Devil's Food Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 10 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) Read Online Free PDF Page B

at dinner with Chas and Reggie, from Althea Browning, the lovely bride-to-be that Mayor Felton had sent to Missy for wedding planning. To take her mind off of the ugly situation in which she currently found herself, she returned Althea’s call the next morning, set a time to get together upon her return, and began to talk about some preliminary details. Immersing herself in a world of flowers, dresses, catering and space planning did her a world of good, restoring her perspective, and renewing her sense of purpose. It was also a relief to hear a voice from home, that had the same subtle twang as Missy’s.
    There was a knock on the door to her room and Chas poked his head in. “Hey, beautiful, would you like to join me for breakfast?” he asked, coming in and moving toward her for a kiss.
    Missy turned her head quickly, so that his kiss grazed her cheek. “Sure, I’d love to,” she said too brightly, putting her phone in the pocket of her jeans and heading for the door. Chas caught up with her and placed a hand on her arm, making her turn around to face him. His eyes searched her face with concern.
    “Missy, what’s wrong?” he asked, his hand cupping her cheek.
    She averted her eyes, not trusting herself to respond.
    “Look, sweetie, we’ll get this mess cleared up, I promise. I’m having lunch with the senator that Reggie mentioned last night, I have a lead that someone on the kitchen staff might’ve seen something, and I’ll be meeting with Amanda Heatherington this morning.”
    At the mention of Chas’s almost-fiancee’s name, Missy turned quickly, slipping out of his grasp and going to the window as though she had a sudden compulsion to view the gardens. Blinking away tears, she wrapped her arms around her midsection, trying desperately not to fall apart. Chas appeared instantly behind her, concerned and confused. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and she stood as pliable as stone, not turning to face him as tears coursed freely down her cheeks.
    “Sweetie, I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me,” he said softly in her ear. “Please, just tell me what’s wrong.”
    The feel of his strength, being immersed in the clean, masculine scent of him, made Missy’s heart ache. She stared out the window, seeing nothing, but not looking at her beloved when she responded. “I’m sorry Chas,” her voice sounded as frail as she felt at the moment. “If I’d had any idea of who you were, I would have never begun anything. I know that there can’t be any future between us now. You’re so far out of my league that we shouldn’t even be breathing the same air. You don’t have to worry about me for the rest of the time that we’re here. You can be there for Amanda, and when we go back to LaChance, we’ll just go our separate ways,” she said, her voice breaking as sobs overtook her.
    Chas took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him, making her look at him. His heart broke at the sight of her tearstained face, but what she had said frustrated and angered him.
    “You’re making a lot of assumptions here that have no basis in fact,” he said firmly. “I have no interest whatsoever in Amanda. We went on a few dates as teenagers and people in both families made too much out of it. I could never, ever, shackle myself to someone like that, and in case you hadn’t noticed, I left this pretentious society garbage behind me a long time ago. As far as not knowing who I am…you, Melissa Gladstone, know more about me and who I am than any other human on this planet. So don’t try to tell me who I can and can’t be with just because I happened to be born with a silver spoon in my mouth that I spat out at the first opportunity,” he said quietly. “If you want to leave because you can’t handle being in a relationship, then do what you have to do, but don’t even think about blaming it on me. I’m in this for as long as you want me, and I’ve never, ever said anything even