SLAY PAIRS WITH ROSE (The Kelly's Deli Cozy Murder Mysteries Book 3) by Sophie Brent (phonics reading books .txt) 📕

“Okay. So that leaves Kate. Ethan and Adam’s sister.” Matt nodded.

Erin reached behind her and picked up a pale pink coloured file on top of the crates that they had brought from Emma’s room. “All Emma had on Kate was her background. She left law school after a year, managed one full term as an intern with Adam’s accountancy firm and is now training to be a fine artist in London. Nobody likes to be called a dilettante loser in front of their very successful friends and her brother’s future mother-in-law. I know that I would want to have a private chat with someone who hurt my feelings.”

“In the dark, in the middle of a hotel fire?” Matt frowned. “Not so sure about that. Maybe Kate is clever enough to realise that Emma had turned on her to get a reaction and decided not to give her the satisfaction? It sounds like Emma Wilson did not like to be ignored and discarded.”

“True.” Erin paused, got to her feet, and brought over a salad bowl from the kitchen. “Look. Matt. Can I make a suggestion? I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this. So, would you mind if we change the subject over dinner? Do we have a deal?”

“I am powerless to resist any lady, especially when she is my former client, and I am bound to follow her instructions to the letter. I would be honoured.’ And then he relaxed back in his chair and stretched out his legs. ‘And I’m starving. What have you got?’”

“A cool bag full of rocket and baby leaves, dry-cured charcuterie and Manchego. Olive oil if you need it. The bread is a soft milk dough, and you can cut your own just how you like it. Help yourself to anything that you like the look of. Oh, I almost forgot.”

Erin jumped up and rushed into the garden where there was a bushy green plant in a bright blue planter. She grabbed a pair of scissors from the knife block and snipped off a couple of stems before quickly rinsing them in cold water. The aroma of the fresh herbs filled the air even before she patted them dry.

“Well, you did say that Rosa grew basil!’ Matt said, watching her tear the leaves into shreds and scattered them into the salad bowl, before using a large china spoon to toss in the salad dressing. “It smells wonderful!”

‘Try it with these buffalo tomatoes. Fred Corella at the greengrocer buys them from a farmer just north of Palermo. In the summer, the Pomodoro and plum varieties come from the mainland. None of these boys have seen a greenhouse or chemicals. Don’t worry, I did wash the Sicilian insect life off them first and gave them a chance to warm up a bit. Go on, take a bite!”

Erin sat back down and dipped her slice of sourdough briefly in the basil dressing. “Oh,” she whispered as she chewed the cheese, tomato and basil combination. Her eyes were half closed, and for the first time that day her shoulders relaxed, and she settled back with a happy sigh.

Erin opened her eyes to find Matt smiling across at her, and immediately reached for a napkin to wipe away the dregs of salad dressing, but he was too fast for her. Without hesitation, Matt reached out and wiped the pad of his thumb along the side of her mouth.

His upper lip was twitching as though something had triggered a reaction he had not been expecting, but, when she looked up into his eyes through long dark eyelashes, the pleasure in the corners of his eyes were real.

“Let’s talk about your new bistro, instead. Have you set a target date yet?” Matt asked with a smile. “I know that Lucien is keen for you to move in before the autumn, which only leaves you a few weeks to get everything ready. I’m surprised that you haven’t been pushing me to work faster to clear out the shop.”

“Pushing?” Erin laughed and started waving her hands in the air. “Of course, I haven’t been pushing. I know that once I get started, I will be like a crazed bulldozer knocking down everything in my path. Nobody else can visualise that space the way I do. No. This is my own very personal project, and I plan to run the refurbishment exactly the way I want. Not even my mother or the rest of the Russo clan are going to tell me how to create my own bistro. Not this time. This bistro is going to be team Kelly all the way.”

She lowered her hands to pick up her knife and fork. “So, all in all, I think I’ll stick to the little family and group of friends I’ve created for myself right here. As far as I am concerned, I’m already a lucky girl. The bistro is going to be the icing on the cake. And if that makes me a bad selfish daughter, then so be it.”

Erin used the tip of her tongue to wipe away any traces of food from her lip. “And you’ve gone quiet again. Tell me what you’re thinking. Please?” Erin pleaded, her head tilted to one side.

Loading his lunch plate with food seemed to be the perfect excuse for not looking at Erin directly as Matt took his time to answer.

“I am thinking that you enjoy good food. And I am also thinking that you have nothing whatsoever to feel guilty about. I am over thirty and frequently accused of being domineering when I want to make sure that something gets done the way I want. There. Does that make you feel better? And you were the one who asked me what I was thinking.”

She had stopped chewing but was still watching him cut more bread.

“Yes, I did, didn’t I? Perhaps