The four older women burst out laughing and were soon joined by everyone at the table-everyone, except Lexy.

"What?" Lexy felt her face growing warm.

"Sorry, dear. We don't get to have too much fun like that. It will happen less and less as time goes on." Helen said in between snickers.

Lexy felt her mouth drop open. "So, you've all been laughing at me behind my back?"

"Oh come on now, Lexy, the ladies were just having a little fun. No harm was done, right?" Jack said, spreading his arms.

Lexy stared at him. Another time she might have laughed it off, but now, looking at Jack, she felt her anger rising.

"Well, that's easy for you to say. I think you owe me some explanations too," she said.

A hush fell on the table.

"Huh?"

"You've been acting all secretive. Doing weird things, like not letting me go in your living room, sneaking off with Nans, and whispering with everyone here," she spread her hands to indicate the people at the table. "If there's something going on, I think I deserve to know."

She stood up, slamming her palm on the table while everyone stared at her open-mouthed.

Jack rubbed his face with his hands. He looked worn and tired making Lexy immediately regret her outburst. He stood up. "There is something we need to talk about, but not here." He crossed over to her, took her by the elbow and dragged her outside.

Lexy's heart-beat drummed in her ears as he turned her to face him. Had she been too hasty? His six foot frame seemed to tower over her and she bit back tears.

She glanced back into the bakery and noticed everyone looking out at them, their eyes wide, faces practically pressed to the glass. She felt the sting of humiliation flame her cheeks. Was everyone going to watch Jack break up with her?

She looked back at him, her stomach sinking as she watched him take a deep breath.

"Lexy, there has been something I've been meaning to say. But ... well ... It's never been the right time, or I've chickened out."

She felt frozen in the spot, unable to speak. Jack shuffled his feet, barely able to look her in the eye.

Well, if he's going to dump me, he might as well just get on with it, she thought. She straightened her back and crossed her arms in front of her, waiting for the break-up speech.

Jack tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away.

He reached into his pocket, took something out and then bent down on one knee.

Lexy's heart skipped wildly in her chest as she stared at the tiny, black velvet box he held in his hand.

He looked up at her, his face mixed with fear and hope.

"Lexy, will you marry me?"

The End.

Recipes

Black Bean Brownies This recipe comes from a book I publish under another pen name which is a compilation of my favorite recipes adapted to use healthy ingredients. The book is Healing Desserts by Lee Anne Dobbins (you can get it for your kindle too!) I first heard about the recipe at a Pampered Chef party and came up with my own version below. At first I couldn't believe that brownies made from beans could taste good, but they do! They are also healthy for you - the beans add a ton of healthy antioxidants and nutrients as well as fiber. I use agave nectar instead of sugar because it is healthier but if you can't find agave, you can just use the same amount of sugar.

Ingredients: 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup cocoa powder (with over 70% cocoa if you can find it) 3 eggs 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or coconut oil for a healthier alternative) 3/4 cup agave nectar (or sugar if you don't have agave) 1 pinch salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon instant coffee 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional) Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine beans, cocoa, eggs, oil, agave (or sugar), salt, vanilla and coffee in a food processor and process until smooth.

Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top (if desired).

Bake for 30 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the pan.

Lemon Biscotti I love the hard crunchy texture of biscotti. This recipe could be adapted for a variety of flavors - you can use orange zest instead of lemon zest, or leave the zest out all together and use different flavored extract like almond or anise.

Ingredients: 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 3 1/4 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder.

Preparation:.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract together in a large bowl.

Add the lemon zest to the egg mixture and mix well.

In a smaller bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.

Let the dough sit for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into two balls. Roll the balls to be the length of a cookie sheet.

Put the rolls on the cookie sheet and press down to about 1/2" thick.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then slice them into 1" slices. Put the slices cut side up on the cookie sheet and cook for another 10 15 minutes until golden brown.

For added pizzaz, you can melt chocolate and dip one end of each cookie in the chocolate after they have cooled completely.

A Note From The Author.

Thanks so much for reading my cozy mystery "3 Bodies and a Biscotti". I hope you liked reading it as much as I loved writing it. If you did, and feel inclined to leave a review over at Amazon, I really would appreciate it.

This is book four of the Lexy Baker series, you can find the rest of the books on my website, or over at Amazon if you want to read more of Lexy's and Nans's adventures.

Also, if you like contemporary humorous romance, you might like my book "Reluctant Romance" which has lots of romance, suspense, conflict and even a couple of dogs. I have an excerpt from it at the end of this book.

This book has been through many edits with several people and even some software programs, but since nothing is infallible (even the software programs) you might catch a spelling error or mistake and, if you do, I sure would appreciate it if you let me know - you can contact me at lee@leighanndobbs.com.

Oh, and I love to connect with my readers so please do visit me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks or at my website http://www.leighanndobbs.com.

Are you signed up to get notifications of my latest releases and special contests? Go to: http://www.leighanndobbs.com/newsletter and enter your email address to signup - I promise never to share it and I only send emails every couple of weeks so I won't fill up your inbox.

About The Author.

Leighann Dobbs lives in New Hampshire with her husband, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. She likes to write romance and cozy mystery novelettes perfect for the busy person on the go. These stories are great for someone who doesn't have a lot of time for reading a full novel. Why not pick one up and escape to another time and place the next time you are waiting for an appointment, enjoying a bath or waiting to pick up the kids at soccer?

Find out about her latest books and how to get her next book for free by signing up at: http://www.leighanndobbs.com.

Something In Red.

Excerpt From Reluctant Romance: Risa Kennedy felt a jolt of panic. Her office was too neat. Too organized. She glanced up at the clock. He'd be here in ten minutes.

Pulling papers from her inbox file, she spread them around the normally bare desk surface. She opened a folder, fanned some of the papers out, then shuffled them into a messy pile.

Much better.

"What are you doing?" Risa's assistant, Meredith, appeared in the doorway, her eyebrows mashed together.

"Just a little rearranging...you know, for the visit." Her voice took on an air of doom when she said the word visit.

"Oh, that." Meredith came into the room and plopped herself into the guest chair, ankles demurely crossed. She reached down to pet Bailey, Risa's golden retriever mix, who napped contentedly under the desk. "Do you think they'll restaff if the acquisition goes through?"

Risa's heart clenched. The proposed acquisition was the reason she had been messing up her office. The company, Healthy-Pet, had been founded by her father fifteen years ago. Risa had reluctantly taken over the helm after her mother's death two years ago. Now her father wanted to sell out to a big conglomerate so he could spend his days traveling and golfing.

"Merry, there might not even be an acquisition." At least not if I can help it.

"Well, that is why Connor Dunn is coming here, right? To evaluate the company for a buy-out?"

Risa turned to face her assistant. "Yes, but that doesn't mean it's a done deal. I hear he is ruthless when it comes to business, so if he doesn't like what he sees..." She shrugged, spreading her arms to indicate the messy desk.

Meredith tapped the end of her pencil against her lips. "I also hear he is quite a looker...and available." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Images from Risa's childhood flooded her memory. She had known Connor back then. The Dunn family had moved away when she was eleven. She still remembered the sweet, shy boy he had been. Now he was a greedy corporate executive and rumored to be a playboy with a different model on his arm every night. She had no intention of getting to know the grown-up Connor Dunn; in fact, the less time she spent with him, the better.

"That may be, but my job is merely to show him the different facets of the company and pray I can somehow get him to change his father's mind about buying it."

Meredith got up from her chair. "Well, I'd better get to my station so I can welcome the Dunn entourage when they arrive." She walked over to the door, then turned to look back at Risa. "Good luck."

Risa nodded. Moving over to the bookshelf, she pulled a few of the books out of place so the rows weren't quite so even.

Under Risa's desk, Bailey made snoring sounds. She bent down to pet the dog. Healthy-Pet was focused on pet wellness. Everyone in the company had pets and loved animals. One of the key benefits employees enjoyed was being able to bring their pets to work as long as they behaved. Risa felt another stab through her heart as she realized a big corporation would probably put a stop to that perk.

"Now you be good when Mr. Dunn gets here," she whispered to Bailey who opened one eye briefly before letting it slowly drift closed again. Bailey was a good judge of character. Normally a mellow dog, she seemed to be able to sense "bad" people and usually made her feelings known by barking or growling at them.

Given what she knew about Connor Dunn, Risa hoped Bailey didn't charge out from under the desk and bite him. She didn't doubt he deserved it, but she didn't want any trouble for Bailey.

The ticking of the clock captured Risa's attention. It was almost show time. She stood, pushing her unruly auburn hair back behind her ears. Smoothing her tailored black pinstriped skirt, she tucked her gray silk blouse into the waistband.

No, that's too neat.

Remembering she didn't want to project her usual meticulous appearance, she bunched her silk shirt up, pulling it out of the waistband a little.

She looked down at her low-slung heels. Sensible and comfortable. She bent one leg. Looking back over her shoulder, she pinched the back of her stockings right at the heel. Pulling the stocking away from her leg, she rammed her thumb through the thin material generating the start of a run.

The waste-basket beside her desk held the remnants of her lunch. A hamburger and fries. Plucking the stained wrapper from the trash, she put it on the desk. A blob of ketchup on the corner caught her eye. On a whim, she dipped her finger in the ketchup.

Grimacing, she smudged it on the front of her new silk blouse. She felt sick at ruining the expensive shirt, but the ketchup stain did wonders to add to the unorganized and unprofessional look she was going for.

Yep, her messy office, rumpled appearance, and stained shirt were sure to turn Connor Dunn right off. She hoped to make his first impression a bad one. Bad enough to turn him sour on the whole deal. And if that helped to stop the acquisition, then the cost of a silk shirt was a small price to pay.

Chapter Two.

Risa stared at the man standing in her office door with a critical eye. So this was what the grownup Connor Dunn looked like in person.

He still had the same blond, wavy hair she remembered from when they were kids. He even still had a boyish charm about him that Risa might have found appealing if she didn't know that there was nothing boyish or charming about him. Connor Dunn was the enemy.

"Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Dunn here to see you." Meredith's voice broke through her thoughts.

Risa moved toward him extending her hand. "Nice to see you again, Connor."