MISTLETOE, MOONLIGHT, and MURDER: A Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mystery by Carolyn L. Dean

Author:Carolyn L. Dean [Dean, Carolyn L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freeform Publishing
Published: 2016-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Amanda watched Solomon Culpepper’s battered pickup truck park in her circular drive, and suppressed a sigh of frustration. If she’d had her way, she’d have waited until Roy Greeley was back from his Christmas vacation and have him fix the two wooden shutters that had been banging upstairs, but with guests coming and going at all hours at the Inn she needed to be sure everything was in tip top shape. She certainly couldn’t have shutters swinging in the wind, disturbing her guests, even if they were located several rooms away from the noise.

She opened the front door and mustered her best smile. “Thanks for coming, Solomon! I really do appreciate it.”

His grin was huge, as if he’d won some jackpot. “Oh, I appreciate you calling me, Amanda. I know I’m not your normal fix-it guy, but I want you to know that I give a good job for a good wage.” He stepped in the large foyer and looked around appreciatively.

“Wow! I haven’t been in this place for years, not since your uncle and aunt owned it. I thought it would be in much worse shape than this, after being abandoned for so long.”

Amanda smiled. If there was a way to get in her good graces, it was for someone to compliment her Inn and to recognize the work she’d put into making sure that it was beautiful and loved once again. “It was in pretty rough shape when I got it, but Roy’s been able to fix anything I can’t.” She pointed to the curved staircase. “That’s our next project. It’s got some damaged areas I’m going to have him repair when he gets back.”

Solomon nodded, his smile still in place. “Well, then I can understand why you like to work with him so much. He’s a good guy, all right. We go fishing together a couple of times a year, and his sister is friends with my –“ Solomon stopped mid-sentence, “—well, I know his sister.”

Amanda instantly remembered that Mrs. Granger had told her that Solomon’s wife had left him a while ago. Flustered, she was just about to offer him some coffee when Solomon picked up his toolbox, apparently ready to start work. “Just point me to what you need fixed and I’ll get you back up and running again.”

It didn’t take long for Amanda to realize that Solomon was true to his word. He did do a good job, finding the problem with the swinging shutters and figuring out how to fix them. She was a bit nervous when she saw how far he was leaning over the iron railing of the small balcony so he could screw a couple of slotted screws in place to secure everything. It took her a moment to realize that he’d used his belt to secure himself to the railing, but then she knew that even though it looked like dangerous acrobatics, he was being careful not to fall and get hurt.

The main difference between Solomon and Roy was that Solomon was a talker.

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