At the Drop of a Hat Read Online Free PDF

an eye on her. Honestly, if I hadn’t come back when I did, the only thing she would have in her life would be the shop, Harrison and Fee. And no, Harrison and Viv were just friends. Yes, I checked.
    Andre held my chair while Harrison held Viv’s. I was across the table from Harrison, which was nice but also distracting. Andre went to help Nick schlep the food to the table while the three of us settled in.
    â€œSo anything noteworthy happen at the shop today?” Harrison asked.
    Viv and I exchanged a glance. Harrison was always good about asking about the business, and I got the feeling it wasn’t because he was part owner but because he genuinely cared that things were going well.
    She shrugged as she put her napkin in her lap. “Nothing dramatic. Hats were made and hats were sold.”
    Andre and Nick flitted back and forth with a variety of dishes that smelled divine.
    â€œNick, you’ve outdone yourself,” I said. “It all looks amazing.”
    Nick flushed with pleasure and then waved his hands at the food. “Go ahead and start. It isn’t any better when it’s cold.”
    We each chose a dish and started serving and passing. Compliments were heaped on Nick’s culinary prowess and I realized, duh, that he was lapping it up like a kitten did cream. I imagined he received fewer compliments for his dentistry, not that he wasn’t a great dentist, but let’s face it, you don’t generally heap praise on the person who roots around in your mouth, nags you to floss and occasionally delivers the bad news bomb that you have a cavity or worse.
    â€œSo that’s it?” Harrison steered the conversation back to the shop. “No gossip from any of the customers?”
    â€œNone,” Viv said. She shrugged.
    â€œOh, but there is one thing you could help us with,” I said. “Ariana Jackson hasn’t answered her phone for the past three days, and we really need to get in touch with her about her wedding hat.”
    â€œI can text Stephen and have him tell her,” Harrison offered.
    â€œI’d really like to talk to her directly,” I said. If she wanted to haggle about the price, I wanted to be the one to do it and not have Harrison and his rugby buddy make a mess of it.
    â€œDoesn’t she work for a solicitor in Kensington?” Viv asked. “Could you get his number from Stephen?”
    â€œYeah, that should be no trouble,” Harrison said. “Do remind me after dinner.”
    â€œI think his last name was Russo,” I said.
    â€œAnthony Russo?” Nick asked.
    â€œYes, that’s right,” Viv said.
    â€œOoooh,” Nick and Andre said together. It wasn’t a good sort of Ooooh. It was the sort of Ooooh someone said when there was a juicy story to be had. I was all in.

Chapter 4

    â€œWhat do you know?” I asked. I looked back and forth between them, wondering who I could get to crack first.
    â€œWe only know what we’ve heard,” Nick said.
    â€œUnfounded rumors and gossip,” Andre said. “All speculation really.”
    â€œSo speculate,” Viv prodded them.
    Andre and Nick exchanged looks. I knew they were having a silent debate about how much to say and, more important, who got to say it. Andre gave Nick a small nod; it was his dinner party after all.
    Nick dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin. I took a bite of my beef Wellington. It was melt in your mouth yummy, but I was betting that Nick’s gossip would be just as tasty.
    â€œWord on the street is—” Nick began but Andre burst out laughing.
    â€œWord on the street?” Andre said. “You have been watching too many American cop shows.”
    Nick wrinkled his nose at him. “I can’t help it if I find Nathan Fillion simply delicious, now can I?”
    â€œNot at all,” Viv said. “I quite agree.”
    â€œThe point, people, could we get back to the sordid tale