Red Red Rose Read Online Free PDF Page A

been
found near a body of water, though. That they didn’t think it was Emily was a
relief, but my heart broke for the family of Laney Benson, the most recent girl
to go missing, because the body they found more than likely belonged to her.
    “Change
it,” I said softly and she did. She switched it over to some talk show and I
hit the music before returning to the kitchen. “Dammit, where are you Em?” I
muttered softly to no one and busied myself with the next load of dishes until
Cassie poked her head back into the kitchen to let me know we were low on fat
free milk. I had a delivery scheduled for the next morning, but it wouldn’t be
good to run out before then.
    “I’ll
run to the store as soon as Reggie’s back on.”
    I
did a quick check of the fridge back here where we keep the extra milks, creams
and perishables that wouldn’t fit in the under-counter fridge up front, to see
if there was anything else we were low on, but didn’t note anything.
    I
waited for Reggie before cashing a ten out of the register and heading for the
little corner market down the street. The sun was shining outside, but I should
have known better, because in January, the sun is deceiving. As soon as I
stepped outside, I was wishing I had grabbed my coat. I hurried toward the end
of the block.
    “Nora!”
someone shouted and I turned my head to see Will crossing the street toward me.
I stopped and waited for him. “Where you headed?”
    “To
the corner store for milk.” He fell in step beside me and we crossed the street
when traffic cleared. “Working hard today?” He was in his usual shorts, cutoff
shirt, and Nikes, the unofficial uniform of a personal trainer. He also had a
stocking cap pulled low, hiding his close-cut blonde locks.
    “Yeah,
business is always booming after the New Year.” He worked at the gym two blocks
down and had the physique to prove it. Almost six-foot, he was fit and strong
and I had no doubt that using him as a poster child would be good for drawing
in clientele, especially of the female variety.
    He
followed me into the little corner grocery and carried the milk for me. On
impulse, as we walked past the candy aisle, I reached for a Snickers. He shook
his head. “When are you going to get a membership to counteract the garbage you
put in your body?”
    I
smiled as I set the candy bar on the counter and he did the same with the milk
so the checker could ring us up. “I’m always working, when do you think I have
time to work out?”
    “I’ll
give you that. You are in serious need of a day off.”
    “Preach
it.” I slapped the ten on the counter to pay and turned to Will. “I actually
have Saturday off. It will be my first full day off in a month, but I want to
go back to your comment about what I eat; are you trying to tell me my ass is
getting fat?”
    He
chuckled and reached for the milk again as I was handed the receipt. I slipped
it in my pocket and immediately tore open the candy bar. His eyes took in my
backside.
    “Trust
me; your ass is just fine. It’s the inside of your body I worry about. Do you
feed it anything besides chocolate and coffee?”
    We
made our way back outside. “Occasionally beer and pizza.” I took a big bite of
the candy bar and then gasped. “Look at that.” I held it up. “Are those peanuts
in there? Peanuts are nutritious are they not?”
    Another
chuckle. “I don’t know how you look like you do, but please don’t tell my clients
you get that body from junk food and caffeine.”
    “Deal,
as long as you don’t try to steal anymore of my customers.” He’d managed to
reel in two of my most loyal mocha consumers and put them on strict diets while
he trained them. “Besides, mister hypocrite, you’re in my shop almost every
day.”
    “I
come for the smoothies and those bran muffins, not the cookies and frou-frou
extra-shot, triple chocolate, death by sugar, frappuccino lattes you consume.”
    “That’s
not even a real drink.” I pushed my way