Mattress Mart Murder (10 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four
 

Kristina gave Chloe a big hug, relieved that the case was finally closed. 

“I can’t thank you enough,” Kristina said. 

“You’re thanking me plenty,” Chloe replied. 

“You just saved me from a life in jail.”

“Let’s not mention that again.  It turns my stomach thinking about you trapped behind bars.”

“How do you think I feel?  I’ve been on heart attack watch ever since the detective named me as a suspect,” Kristina said. 

“Now you can take a deep breath and put this all behind you.”

“With pleasure.  I’m going to tuck this memory away in the back corner of my mind, never to be heard from again.”

“So, now that your days of being a police suspect are over, what are you going to do with your newfound freedom?” Chloe asked. 

“That one is easy.  I’m taking a spa day.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Good, because you’re coming with me.”

Chloe was confused.  “What are you talking about?”

“It’s my treat.”

“Don’t get me wrong, that sounds wonderful--”

Kristina sensed an unexpected reluctance from her friend.  She had no idea where it was coming from.  “Then what’s the problem?”

“I’m just wondering how you can afford it, given your job situation,” Chloe said.

“Actually, I’m gainfully employed once again.”

“Really?  Where?”

“It turns out Delia Diamond was far more receptive than her husband was to having me come back to work at the company.  With Jennifer Carter no longer with the mattress mart, I’ll be taking over her job,” Kristina explained.

“Good for you.  It sounds like things are looking up for you,” Chloe said. 

“So true.  Now what do you say we get down to relaxing?  After all, there’s no such thing as a bad spa day.”

Chloe smiled.  “Truer words have never been spoken.”

***

“There’s the woman of the hour,” Shannon said. 

Chloe was not expecting to be put on the spot like that.  As outgoing as she was in her professional life, she preferred to be more low-key in her private life.  After growing up in such an outspoken family, Chloe was not used to the spotlight being on her.  This time, the spotlight was on her, whether she wanted it to be or not. 

“I thought you only got fifteen minutes of fame,” Chloe joked. 

“After outsmarting the police like you did, you get a whole hour.”

“News sure travels fast in this town, doesn’t it?”

“Especially when you have Kristina acting as your unofficial publicist.”

“Yeah.  She’s so happy, she’s treating me to a full spa day,” Chloe said. 

“Suddenly me treating you to a free slice of pie seems paltry,” Shannon replied. 

“Free pie?”  Chloe shook her head.  “You’ll be the death of my waistline.”

“If you don’t want the pie, I can just give it to someone else.”

“Oh no you don’t.  I’ll tell you, it’s a good thing this case is over.  I’m going to be spending a lot of time on my treadmill in the next few days.”

“All the more reason to savor this slice.”

Just as Shannon handed Chloe her free slice of pie, the phone behind the counter rang. 

“I’ll be right back,” Shannon said. 

She then scuttled off and picked up the phone. 

Chloe meanwhile dug into her pie.  Just then, a man entered the pie shop and checked out the display case.  He then zeroed in on the slice Chloe was eating. 

“That looks good,” the man said. 

Chloe turned and looked at the man.  He was an athletic guy in his mid-thirties with a handsome face, hazel eyes, short black hair, and a nice-looking suit.  Chloe had never seen him before.  She was sure of it.  She would have remembered a man that hunky. 

Chloe answered the man’s question about the pie.  “It’s fantastic.”

“I can’t wait to get my own slice.  I’ve heard some really good things about this place,” the man said. 

“Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

“We’ll see.  There are some great pie places in Boston.”

No wonder Chloe didn’t recognize him.  He was a tourist.  When Chloe was younger, she’d let herself get excited about hunky tourists.  Those days were long gone.  Now she knew what tourists led to—a short fling, followed by unmistakable heartbreak.  Twelve years ago, after she got burned by falling for a guy that only wanted a fling, she vowed to never let that happen again, no matter how hunky the man was.  Chloe was at the stage of her life where she wanted to find ‘the one’.

After hearing this man was from Boston, it was hard for Chloe not to feel deflated.  At the same time, Chloe had been taught good manners, so even though the romantic angle had fallen by the wayside, there was no reason she couldn’t have a pleasant conversation. 

“So you’re a tourist, huh?  How long are you in town for?” Chloe asked. 

“Permanently, actually,” the man replied. 

Chloe could not hide her surprise.  She was also confused.  It was clear Chloe was missing part of the story. 

“Really?  In that case, welcome to the Cape.”

“Thanks.  Everyone has been so nice since I moved to town.”

“How long have you been here?” Chloe wondered. 

“Two weeks.”

“Wow.  I know people that have been here on vacation longer than that.”

The man laughed. 

“So, what made you want to move to Cape Cod?” Chloe asked. 

“I’m starting my own practice.”

Chloe grimaced.  “You’re not a lawyer, are you?”

“Are you kidding?  The last thing the world needs is another lawyer,” the man joked. 

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“I’m actually a doctor.”

“Impressive.  What kind?” Chloe asked. 

“I’m a podiatrist,” the man revealed. 

Suddenly, Chloe couldn’t help but laugh. 

The man got self-conscious.  “What’s so funny?”

Chloe flashed back to the conversation she had at her mom’s birthday party. 

“It’s just that two days ago, my mother was telling me about this podiatrist that just arrived in town who she wanted to set me up with,” Chloe explained. 

The man smiled.  “Wait a minute, are you Chloe Cook?”

She nodded.  “Are you Dylan?”

He nodded back. 

They both smiled. 

“What a crazy coincidence that I’d run into you here,” Chloe said. 

“Maybe it’s more than that,” Dylan suggested. 

“What do you mean?”

“When my aunt first mentioned it, I was leery about being matched up with someone I’d never met.”

“And now?”

“I think my aunt was on to something,” Dylan said. 

“So, what are you saying exactly?” Chloe asked. 

Dylan stared deep into her eyes.  “Can I take you out to dinner sometime?”

Chloe knew her answer immediately.  She smiled.  “That would be great.”

“Fantastic,” Dylan replied. 

Chloe couldn’t think of a better word to describe the situation.  After a long stretch of bad luck, things were finally looking up for Chloe.  Only now, she had a feeling that the future had great things in store for her. 

The End.

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