Salami Murder: Book 8 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Read Free Book Online Page B

will be the Saturday after next, but I wanted to check with you first, to make sure you’ll be able to come,” Candice said. “Allison offered to help out too, if you don’t need her.”
    Allison and Candice had become close friends over the last few weeks, since the other young woman had begun working at the deli. They had clicked immediately, and had already made plans for a road trip in the fall.
    “I’ll make sure she has the day off,” the deli owner promised. “And don’t worry about trying to schedule the grand opening around me—I’ll be there no matter what day you choose. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
    Their conversation paused when the waitress, a tired, middle-aged woman, came up to the table. She placed a pair of glasses filled with water in front of the two women, then whipped out her notepad.
    “What can I get you, hon?” she asked, looking at Candice.
    “I’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich and fries, please.”
    The waitress turned her gaze to Moira.
    “Um…” caught off guard, she scanned the menu quickly, seeking anything that caught her interest. “The fish and chips. Thanks.”
    The waitress, whose nametag read May scribbled quickly on her pad, shot them a tired smile, and walked away.
    They didn’t have to wait long before May brought out their food. The crispy fish steamed when she cut into it. She squeezed a lemon over it and dug in, Candice already tasting her sandwich.
    Moira was between bites when something out the window caught her eye. She froze, a fork full of fish halfway to her mouth. It was David, and he was walking down the street with a petite brunette woman. She’s very beautiful , Moira noted in some distant part of her brain. As she watched, the woman linked her arm with David’s, and he laughed at something that she said. His face was relaxed and happy, and the woman gazed up at him in amusement.
    The fish fell off of Moira’s fork and landed on her lap, causing her to tear her gaze away from the window. Candice looked up, concerned. Moira gestured wordlessly to the window, where David and the woman were passing by. She saw Candice’s lips thin, and knew that her daughter had reached the same conclusion she had. David was seeing another woman.
    “Martha told me about this,” she said, half to herself. “I should have listened.”
    “What?” Candice asked, still gazing at the receding forms of David and the mysterious woman.
    “Martha told me that she saw David on a date with this woman,” Moira explained with a sigh, trying to ignore the way her heart ached. “I tried to convince myself that she must have been wrong, or that there was a reasonable explanation, but…” she let her words trail off, her eyes following the pair as they walked out of sight.
    “Maybe there still is,” Candice said hopefully. “You never know.”
    “They seemed so… close,” she said. She shook her head. “Maybe I was wrong about how serious our relationship is. He may not think he’s doing anything wrong. He may even think I’m seeing other men.”
    “I think David takes your relationship very seriously,” Candice told her. “He’s always there when you need him, isn’t he? I know he cares about you. I can see it in the way he looks at you.”
    “Then why—” She closed her lips, pursing them. She didn’t want to go around in circles discussing David and the other woman with her daughter. Nothing would be solved until she confronted the man himself… or he came clean to her.

CHAPTER NINE
    She was still shaken the next day when she got to the deli. She trusted David—she kept telling herself that. It was hard, however, when she had seen him with another woman with her own eyes. She might just be an old friend , she thought, trying to reassure herself. But in that case, why wouldn’t he have mentioned her before?
    She hadn’t spoken to Candice much about it at the time, not wanting to mar their otherwise pleasant day with the sense of betrayal