The next evening, Karen was cooking her mom’s special recipe for chicken gumbo adding ham and veggies too in a one-pot casserole dish. She prepared a tomato, avocado and corn salad on the side and they had bought a pecan pie from a bakery in Austin, yesterday. She wanted to serve it for dessert.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Jayson had gone out to meet Chase to discuss a case while she cooked. He said he would be back in half an hour. She ran to open the door. As soon as she opened the door, she said excitedly, “You’re in time, Jay. I’ve just finished making dinner.”
Her breath, however, caught in her throat as she stared at the stranger at the door. He looked at Karen with amusement.
“I may not be your Jay, but I would love to eat what you’ve cooked,” he said, striding past her into
