“You look nice,” I said, picking up the giant burger and wondering how exactly I was going to fit it in my mouth without unhinging my jaw. “Marquis coming by today?”
She blushed. The warlock, and favorite doctor in town, had it bad for Deva. As much as I knew she didn’t feel ready to date again after Harry, I also knew she had feelings for Marquis. But as with most things in life, I wasn’t going to push. I just had to wait for her to realize it. Something I’d realized a while ago, one of those life lessons, if you will, was that most of the time there was only one person that could control you and your thoughts. You. If Deva wanted to date Marquis, she’d have to talk herself into it, or give herself permission to get over Harry and having been underappreciated and decide to take a chance on someone else. No one else could force her to do that though. It was all her.
“Maybe. I-- I don’t know. I just--”
“Either way, you look wonderful.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I’m feeling just a little like my old self.”
It warmed my heart to hear. Maybe she’d finally officially shut down her ex’s sad attempts to get back together and give the doctor even a tiny signal that she might be ready for something new. At this point I think he’d take even the smallest glimmer of hope.
A young server pushed past the little swinging door heading into the kitchen, his eyebrows knit together as though he hated what he was about to say. “Uh, I need help with a customer.”
“I’m coming,” Deva called as she rushed past me, heading for the dining room.
“Take your time.” I choked out the words around the huge bite of cheeseburger, laced with calming magic.
The instant the delicious bacon cheeseburger hit my taste buds, I moaned. Deva never skimped on the good stuff. Her food was always covered in things like multiple kinds of ooey-gooey cheese and crispy, melt-in-your-mouth bacon, not to mention the crunchy, tangy pickles that were hidden by the bun. Even the din of the kitchen, servers calling out numbers, cooks slamming around pans, none of it seemed to filter past the amazing sense of calmness and enjoyment that the incredible food left me feeling. Sometimes I even wondered if it was just her wonderful cooking that made me so happy, not even her magic.
For a while I just ate, completely in heaven. And because no one was looking in my direction, I didn’t care how “pretty” I ate. I took massive bites of the burger and stuffed fries in my mouth at the same time. Dunking what my ex would call a handful of fries in her homemade ketchup and managing to fit most of them in my mouth in one go. I was shoveling it in as if I hadn’t had a good meal in years, which obviously wasn’t the case, but this was Deva’s cooking we were talking about. This was something special.
When I finished my burger and reached for more fries, finding the plate mostly empty, I sighed and sat back. The food had hit the spot. I patted my belly as though I was rewarding it for the work it was about to do digesting everything. It was exactly what I’d needed, and now that my belly was full and I’d sat down for a minute, I’d calmed down.
Or maybe it was her magic? I had no idea.
“Okay.” Deva sighed and plopped down, her dark eyes focusing on me. “What’s going on?”
“Are you sure you can stop?” I asked with a grin. I didn’t really want to talk about what had happened even though I knew I needed to. “I’d be happy to sample some dessert or another while you work.”
She held up one hand. “Nope, I just got the last table’s meal out and we’ve stopped serving lunch. No meals until we prep for dinner.” Reaching out a hand, she smiled as someone put a glass of iced tea in it, the amber liquid and slice of lemon looking more than a little refreshing. “Like magic.” She took a sip and stared at me. “Spill.”
I paused and gathered my thoughts, sipping on my own iced water to buy some time. The slice of lemon that was floating on top of the ice in my glass gave it a nice tang. “Okay, so you know Beth’s sister, Tiffany, right?”
She wrinkled her nose and sipped. “Yeah, dead husband, awkward.”
“Right.” I took a crumble of french fry and popped it into my mouth, crunching on it before I continued. “So, she cornered me todayafterBeth had already left, but before I could escape to my car. Then, she told me she thinks Roger was…” I looked around the kitchen, what I could see of it, and dropped my voice as I finished what I was saying, “murdered.”
Deva’s mouth flew open in shock. “No.”
“Yes.” I reached for a tiny piece of bacon. “She said the police have ruled it natural causes, but she doesn’t believe any of it. And she wants me to help her investigate it because…” Another surreptitious look around, another lowering of my voice. “She thinks Beth might be next since Beth is part owner of the business Roger owned.”
A few drops of tea sloshed out of the glass when Deva slammed it on the table. “No!”
“Yes!” I sat back and sighed. “What do Ido?”
Deva shook her head slowly as her eyes blinked. She was thinking, rapidly, and I knew she would have a better read on Beth since she had never left town, unlike me, though for the record it was one of my bigger mistakes. I wouldn’t take back having my son, but everything else? It could go take a flying leap.
After a few moments Deva said, “You can’t tell Beth.”
Relief washed through me as she confirmed what I’d already been leaning toward. Plus, Deva didn’t seem to have any sway in her opinion, it was solid as a rock. “Okay, that’s what I was thinking. I’m so glad you agree. It would just freak Beth out, and I have no idea if she’s in any kind of danger yet.”
“Right. Why does Tiffany think Beth is a part of this, or that Roger was even murdered to begin with?” Deva picked up her tea again while I turned and pulled the file folder out of my bag.
“I haven’t looked at the file yet. I came straight here when she ambushed me, but she mentioned his dead business partner.” I opened the file and pushed my plate out of the way so I could spread out the papers.
Deva scooted her chair around to sit beside me. “Whoa,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” The file was full of articles about Roger’s missing business partner and where he was last seen. I skimmed through them until I came across a page of handwritten notes. “This must be Tiffany’s handwriting.”
