Death Tidies Up by Barbara Colley Read Free Book Online

strong. But she still had her hair appointment, and as she’d told Marian, she still had one more chore to do, one last walk-through at the old Devilier house, all before she could call it a day.
    Charlotte glanced at her watch. If she hurried, she just might have enough time to do the walk-through before it got dark.
    With a heavy sigh, she pulled the van keys out of her apron pocket, but just as she unlocked the door, a battered old truck pulled up behind the van.
    Recognizing the white truck, she almost groaned out loud. “Great,” she muttered. “Just what I need right now.”
    The driver’s side of the truck opened. “Hey there, Charlotte. I was wondering if I’d have the pleasure of seeing you today.”
    Charlotte forced a friendly smile. Careful though. Mustn’t act too friendly, she reminded herself. She’d learned early on that being discreet was the name of the game when dealing with the man approaching her.
    Sam Roberts was a handyman of sorts who had been employed by Marian’s husband first, then by Marian after her husband’s death. If it hadn’t been for the scraggly beard that Sam wore, he could have easily passed for a Willie Nelson look-alike.
    But that was where any comparison between the two men came to a screeching halt. In Charlotte’s opinion, Sam talked too much, for one thing. And he was loud. But it was the flirting that really got her goat. Not that she minded flirting. She’d been flirted with before and had done some flirting back, but Sam was different. She’d tried telling herself that his teasing was just his way of being friendly, but every time she talked to him, he always managed to say something that was just off-color enough to be offensive and make her really uncomfortable.
    Now be nice, Charlotte, her conscience cautioned.
    Charlotte had always been the type of person to look for something positive about everyone she met, and she had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that Sam had his good points too. According to Marian, he’d proven to be indispensable since Bill’s death. And in all fairness, he worked hard and was good at his job. He also appeared to really care about Marian and her boys. From what she’d observed, he was always patient and kind to the boys despite Aaron’s endless questions and B.J.’s sullen ways. And come to think of it, she’d noticed a marked difference in B.J.’s rebellious attitude any time that Sam was around. The teenager actually seemed to admire Sam, even look up to him. The good Lord only knew, the boy needed someone he could respect.
    â€œSo how’s everything going with you, pretty lady?” Sam’s dark eyes slowly raked her from head to foot, then back again. “Got everything under control…” His words trailed away suggestively. “Everything’s all neat and tidied up as usual? Up at the house?” he finally added.
    His inference was offensive and Charlotte responded with chilly politeness. “Everything’s just fine up at the house.”
    Sam grinned knowingly. “Now, Charlotte, if you’d be nicer to me, I might be persuaded to take you out on the town and show you a good time.” He waggled his eyebrows, à la Groucho Marx. “Hey, a little jazz, a little razzmatazz…” He held out his arms and shuffled his feet, executing an intricate dance step. Then, without warning, he suddenly grabbed her. Before she could utter a protest, he whirled her around, and it was either follow him or stumble over her own feet. When she finally did open her mouth in protest, he abruptly stopped and released her, and Charlotte swallowed her protest.
    In an instant, he grew sober, and a stilted expression came over his face as he took a step backward. “Or maybe madame would prefer something a bit more cultured around our fair city,” he said in a pseudo cultured voice. Bending forward at the waist in a mock formal