Read Online 4 Arch Enemy of Murder by Vanessa Gray Bartal - Free Book Online
Authors: Vanessa Gray Bartal
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him,” Lacy said. “Tonight is going to be great.” Her tone and smile lacked conviction.
The door opened and Riley poked her head out. Lacy had to admit that her sister certainly cleaned up well, especially when she was wearing one of Lacy’s more expensive dresses without permission. “I’m late for the pre-date porch meeting,” she said.
Travis twittered nervously and pressed his hand to his stomach.
Riley’s eyes landed on Tosh and narrowed appraisingly. “You must be the righteous reverend I’ve heard so much about.”
“And you’re the sinister sister,” Tosh replied.
“Alliteration already, and we’re just getting started,” Lacy said.
“It’s never too early for awkward grammar jokes, apparently,” Riley said.
Tosh opened his mouth. Lacy put her arm around his waist and gave it a squeeze. “Riley, this is Travis. Travis works at the jail. He’s on the fast track to sergeant for sure.”
Travis smiled at Riley like a five year old face to face with Spiderman for the first time. In return, Riley bestowed her most dazzling smile. “Hello, Travis. How very nice to meet you. Any friend of Lacy’s is…well, I’m sure you’re very nice despite that.” She held out her hand. Travis stared at it. Undaunted, she picked up his hand and shook. “It’s so nice to meet a man with ambition.” She glanced at Tosh. “How many members does Grandma’s church have now? Seventy five? A hundred?”
“A hundred and fifty,” Lacy answered for him. “It’s grown a lot since Tosh came.”
“How nice,” Riley said. “Soon they’ll probably be able to afford minimum wage.”
Tosh snickered, probably because he could buy the church and all its members a hundred times over. “They pay me just enough. What is it you do again?”
Riley’s eyes widened in surprise as his arrow hit its mark. So she was sensitive about her lack of job. Interesting. Travis looked between them and rubbed his stomach. “We should go. Travis made a reservation at the Greek place,” Lacy said. The town’s most swanky steak place was owned by a nice Greek family who for some reason refused to put anything Greek on the menu. Instead they made it as American as possible, even serving apple pie with a small flag stuck on top for dessert.
“Great. Steak sounds wonderful,” Riley said. She led the charge to the car.
“Does she eat it raw?” Tosh asked in a stage whisper to Lacy. She glanced at Travis to see how he would take this insult to his beloved, but he seemed to be concentrating on not making a run for the bushes again.
“You’re going to have to be nice if we’re going to survive this night. I have to make sure everything goes smoothly or else.” She pointed to Travis and mimicked sticking her finger down her throat.
Tosh sighed. “How can you ask me to be nice to her when I know everything she’s done to you?”
“Think of her as someone else, someone unrelated to me,” Lacy said.
“I’ll try,” Tosh promised. “And I’ll drive,” he added to the rest of the group.
“Oh, is this your car?” Riley said, stopping short in front of his sedan. “It’s so tiny. How many clowns can you fit in there?”
“Hop in, and we’ll see,” Tosh replied.
Riley jumped into the back and slammed the door. Travis slid in beside her, popped another mint, and rested his head on the window.
“Oh, boy,” Lacy muttered.
Chapter 5
Per Travis’s instructions, Lacy kept the conversation ball rolling in the car. She hit on every innocuous topic of conversation she could think of until at last she resorted to discussing the World Series.
“And that’s why I think the Buccaneers are going all the way this year,” she finished speaking as they pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot.
“Because Heinz makes good ketchup,” Tosh clarified.
Lacy nodded.
“I don’t know why ESPN
The door opened and Riley poked her head out. Lacy had to admit that her sister certainly cleaned up well, especially when she was wearing one of Lacy’s more expensive dresses without permission. “I’m late for the pre-date porch meeting,” she said.
Travis twittered nervously and pressed his hand to his stomach.
Riley’s eyes landed on Tosh and narrowed appraisingly. “You must be the righteous reverend I’ve heard so much about.”
“And you’re the sinister sister,” Tosh replied.
“Alliteration already, and we’re just getting started,” Lacy said.
“It’s never too early for awkward grammar jokes, apparently,” Riley said.
Tosh opened his mouth. Lacy put her arm around his waist and gave it a squeeze. “Riley, this is Travis. Travis works at the jail. He’s on the fast track to sergeant for sure.”
Travis smiled at Riley like a five year old face to face with Spiderman for the first time. In return, Riley bestowed her most dazzling smile. “Hello, Travis. How very nice to meet you. Any friend of Lacy’s is…well, I’m sure you’re very nice despite that.” She held out her hand. Travis stared at it. Undaunted, she picked up his hand and shook. “It’s so nice to meet a man with ambition.” She glanced at Tosh. “How many members does Grandma’s church have now? Seventy five? A hundred?”
“A hundred and fifty,” Lacy answered for him. “It’s grown a lot since Tosh came.”
“How nice,” Riley said. “Soon they’ll probably be able to afford minimum wage.”
Tosh snickered, probably because he could buy the church and all its members a hundred times over. “They pay me just enough. What is it you do again?”
Riley’s eyes widened in surprise as his arrow hit its mark. So she was sensitive about her lack of job. Interesting. Travis looked between them and rubbed his stomach. “We should go. Travis made a reservation at the Greek place,” Lacy said. The town’s most swanky steak place was owned by a nice Greek family who for some reason refused to put anything Greek on the menu. Instead they made it as American as possible, even serving apple pie with a small flag stuck on top for dessert.
“Great. Steak sounds wonderful,” Riley said. She led the charge to the car.
“Does she eat it raw?” Tosh asked in a stage whisper to Lacy. She glanced at Travis to see how he would take this insult to his beloved, but he seemed to be concentrating on not making a run for the bushes again.
“You’re going to have to be nice if we’re going to survive this night. I have to make sure everything goes smoothly or else.” She pointed to Travis and mimicked sticking her finger down her throat.
Tosh sighed. “How can you ask me to be nice to her when I know everything she’s done to you?”
“Think of her as someone else, someone unrelated to me,” Lacy said.
“I’ll try,” Tosh promised. “And I’ll drive,” he added to the rest of the group.
“Oh, is this your car?” Riley said, stopping short in front of his sedan. “It’s so tiny. How many clowns can you fit in there?”
“Hop in, and we’ll see,” Tosh replied.
Riley jumped into the back and slammed the door. Travis slid in beside her, popped another mint, and rested his head on the window.
“Oh, boy,” Lacy muttered.
Chapter 5
Per Travis’s instructions, Lacy kept the conversation ball rolling in the car. She hit on every innocuous topic of conversation she could think of until at last she resorted to discussing the World Series.
“And that’s why I think the Buccaneers are going all the way this year,” she finished speaking as they pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot.
“Because Heinz makes good ketchup,” Tosh clarified.
Lacy nodded.
“I don’t know why ESPN
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