Murder by Numbers: a small town romantic mystery (The Lemon Tree Bay Mysteries Book 1) by Megan Mayfair

Author:Megan Mayfair [Mayfair, Megan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Montauk Bay
Published: 2021-09-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

After they ate, and Lucas showered and changed, he suggested a drink at Esmeralda’s. Clara smiled as he pulled his chair next to hers and placed a hand on her leg, tentatively at first. She pushed back a strand of her hair and smiled as they locked eyes, a jolt of lust hurtling down her spine.

“I went to the sweet shop today,” he said, rubbing her knee. “I figured I couldn’t keep on raiding the lollipops at Wave Length. I asked the owners about the recipe, and they said they make them onsite and have for years, but get this…They said the original recipe came from a local woman called Elise.”

“Who’s Elise?”

He smiled. “My late grandmother. It explains why they are so familiar. She used to make them when I was a kid. How strange is that?”

“Between houses on Hales Lookout and creating the original lollipop recipe, and now playing in the cricket team, you might be Lemon Tree Bay royalty, Mr Pepper.”

He glanced around the bar, appreciating the candles and artwork that filled the walls, and gave it an approving grin. “I sometimes feel more at home here than I expected. I’d never been here, yet it always feels vaguely familiar. What do they call that, ancestral pull?”

He’d seemed so uptight when she’d first met him. But seeing him settle back in the chair, loosen his collar and tap his foot along to the beat of the music was sexy. He wasn’t laid-back like some of the guys around here with expensive clothing and taste for the finer things in life, but it made him sophisticated—worldly and grown-up. He reminded her more of the men around Sydney who worked in business. Sharp suits. Nice cars. They knew how to order wine on dates.

She’d always been intimidated by those men, but there was something more approachable about Lucas. She wondered if perhaps he was, despite the flash—a little like she’d been underneath all the “Andretti girl” makeup and hair products—like her? A little uncertain about his place in the world?

“Can I get you another drink?” He pointed to her empty glass.

“That would be great, but I’ll get it.”

“Thank you,” he said.

Standing, she approached the bar. She glanced back over her shoulder and he smiled at her. She blushed and fidgeted with her purse. Maybe they should skip the drink and get out of here.

“What’ll it be, Clara?” Pierre, the owner of Esmeralda’s asked her.

Chatting with Pierre as he poured the drinks, she then paid and tucked her purse under her arm, picked up the two glasses, and carried them back to the table.

But Lucas wasn’t there. She set the drinks down and scanned the crowded bar. Where was he? A group parted, and she spotted him across the room, staring at pictures on the wall, his hands on his hips.

“Hey.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Drinks are ready.”

He pulled away from her, and turning to her, his mouth was set in a firm line. “What’s this?” He stabbed a finger towards the wall, his hand shaking.

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