The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple (Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman Book 8) by JB Lynn

Author:JB Lynn [Lynn, JB]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

After stopping at the mall to buy live crickets for God, a new bone for DeeDee, and a beefy cat food for Piss, and stopping to pick up a bag of chips and a gallon of ice cream for me, I walked into the B&B grouchier than a swarm of killer bees.

In the kitchen I ran into Griswald, practically begging Aunt Susan to go out with him. I dumped the animal treats bag on the counter and pulled the ice cream out of one of the other bags.

“I’m flattered,” Susan told him coolly, “but no thank you.”

Yanking open the freezer door with more vehemence than necessary, I grumbled beneath my breath, “Don’t be an idiot.”

“I thought I made it clear earlier that this is none of your concern.” Susan’s tone was colder than the inside of the freezer.

“Right. None of my business.” I took a second to move stuff around before stuffing my ice cream inside. “Why should I give a damn whether or not you end up happy?”

“Language, Margaret!” Susan snapped.

“Screw language.” I slammed the freezer door shut to emphasize my point. “Screw language. Screw happiness. Screw you.” I reached for the bag of stuff for the four-legged family members, but Griswald had already confiscated it.

I glared at him, expecting him to tell me that I owed my aunt an apology or something.

He studied me for a long moment before asking quietly, “What’s wrong?”

Surprised by his reaction, I blinked. I grabbed for my bag, but he held it just out of reach. He almost dropped it when the crickets in the container inside broke into a rousing verse of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” He peeked inside before saying, “You’re obviously upset.”

“That’s no excuse to speak to me like that, young lady,” Susan griped. “In fact, I—”

Griswald turned on her, silencing her with a look.

Keeping his voice deliberately bland, Griswald rotated back toward me. “What happened?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t confide to anyone how much Patrick’s unwillingness to be with me hurt.

“It might be better to confide in someone than to binge on chips and ice cream,” the US Marshal suggested mildly, holding the bag out so that I could reclaim it.

“I appreciate your concern,” I murmured. I really did. Siding with me wouldn’t help him earn his way into Susan’s heart, yet he’d put my well-being over her offended feelings. “Thank you.”

He offered a self-deprecating smile. “I didn’t do anything. You won’t let me help you.”

“But you tried,” I choked out, tears burning the backs of my eyes. “You cared.”

“Lots of people care,” he lectured softly. He glanced toward Susan. “Some of us just express it differently.”

“Are you joining us for dinner?” Susan asked. “I made chili.”

Chili is one of my favorite foods. Even in my distraught state, I knew she’d made it to let me know she appreciated the conversation we’d had in Katie’s room. Only a monster wouldn’t accept her offering.

“As long as Marshal Griswald joins us,” I said.

Surprise flickered in Susan’s gaze, which made me think she’d expected me to reject her.

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.