Roses Are Red; He's Dead (A Mellow Summers Paranormal Mystery Book 9) Read Free Page A

sometimes the mind plays tricks when it’s tired.”
    “You’re right.”
    “Anyway, I got us reservations at the gourmet restaurant here. They are at seven.”
    I kissed him. “You’re too good to me.”
    “I know I am.” Greg wrapped me in his muscular arms and held me close. “How about we visit the hot tub they have here and work up an appetite.”
    As much as I wanted to, finding that man at the spa, and then having him disappear, rattled me a little, besides piquing my curiosity. Dead bodies don’t just vanish into thin air and I wanted to know why this one had.
    “Rain check?” I said. “I think I need to get some fresh air. And it will give me a chance to find some interesting things for us to do tomorrow.”
    “As long as it doesn’t involve ghost hunting.”
    “It won’t.” I wasn’t planning on finding any ghosts. I just wanted to make certain that I hadn’t imagined the man at the spa.
    I wandered around on the deck past the occupied lounge chairs as people lay in them, expecting to get a tan even though it was still winter. Still marveling at the how they managed to keep the outside deck and patio are so warm, I examined one of the floor panels.
    “You lose something?” a woman asked me.
    I looked up, imagining how stupid I looked, crouched on my hands and knees, running my fingers over the smooth deck floor. “Yeah,” I said, “but it seems to have disappeared.”
    “Oh? What was it? Maybe I can help you find it?”
    I rose to my feet, brushing my hands on my jeans. “No, that’s okay. It was only an earring—costume jewelry. Nothing special.”
    “Better that than some expensive ring your boyfriend got you.”
    I gave the woman a quizzical look. She shook her dirty-blonde hair, allowing it to brush her shoulders with each wave.
    “My boyfriend bought me a very expensive ring—diamond, you know—and I accidentally flushed it down the toilet. So embarrassing!”
    “That stinks,” I said.
    “Yeah, no kidding,” replied the woman, bunching her cashmere wrap around her shoulders.
    “So are you here with your boyfriend?” I asked.
    “Yeah, that’s him over there.” She pointed at a man wearing a white, turtleneck sweater and sunglasses, getting two drinks from the outdoor bar. His chiseled jaw screamed gorgeous and his jet black hair complimented the woman’s blonde. “Patrick!”
    The man smiled and walked over, while dodging the oblivious crowd. I had to commend him on not spilling a single drop of their drinks as he navigated the crowd and before reaching us.
    “This is Patrick,” said the woman, “my other half. And I’m Aimie.”
    “Mel,” I said.
    “Well, Mel, nice to meet you. Oh, look it rhymes!”
    We chuckled at that. People were always making rhymes with my name.
    “Are you here alone?” asked Patrick.
    “No,” I replied, “Greg, my boyfriend, is in our cabin, resting. I just wanted to get some fresh air and explore a little bit.”
    “This place is amazing, isn’t it?” said Aimie. “Here we are in the middle of February and we’re not even wearing coats. I think it’s great how they manage to keep this deck heated so you can enjoy yourself.”
    “What about that grass over there?” added Patrick. “Bet you never thought you would see that in winter.”
    “Not normally,” I said.
    “We should sit down,” Aimie suggested.
    “Yeah, here,” said Patrick, handing her a drink. “Do you want one?” he asked me.
    “No, I’m fine,” I said. Before I knew it, the other drink had been shoved into my hand.
    “There are some chairs over there,” said Patrick. “You two go get them and take the drinks. I’ll go get another.”
    Aimie and I did as Patrick had suggested, not that we needed much persuading. We found three lounge chairs and moved them closer together, forming a circle. I sank into the white cushions and marveled at how soft it was. Normally, when you sit in a lounge chair, you can still feel the bars through the cushions, but