Grave Decisions (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 7) Read Online Free PDF Page A

over when we were teenagers. There’s never been anyone else but you.”
    “Except the parade of women you dated to forget about Maddie while she was down south,” Maude replied, referring to Maddie’s time in Southeastern Michigan.
    “You’re a real joy tonight,” Nick said, wiping the sides of his mouth with his napkin. “For the record, I am not jealous of … that guy.”
    “You shouldn’t be,” Maude said. “You being jealous of that empty shell is even more ridiculous than Maddie being jealous of Cassidy. Maddie has literally only ever had eyes for you. You pretended to have eyes for everyone else when you were mad at her. There’s a difference.”
    “Is there a point to this little life lesson?” Nick asked, irritated. “Maddie is my girl and she’s always going to be my girl. I’m not jealous of Cooper Asshat.”
    “Ashton,” Maddie corrected, giggling as she rested her head against Nick’s shoulder. “I hate to admit it, but knowing you’re jealous gives my ego a little boost. It’s wrong, but there it is.”
    Nick groaned. “I’m not jealous. Stop saying that. And, by the way, your ego should always be huge because you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” He dropped a quick kiss on her upturned mouth. “That doesn’t mean that I’m jealous.”
    Maddie wasn’t ready to let it go. “So that wasn’t you who came up behind me and put his hand on my neck to make sure Cooper realized I was taken an hour ago?”
    “I put my hand on your neck because I like touching you,” Nick argued. “Your skin is soft and you’re always warm and … I blame you for this.” Nick turned his dark eyes on Maude. “We were having a perfectly delightful evening before you showed up and ruined it. What’s your deal?”
    Maude shrugged. “I don’t have a deal. Why do you think I have a deal?”
    “You do look like you’re up to something, Granny,” Maddie said after a few moments of watching her grandmother. “Your skin has a certain … glow. That usually means you’re about to go and get into mischief with your friends.”
    “I agree,” Nick said. “What are you up to?”
    “Last time I checked, I was an adult,” Maude sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t deserve to be talked to as if I’m a teenager. You’re not the boss of me.”
    Nick locked gazes with Maddie. “She’s up to something.”
    “Definitely,” Maddie agreed.
    “I’m the law around these here parts, ma’am,” Nick said, tipping an invisible cowboy hat as he regarded Maude. “I know you’re up to something. You should know if it involves property damage … or public humiliation … or drinking in public … or locking Harriet Proctor in a car trunk and dropping her in the woods to find her way home … you’ll be in big trouble.
    “Just because we live together, that doesn’t mean I won’t arrest you,” he continued. “Keep that in mind when you carry out whatever dastardly plan you’re about to embark on.”
    “You can’t arrest me,” Maude protested. “Maddie would stop calling you her ‘love muffin’ and force you to sleep on the couch if you did. We both know you can’t live with that.”
    Nick cast Maddie a sidelong look. “Is that true, love? Would you toss the man you adore more than anything out of your bed if I arrested your rule-breaking granny?”
    “You can’t put it like that,” Maude challenged. “That makes it sound as if I’m doing something wrong. I never do anything wrong. I’m a good woman.”
    Nick snorted. “You’re a pain in the butt,” he said. “I love you dearly, Maude, but you like finding trouble. Other women knit or sew. You like to rile people up. That’s your hobby.”
    “I’m not taking sides in this,” Maddie said. “Just keep that in mind.”
    “But you’d kick him out of bed if he arrested me, right?” Maude pressed. “You wouldn’t stand for that, would you?”
    “It depends on what you did, Granny,” Maddie replied.