Green Velvet Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 16 (8 page)

“Are you ready for this, Mrs.
Shepherd?” Ryan asked, and turned the key in the ignition. The engine purred to
life, and he slammed the car into reverse, then pulled out of their driveway.

Dave whined in Heather’s lap. He
preferred walks to car rides now. “Don’t you dare throw up,” she said and
pressed the tip of her finger to his nose. “Yeah. I guess I’m ready. This is
all so new and exciting. I didn’t dream it would get this far.”

“It’s the perfect mix of small town
and big business. You’ll see,” Ryan replied, his gaze fixed on the road. “He’s
as stiff as a corpse, but that Ronald Tombs know what’s going on when it comes
to business.”

“Excuse the pun,” Heather said, then
waved her free hand. “You know, corpse, Tombs.”

“Speaking of corpses,” Ryan said, then
grimaced at that distasteful sentence. “I wanted to thank you for your help on
the case.”

“You’re not even supposed to
acknowledge my help,” Heather said, but her cheeks colored at the gratitude.

She put her all into everything she
did, the investigations included, but she never expected recognition.

“That will all change, very soon. How
many more weeks until you’ve got your diploma?” Ryan asked.

Heather gulped, then raised two fingers.
“Only two, my love. I tore through the study material. I love it. I love
everything about investigating.”

“And I love everything about you,”
Ryan replied.

Dave snuffled at Heather’s skirt and
whined again.

“Yeah, and you too, Dave, don’t
worry.” Ryan couldn’t reach across to pet him, but the sentiment placated her
doggy dearest.

They rounded the corner and Ryan
pulled up in front of Donut Delights. The empty windows of the store beside it
stared at them, sunlight glinting off the panes.

Ronald Tombs stood on the sidewalk - a
yellow hard hat rammed onto his head, and a clipboard wedged between his arms
and chest. He turned, then beckoned them. His wave was short, impatient, and oh
so very ‘Ronald Tombs.’

Heather swallowed. “I can’t believe
this is happening.”

“Believe it, baby. This is the start
of a whole new you,” Ryan replied.

“Stop, you sound like a TV show host,”
Heather said, then hummed Here I Go Again by Whitesnake.

“You’re not alone,” Ryan said and
grabbed her hand. He squeezed once. “But I’m pretty sure Tombs is getting
anxious out there. We should join him.”

“Right,” Heather said, then clunked
open the car door and slipped out. She carried Dave across the road, then put
him down and firmed her grip on the end of his leash.

Her pooch sniffed Ronald’s dress shoes
– who wore fancy shoes to a construction site? Ronald shifted away from him.

“I’m glad you made it,” Ronald said,
tone free of malice. “This is going to be the start of something beautiful.”

Heather nodded, then stuck out her hand. 

Ronald accepted the grip and returned
a handshake, gaze somber. Focused. The epitome of a businessman.

“I want to ensure you that I’ll work
ceaselessly to make Donut Delights a nationwide success,” Heather said. “I love
what I do, and I can’t thank you enough for your investment.”

“Your store has great promise. It’s
unique. I can see you catering weddings and events across the country, if not
the world. I’m glad to be a part of that,” Ronald replied. He gave her a final
shake, then let go and marched off to find the head of the construction team.

Was that the right name for him?
Heather had no clue.

The empty salon next to her bakery had
months’ worth of renovations in store before they could expand into it. Expand,
hire more staff and take those online orders by storm.

Heather pressed her palm to her
stomach, but it did nothing to still the raid of butterflies bouncing off her
insides.

“Are we in time?” A voice called
behind her.

Heather turned and huffed out a sigh
of relief, which she transformed into a grin.

Amy, Lilly, and Eva hurried across the
street toward her. Lilly’s gaze strayed to Dave, immediately, and Heather held
out the leash to her. Amy’s cheeks flushed red, and Eva patted at her hair and
checked her light plum-colored summer dress.

“They haven’t started yet,” Heather
said.

Ryan appeared at her side and offered
them all hard hats. “They’re about to, though. This is it. It’s the beginning
of a new era for Donut Delights.”

“What are they going to break first?”
Lilly asked, between giggles – Dave licked at her ankles and whacked his tail
against her legs in his joy.

Ryan chuckled. “They’re going to break
down a few interior walls to get started. They’ll have to remove the rubble
after that. Strip out the sink. Get the tiles out.”

“All right, all right, we don’t need
all the dirty details, Bob the Builder,” Ames said and flapped her hands at
him.

Ryan ignored her and slipped his arm
around Heather’s shoulders instead. “It’s going to start in a minute.”

Ronald Tombs marched toward them, on
cue. “Are you ready, Mrs. Shepherd? We’re waiting on you to start.”

“We’re having champagne after this,
right?” Amy asked.

“And donuts,” Eva added.

Ronald Tombs blinked at the ladies,
then turned his gaze back to Heather. He searched her face for the answer.

She broke eye contact and stared at
the soon-to-be new section of the store. A new store, new staff, and a diploma
in investigating in the near future. She sucked in a breath, held it, then
released after four counts.

“I’m ready,” Heather said. “Tell them
they can start.”

THE END

A letter from the Author

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Susan Gillard