Murder Ink by Lorraine Bartlett & Gayle Leeson

Author:Lorraine Bartlett & Gayle Leeson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

When Andy came through the apartment door and into the kitchen at just after eight, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and sighed. “This place smells heavenly.”

“And your place doesn’t?” Katie asked. She stood at the counter, a serrated knife in one hand, about to slice a loaf of crusty Italian bread. She’d donned a cute vintage lace-trimmed eyelet apron because she knew it amused Andy to see her in it, calling it her Suzy Homemaker outfit.

“Yeah, sure, the pizzeria smells great, but this is different. This smells like Momma’s kitchen.”

Katie hugged him. “That’s the best possible compliment you could give me.” She knew how much Andy admired his mother and her cooking. His father—Ron—was the barbeque chef, but his mother was the maestro of the kitchen. Katie only crossed her fingers that the lasagna’s taste would rival the aroma.

“How was your day?” Andy asked, after kissing the top of Katie’s head.

She thought of telling him about Paul Fenton’s visit to Artisans Alley, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Andy had been through enough today and had plenty on his mind without her adding to his distress. Plus, she certainly didn’t want him to get into an argument—or worse, a fistfight—with Fenton. The man was menacing, to say the least. She’d prefer that she and Andy both stay as far away from him as possible.

“It was fine,” she said. “I ran into Seth in the grocery store. He wanted me to wish you luck finding a new assistant manager. I didn’t realize this, but he’s friends with people on the Greece school board. He told me this shake-up is all about getting the budget under control.”

Andy sighed. “It still sucks.”

“I know, but what about training Roger for the assistant manager position?” Katie asked.

“Roger wants to work for that contractor doing construction and carpentry. Remember?”

“Sure, but he can still work for Angelo’s while he’s in school. And, since Erikka will be there until the end of the month, she could help you train Roger.”

Katie felt Andy stiffen. He dropped his arms from around her and stepped away.

“You’re glad Erikka is leaving, aren’t you?” he asked.

She couldn’t deny it. “Andy, I’m trying to help you solve your problem . . . to brainstorm. You’d do the same for me.”

“You’ve been jealous of Erikka from the very start.”

“If you’ll recall, I’m the one who introduced you to Erikka and suggested you give her a job,” Katie said. And that impulsive decision had come back to bite her again and again.

“Yes, you recommended Erikka for the job, but you’ve been jealous ever since.”

Katie put her hands on her hips and glared up into Andy’s face. “She’s in love with you! Do you realize that?”

“We’re friends. Period. I’m with you.” He ran both hands through his hair. “Is she the reason you hired that golden boy to work at Tealicious?”

“I hired Brad Andrews on Nick’s recommendation to manage Tealicious because Janine left me in the lurch, and Brad is an acclaimed chef.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.