Live and Lime Die: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 8 Read Online Free PDF Page A

to admit the young man that she had once cared about.
    “Hi,”
Sam gave her a gentle smile when she opened the door.
    Entirely
flabbergasted by his appearance, she said nothing for a moment, making an
effort to keep her mouth from falling open in shock. He looked like someone who
would grace the cover of an exclusive men’s magazine.
    “Can
I come in?” he prompted, when she didn’t return his greeting.
    “Oh!
Umm…yeah, of course,” she got past her initial reaction, and smiled
involuntarily. “Come on in. It’s such a nice night, I thought that we could sit
out on the patio.” She led him through the house and back outside, to the
patio.
    “Would
you like some wine?” she offered, feeling awkward at being alone with him.
    “No,
thanks,” he surprised her by saying. “I don’t usually drink anymore.”
    “Oh,
well…wow. That’s great,” she nodded. “Will it bother you if I…” she raised her
glass.
    “Oh
no, it’s nothing like that, go ahead, knock yourself out. I’m just getting into
the habit of making better choices,” he explained, gazing into her eyes.
    Tiara
took a sip, simply to break eye contact without being obvious about it.
    “That’s
actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” he began. “I’ve really changed a
lot since I got out of jail. I have a really good job and I’ve turned my life
around. I’m not the same loser that treated you like you weren’t important.”
Sam reached for her hand and she withdrew it, avoiding his touch.
    “Tiara,
please don’t be like that,” he pleaded. “I’m a responsible adult now. I’m ready
to have someone in my life – I’m ready to have you in my life.”
    The
change from the arrogant, demanding bad-boy that he’d once been, to the
well-dressed young man who smelled pleasantly of expensive cologne, was
astonishing, but Tiara had made up her mind before he’d ever arrived on her
mother’s front porch, and she had no intention of budging.
    Seeing
the resolution in her face, Sam sighed, as though in defeat. “You know what…I
changed my mind about having some wine, would you mind?” he asked, casually.
    Feeling
a chill, and not knowing why, Tiara stood. “Of course not, I’ll be right back,”
she said, searching his eyes before turning to head into the house.
    The
moment her back was turned, Samuel Freed slipped a tiny plastic bag out of his
shirt pocket, opened it, and poured the powder that it contained into Tiara’s
glass of wine, stirring it with his finger and quickly wiping it on the back of
his jeans as she returned with the bottle and a glass for him. She poured him a
glass and handed it to him, then topped off her own, recorking the bottle and
setting it on the table next to her.
    “Shall
we toast?” Sam asked with a smile, raising his glass. “To new beginnings…” he
said, and the polite smile disappeared from Tiara’s face as she stopped raising
her glass.
    “I
meant for me,” he shrugged. “I’ve made a new start, isn’t that at least worth a
toast?” he asked, tilting his glass toward hers.
    Tiara
giggled nervously. “Yes, of course it is…I’m happy for you,” she smiled,
raising her glass and clinking it against his. “To your new beginning,” she
repeated, being more specific, and took a large swallow, making a face
afterwards.
    “What’s
wrong?” Sam asked.
    “I
don’t know…I think the wine may be going bad,” she frowned.
    “Mine
tastes great,” he said, taking another sip and pretending to test it.
    “I
don’t drink it that often, so I guess I’m not really well-versed in what it’s
supposed to taste like,” she replied, feeling a bit foolish. The new Sam seemed
so much more mellow and classy than the old one had been. He seemed to be much
more like what she actually wanted in a man.
    There
was a rustling in the tree line, and Tim appeared, carrying a Key Lime pie. The
look on his face when he noticed Sam was a fleeting glimpse of utter fury, but
it passed so quickly