by H L Bur
“True…poor Mr. Roberson, though! How could such a generous man have created so many selfish sociopaths?”
“I’m thinking of going to see him,” Beverly said. “Sofie’s memorial is tomorrow, but she is to be laid to rest in Grand Rapids. I’m going to look him up while I’m down there. We were always such good friends and I think it would do him good to know there is someone out there who still cares for him. Who knows? I might even offer to bring him back Up North if he wants. He always loved it up here.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” I smiled.
“Cady, do you think you could manage without me for a bit?”
“Yeah, of course. Why, what’s up?”
“I’m meeting Kyle at his office down the street,” she said nonchalantly.
“Oooohhhhh,” I teased.
“Shut up,” she turned to leave.
“Tell him I want to talk to him about the memorial plans,” I called after her.
She waved one of her hands up in the air in acknowledgement as she went out the front door.
“Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to get you trained. Are you up for it?”
“You betchya!”
Epilogue
Ξ
I sent Beverly home just before closing. She had picked up on everything really quickly and was going to work a half-shift tomorrow morning. She said it was just what she had been looking for to keep her busy. Henri hadn’t warmed up much to Birdie yet, but I figured it was just a matter of time.
I sat in the café filling in my crossword puzzle when the front door chime went off. I glanced up at the clock at realized it was just after closing.
“Welcome to Gi—” My breath caught in my throat as the tall, handsome figure stepped over the threshold. I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. Was it really necessary that every time I saw him I choked on my own breath? My cheeks flushed slightly as I smiled at him.
“Good evening, Ms. Kline.” He moved closer to me, but stopped a good few feet in front of me.
“Good evening, Detective Collins.” I could feel my heart rate quicken inside of my chest.
He slowly inched his way closer to me, his vibrant green eyes locked on my own dark brown. I started to feel lightheaded as he slowly bent forward, leaning in towards me. I could feel the electricity shooting between us. He raised one large, slightly calloused hand to caress the side of my face. I stiffened in fear. Hey, it had been a long time since I’d kissed anyone, I was allowed to be nervous! My lips parted in long awaited anticipation. I could smell his earthy, musky scent as he neared. I lifted one hand and rested it on his rock hard chest and rose up a little on my tiptoes to greet his perfect lips with mine. And the front door chime went off.
We both jumped back in alarm and looked towards the door to see Quinn and Kyle come in.
You’ve got to be kidding me. I narrowed my eyes and tried to burn a hole into Quinn’s forehead.
“Oh, hey guys, so nice of you to drop by,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster.
“Nice to see you, too.” She gave it right back to me.
I sighed deeply and Fletcher laughed.
“I’m starving, what’s for supper?” Quinn asked.
“I could use a cold shower right about now, but I suppose I could settle for a cold drink instead.” I continued to glare at her.
“Okay, The Wishing Well it is.” She grinned.
“Fine, let’s go, but I will get you back for this,” I added under my breath as I strode past her. “Lock up, would you?”
I took in a deep breath of fresh air as the four of us walked the couple blocks to the restaurant. No matter how much I wished none of it had ever happened, I was very grateful for the new friends I had gained. And now that the investigation was behind us all, we could focus on life getting back to normal…or so I thought.
About the Author
Heather is a Michigan native who has always loved to read, especially cozy mysteries. On December 31st 2017, she made a New Year’s resolution to write a book. So she did.
