Mandy looked over at Danny. Clearly this wasn’t his first time in a kitchen. Even one-handed, he handled the spatula like a pro. Mandy wiped a hot pan with vegetable oil and poured the beaten egg whites in with a sizzle. A few minutes later, she slid the low-fat breakfast onto a plate, added some fresh berries, and set it in front of her mother.

While Danny flipped pancakes, Mandy went into the dining room to check on the guests and the coffee supply. The first wave had finished. Mandy cleared their tables. She walked back into the kitchen and collected the stack of pancakes. By the time she’d refilled the chafing dish in the dining room, Danny was drying the clean griddle with a dishcloth. “Your mother went to rest.”

“OK.” Mandy loaded the dishes into the second dishwasher. “You don’t have to do all that.”

“I know. I want to.” He set the griddle on the stove. “You took me in last night. Now it’s my turn to help you.”

“Thank you.” But working side by side with Danny proved distracting. Had the kitchen been this warm earlier? Mandy poured a glass of cold orange juice. “Did you eat?”

“I finished breakfast before I came into the kitchen.”

Had he been looking for her? Needing space, Mandy filled a pitcher with orange juice and returned to the dining room. By nine, the few late sleepers trickled out. Most guests liked to get a jump on their chosen outdoor activities. Mandy bused the last tables. With Danny’s steady help, kitchen cleanup took twenty minutes instead of forty.

“Thanks again.”

“Anytime.” Way too comfortable in her kitchen, Danny wiped the countertops.

“I appreciate the help this morning. I slept through my alarm—”

“Which was my fault,” Danny interrupted.

“It was,” Mandy continued. “But tomorrow, I should be fine.”

Danny took a step closer. He tossed the sponge into the sink. “Why don’t you want my help?”

“It’s just that you’re a guest, and guests don’t work in the kitchen.”

“That’s the only reason? It’s not because of Jed?”

“What does Jed have to do with it?” Mandy inched away. Her back pressed into the countertop. She didn’t want to bring up Nathan because, well, she didn’t want to talk about the case.

“He’s not jealous?”

“Why would he be jealous? We’re just friends. Jed’s been my best friend since we were kids.” Mandy gave herself a mental head slap. First her mother, now Danny. “Jed and I aren’t in a relationship.”

“Really?” Danny frowned.

“Really.” Why was everyone trying to hook her and Jed up?

“That’s good to know.” He flashed a wicked smile that brought to mind all sorts of things good girls didn’t do. A sigh worked its way up from Mandy’s toes. Why did things that were wrong for her always look so good?