“That said,” Ranch continued. “Thank you for your help and for your service to the folks around here. Likely Mike would’ve skipped town after dumping the evidence, and it would’ve cost a lot of money to track him down and bring him to justice. For that, I’m grateful. But not for the fact that you almost got yourselves killed.”
Sugar and stick, eh? At least he wasn’t all stick like Keane. “Thanks,” Olivia said. “We won’t do it again.”
Another doubtful grunt. “You two have a method of getting home?”
“Yeah, we’re parked over there,” Jake said, and gestured to his car. “Thanks, detective. You have a good night.”
Ranch shrugged. “Paperwork,” he replied. “Good evening, Miss Cloud. Mr. Morgan.” He reserved a nod for either of them, then marched off, his heels crunching on the concrete.
Jake and Olivia shared a glance. “Well,” Olivia whispered. “That was scary.”
“Scary enough to warrant an episode of the Bachelorette and a cup of hot chocolate on the sofa?” Jake asked.
“It’s like you already know what I want before I say it,” Olivia replied.
They got up and walked back to the car, still arm-in-arm, and for once, Olivia didn’t care how fast or slow their relationship went. Another murderer behind bars, Jake safe, and a night of trashy TV ahead of them.
Now, this was life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
A t the end of each week, Olivia couldn’t believe how far she’d come and how happy she was in her little Block-a-Choc Shoppe. The scent of coffee grounds, the warmth of laughter and smiles from every corner, and the sight of the chocolates, each a little masterpiece of its own, crafted with love, on the trays at the front of the store settled around her like a blanket.
This was home. Nothing else mattered but home, in the end.
“How are you feeling?” Jake asked, and took her hand atop the table. He squeezed lightly and her stomach gave a flutter.
“I’m feeling great,” Olivia said. “I’ve got my store and I’ve got my assistants, and I’ve got – well, I think I have you?”
“Is it even a question?” He winked at her.
“Well, you just answered my question with a question.”
Jake chuckled this time. “It’s not a question, that’s what I’m trying to say. We have each other. And I think Dodger has me too. He keeps trying to crawl into my lap whenever we have coffee.”
“I’ve never seen him do that,” Olivia said.
“That’s because he does it every time you leave the room. I think he’s either afraid you’ll tell him to get off the sofa, or that you’ll get jealous.”
“The secret affair between dog and man,” Olivia sighed. “I lament.”
“What can I say? I’m popular.”
“A total catch.”
Jake lifted her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. “So, I had an idea.”
“Uh oh,” Olivia said. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with my birthday, would it? Because I’ve got to tell you, I’m not a huge fan of birthdays. Well, I am as long as they’re not my own.”
“Why not?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s another reminder that I’m a whole year older. Who wants that?” Olivia picked up a chocolate from her plate and popped it between her lips. “I’ve never really celebrated it.” She crunched the nutty outer shell and sank her teeth into the smooth hazelnut praline within. Oh boy, this had been one of Alphonsine’s ideas, and she sure had a knack for making them.
“I think it’s time you change the stigma,” Jake said. “I thought, and hear me out here, I thought it might be fun for us to go on a trip together. In fact, we could make it a whole family fun kind of outing.”
“What do you mean?” Olivia asked, and her heart skipped several beats. She’d never experienced a real romantic gesture before, and this seemed to be it. She wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.
“You haven’t seen Sebastian in a while, and you also haven’t had a break from the store and all the chocolate crafting,” Jake replied. “I thought we could go see Sebastian and take him on a holiday. The assistants could come with. Dodger too. I – I understand that we’re taking things slow, so I didn’t want to make this too high pressure.”
“Exactly,” Jake said. “It will be fun with family and friends. And I’ll pay for it. What do you think?”
Olivia worked her jaw and tried her best to clamp down on the excitement that bubbled up from the pit of her belly. If she didn’t, she’d surely let out a whoop that would shock most of the customers in here.
Some of the regulars knew she could be a kook, after all.
“Olivia? What do you say? Never mind, it’s too much pressure, too soon. We said we’d take it slow and –”
“It’s wonderful, Jake. It’s a wonderful idea,” she said. “I’m really excited. And yes, I’d love to go away with everyone for a holiday and have some fun. I think that’s just great. Just perfect. Thank you. It’s the best birthday gift I could’ve asked for.”
Jake grinned at her, then gave the three A’s behind the counter a double thumbs up. “She said yes!”
Alberta clapped her hands. “I’ve got to plan my outfits for the vacation. Oh my gosh, it’s going to be the best time. Unforgettable.”
“Where are we going?” Alphonsine asked.
“That’s up to Olivia,” Jake replied. “We’ll discuss it and then we’ll organize it. This is just the first step.”
Olivia couldn’t help but giggle at her assistants’ enthusiasm. Where would they go? Oh, she had a place in mind, all right. A place that would make this trip even better.
“Any ideas?” Jake asked.
Olivia tapped the side of her nose. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Dear Reader,
Hi there. Thank you for reading.
I hope you’ll leave a review and/or rating at the retail website where you purchased it, I appreciate you and your feedback.
Thanks again,
Wendy Meadows
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy Meadows is an emerging author of cozy mysteries. She lives in “The Granite State” with her husband, two sons, two cats and lovable Labradoodle.
When she isn’t working on her stories she likes to tend to her flower garden, relax with adult coloring and play video games with her family.
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wendy@wendymeadows.com
ALSO BY WENDY MEADOWS
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Turkey Truffle Murder
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CHOCOLATE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
Cream of Sweet
Itsy-Bitsy Murder
Fudgement Day
A’s in the Hole
ALASKA COZY MYSTERY SERIES
The Snowman Killer
Deep in the Snow
Snow Happens
Snow is not the Time
Table of Contents
Copyright
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter
9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Thanks for reading
Be the First to Know
About the Author
Also by Wendy Meadows