Bound To Be Dead: Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 3 Tamra Baumann (new books to read txt) 📖

pockets of his suit. Receiving stolen property is a crime too. That’s why we had a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy. “I don’t think he does that anymore. Does he?”

“No.” Meg joins me again. “I gave him a credit card that I cover every month. But back in the day, when he didn’t have money, he wasn’t above stealing food so we could eat.”

I study my folded hands as I consider Meg’s words. “Brittany said they never had money unless she earned it. Maybe her mom just needed to eat too.”

“Exactly. And Brittany probably loves her mom as much as we love Dad. So, we should let her go with our blessings and hope she’ll make the right choice. Like you did.”

I don’t like this plan one bit, but it makes sense. Brittany swears her mom is sober these days. And everyone deserves a second chance. “The day Dad dropped me off after my miserable adventure, I couldn’t find Mom anywhere. I was afraid she was mad and avoiding me. I finally found her in the greenhouse messing with her roses. She dug in the dirt with that goofy grin she always had on her face when she gardened. After I cleared my throat, she looked up, winked, and went right back to work. We never spoke of it again.”

“Letting kids try and fail is one of the sucky parts of being a parent. It hurts to watch sometimes. But you can’t go around solving their problems for them, or they’ll never learn to get along on their own.”

“Dylan pointed out I have a really bad habit of trying to solve everyone’s problems. But I can’t seem to help it.” I lay my head down on my folded arms in defeat. “Okay. We’ll do it your way. But if it doesn’t work, I’m blaming you.”

“Fine.” Meg stands and drops a kiss on the top of my head. “Just so you know, I offered to take Brittany in when we knew Mom was in her last days. But she insisted that once you got over the shock of having a kid dumped in your lap, you’d step up to the plate. Mostly because she knew you wouldn’t back down when given a direct challenge. So thank you for being so stubborn.”

I snort out a laugh. “Go away before I deck you with my stubborn fist.”

“Love you too.” Chuckling at the idle threat, my sister adds, “Thanks for the amazing coffee. See you later.” Meg is almost out the door when she stops. “By the way. My offer still stands to help you start a restaurant in San Francisco if Uncle Frank ends up with everything.”

That’s what I love about my sister. She’s the most generous person I know. But I would never ask her for something that big. Opening even a small restaurant can take hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Thank you.” I lift my head from my arms to appear more confident than I feel. “But I haven’t given up yet.”

“Fine. But we all like having you nearby again, so whatever happens, don’t you dare run back to Chicago. Got it?” Meg’s right brow arches like it does whenever she’s not messing around. I bet my niece and nephew fear it too.

I give her a thumbs-up because I have a big lump in my throat and can’t speak. I don’t want to go back to Chicago either. I have some friends there and a great executive chef position I was promised I could have again with a simple phone call, but little else. No real connections with the town like I have here.

After my sister is gone, I lay my head down again and moan. Losing the house, my future restaurant space, and even the bookstore that doesn’t make much money would be letting my mom’s legacy die. It’s all I have left of her.

However, if my uncle wins, Brittany leaves with her mom, and if Dylan and I don’t get back on track, I won’t have much reason to stay. And the thought of starting over in a big town like San Francisco that already has more restaurants than it needs doesn’t appeal either.

If nothing else, when things are settled, I need to decide if I want to start over again with Dylan. To give one hundred percent of my heart and trust he won’t break it again is a risk I’ve been hesitant to take, but we can’t stay in limbo forever. Maybe this separation he imposed will be a good thing. It’s a rare day I don’t see Dylan now. Let’s see how much I miss him by the time Tina’s mysterious death is solved.

Speaking of which, I need to get going. I have a few tasks to do at the store before Madge picks me up for our trip to Monterey. One of them being finding pictures online of my uncle, Tina, and Pattie. Hopefully, we’ll get some clues to who Pattie’s mystery man truly is. And what, if anything, he has to do with Tina’s death.

The toot of a horn outside my store’s window is my signal it’s time to go. “Bye, Nan. See you in a few hours.” I pat my dog’s fluffy head. “Sorry, Coop, but you have to stay this time.”

My dog stares adoringly at me and wags his tail like I’m just kidding. It always tugs at my heart when he does that, but not today. Madge and I have serious sleuthing to do. “Nope. Not going to work. Be a good boy.”

Nan joins me and says, “Actually, he might be a good prop for you two. It’s mostly outside dining at The Blue Hippo, right?”

I blink at Nan because I don’t recall telling her about my plans with Madge. But then, my store’s not that big. “It is, but what do you mean about Cooper being a prop?”

Nan shrugs. “How often do people stop and pet Cooper when you’re out? All the time, right? Because goldendoodles are cute and cuddly like teddy