Read Online Death, Taxes, and Peach Sangria by Diane Kelly - Free Book Online
Authors: Diane Kelly
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the market.”
I wasn’t sure what to tell her. What did I know about love and relationships? Not
much. Fortunately, she was only looking for a sympathetic ear, not advice.
“I’ve got some news, too.” I gave her the full scoop. That I’d decided to give Nick
a try. That I’d planned to break things off, at least temporarily, with Brett. That
I’d planned to tell Brett tonight.
Her eyes grew wide and she sat up. “Oh, shit. Did I screw that up?”
Royally. “It’s fine. I can tell him later.” And meanwhile I would pray that Nick hadn’t reconciled
with Natalie or started something with one of the seventy-one other women who’d expressed
an interest in dating him. Of course there was always Sergio, too. Those biceps had
indeed been impressive. Maybe if things didn’t work out with Nick or Brett, I could
convince Sergio to switch teams.
My doorbell rang. “I wonder who that is?” I hadn’t expected this many people to come
to my door until later in the month for Halloween trick-or-treating.
Alicia put a hand on my arm. “If that’s Daniel, tell him I don’t want to talk to him.
That I need some time to think.” Despite her words, her eyes gleamed with hope. She
wanted Daniel to track her down here, to prove how much he cared.
I went to the door and put my eye to the peephole.
“Is it Daniel?” Alicia whispered. She’d stood from the sofa and was looking at me
expectantly.
I shook my head.
“Figures!” She flopped back onto the couch and began to wail again, muttering about
the “stupid jerk” whom she was “so in love with” who she’d hoped would “drop dead”
and/or “get his shit together and grow up.”
I opened the door. DEA Agent Christina Marquez stood on my porch, her long black hair
hanging loose over a zipped purple hoodie. She wore yoga pants and a pair of cheap
black flip-flops. Christina was tall, busty, and gutsy. She and I had teamed up recently
to take down a drug-dealing, tax-cheating ice-cream man, and we’d remained friends
ever since. She’d even helped me out on a later case, acting as bait for a bunch of
thugs sent by my target, a violent loan shark.
She pushed past me into my place. “Got any of that peach sangria handy?”
I closed the door. “Just made a fresh pitcher.”
She turned in my foyer and held out her left hand. Her ring finger bore a huge diamond
roughly the size of a shotgun shell. Surrounding the diamond was a circle of brilliant
blue sapphires.
“Oh, my God!” I cried. “Ajay popped the question?”
Alicia shrieked, alerting Christina to her presence. I’d introduced the two of them
weeks before and we’d all gone out together as couples several times since.
Alicia rushed over and looked at the ring. “Ajay proposed to you?”
Christina nodded.
My mouth contorted, half of it trying to smile in congratulations at Christina, the
other trying to frown in empathy for Alicia.
“But you’ve only been dating a few months,” Alicia said, fresh tears forming in her
eyes as she held Christina’s hand and took in the beautiful ring.
“I know,” Christina said. “That’s the problem. It’s too soon, isn’t it? I told Ajay
that, but he told me to wear the ring for a while, to see how it feels.” When Alicia
released her hand, Christina held her hand up in front of her face and eyed the gorgeous
ring. “I’m just not sure.”
Alicia threw her ring-less hands in the air. “Oh, boo-fucking-hoo! Your boyfriend
cares too much about you and wants to marry you! What a horrible, awful problem!”
Alicia turned, snatched her empty glass from the coffee table, and stormed into the
kitchen for more sangria.
Christina raised a brow at me.
“She and Daniel are having problems,” I said, keeping my voice low. “She’s ready to
tie the knot and he’s not.”
Christina grimaced, realizing that her timing, too, was off. “Sorry.”
“This is life. We’ll deal with
I wasn’t sure what to tell her. What did I know about love and relationships? Not
much. Fortunately, she was only looking for a sympathetic ear, not advice.
“I’ve got some news, too.” I gave her the full scoop. That I’d decided to give Nick
a try. That I’d planned to break things off, at least temporarily, with Brett. That
I’d planned to tell Brett tonight.
Her eyes grew wide and she sat up. “Oh, shit. Did I screw that up?”
Royally. “It’s fine. I can tell him later.” And meanwhile I would pray that Nick hadn’t reconciled
with Natalie or started something with one of the seventy-one other women who’d expressed
an interest in dating him. Of course there was always Sergio, too. Those biceps had
indeed been impressive. Maybe if things didn’t work out with Nick or Brett, I could
convince Sergio to switch teams.
My doorbell rang. “I wonder who that is?” I hadn’t expected this many people to come
to my door until later in the month for Halloween trick-or-treating.
Alicia put a hand on my arm. “If that’s Daniel, tell him I don’t want to talk to him.
That I need some time to think.” Despite her words, her eyes gleamed with hope. She
wanted Daniel to track her down here, to prove how much he cared.
I went to the door and put my eye to the peephole.
“Is it Daniel?” Alicia whispered. She’d stood from the sofa and was looking at me
expectantly.
I shook my head.
“Figures!” She flopped back onto the couch and began to wail again, muttering about
the “stupid jerk” whom she was “so in love with” who she’d hoped would “drop dead”
and/or “get his shit together and grow up.”
I opened the door. DEA Agent Christina Marquez stood on my porch, her long black hair
hanging loose over a zipped purple hoodie. She wore yoga pants and a pair of cheap
black flip-flops. Christina was tall, busty, and gutsy. She and I had teamed up recently
to take down a drug-dealing, tax-cheating ice-cream man, and we’d remained friends
ever since. She’d even helped me out on a later case, acting as bait for a bunch of
thugs sent by my target, a violent loan shark.
She pushed past me into my place. “Got any of that peach sangria handy?”
I closed the door. “Just made a fresh pitcher.”
She turned in my foyer and held out her left hand. Her ring finger bore a huge diamond
roughly the size of a shotgun shell. Surrounding the diamond was a circle of brilliant
blue sapphires.
“Oh, my God!” I cried. “Ajay popped the question?”
Alicia shrieked, alerting Christina to her presence. I’d introduced the two of them
weeks before and we’d all gone out together as couples several times since.
Alicia rushed over and looked at the ring. “Ajay proposed to you?”
Christina nodded.
My mouth contorted, half of it trying to smile in congratulations at Christina, the
other trying to frown in empathy for Alicia.
“But you’ve only been dating a few months,” Alicia said, fresh tears forming in her
eyes as she held Christina’s hand and took in the beautiful ring.
“I know,” Christina said. “That’s the problem. It’s too soon, isn’t it? I told Ajay
that, but he told me to wear the ring for a while, to see how it feels.” When Alicia
released her hand, Christina held her hand up in front of her face and eyed the gorgeous
ring. “I’m just not sure.”
Alicia threw her ring-less hands in the air. “Oh, boo-fucking-hoo! Your boyfriend
cares too much about you and wants to marry you! What a horrible, awful problem!”
Alicia turned, snatched her empty glass from the coffee table, and stormed into the
kitchen for more sangria.
Christina raised a brow at me.
“She and Daniel are having problems,” I said, keeping my voice low. “She’s ready to
tie the knot and he’s not.”
Christina grimaced, realizing that her timing, too, was off. “Sorry.”
“This is life. We’ll deal with
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