Tastes Like Murder (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 1) (24 page)

Mike sighed. He sounded tired. "Jenkins told me you were having dinner with him tomorrow night. I think it was his attempt to get me to stay away from you."

"I didn't mean for it to turn out like this."

"I know. For the record, I didn't tell him I'd asked you to dinner as well." He paused as raw emotion filled his voice. "If you decide to go with him, there's nothing I can do about it. You know how I feel about you, and that's never going to change. There's still something between us, and you know that too. It doesn't matter how long I have to wait. You're well worth waiting for."

A tear rolled down my cheek before I could stop it. "Mike, I—"

"Call me when you get up." Mike's tone was quiet, but firm. "Good night, Sal. Sleep well."

As anticipated, I tossed and turned all night. My head ached, and I spent a good deal of time reliving the conversations I'd had with Mike and Brian, both of which weighed heavily on my mind.

Everyone in the house was worried about my concussion and the possibility of me sleeping too long, which was never really an option. My parents took turns checking in on me. At five o'clock in the morning, Gianna gently shook me awake after I'd finally managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

My father stopped in around six for a brief chat and to show me a picture of a casket made from gold. He lifted the window shades so that I could view the magazine better, and I squinted as the bright sunlight hit my eyes. "Look at this baby. I bet it's nicer than King Tut's was."

My mother rapped on the door about seven o'clock. She was all gussied up in a red, silk suit that stopped midway down her thighs. "You rest, honey." She smoothed the hair back from my face and kissed my cheek. "Grandma's here if you need anything. I've got inspections today."

My ears pricked up. "You sold a house, Mom?"

She laughed. "Oh, no dear, not yet. I'm only helping another realtor out. I'm getting close, though. You can't rush these things."

Definitely not.

At eight o'clock, I couldn't stand it anymore and rolled myself out of bed to take a shower. I stood under the spray for a long time, letting the hot water soak into my sore limbs and hoping for a miraculous solution to my problems.

While dressing afterward, I stole a glance in the full-length bathroom mirror. My face was pale and my right eye a spectacular shade of purple. I sighed. I didn't exactly look or feel like dating material right now. With my luck, I'd start snoring away at the dinner table.
Whose
dinner table still remained to be seen though.

I descended the stairs, and the pleasant aroma of bacon filled my nostrils. I breathed deeply and also inhaled the rich smell of coffee brewing.
Ah.
Simple things like this made me so grateful for my life today.

My grandmother was bustling around in the kitchen. She looked at me in a disapproving manner when I walked in. "You should be resting."

"I can't sleep."

She kissed the top of my head and opened the oven, where she'd been keeping a plate warm for me. There was an omelet with peppers, onions, and tomatoes, large enough for four people. She placed bacon and a croissant on the side of my dish.

"Grandma," I said, alarmed. "I can't eat all of this."

"You eat. It is good for you."

I was hungrier than I thought. As I plowed through the meal, Grandma Rosa sat down next to me and appeared pleased with herself. She placed her hand gently over the egg on the back of my head. "It still hurts?"

"A little." I hated to worry her.

She clenched her fists in her lap. "When I think of what I would like to do with those two crazies—"

I patted her hand. "It's okay. Josie and I are fine now."

She grunted. "Josie, maybe. You—no, you are not fine. You tossed and turned all night. I watched you like a hawk. I know why you are upset. It is time for you to choose."

"How do you know that?" Her comprehension skills never ceased to amaze me.

She tapped her bony finger against the side of her head. "Old people like me, we have good noggins."

"Dad too?" I asked.

She waggled her hand back and forth. "Him, not so much."

I blew out a long breath. "Grandma, it's not the end of the world, so why am I acting like it? They both want to take me to dinner tonight. That's all. I just have to tell someone no."

"Who did you decide on?"

Before I could respond, someone pounded on the kitchen door. Grandma got up to open it, and in walked Mrs. Gavelli.

"Hello, Mrs. G." I braced myself for an insult.

"You no hello me." She gave me her best irritated look. "Why you here, sittin' like lazy person?"

Grandma Rosa mumbled something under her breath. "Crazy old bat. She got hurt last night. How stupid are you?"

Mrs. Gavelli huffed at me. "You gotta get over to your shop."

"Gianna's there."

"Yah, well, you got people looking in windows. They ask if you open. Gianna, she not know what to tell them. And you got no fortune cookies." She glared at me with impatience. "What I gonna do with you?"

I held up my hand. "Hang on one second." I walked back into the living room and grabbed my purse from the coffee table. With all the excitement last night, I'd forgotten to give my father the fortune cookies he'd requested. I picked up the paper bag, and it slipped out of my hand, cookies spilling onto the table. I hastily shoved them back into the bag and returned to the kitchen.

I gave the bag to my grandmother. "These are for dad. Remember? He asked for them last night."

Grandma Rosa grunted. "Your father needs more than fortune cookies. He needs a swift kick to the seat of his pants."

I handed one cookie to Mrs. Gavelli. "We'll make some fresh this afternoon for you." I prayed she'd take it home to read so that I wouldn't get yelled at again.

"Let me see."
Nope, no such luck.
Mrs. Gavelli snapped the cookie in two while I held my breath. She gasped.

Uh-oh.
I flinched as I waited.

My grandmother leaned over her shoulder. "What does it say?"

Mrs. Gavelli stared at both of us, her eyes full of wonder. "It say,
Your love life will soon be happy and harmonious.
"

Darn, maybe I should have kept that one for myself.

She shook the cookie at me. "How you know about Mr. Feathers?"

I held back a smile. Ronald Feathers was almost eighty years old and hard of hearing. Like Mrs. Gavelli's husband, his wife had died many years ago. I didn't realize the two of them were an item.

My grandmother's face confirmed my suspicion. I decided to have a little fun and tapped the side of my head with my index finger. "The spirits must have told me."

Mrs. Gavelli snorted and pointed her finger in my face. "Psychic powers. But you no scare me. I still tell you what you do."

I leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

She looked at me and smiled. Then she pinched my cheek. Hard. "You—you better be good girl. And stay away from my grandson when he home. You no go in the garage with him again."

"Mrs. G, that was over twenty years ago."

She waved her hand dismissively. "That what they all say."

"Go home,
pazza
." My grandmother spoke with affection.

Mrs. Gavelli started out the door then turned around. "You no forget, poker tonight. Eight o'clock."

"I will bring the booze." Grandma Rosa watched her leave then nodded toward me. "She is a flip."

"I think you mean trip," I said.

"Yes, that too." She cleared my plate away from the table and put it in the sink. "So we were talking about Mike and the young officer. Who are you going to say no to?"

I sighed with frustration. "I don't know."

"You still love Mike. Do not lie to your grandmother."

"It's not that simple."

She grunted and opened the dishwasher. "Nothing in this life is simple. You should know that by now. You pushed Mike away many years ago, and you married that clown instead. That is why you are so scared now. You are afraid to make a big mistake again. Remember what happened last time?"

"I thought Mike had cheated on me. I was devastated."

"
Si,
and you spent days crying in your room. Then Colin asked you to go out with him, and you accepted."

I deftly raised one eyebrow. "So?"

"So you are afraid the same thing will happen. And you will make a mistake now like you did before." She reached over and patted my hand.

"Yes." She'd hit the nail right on the head. "You're right. What should I do?"

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "Sally, my love, I cannot tell you what to do. There is only one way to choose, and you did not do it last time with Colin. You need to do it now."

"What way?"

"You have to choose with your heart. Last time, you chose with your gut. Do not make that same mistake again."

I started to mull this over when chimes from the doorbell sounded in the living room. Grandma Rosa made a face. "It is like the Grand Central Station around here."

I placed my hand on her arm. "Don't worry. I'll see who it is."

She pursed her lips and turned away to stack the dishwasher. "No one stays home anymore."

I glanced through the peephole and was shocked to see Kate standing there with a basket of flowers in her hands.

She smiled at me with slight hesitation. "Sally, I wanted to see you. I was down at your shop, and Gianna told me you were here. I'm sorry it's so early. Would you mind if I came in for a minute?"

"Of course not." She swept past me gracefully, sweet lilac perfume pinching my nostrils. Kate was dressed to the nines in a beige, Anne Klein suit with a matching Gucci pocketbook. I might as well have been a homeless person next to her in my worn jeans and T-shirt.

Kate handed me the flowers. "I hope you're doing better. Officer Jenkins called last night and told me what had happened. He also said you suffered a concussion and Josie dislocated her shoulder." She clucked her tongue as she surveyed my face. "Oh, your poor eye. I'm so sorry I involved you in this."

I sat on the couch and beckoned her to sit beside me. "It's not your fault. I wanted to be involved."

She gazed down at the brown shag carpeting, and her lower lip trembled. "It's a very bitter pill to swallow when you find out your own niece is responsible for your daughter's death."

And I thought I had problems. I couldn't imagine what she was going through. "Have you seen Charlotte?"

Kate shook her head. "No, and I don't intend to. She's the one who's dead to me now." She stared at me in earnest. "I wanted to thank you for everything you did to help, and once again, I'm sorry for my accusations. I wasn't thinking straight and was too busy listening to the real murderer. It's so hard when you don't know who to trust."

I leaned back against a throw pillow. "What will you do with the spa?"

"I'm going to keep the place open." Kate dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "It will be a good investment. Besides, I hate to think of all those people unemployed. Perhaps my new daughter will want to run it someday."

"New daughter?" I was puzzled.

Kate's face lit up. "I've started proceedings to adopt a teenager from China. My attorney doesn't think it will take long to push the paperwork through. I know this seems terribly soon after Amanda, but I need someone to share my life with. I'm not brave enough to be by myself. I'm hoping to fly out next week to meet her."

"I think that's wonderful. She's a very lucky girl."

Kate smiled. "Thank you. I know there's a certain amount of risk involved. I mean, she's not a baby or even a toddler like Amanda was. We all have to take chances in this life sometimes. They're necessary to our well-being."

Interesting how Kate's philosophy applied to me.

She rose. "Well, I wanted to say thank you and bring you a token of my appreciation. I've arranged for flowers to be delivered to Josie's home as well."

"That was very kind, but you didn't have to do anything." I got to my feet as well.

She paused. "I would like to ask you a favor."

"Of course, anything."

"I'm planning a memorial service for Amanda this coming weekend at the house. The affair after the funeral was so dry and formal. I want to honor her memory in a special way, by gathering my relatives and a few close friends. Perhaps have a slideshow dedicated to her. I'd love for you and Josie to be there. Please extend the invitation to your entire family as well."

I touched her hand and smiled. "Of course. We wouldn't miss it."

"I'd also like you to cater the desserts. I'll need about three hundred cookies. All assorted varieties."

My eyes popped. "Are you serious?"

Kate nodded. "Absolutely. Will you have enough time?"

"We'll make the time." I couldn't wait to run down to the shop and get started.

"Wonderful." She reached over to give me a hug then opened the door. "Thank you again. I'll be in touch later this week about the order."

I shut the door quietly behind her. I sank down onto the couch, crossing my legs underneath me and buried my head in my hands. I wanted to call Josie and see what time I should pick her up. She was going to need all of my help this week with the state her arm was in. It looked like my little cookie shop was going to be saved after all. A huge wave of relief washed over me, and I said a silent prayer of thanks. My first worry was over.

My second problem still remained. I decided to wait and call Josie after I'd made the dreaded phone call. Grandma Rosa was right. I was afraid—so afraid to make another mistake. I'd wasted the last ten years of my life in a mistake. Things would be different from now on. Time to live life to its fullest potential.