Dark Chocolate Murder by Anisa Claire West Read Free Book Online

particular.
    Crystal countered, “You can get back in the car right now and come back to live with us.  You know the door is open.”
    “I know, but I can’t walk through it,” Belinda said wryly.
    Jean-Jacques reappeared, slightly winded from climbing the single flight of stairs.  Did the man get no exercise other than waxing his sports cars and playing a few rounds of golf?  He seemed sadly out of shape.
    “Thanks again, guys.  I’ll give you a call later.  But for now I have a lot to get done,” Belinda raised her voice, hoping they would take her seriously this time.
    Crystal regarded her with amusement.  “I guess you want to claim that location you found for your shop.  But aren’t you forgetting something? Jean-Jacques and I are the ones who will sign the lease.”
    Belinda frowned.  In her haste to break free of the gilded cage of the mansion, she had forgotten that pesky detail.  Apparently, independence was hard to come by on foreign terrain.
    “Oh, t hat’s right.  The storefront is actually just down the street.  That’s why I chose this building to live in.  Since I don’t have a car right now, it would be convenient for me to live just a few steps from where I work,” Belinda explained.
    “Brilliant idea,” Jean-Jacques nodded.
    Belinda narrowed her eyes at him, detecting the slightest note of condescension and hating it.
    “Let’s walk there right now,” Crystal suggested.  “If the owner is around, Jean-Jacques and I can tend to the lease right away.”
    Silently, Belinda led them down the road lined with palm trees to a cluster of storefronts.  Her proposed location was set on a pleasant retail strip containing a fromagerie (cheese shop), boulangerie (bread baker), and parfumerie (perfume merchant).  Belinda felt confident that a chocolate shop would be the perfect addition to the charming storefronts.
    “Well this is like one-stop shopping!” Crystal enthused.  “What a perfect location.”
    “Yes, we shop at this fromagerie all the time.  They make the most delicious Camembert.” Jean-Jacques licked his lips.
    “I’m so glad you guys like it.  My goal is to open the store by next month,” Belinda announced.
    “Don’t you think that’s a little soon?  How will you be able to get everything ready in just 30 days?” Crystal asked.
    “You know I’m a hard worker.  And it’s not like I have another job.  If I have to spend sixteen hours a day working to open this shop by next month, then I will,” Belinda insisted.
    Sensing her defensiveness, Jean-Jacques changed the subject and asked, “What are you going to call your shop?”
    “Something simple.  But something with my name in it,” Belinda grinned.  “I’m thinking Belinda’s Chocolate Boutique.”
    Jean-Jacques and Crystal exchanged glances.  They clearly did not approve of the name.
    “That’s a bit of a mouthful, don’t you think?  And it’s not French,” Crystal said gently.
    “The word ‘boutique’ is French.  I think it’s just fine,” Belinda said firmly, not willing to discuss the matter any further with her maddeningly contrarian relatives.
    From the upstairs leasing office, a mature gentleman with white hair and spectacles emerged.  Belinda recognized him immediately as Michel Gagnier, the owner of the building.
    “ Bonjour , Belinda,” he addressed politely.
    “ Bonjour, Monsieur Gagnier.  This is my sister, Crystal, and her husband, Jean-Jacques.”
    “Yes, we know each other,” M onsieur Gagnier revealed.  “Jean-Jacques owns the winery around the corner and the women’s dress shop across town.”
    “Oh, I didn’t know that,” Belinda said sheepishly.  How many businesses did Jean-Jacques own in this small country?  He seemed to be a veritable Nelson Rockefeller with his affluence.
    The two men led the way ups tairs to the office where Michel Gagnier produced a lengthy lease written entirely in French.  Belinda stood by passively as Jean-Jacques took over