Snuffed Out (Book 2 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers Read Free Book Online Page B

her?”
The cutting tone of her voice raked into me.
    “ It wasn’t up to me. I did
what I could.”
    April studied me a second, then said, “I
know it’s not your fault. That girl’s taking this hard.”
    “ She knows we’ll both listen
when she’s ready to talk,” I said. “There’s not much else we can
do.”
    “ That’s the truth. Well,
enjoy.”
    I looked at the pizza, wondering how in the
world I was going to make even a dent in it when Erin walked
up.
    She smiled broadly. “Harrison, are you
stalking me?”
    “ I was just going to ask you
the same thing. I was here first, remember? Care to join
me?”
    “ I don’t want to intrude.
I’ll just sit with you until your guest comes back.”
    I said, “Then you’re in for a wait. She just
walked out on me.”
    Erin asked, “What in the world did you say
to her?”
    “ I offered to listen,” I
said as I took a piece of pizza. “Help yourself.”
    She took what should have been Heather’s
plate and served herself a slice. “Thanks, I’m starving.”
    April came over with another soda and
grabbed Heather’s glass. “I see you’ve made a new friend,” she said
to me.
    We both nodded, then I said, “I started
kayaking today. April, this is Erin Talbot.”
    April looked at Erin and said, “You let him
get started on the Gunpowder? You should have had him try the
French Broad first. Now that’s a kayak ride.”
    “ So you two know each
other,” I said as I took another bite.
    “ We’re in Micah’s Ridge,
Harrison, not Charlotte. It’s tough not knowing everyone around
town.”
    To my surprise, Erin and I managed to polish
off the pizza without any help. When April slipped the bill beside
my plate, Erin said, “Let’s split that.”
    “ Are you kidding? This is
the first date I’ve been on in six months. Don’t spoil it for
me.”
    Erin smiled, took a ten-dollar bill from her
purse and slid it across the table. “Sorry to burst your bubble,
but this wasn’t one either.”
    “ So where would you like to
go on our first official date then?”
    Erin laughed. “Thanks for asking and all,
but no thanks.”
    “ Well, you can’t blame a guy
for trying,” I said.
    She got up, then said, “I’ll see you later,
Harrison.”
    “ My next day off,” I
promised.
    “ So you are stalking me,”
she said.
    “ No, but I’ve got a thing
for your kayak.”
    “ Let’s make sure it just
stays at that.”
    I said, “I can take the hint, Erin. You’ve
already turned me down. If you change your mind and decide you want
to go out with me, you’re going to have to do the asking
yourself.”
    “ Don’t sit waiting by the
phone,” she said.
    “ What is life without hope?”
I said, adding a gentle grin.
    “ Good-bye, Harrison.” She
smiled for just a second before she turned to go.
    “‘ Bye, Erin.”
    I wasn’t sure who had been more surprised by
my date invitation, Erin or me. There was something about her, some
spark that I liked, that had made me ask, though I hadn’t been
actively dating since my last breakup. Heather and I had started
off with the potential for more, but we were sliding into
friendship instead. At least we had been before Aaron Gaston’s
death. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure where we were headed in the long
run, since it had been my pattern to date women who had started off
as strictly friends.
    Erin hadn’t been all that pleased when I’d
asked her out on a date. My ego wasn’t so huge that I couldn’t
believe she wasn’t interested in me. I wasn’t sure, and I might
have imagined it, but I thought I’d seen some interest in her eyes
before I’d asked.
    April collected my bill and said, “That’s
the first time I’ve ever seen a man lose two women in thirty
minutes over one pizza. You should write a book on what not to do
with women, Harrison, you’d make a fortune.”
    I shook my head. “I’m afraid what I know
can’t be taught. It’s a gift you’re either born with or you’re
not.”
    April said,