Red Velvet and Revenge (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 16) by Agatha Frost

Author:Agatha Frost [Frost, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Tree Publishing LTD
Published: 2019-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

10

Julia slept in until three in the afternoon the next day. When she first opened her eyes, she thought she’d only slept for a couple of hours, which made looking at the clock and seeing that she’d almost slept for a solid twelve all the more shocking. She let out a yawn, feeling like she could fall back asleep if she stayed in bed any longer.

She tossed back the covers, noticing how light her hand felt without the rings she’d grown so used to. She touched her neck; another bare space where something precious had once sat.

“They’re things,” Julia muttered as she stuffed her feet into her sheepskin slippers. “You’re not a materialistic woman.”

With heavy steps and a sleepy mind, Julia plodded to her bedroom door in the late afternoon gloom, feeling like Jessie looked most mornings. She scratched her head and fought back a series of all-consuming yawns.

“You’re awake,” Barker called cheerfully from the kitchen. “I was just making you some breakfast.”

“It’s three in the afternoon,” Julia said, checking the cat clock above the fridge to make sure her alarm clock hadn’t lied to her. “Why did you let me sleep that long?”

“Because you needed it.” Barker scooped bacon onto a plate, which contained a full English breakfast fit for a queen. “Jessie insisted she run the café on her own today, so I turned off your alarm when you didn’t wake up with me this morning.”

“Where’s Vinnie?”

“With Dot and Percy,” Barker said as he ushered Julia onto a stool at the counter. “Everything is taken care of. You don’t have to worry. Do you want your tea?”

“Coffee,” Julia found herself saying. “I need it.”

Barker put the plate in front of Julia along with a knife and fork, a napkin, and a bottle of ketchup. He quickly made a cup of coffee and placed it next to her as she started working on her two fried eggs. Barker wasn’t an unromantic man, but he’d never gone to such lengths before.

“Is it good?”

“It’s really nice,” Julia mumbled through a mouthful of sausage. “I’m very grateful for this, and, not to sound rude, but what’s the occasion?”

“Can’t I make my wife a full English now and then?” Barker’s fake plastered smile melted away after a couple of seconds. “Okay, it’s an apology. The way I acted yesterday was out of line.”

“Oh, Barker—”

“No, Julia.” Barker held his hand up. “You were right. You had to live through it. I didn’t. I was upset and scared, and I took it out on you, the last person who should have had to deal with it after going through something like that.”

“I’m honestly fine,” Julia said, and she meant it. “It’s already yesterday’s news. I can’t do anything to change what happened. I got myself into that situation, and I lived to talk about it. The chances of it happening again are probably statistically low right now, right?”

“Technically, yes.” Barker grabbed a plastic bag from next to the sink and reached inside. “But it doesn’t mean you don’t have to be prepared.

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.