by Sarah Fox
My white, long-haired cat was lying on the corner of my queen bed, watching me with his blue eyes. I paused to stroke his silky fur.
“Hello, Wimsey. Did you have a nice snooze?”
He purred and closed his eyes. I gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head and kicked off my shoes.
“Guess who I saw on my way over here,” Shontelle called from the other room.
“I have no idea.” I shed my clothes and slipped into the dress.
“That delicious Grayson Blake.”
I poked my head out the bedroom door. “Don’t you mean Grumpy-Pants Blake?”
“What did you do to make him grumpy?”
“Why do you assume I made him grumpy?” I asked, heading for my dresser and the jewelry box sitting on top of it. “I strongly suspect he was born that way.” I switched out my silver stud earrings for a set of small hoops.
Shontelle appeared in the doorway and leaned against the frame. “I’ve never known him to be anything but a courteous gentleman. And one tall glass of delicious.”
“Hrmph,” was all I had to say to that.
I slipped past Shontelle and headed for the bathroom, where I set about touching up my makeup. My friend’s opinion of the craft brewery owner matched that of my Aunt Gilda and pretty much every other woman in Shady Creek. Heck, I hadn’t heard a man say anything negative about him either. Sure, he was attractive, and he brewed award-winning beers, but my business—and only—dealings with him hadn’t been pleasant experiences. I found him brusque and as prickly as a porcupine. If not for the fact that his beers were so popular with both the tourists and locals, I wouldn’t have bothered to sell them at the Inkwell.
Pushing thoughts of the brewery owner out of my mind, I added some color to my lips and fastened my red hair into a twist at the back of my head.
“All ready?” Shontelle asked when I emerged from the bathroom. She’d retrieved the cake from the fridge and held the bakery box in her hands.
“Almost.”
I slipped into a pair of heels, grabbed my handbag, and pulled on my coat. I reached for the door but then spun around, almost smacking Shontelle across the face with my bag.
“Sorry!” I hurried into the kitchen. “I’d better feed Wimsey before we go.”
Wimsey came trotting out of the bedroom when he heard the spoon clanking against his food dish. I set his dinner on the kitchen floor and gave him a quick scratch on the head as he dug into his food, purring away.
“Okay, this time I’m ready,” I said as I returned to the door.
I locked up, and we headed down the stairs. As we reached the landing halfway down, Mel opened the door to the pub. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and then slipped through the door, closing it behind her.
“Everything okay?” I asked, continuing down the stairs, noting that Mel appeared uncharacteristically hesitant.
“There’s someone here looking for you.”
“Who?” I made a move to go around her.
She put out an arm to block me. “I’m not sure it’s someone you want to see.”
I halted, suddenly apprehensive. “Who is it?” I asked again.
Mel gave me a sympathetic look. “It’s your ex.”
Meet The Author
Sarah Fox is the author of the Music Lover’s Mystery series and the USA Today bestselling Pancake House Mystery series. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer, she can often be found reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel. Sarah lives in British Columbia and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada. Visit her online at AuthorSarahFox.com.
