Grilled Cheese Murder: Book 4 in The Darling Deli Series Read Free Page A

anything I wouldn’t do!”
    She met David at the door, taking the arm that he offered her as she navigated the icy walkway. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and everything that had melted during the last few days was refreezing. She was glad that David would be driving instead of her, and doubly glad that they didn’t have far to go. They pulled up at the Redwood Grill, the new restaurant that had opened in town not long ago. It was a gorgeous steakhouse that had amazing—if a bit pricey—food. Moira knew the owner personally. In fact, Denise stopped in at the deli a couple of times a week to chat with her. They were the only two female restaurant owners in town, and had formed a sort of automatic friendship. She was also sure that the lack of direct competition between their businesses helped them maintain that friendship.
    “You look gorgeous,” David told her as he opened the passenger side door for her. They had both been unusually quiet on the car ride over, and Moira was beginning to envy her daughter’s easy-going attitude when it came to dating. She really was pretty out of practice.
    “Thanks,” she said, smiling up at him. “You look pretty nice yourself.” It was true, he had obviously put effort into his wardrobe. He usually dressed stylishly, openly favoring a clichéd private investigator look. Tonight, however, he was wearing a dress shirt and neatly pressed black pants. He smelled nice too, like soap and cologne.
    “I hope it’s all right that we came here,” he added as they walked towards the restaurant’s entranceway. “I know that you and Candice frequent this place, but it’s the nicest place around and I didn’t think it would be a good idea to drive too far with the roads like this.”
    “I love this place,” she assured him. “I could eat here every night and not get tired of it.”
    The hostess seated them quickly, taking them back to the same booth that Moira and her daughter had sat in on the grill’s opening night. It had become their regular table, and the hostess gave her a quick grin of recognition, raising a discreet eyebrow as she glanced at David. The deli owner felt a faint blush rise on her cheeks. She hadn’t thought of the fact that since everyone who worked at the grill knew her, her date with the private investigator would soon be the talk of the town.
    A few minutes later, the two of them were sipping wine and beginning to talk comfortably again. Moira was relieved that the awkwardness had faded quickly. She was still concerned about the date affecting their friendship, but at least they were having fun.
    “Do you know if that guy from the toy store ever contacted Candice?” she asked him once they had both put their menus down.
    “No, as far as I know, he’s still out of town.” A frown flitted across David’s face. “It’s odd. I’ve known him for years, and he’s always told me if he’s planning on going on a trip. He does have a cabin up north, but I don’t know why he wouldn’t be returning my calls.”
    “Are you worried about him?”
    “I am a little concerned,” he admitted. “But his granddaughter keeps telling me that he’s fine, so I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
    “I hope everything is all right, both for them and for my daughter. She really likes the place.”
    “I know.” His face relaxed into a smile. “I don’t think he’ll keep her waiting too much longer. How are all of the plans for the candy shop coming?”
    “From what I’ve seen, she and Adrian have been making a ton of progress.” She chuckled. “I have to admit; I don’t understand half of what they’re saying. I hired people to help me get the deli running, but those two are doing most of it by themselves.”
    “You must be proud of her,” he said.
    “Oh, I am. Proud and worried. I know she’s smart and capable of running a store, but there’s just so much that can go wrong, and she’s going to be putting a lot of money into it.” She took