by K. M. Morgan
Fiona bared her soul to him. “This movie was supposed to be our big break. You should have been in the director’s chair from the beginning while I finally took my place in the spotlight. Then Hunter ruined everything. Don’t you see? People like me aren’t meant to be in second place. I’m a great actress. I was destined for stardom.”
“The only thing you’re destined for now is jail,” Daisy said.
Detective Crumple had heard enough.
“Take her away boys,” he declared.
The deputies handcuffed Fiona and dragged her off to their squad car.
Finally it was over. And none too soon too. Daisy had a pretty good scare put into her. One thought entered her head as her heart rate calmed down—a pastry break was looking mighty good right about now.
***
Before Detective Crumple headed out, he started pontificating as he stood beside Daisy.
“Another day, another criminal gets their just dessert,” Crumple said.
“Speaking of, I could really go for some pie,” Daisy admitted.
“Lemon meringue?”
“I was actually thinking of coconut crème.”
“Why not a little bit of both? After all, it’s not every day you get to watch me catch a killer,” Detective Crumple said.
One thing Daisy hated was other people taking credit for her work, especially a man as bumbling as Chris Crumple.
“You? Have you already forgotten who cracked this case?” Daisy asked.
Detective Crumple smiled wide. “I was just kidding. It’s not bad work for an interior decorator.”
“Don’t get too generous with your praise,” Daisy replied.
Crumple then leaned in and whispered to her. “Alright, you really saved my backside—again.”
“There. It didn’t hurt too much to admit that, did it?”
Crumple puffed out his chest. “It’s just that I have a pretty stalwart reputation in this town. When criminals hear the name Chris Crumple, they cower in fear. I wouldn’t want my reputation to be undercut by a case-cracking gumshoe interior decorator.”
Crumple obviously didn’t realize his reputation in Cozy Creek was far more bumbling than he realized.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Uh huh.”
“I have to admit though, oh all the interior decorators I know, you’re the best at solving murder cases.”
Getting a genuine compliment from Crumple in public seemed like an impossibility. The man had an ego that belonged to someone far more competent than him.
Daisy decided to make light of things. The fact was, she didn’t solve these cases to get the approval of Chris Crumple. She did it because it was the right thing to do. If the only pat on the back she received was her own, so be it.
Still, she decided to have a little fun with Crumple however.
“You know what they say—don’t mess with a decorator,” Daisy joked.
Crumple furrowed his brow. “Who says that?”
“I thought that could be a nice little catchphrase for me.”
“Don’t quit your day job,” Crumple deadpanned. He then scratched his head and reconsidered his last statement. “Actually, come to think of it, have you ever considered going into law enforcement? I could really use a sidekick.”
“Sidekick? I’ve you’ve learned anything today, it should be that no one wants to be a second banana,” Daisy said.
“Really? I thought the lesson was that solving murder cases makes you hungry for pie.”
Daisy laughed. “That too. As for a sidekick, you’ll have to look elsewhere. If you think I’m a good sleuth, you should see how well I decorate.”
“I’ll have to take a pass on that. Do I look like a man who cares about decorating? I still have my Christmas lights up in July.”
“Let me give you my card. It sounds like you need my help more than ever,” Daisy insisted.
“What I really need now is a donut,” Crumple said.
“Have you ever considered expanding your horizons beyond just donuts? I thought you just mentioned pie.”
Crumple scoffed. “Now you’re just talking crazy. You mentioned pie. My idea of expanding horizons is choosing between a custard-filled donut and a jelly one.”
“You really know how to boldly live outside the box, huh?”
“You know what? Maybe you’re right sticking with decorating instead of joining the police force,” Crumple said.
“What makes you say that?” Daisy asked.
“Everyone knows that donuts are a cop’s best friend.”
After hearing that, Daisy couldn’t help but laugh.
Chapter Thirty-Five
When the morning came, Daisy couldn’t wait to head out to the dog park. Her pup Shamus was in complete agreement. The little Westie was dancing around her place like he had ants in his pants.
Even though Daisy and Shamus went to the dog park every day, that morning was special. With the murder case all wrapped up, she was free to focus on other aspects of her life—most notably her all too dormant love live.
She secretly pined for a day when Gavin would be free of thoughts about his ex-girlfriend. That seemed to be the only hurdle between them. She and Gavin had chemistry together. There was an obvious physical attraction. Not to mention they could bring smiles to each other’s faces. Yet Gavin’s mind was lingering on the hurt in his past that all but prevented a happy future for him.
Hopefully that would change soon. If it didn’t, maybe it was time for Daisy to seek out greener pastures. Unfortunately, finding a green pasture with a hunky man in it was easier said than done—especially in Cozy Creek.
Daisy’s thoughts could spin around in circles until she was dizzy if she wasn’t careful. Like solving a case, perhaps Daisy just needed to let things unfold in front of her.
Shamus then barked, pulling Daisy out of her thought fog. One of the great things about a dog was that they didn’t let their master get too wrapped up in themselves. A dog didn’t overthink things, it just wanted to have fun.
Like that, Daisy and Shamus set off for the dog park, where they ended up running into Gavin and his pup Rosie. Only this time Gavin had more in his hands than just Rosie’s leash. He was also carrying a plastic bag.
Daisy couldn’t help but wonder what was in it.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Gavin said.
Gavin seemed in high spirits, especially given the early morning hour. That only made Daisy more curious as to what was in the bag.
She took the compliment in stride, while on the inside her heart started to tie itself up in knots.
“A woman could get used to hearing that,” Daisy replied.
“You can expect to hear it more often. It’s always good to see you.”
If Gavin’s plan was turning Daisy into putty in his hands, it was working splendidly.
“It’s great seeing you too,” Daisy said.
Then—silence. Only this time, the silence wasn’t awkward in the least. Instead, Daisy felt a romantic tension.
They locked gazes. Gavin looked like he wanted to say something, but just couldn’t cobble together the words.
Daisy then looked at the bag he was holding again.
“So, what’s in the bag?” she asked.
Gavin was so caught up in his thoughts that he’d forgotten about the bag entirely. “Oh—right. I got you a present.”
“Wow, you didn’t have to. What is it?”
Gavin handed her the bag. Daisy opened the bag to find a t-shirt inside. There was a picture of a Westie on the shirt and a caption below it that read “West Is Best.”
“It’s nothing big, but the minute I saw it, I thought of you,” Gavin explained.
“It’s so cute. Thank you,” Daisy said.
“Of course.”
“Not just for the t-shirt, but for helping me with the case too.”
“I can’t really take any credit for that. You solved this one all by yourself,” Gavin insisted.
“The one thing
I’ve learned is that all clues matter, even if just to eliminate possible suspects,” Daisy said.
“Either way, you must be in a pretty good mood. I know I’d be if I solved back to back murder cases.”
“You seem to be in a pretty good mood yourself, no gumshoeing required.”
“It’s true. I feel like I have a new lease on life,” Gavin admitted.
Daisy got curious. “Why is that?”
“Well, it all started when I ran into my ex-girlfriend yesterday,” Gavin revealed.
Daisy tensed up. Oh dear. She feared where this story was going. Had Gavin’s ex told her she realized what a mistake she made in breaking up with him and now wanted him back?
Daisy got a creeping suspicion that was the case. If so, that could spell disaster for the burgeoning romance Daisy was hoping would bloom between her and Gavin.
She was weary of pressing forward, but knew she had to find out the truth—for better or worse.
Unfortunately, her vocabulary abandoned her at the worst possible time. She could only muster one syllable. “Oh.”
Gavin sensed the sudden shift in Daisy’s mood. He tried to head her off at the base before she got the wrong idea.
“No, you don’t understand. I don’t regret running into my ex at all. I actually think it’s a good thing that it happened.”
While Daisy was fearless when it came to solving murders, she was a complete wimp when it came to other matters. Most notably—matters of the heart.
Still, it was important to find out if she was wasting her time pining for him. So she put on a good face. “Why is that?”
“Because I felt nothing when I saw her.”
Daisy was confused. “Nothing?”
How peculiar. Not to mention unexpected. She was usually so intuitive, but now had no idea where this conversation was going.
Gavin explained himself. “Unlike the old days, I didn’t lose my mind around her. There was no emotional meltdown, no stomach being turned upside down, no heartache whatsoever.”
Maybe Daisy had been completely wrong. The way Gavin was describing things, it seemed like this could be a boon for her—just the opening she’d been looking for.
“That’s amazing,” Daisy said.
“It has taken a long time, but I’m finally over her,” Gavin admitted.
“Are you sure about that?”
Gavin nodded his head.
“Good,” Daisy smiled.
Talk about a twist. Daisy didn’t see that coming. What fantastic news. She started to get her hopes up again. With this news, there didn’t seem to be anything standing in their way now. She hoped Gavin agreed.
“Anyway, since then I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” Gavin continued.
“About what?”
He gazed into her eyes again.
“I want to give our coffee date a second try.”
Daisy’s pulse started pounding. “Are you sure?”
“I do. I think we could really have something here. So if you’re willing to give me another chance, I’d like to take you out again,” he said.
Daisy was filled with all kinds of emotions. Luckily, they were all good. It was the moment she’d been waiting for, and she wasn’t about to let it pass her by.
“So, what do you say?” Gavin asked.
Daisy smiled wide. “Absolutely.”
The End.
Pick up more K.M. Morgan books here: http://www.amazon.com/K.M.-Morgan/e/B00PKMMLZK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
If you want to be the next to know about my new releases, sign up for my mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/7Wt8L
