden's daughter had fallen in with his spur of the moment story well enough, but what was happening now? His mind was torn between what he was doing and wondering how much of the 'fight' Shane had heard? He would need to come up with some explanations if she had seen the event.

Luckily out on the street following the man wasn't dangerous, all he had to do was be careful he wasn't spotted. Because he was so concerned about what might be happening back at the bakery, he almost missed seeing his target enter a cheap motel. This was when a pursuit got more dangerous. Out in the open on a public street it was much easier to go unnoticed. However, following someone inside a building to see where they were going was much more difficult. Putting aside his other thoughts, Clay entered the motel.

Francesca entered her apartment just in time to hear the shower shut off. She quickly hid the cake in the kitchen and finished setting the table for dinner. She planned to take him to a Shakespeare play after they ate. He loved the playwright and she had gotten the tickets as a surprise for him. It wasn't often that she had the chance to visit with her father and since she had persuaded him to come and celebrate his birthday with her this year, she wanted it to be special.

He emerged from the guest room dressed in the new charcoal gray suit she'd given him as his gift. He looked very handsome and she didn't hesitate to tell him so. "Papa, you will turn every head tonight and no one will even notice that I am with you!" She had told him they were going somewhere special after dinner, but had given him no more details than that.

Grinning at his daughter AJ teased, "So you think the men will be looking at me too? If so I will have to change out of this suit!"

To be continued…