Killer Summer by Lynda Curnyn (knowledgeable books to read TXT) 📕

but I noticed he was smiling.“I don’t know, some kind of pink girly thing.”

Not very descriptive. “And what happened to the dress?”

“What do you mean, what happened to it? Nothing happened to it.”

“I mean after the police were done with it. What do the police do with evidence? That is, once it’s no longer considered evidence.”

“We return it, of course,” he replied. “To the next of kin. Probably her husband.”

I looked at Jeff, who was staring at me as if he was fearful of the next words that might come out of my mouth, which I decided to keep shut on this little point. Mostly because that dress had me wondering if Maggie had dolled herself up that night to see someone. Someone other than Tom.

Of course, I wasn’t about to slifare my latest insight with Jeff. Because if the police hadn’t cared enough to wonder a little bit more about Maggie’s motivations that night, then I was clearly going to have to follow up on this one on my own.

Besides, if that frown on his face was any indication, it was looking like I was in danger of not even getting a good-night kiss.

Chapter Thirty

Sage

Men and other curiosities

“So I’m not understanding this,” I said, once Zoe and I found seats on the upper deck of the ferry. “You liked Jeff or you didn’t like him?”

“I do,” Zoe replied, dropping her knapsack on to the floor in front of her.“I mean, I did, I guess. Until that kiss.” She looked at me, her features flushed in the late afternoon sunlight that flooded the deck as the ferry pulled away from the dock.“I just wasn’t feeling it, you know?”

“Well, he seems like your type.”

“How would you know?”

I looked at her. “I answered a few questions for him the night Maggie died, too, you know.”

“You remember him?” she asked, her expression incredulous. “I barely recognized him when I first saw him on the beach.”

I shrugged. “Sure, I remember him. He was cute. In a boyish kind of way.”

“Boyish is my type? I thought boyish was your type,” she said, squinting at me.

I slipped on my sunglasses, just in time to hide my eyes rolling back in my head.

Zoe began to fish around in the oversized tote bag she’d placed on the seat between us. “I’m not sure what my type is anymore,” she said, once she retrieved her sunglasses and slid them on to her face.

“I always thought you had a thing for guys in uniform. Look at Myles.”

“Myles doesn’t wear a uniform. He’s a lawyer. Or at least he’s going to be.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, but he’s got that cop attitude going on. Like his dad. And he’s going to work for the D.A.”

“Apparently not,” Zoe clarified.“He’s interviewing at some corporate firms. Suddenly he’s hell-bent on making a fortune. Do you know he’s even considering buying a house on Fire Island?”

“Really?” I turned to look at her. “Wait a second—I thought you weren’t going to talk to Myles anymore.”

“I can’t not talk to Myles, Sage. That’s like not breathing.”

I frowned. “You just make things harder on yourself. It’s no wonder you can’t get into this new guy.”

Zoe sighed. “Look, can we talk about something else? How’s life at the office now that you’re the big boss?”

I leaned back in my seat, smiling when I remembered the mug Zoe had given me today.“It’s going great so far. Of course, there’ve been some challenges, but nothing I can’t handle.” I turned my face toward the sun. “What more is there to tell?”

“Are you nervous? I mean, about stepping into Maggie’s shoes?”

A familiar anger stirred in me. “Why should I be? I was already doing the job before she stepped in. I didn’t have the title, but I was the one working with the designer to develop the new styles. And it was me who did the merchandising, the selling in—”

“Okay, okay,” Zoe said. “Sorry I asked.”

Now I was sighing. “I’m sorry. I guess to me it feels like this promotion has been a long time coming, despite the fact that everyone seems to think I was born yesterday.”

“I didn’t say that. Who said that?”

I shook my head. “No one, I guess.” Except me, I thought, remembering how I had nearly mastered the budget, only to realize I didn’t understand how Maggie handled the shipping-and-receiving invoices. “But I do have some good news,” I said, remembering my one triumph this week, though it was starting to feel like only a semi-victory. “Vince is taking me out to dinner tonight.”

“He is?”

I nodded, though I was glad I had my sunglasses on. Zoe could read me like a book, and I didn’t want her to see the uncertainty that still swirled through me. Yes, I was glad Vince was interested, but that Gianna Lorenzo thing had thrown me. Not completely, however. I could handle competition, if that was, in fact, what Gianna was. Especially competition that was usually an eight-hour plane ride away. I wasn’t sure how she fit into the picture. But I planned to find out tonight.

“Where is he taking you to dinner?” Zoe asked now.

“Le Dock in Fair Harbor,” I replied.

“Seems like the place to go for romance,” Zoe said sarcastically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, looking up in surprise at her bitter tone.

Zoe shook her head.“Never mind.” She shifted in her seat. “So just you and Vince are going?”

“Just me and Vince,” I replied, a vision of us staring at one another across a candlelit table momentarily dispelling my doubts. “I guess it’s nice to finally have a date with a man.” Then I smiled. “If you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do know,” Zoe said. “The one thing that was different about Jeff was that he didn’t even hesitate to pay the bill like other guys I’ve been out with. No warbling over the check, waiting for me to do ‘the reach.’ No acting like I owed him something afterward. He really