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like, but I’m not telling you squat. So behave yourself if you want some of Mary Ann’s pie. Speaking of which,” she added as a small
ding
sounded from the kitchen, “I think it’s ready!”
    Leaving behind the subject of Jake’s new client, they spent another companionable hour eating Mary Ann’s tasty creation and speculating instead on how James and Martha’s date-that-wasn’t might have turned out.
    â€œShe’s a little young for him—well, a lot young for him—but I’ve quit worrying about the whole older man–younger woman thing,” Darla magnanimously declared. “If it works, it works, and the age difference shouldn’t matter. And I think she’ll be good for him. I hate to think of him going home to an empty apartment every night.”
    â€œBelieve me, his apartment is empty only if he wants it that way,” Jake assured her.
    When Darla gave her a questioning look, she explained, “Besides his work at the bookstore, James is involved in all sorts of organizations. Last I heard, he was part of some sort of wine experts’ forum, a ‘friends of the orchid’ society kind of thing, and I think he sponsors a local animal rescue group. Oh, and he’s still a board member on that city arts council. If he wanted female company, he’d have found it. I even went out with him once.”
    â€œI’d forgotten about that,” Darla admitted. “Another one of those non-dates, right? Though I have to say, it would have been fun if you two had gotten together.”
    â€œFun? It would have been a disaster,” Jake said as she cut herself another slice of pie and dolloped on a scoop of melting ice cream. “We’re fine as friends, but we have zero in common except for liking Thai food. Martha’s more his type with all the reading she does, and that classy accent of hers. That’s what he goes for, know what I mean?”
    â€œActually, I don’t.” Darla picked a crumb off her now otherwise empty pie plate. “I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t really know all that much about James. Except for the board member thing, I didn’t know about any of those other extracurricular activities. That’s pretty bad, isn’t it? I mean, he’s worked for me for almost a year. I should know those things.”
    â€œDon’t beat yourself up, kid. You don’t learn everything about a person in the first five minutes you meet them. You and I’ve been hanging out together ever since you moved in, and there’s lots I don’t know about you yet.”
    â€œSuch as?”
    â€œSuch as, what made you finally dump your—what do you always call him?—slimeball ex-husband?”
    As Darla reflexively curled her lip at the thought—no way was she telling Jake that particular bit of unpleasantness!—her friend gave a satisfied nod. “See, you proved my point. You’re no different from anyone else. Not to sound like Forrest Gump, but people are like onions. They’ve got all sorts of layers to them.”
    â€œYeah, and when you start peeling those layers away, you’d better get ready for some tears,” Darla finished for her. “All right, point made. And now I don’t feel so bad about not knowing all of James’s secrets.”
    â€œYeah, well, sometimes you don’t want to know those things,” Jake said. “No, I’m not talking about James, in particular,” she added when Darla gave her a surprised look. “But if you want to toss around a few more clichés, what was it that Oscar Wilde said about the pure and simple truth rarely being pure and never being simple? You pry around too much into someone’s past looking for all the facts, and you’re almost guaranteed to dig up something unpleasant. Which works fine if you’re a cop, but pretty well stinks if you’re not.”
    â€œNo