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note to herself to follow up on Eleanor. Cece had to have some place to put
the information she gathered, and she figured no one would think to look in her
prayer book, especially Detective Jackson. She stuck her pen in the loose bun
at the back of her head and tucked the book back in her tote bag, then focused
on her sister’s question. “Yes, a donkey has a tail. Why?”
    “Not a donkey, ya goof.”
Candy jerked her head to the man eating a sub in the truck parked out front on
the street. “Detective Jackass.”
    “Would you stop calling
him names, Charity?”
    “Would you stop calling
me Charity?”
    Cece pursed her lips, deciding
to choose her battles. “About the tail. What is Granny
talking about?”
    “Hang on.” Candy asked
Gran, and after a moment, burst out laughing. “She cast a spell and wants to
know if it worked.”
    Cece glanced out the
window and caught Ace staring at her. The man was determined; she’d give him
that. It appeared now he was following her every move. She chose to be the
bigger person and ignore his smirk as she turned her attention back to her
sister. “The last I checked, Detective Jackson’s hindquarters looked just fine
to me.”
    Candy’s eyelids lowered halfway.
“Sorry, Gran. Maybe you need more gunpowder or a
bigger squirrel. But please, for my sake, keep trying.” She hung up and zeroed
in on Cece, making her squirm in her seat and lose her
appetite. And she’d really wanted the rest of that burger, darn it. “Oh. My. God.” Candy gaped at her. “You like him, don’t you?”
    “Well, of course I like
him. Everyone has good in them; you just have to dig
deeper to find it in some people.” Cece leveled her sister with a pointed look.
    “Don’t give me that load
of crap. Unlike you, I haven’t been sheltered, babe. I know lust when I see
it.” Cece looked at her sister in disgust, but Candy just kept steamrolling
ahead. “I just can’t believe it’s over … him.” She flung her hand to the side
and made a stabbing motion toward the window.
    Ace saluted Candy as he
ripped off a hunk of sub with his teeth, making her bare her own canines back
at him. His shoulders shook as though he were chuckling, most likely having the
time of his life, making her miserable. If
only they could work out their differences, Cece thought, but she had a
feeling he and Candy were too much alike.
    “You’re nuts, you know
that?” Cece said, facing away from the annoying detective. That brief insane
moment where she’d thought he might be her dream man must have been a trick of
the light and the result of post-traumatic stress disorder.
    “Riiight. You always turn the
color of beets, break out in a sweat, and ‘Hello, little sisters’”—she waved to
Cece’s breasts. “Nip out after just one look from the guy. He’s hot, I’ll give
you that, but he’s such a pain in the ass. Why does it have to be him ?”
    “Charity, please, enough
with the language,” Cece said, thinking her sister had lost her mind.
    “Sorry, babe, but I’d
even prefer you getting all hot and bothered over his partner, Rockstar.”
    “It’s Rocco.”
    “Whatever.” She shoved
her hands through her hair. “Detective Hardass is not the right man for a woman
like you. As your big sister, I’m just looking out for you.”
    “Well, you don’t have to
worry about that. I didn’t leave the church to find a man. Especially
not one like the detective.”
    “Why did you leave the church?” Candy tipped
her head to the side and squinted as she studied Cece.
    Cece hadn’t told anyone
other than Father Flannigan about her sexy dreams, and something told her
telling her sister was not a good idea. Besides, she refused to believe her
dreams had anything to do with the detective, and she had bigger things to
worry about. “Let’s just say I’ve always been different from the other nuns. I
felt like something was missing, like maybe I wasn’t doing something right. I
just thought I could help more