Karen D. Bradley
The Confection
Assignment
Story Note
Writing keeps me sane. Creating this piece
for the Sugar Anthology challenged me
to be more concise due to the word count
limitation. I was honored to be among an
amazing group of authors. It created an
environment of education, elevation, and
encouragement which allowed me to im-
prove my writing skills.
Mia’s head snapped up at a sound that wasn’t anything like
the faint echoes of music from the other end of the lake. For
some reason, her instinct was on high alert especially since the
additional security team was missing in action.
“Having dinner out here was a great idea,” Mia said for the sake
of their nosy neighbor Patty, who was walking in their direction
as Calvin approached the table.
The older woman wasn’t any cause for concern.
“You like me cooking for you.” He brought out the spaghetti
and salad, slid it on the table, then leaned in, kissing Mia. He
wrapped his arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck. “Maybe we
should have dessert first.”
“I’ll not be reheating dinner tonight.” Pushing him away, she
turned him back toward the house, then swatted that gorgeous
rear end of his to send him on his way. “You need to go grab those
breadsticks. I’ll open the wine.”
Calvin, who had never been married, enjoyed playing the
role of husband a little too much. He winked before stepping off
the planks and into the dining room. He paused at the door and
glanced over his shoulder. “We need to do this more often.”
Most often wouldn’t happen. Tonight was the last day of her
assignment, then she’d be back to her regular life and that didn’t
include being a high security detail protector to a top secret
invention and its handsome creator.
Several minutes later, she poured him a glass of red wine
before fixing their plates. She scanned the area again and a tingle
of suspicion ignited in her mind.
What’s taking him so long?
“Calvin, today would be nice,” Mia yelled. She perched on the
chair, waiting for his smart response.
None came.
Mia placed the glass on the table and swept into the house.
Calvin wasn’t in the kitchen. If he had slipped into his office
to work instead of joining her outside, there was going to be a
problem.
Mia laid eyes on Calvin as she rounded the corner, but his