The Sandy Bay Cozy Mysteries series Box Set
Page 66
Meghan blushed. “Thanks,” she said to the Chief. “I just want to be a well-rounded businesswoman.”
“You are well on your way,” the Chief commended her. “Just be patient with yourself. And, if you can’t figure out SEO, and all of that other internet stuff, come down to the station sometime. We have an IT guy who is a tech genius. Seriously, he knows his stuff, Meghan. I could set up a meeting between the pair of you. What do you think?”
Meghan grinned. “That is so nice of you to offer,” she gushed.
“Anytime,” Chief Nunan told her. “I need to get back to the station, but I hope you enjoy your time at the library, Meghan. I’ll tell that detective of yours you said hello.”
“Please do,” she said, her cheeks growing red at the mention of her boyfriend.
Meghan waved goodbye to the chief, and then turned back to the bookshelf. “Hmmm,” she murmured to herself as she looked through a row of thick, intimidating books. “I don’t think I’ll find something that will help turn me into a computer pro. These books are huge. I could spend my whole life thumbing through them and never know enough.”
Meghan glanced down and saw exactly what she needed, feeling as though divine intervention had somehow placed the perfect book in her path. “SEO and Internet Use for Dopes” she read, laughing at the irreverent title. “This is perfect for me.”
“Dopes, huh?”
Meghan was startled to find a man staring at her from a few feet away. She hadn’t noticed his arrival, but it was clear that he had been watching her. He looked to be Meghan’s age, and he was quite handsome; with his sharp jaw, broad shoulders, and tall stature, she could not help but to notice how attractive he was.
“Hey,” she said kindly. “How’s it going?”
The man sneered. “I’m cracking up watching you talk to yourself,” he said haughtily, his green eyes dancing. “Do you always do that? Is it a dope thing, because if it is, you have the perfect book.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. She was in awe of the man’s rudeness. She no longer cared if he was handsome; she was put off by his terrible manners.
“Excuse me?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” the man said with a shrug. “I didn’t say anything at all.”
The man turned and strutted out of the library, his head held high. Meghan was repulsed by his arrogance, and embarrassed by the encounter. “That’s the last time I come to the library,” she muttered as she hung her head and left.
3
Meghan left the library and decided to stop by the grocery store; she was running low on Geos, her favorite potato chips, and she wanted a snack to enjoy as she thumbed through her new library books. She breathed in a sigh of relief as she entered the grocery store. Unlike the library, where she rarely ventured, in the grocery, a place where food and treats were sold and displayed, she felt right at home.
Meghan found the chips, and then wandered into the baked goods section. She bent down to examine the sugar shelf, intrigued to see a new brand of coconut sugar being sold.
“Meghan Truman! What a nice surprise to see you here.”
She turned to find Otis Barber smiling at her, his smile wide. Otis was one of Sandy Bay’s most celebrated residents; along with working at Fit Miss, a women’s only gym in town, Otis was known for his generosity and commitment to the community. He frequently volunteered at the Lads and Ladies Club, the free after-school program for low-come families, and he had founded the Sandy Bay Less Large League, a motivational weight-loss program for locals that focused on transforming one’s inside, as well as the outside. Karen Denton, Meghan’s dear friend, was a close friend of Otis, and Meghan had always enjoyed his shy, but warm nature.
“How is it going, Otis?” she asked, happy to see a familiar face smiling back at her. “What are you up to today?”
Otis grinned. “It’s cheat day,” he told her. “One day a week, the Sandy Bay Less Large League sponsors an official cheat day. Members are encouraged to disregard their diets and focus on eating things that make them happy. Today, I was craving a donut, so here I am.”
Meghan nodded. “I would cheat for donuts any day,” she teased.
Otis winked. “I’ll let you take one, if you’d like.”
Meghan shook her head. “I’m just kidding,” she said. “Although, how perfect it is that I ran into you at the grocery store. Karen and I were visiting last week, and she mentioned that you have the best curry recipe in the world. I’ve never tried curry, but she ranted and raved about yours. I think I am curious. What is in your recipe?”
Otis beamed. “I am so happy she said that,” he told her. “The curry recipe I use came from my grandmother, Kathryn. She lived in India during her childhood, and she passed the recipe down to my father. The recipe calls for a sprinkling of basil, which is not typically used, and I think that is what gives it its unique taste.”
Meghan whipped out her phone and gestured at Otis. “Could you text the recipe to me? I think I need to try it. I love basil, and I have been saying that it is time I expand my cooking expertise.”
Otis took her phone and typed the recipe. “There you go,” he said upon finishing. “I hope you enjoy it. Anything else I can do for you, Ms. Truman?”
Meghan raised her eyebrows. “Actually, there is,” she agreed. “Karen also told me that you have a killer Zumba DVD that I should borrow from you. There’s no way you have it on you, do you?”
Otis shook his head, and she marveled at his height and bulk. At nearly seven feet tall and three-hundred pounds, Otis was built like a horse. Meghan giggled to herself as she imagined Otis doing Zumba.
“What are you laughing about?” Otis teased.
“I was just thinking about you doing Zumba,” she confessed.
“Don’t hate on Zumba,” Otis pretended to chastise her. “When I played junior hockey in Canada, my team did Zumba every day; my coaches swore that Zumba was what made us so agile and flexible.”
“You played professional hockey?” she asked. “That is so cool.”
“It was fun while it lasted,” Otis shrugged. “Anyway, one of my friends is borrowing the DVD, but when she gives it back, I’ll be happy to lend it to you.”
“Thanks!” she chirped, imagining herself dancing in her apartment. “I’m a good borrower, I promise.”
Otis’ face darkened. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Otis frowned. “You know who is a terrible borrower?” he asked Meghan. “Chandler Washington. He’s my neighbor, and he’s constantly borrowing things and bringing them back broken.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “That’s annoying,” she affirmed. “Bad borrowers are the worst.”
Otis scowled. “I hate to complain about anyone,” he said to Meghan. “But man, that guy thinks he is the cat’s pajamas. Give a guy an IT degree and he thinks he is a gift to the world.”
“I will make sure I don’t borrow anything from him,” she told Otis. “I’m sorry he’s an annoying neighbor.”
Otis returned to his pleasant manner. “I’m sorry I vented,” he apologized. “It’s just all been adding up. Anyway, I have to run. I am teaching a Pilates class tonight, and I need to go. It was good to see you, Meghan.”
“Good to see you, Otis,” she said, in awe as she leaned over to give Otis a side hug and was met with a wall of pure muscle. “See you later!”
Back at her apartment, Meghan removed her winter coat and climbed into her bed. Fiesta and Siesta cuddled at her feet, and she pulled Siesta onto her chest and began to scratch his ears. Her phone rang, and she answered it, happy to see Jack’s name on the screen.
“What are you up to, babe?” Jack asked in a cheerful voice.
“I just got home from the store,” she said. “I ran into Otis Barber.”
“He is such a good guy,” Jack told her. “He was a few years older than me in school, but he was always nice to me when we played football together.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” she replied. “Anyway, what’s up with you, babe?”
“I need to ask a favor,” he said. “It’s not too crazy, but it would be so helpful.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I know it’s last minute,” he began. “But do you think you could bring some lemon tarts over to the station? We’re celebrating Officer Green’s retirement, and he loves your lemon tarts.”
Meghan looked at her watch. She did not know if she had a surplus of lemon tarts, and she was not sure she could whip up a batch as quickly as Jack needed them.
“Beautiful?”
“Sorry, I was trying to figure out how many I have,” she told him.
“We only need a few; we’re celebrating at the station, and then moving the party to one of the bars. Officer Green wants to play darts, and I think we’re going to do a showdown between the officers and tech folks.”
Meghan bit her lip. She was so cozy as she relaxed in her bed, and she had no desire to venture back out into the cold night.
“Please, Meghan?” he asked. “Officer Bradley was my mentor when I first came to the station. I know it is a lot to ask of you, and I probably should have asked you sooner, but it would mean so much to me if I could bring his favorite treat.”
“I’ll do it,” she answered immediately, hearing the urgency in Jack’s voice. “I’ll make it work.”
4
Meghan stared at her reflection, smiling as she surveyed the curls she had twirled into her long, dark hair with the new curling iron her mother had sent her for Christmas. She ran a hand through her locks, hoping to loosen the curls so they looked more natural.
“Jack has never seen my hair like this,” she thought to herself as she admired the way the ringlets framed her face. “I hope he likes it.”
Meghan had spent nearly an hour preparing for the retirement party. She typically didn’t spend too much time on her appearance, but tonight, she wanted to make a good impression; she knew Jack liked to show her off to his colleagues, and Meghan was excited to look her best.
“Fiesta, Siesta, what should I wear?” she muttered as her dogs slept on the bed. “Should I put on heels for tonight? What about a dress?”
She remembered that the retirement party was at the bar, but with so many people coming, she figured that the attendees would dress up in honor of Officer Green. Meghan selected a green long-sleeve dress from her closet and laid it out on the bed. She smoothed the skirt, which fell just above her knees.
“I’ll need those stockings with these,” she decided as she turned to her dresser. Meghan rummaged through the drawers and chose a pair of gray tights. “This will look great with the silver necklace Jack got for me for Valentine’s Day,” she exclaimed, opening her jewelry box and removing the long double-stranded silver necklace.
When Meghan finished dressing, she tucked her hair behind her ears and gave herself one final inspection. “My hair needs another round of curling,” she decided, taking her curling iron out of its box and turning it back on.
As she gathered a strand of hair and began to weave it through the curling iron, she dropped it. The hot iron hit her knee, and then bounced onto the floor and hitting her foot. “Ouch!” she yelled, waking the dogs. “I burned myself! What a clutz I am.”
Meghan bit her lip and bent down to pick up the curling iron. She was dismayed to find that her stocking had a large, angry black burn mark. “I ruined my tights,” she lamented as she pulled them off of her legs and tossed them into the trash can. “Now I am going to have to redo my entire outfit.”
Forty-five minutes later, Meghan arrived at the bar. She had never been to this bar before; she knew it was a place that the police officers frequented on weeknights, and she was eager to see the place Jack spent his Wednesday evenings watching professional hockey with his friends on the squad.
She applied a layer of fresh mauve lipstick and turned off her car. She got out, and opened the passenger seat to retrieve the two boxes of lemon tarts she had scrounged up from the kitchen. Before she could close the car door, she lost her footing, and before she knew it, one box of tarts lay on the icy ground in front of her.
“No!” Meghan cried as she looked at the mess of broken treats before her. “What is wrong with me? Why am I so graceless lately?”
She cleaned up the mess, thankful that the second box of tarts was salvageable. She took a deep breath, adjusted her hair, and walked into the bar, trying her best to smile.
“Meghan!” Jack called out as she walked inside. She looked at him in horror. Jack was dressed in jeans and a ratty t-shirt he usually wore to wash Dash, his dog. Meghan glanced around the room, her face burning as she realized everyone was dressed casually. Even Chief Nunan was out of her uniform; she had a pair of black sweatpants on, and her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail.
“You’re sure dressed up,” Jack commented as the color rose to Meghan’s face. “Didn’t I tell you that this party was low-key?”
Meghan nodded. “You did,” she admitted, feeling self-conscious about her overdressed appearance. “But I must have forgotten…”
Jack grinned. “You are the prettiest girl here by a longshot,” he told her. “I like that you dressed up, babe. You always look beautiful.”
Meghan smiled, thankful for her sweet boyfriend. “Thanks, Jack,” she said. “Here, I brought a box of lemon tarts.”
“Awesome!” he exclaimed, taking the box from Meghan’s hands. “Let me take these to the refreshment table, and then I’ll show you around. You know most of my coworkers already, but I’m sure everyone wants to say hello to you.”
Jack led Meghan to a table filled with food. He carefully set the box of tarts onto the table. “Thanks again for bringing these,” he said to Meghan as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“Anything for you,” she replied, fluttering her eyelashes at her boyfriend.
“Irvin! Is that your pretty girlfriend? You are sure out kicking your coverage, man!”
Meghan and Jack turned to find Officer Green grinning at them. He was a large man, taller than Jack, and his grey hair was cut close to his head. He had dark blue eyes with deep smile lines cut below, and he smiled happily at Meghan.
“Out kicking your coverage?” she whispered to Jack. “What does that mean?”
“It means that you are way out of my league,” Jack told her with a wink. “And I agree!”
“Thank you for coming to my retirement party,” Officer Green said to Meghan. “I’m so glad you could join us, and Jacky-boy here said that you brought lemon tarts?”
“I did,” she confirmed, nodding her chin at the refreshment table. “Jack mentioned that they are your favorite, and I whipped up a quick batch this afternoon.”
“Fantastic,” Officer Green replied. “I hope you enjoy my little shindig, Meghan. It was a difficult decision to leave the Sandy Bay Police and settle into retirement, but this last-hoorah will be a nice goodbye to my friends and coworkers. My wife planned the party, and she told me over fifty people came out to celebrate. Can you believe it?”
She peered around the crowded bar. Giant televisions hung in each corner, and loud country music was blaring over the speakers. Meghan saw many familiar faces, and she smiled and waved as she made eye contact with Cheryl, Officer Green’s wife.
“This is a big turnout,” Meghan praised as Officer Green blushed. “You’ve done so much for the community, Officer. I know Jack looks up to you so much. What an honor it is to celebrate you.”
Before Officer Green could reply, an obnoxiously loud voice filled the bar. “SCORE! HIGH SCORE!”
Meghan, Jack, and Officer Green turned around. “It’s that Chandler Washington,” Officer Green muttered as Meghan saw a man in a loud orange t-shirt across the room pumping his fist, a dart in one hand and a beer in the other. “That kid has no idea when to shut his mouth. I wish I could have not invited him, but Cheryl said I couldn’t leave out someone from the office…”
“He doesn’t seem to know when to be quiet,” she agreed quietly. “He was really rude to me at the library the other day.”
Officer Green’s face darkened. “That punk was rude to you? Jack Irvin’s girl? I’m not going to let that stand. I’m gonna go tell that kid to be quiet. I don’t care if he is winning his dart game; I don’t want to hear his loud voice for another minute.”
Meghan stared as Officer Green marched over to Chandler. “He really seems to dislike him,” she said to Jack.