Iced to Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

meant for each other.” She sniffled and wiped at her nose with her sleeve. “You have your fellow; why can’t you let me have mine?”
    And she flounced from the room.
    Her exit was punctuated by the ping of the toaster as it shot the finished pastry into the air.
    • • •
    Gigi made her deliveries with a heavy heart. She’d agreed to help Declan because it seemed like the right thing to do, but now she’d upset two very important people in her life. She would have to figure out a way to make it right.
    Meanwhile, she had to drop Reg off at Alice Slocum’s. Alice had offered to take him for the day since he wouldn’t be allowed at the restaurant, and Gigi hated to think of him home alone since she had no idea what Pia’s schedule for the day was. Alice had been one of Gigi’s first clients. She’d wanted to lose weight for her daughter Stacy’s wedding, and she’d been very successful. She and Gigi had become friends, and she sometimes helped Gigi out. The fact that she worked part time as a secretary in the police department made her an invaluable source of information.
    Alice was waiting at the door with a dog treat when Gigi got there.
    “So, you’re spending the afternoon with Declan,” she said, with what could only be described as a wicked smile.
    Gigi frowned. “It’s not what you think.”
    “I’m sure. I just wonder what Bill Mertz will think about it.”
    “Wonder no more. He made it quite clear he doesn’t like the idea.”
    “Maybe it will spur him on.” Alice ran her hand through her tumble of gray curls.
    “To what?” Gigi unclipped Reg’s leash and placed it on Alice’s hall table.
    “You know. Pop the question.”
    Gigi’s mouth hung open. “But we’ve only been dating a few months. It’s not even serious yet.”
    Alice shrugged. “You’ve never heard of a whirlwind romance?”
    Gigi laughed. “Somehow it feels like Bill Mertz and whirlwind romance don’t quite go together.”
    “You never know.” Alice smiled enigmatically and bent down to scratch Reg behind the ears. She looked up. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” She gestured at the dog.
    Gigi knew he would, but he looked so forlorn peering out the glass panes beside Alice’s door as Gigi drove away. Once again, she cursed herself for saying yes to Declan.
    Gigi drove down High Street and turned into the parking lot between Gibson’s Hardware and Declan’s restaurant. She parked toward the back, leaving the other spaces for the guests who would be arriving later that evening. Gigi glanced at her watch. She was right on schedule.
    “You are a lifesaver,” Declan said as he answered the door immediately after Gigi’s knock. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and his chin was covered in fine stubble. Gigi wondered how late he’d been working the night before. He was wearing jeans, an apron and a T-shirt that said
Declan’s Grille
and showed off his strong biceps. Gigi knew most chefs earned their muscles in the kitchen, not the gym. Lifting heavy pots and pans all day long was a strenuous workout.
    The restaurant itself was in shadowed darkness. An expectant hush hung over the room and the tables were bare, awaiting the napery and silverware that would magically transform them. The scent of garlic simmering in olive oil hung in the air.
    Gigi followed Declan to the galley kitchen, where pots were already steaming on the stove and a cutting board was piled high with chopped onions. She looked around but there was no one else in sight.
    Declan ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it further. “Armand is taking a break. He should be back soon,” he said as if reading Gigi’s mind.
    Gigi hoped Armand would hurry back. Being alone with Declan was making her nervous. Her glance kept straying toward his strong back and arms and the way his jeans fit—tight but not too tight.
    “What’s on the menu?” she asked to distract herself.
    “For starters, I’m doing pea and mint soup,” Declan lifted