Miranda Vaughn Mystery 01.00 - Chasing the Dollar Read Online Free PDF Page B

said. "Plus, you've got credit cards."
    Oddly enough, I still had excellent credit. I 'd made really good money with Patterson Tinker and was responsible with my spending, so all my credit cards were gold and platinum cards with high limits. Apparently, the fact that I was fired from Patterson Tinker wasn't on the credit bureaus' radar, and since I hadn't run up any debt, the cards were all just sitting there with full credit lines at the ready.
    " If you're not going to travel, at least go find a man—a real man—and go wild for a while," she said. Sarah had met Dylan when she and Burton interviewed him while they were investigating my case. She wasn't impressed.
    " Hmm, like maybe Burton?" I mused and laughed when I saw the jealousy cross her face. In a flash it was gone, and she shook her head at my laughter.
    " I'm not interested in Burton," she said. "Well, maybe his DNA. I mean, admit it, we would make incredibly beautiful children together."
    This was true. Sarah 's mother was Chinese and her father was French. She was a stunning mix of the best of her parents' genetics—green eyes with a slight almond shape, shiny black hair that hung straight as rain to the middle of her back, creamy skin that never required make-up. And she had a naturally willowy figure, despite her disdain for exercise. If she'd grown taller than 5-feet, 4-inches, she'd probably be a supermodel. I'd hate her if she weren't so damn nice.
    " Maybe you'd have cute kids. Or maybe they'd get your height and Burton's bald head. You don't know how these things work."
    She threw the sunscreen at me and laughed.
    "Let's go get tacos for dinner," she said. "You need to put on a couple pounds."
    I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Mom . I work in a bakery. The pounds will find their way home soon enough."
    We sat by the pool and talked about nothing important for a couple hours, finished off the beers, and then Sarah raided my closet for something to wear, and we got dressed to go out for dinner. As we walked to the restaurant on somewhat unsteady feet, it felt like a normal life, like any other 31-year-old woman would lead. It was the best day I 'd had in a long time, and I reveled in it, ordering a margarita at the restaurant.
    The taco plates arrived after my second margarita and Sarah 's third.
    " I'm sleeping on your couch tonight," Sarah said. I nodded and sipped at the tart cocktail, licking the salt off the rim.
    The waitress set the steaming plates in front of us, and I inhaled the spicy roasted carnitas. I closed my eyes and let the savory fragrance wash over me.
    Sarah laughed. "I don't think I've ever enjoyed something as much as you're enjoying those tacos. Not even sex."
    I grinned and opened my eyes. It had been a long year and a half, but I felt at that moment finally fully relaxed. Life was good. Everything was going to be all right.
    I rolled up the taco and took a bite, savoring the flavors.
    Sarah did the same and then groaned. "Now I get it. These tacos are better than sex."
    Looking over her shoulder, my gaze met that of a man sitting alone at the bar, a plate of food in front of him. He had a funny half-smile on his face, seeming amused by my encounter with the Mexican food. Sarah followed my gaze and turned to look at him.
    She turned back and gave me a huge drunken smile. "Go for it, Miranda. He's hot."
    My tequila-addled brain scrambled to keep up with the rush of hormones that the man had triggered. He was good looking—broad shoulders, wavy dark brown hair and intense dark eyes. He was still watching me, but now he was watching me study him. I gave him a smile and turned my attention back to my dinner.
    I declined another margarita. It was only a three-block walk home, but any more alcohol and I'd probably head in the wrong direction. Sarah leaned back after polishing off her plate and one of my tacos. She ate like a linebacker. Damn her metabolism.
    When the check came, Sarah grabbed it out of my hands and slapped a credit card