Chicken Pesto Murder: Book 5 in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

and played around with the existing schedules for a bit, she thought the answer might be yes. As long as they got at least as many people in for breakfast as they did for lunch most days, then the deli would end up making a profit, even after the additional expenses.
    That wasn’t taking into account the extra hours of electricity, of course, or the cost of new packaging materials or appliances, but she was pretty sure that they would be able to make it work. She leaned back in her chair, impressed by what she had accomplished already that morning. All that was left was to find a couple of new suppliers, figure out if she was willing to commit the extra hours of her own time, and see if Dante was actually any good at making quiches.
    “I thought I smelled coffee,” said Candice as she walked down the stairs. She paused to yawn and stretch, still in her pajamas. “Isn’t this your day off, Mom? Why do you look like you’re working?”
    “Just figuring out some stuff for the deli.” Moira gulped down the last dregs of her now lukewarm coffee. “What are your plans for the day?” She knew that Candice wasn’t scheduled at the deli for the next two days, but hadn’t yet asked her daughter why she had requested the time off.
    “I’m going over to Samantha’s house,” the young woman said. “We’re going shopping, and then I’m going to spend the night at her place. We’re planning on having a movie night.”
    “Oh. That sounds nice.” She couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed that her daughter wouldn’t be around for the day. I’d better get used to being alone in this house, she thought. Soon enough, she’s going to live in another town . “Have a good time, sweetie.”
    “I’m sure we will; she just got one of those new smart TVs that can play things in 3D.” Candice yawned again. “Any coffee left?”
    A few hours later, after her daughter had gotten dressed and left, Moira found herself kneeling on the bathroom floor scrubbing at the tiles with a rag. She was rarely so bored as to have to entertain herself with cleaning, but today was one of those days where she wasn’t in the mood to watch television, she didn’t have anything good to read, and there were no pressing errands. She could always go into the deli and see if the boys needed any help, but she didn’t want to give up on having a day off quite yet. Surely she’d find the secret to relaxing soon.
    It wasn’t until she began a load of laundry that she found the folded-up paper with the pictures of the missing dogs in her pocket. She gazed at the somewhat blurry photos of the pooches for a few moments, an idea slowly forming in her mind. It was just after noon, so she had the whole afternoon in front of her. Instead of puttering around the house, why not go into town and do some window shopping, while keeping an eye out for the missing pets? She had promised David that she wouldn’t go looking for trouble and she would be mostly keeping her promise. After all, a day spent out in town could hardly be considered looking for trouble, and if she just happened to see one of the missing dogs, she might be able to help the private investigator with his case and reunite the beloved pets with their frantic owners.
    Her mind made up, and feeling much better knowing that she had something to keep her occupied for a few hours at least, Moira finished putting the load of laundry into the washer, then headed upstairs to get ready to go out. The house still felt oddly quiet without Candice there, so to combat the silence, she turned the radio on for company as she did her hair and makeup. She had never liked living alone, and the thought that Candice would be moving out for good in just a few short months made her melancholy.
    Maybe I should adopt a dog, she thought, her mind still on the missing pets that David was trying to find. It would be nice to have someone to take care of once Candice moves out, and I would be able to give an animal