Death by Tea (A Bookstore Café Mystery) by Alex Erickson

Author:Alex Erickson [Erickson, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2015-11-23T22:00:00+00:00

16

The house was still a mess when I got home. A part of me had hoped that it would all magically repair itself while I was gone. I felt that I deserved a break after everything that Buchannan had done to me lately. Why couldn’t some well-meaning neighbor have come in, picked up the mess for me, and then left me with a freshly baked batch of chocolate chip cookies and hot coffee so I could sit back and relax and enjoy the evening for once?

I closed the front door with a sigh. Misfit was sleeping on the island counter instead of rushing the door. He looked as beat as I felt. I wondered what other mischief he’d gotten himself into while I was at work, and then decided I really didn’t want to know. It would only mean more cleanup.

I dropped my purse onto the table, dug out my cell phone, and then headed into the living room to plop down on the partially shredded couch. Plumes of stuffing shot out of the cushion, to join the rest of it on the floor. I waved my hand in front of my face a few times to waft the remnants away before focusing on the little device in my hand.

What I really wanted to do was call Paul Dalton and ask him to come over. I didn’t care if he helped me clean or if he simply sat down amid the mess and comforted me while I cried my eyes out. I was so exhausted, I could hardly think straight.

But Paul hadn’t returned any of my previous calls, nor had he stopped by to make sure I was okay. I mostly wanted him to come over so I could talk to him. I didn’t like leaving things hanging like that. If he was told to stay away from me, well then, he should have told me.

Yes, I was probably being overly sensitive, but I was in desperate need of someone to talk to. If I had Will’s number, I might have called him instead. I knew where I could find it, but for some reason it felt invasive. Let him give it to you, Krissy, I told myself. Guys like that. And it will show you he’s truly interested.

I considered the phone for a good five minutes before dialing. It rang three times before someone picked up and answered.

“Krissy?”

The sound of the gravely voice just about had me in tears.

“Dad.”

“What’s wrong, Buttercup?”

I hadn’t said a thing, yet my dad already knew something was wrong. When I’d spoken, I hadn’t sobbed the word. I didn’t even speak in a way that would give away my feelings, outside of my voice being a little lifeless. But dads pick up on things like that. It is one of the best things about them.

“Oh, you know, murder and mayhem. The usual.”

I could hear the frown in his voice when he said, “Tell me.”

I let it all spill out of me in a rush. I told him about the book clubs, about the weird competition between the two towns.

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.