“Sounds like a plan.”
We lapsed into amiable silence for the walk back to the condo, and when we arrived I was surprised to find Sarah moving away from the front door. She didn’t look guilty when she raised her eyes. Instead, she offered me a wan smile and waved.
“I wasn’t sure when you would be back,” she said, nodding at the other members of my group in turn before focusing on me. “Word is spreading about what happened at the other resort, your part in taking down J.D. and Christine. That’s really weird, right?”
I nodded. “Very weird. I thought it was Clark.”
“Yeah, well, he’s the type.” She gestured toward a bag she’d left on the front porch. “Pimento cheese and crackers so you can have a snack before bed. You’ll probably need the energy boost.”
I smirked. “What is it with you and pimento cheese? I have to know.”
“It’s the best.”
“There has to be more than that.”
“No, I simply like it.”
I waited, convinced she would break and tell me. Finally, I merely shook my head. “Well, thanks for the snack. I promise to think of you when I eat it.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning,” Jack interjected. “We’ll stop in the lobby so Charlie can say goodbye before we go.”
“I’ll be there.” Sarah waved again before disappearing into the night.
Jack stopped in front of the door long enough to gather the snacks, grinning as he let our group inside and headed toward the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” I asked, weariness threatening to overtake me. “I thought we were going to bed.”
“Do you really want to miss your chance to try this pimento cheese she’s been raving about for the past few days? You promised her you’d taste it.”
“I know, but ... .” Oh, well, what the heck? I didn’t want to let her down.
By the time I joined Jack in the kitchen, he’d already placed knives on the counter and had the crackers open. “Come on,” he prodded, prying the lid off the cheese. “You won’t know unless you try it.”
I was tentative when I spread the cheese on the cracker and raised it to my mouth. “If this is terrible I’ll never be able to look her in the eye.”
“Have faith. It might be as good as she says.”
I bit into the mixture and chewed. Finally, when I swallowed, I spoke. “It’s okay.”
Jack grinned. “Are you saying it didn’t change your life?”
“I’m saying that it tastes like cheese on a cracker.”
“You’d better keep that to yourself when you say goodbye tomorrow.”
“I’m not an idiot.”
Jack sobered. “No, you’re definitely not an idiot. You handled yourself well tonight, Charlie. You protected yourself and didn’t freak out. I’m proud of you.”
The sentiment warmed me. “Did you think I would be anything but chill?”
“I had my worries.”
I could see that. “Well, I was a big hero tonight. I expect to be lauded as such until we leave for home tomorrow.”
Jack’s grin turned mischievous. “I think I can manage that.”
“Somehow I knew you’d be up to the challenge.”
“Eat your cheese … and then let’s go to bed. I’m ready to go home and try another date.”
That made two of us.
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It
On Deadline & Under Fire
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
A Breath of Witchy Air
Witch, Interrupted
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
A Witchmas Carol
All My Witches
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Grim Rising
Grim Tempest
Grim Vows
Grimlock Family Shorts
Grim Like Me
Grim & The City
Now & Grim
Grim & Bear It
Grim & The Dead
Death Gate Grim Reapers
Only the Lonely
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
Freaky Places
Freaky Rites
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
The Chupacabra Catastrophe
The Werewolf Whoops
A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery
Witchin’ USA
Witch Out of Water
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
2019 Shorts
Wolf on the Job
Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs
Bat Out Of Spell
Spell on Earth
Hotter Than Spell
Spell or High Water