Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Pouring a slug of cream into my coffee, I eyed the platter of pastries and decided against adding sugar. I already knew I’d be eating more than my share of Daisy’s pastries today. Starting with the raspberry and cream cheese danish in my hand. I couldn’t answer questions if I was chewing, right?
Hope took a sip of coffee, watching me with thoughtful eyes. “After Mrs. Haverty quit, I was pretty sure you and Finn were going to kill each other. When he ended up taking over the kitchens—” She shook her head with an amused half smile. “Griffen and I have a bet going on who’ll break first, but so far you both seem just fine.” She paused, her cognac eyes narrowing just a little further. “It’s interesting. You’d tell me if there was a problem, right?”
“Of course I would,” I said automatically, then mentally kicked myself. I tried to recover. “He’s annoying, but I haven’t poisoned him yet.”
“Oh, Savannah,” I heard from behind me. “You know better than that. If anyone’s doing any poisoning, it’s always the chef.”
My cheeks flamed.
“Savannah said you bought her a coffee maker,” Sterling said with a teasing laugh.
I listened very closely for his answer.
“It’s a bribe,” Finn said with a grin. He reached past me to snag a blueberry muffin, his body brushing mine. I was sure it was intentional, the jerk. Heat flooded through me. Between my embarrassed cheeks and the rest of my body wanting more of Finn, I was going to combust. And based on his grin, I’d bet he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Curious eyes flicked between Finn and me. Finn munched his blueberry muffin as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Bastard. I was about to crawl out of my skin. This was not a good group of women to try to fool. Every one of them was sharp. No one knew Finn well, not these days, but they all knew me extremely well. And I was not a great actress. I liked things straightforward.
Sipping my coffee, pretending I wasn’t desperate for this conversation to end, I thought about making a teasing comment back, like telling Hope not to collect on any bets yet because I might still kill him. But then he’d say something in that charmingly amused tone, and I’d get even more embarrassed, and I’d never be able to fool everyone into thinking nothing was going on. So I kept my mouth shut, gripping my coffee cup like it was my anchor to sanity.
“Savannah likes her coffee,” Finn said. “I figure if I keep her caffeinated, I can stay on her good side.”
Only Finn and I knew why he wanted to stay on my good side, and it had nothing to do with our working relationship. If he were going to play it cool, I sure as hell wasn’t giving anyone else any more evidence there was something to pay attention to. We worked together. We hadn’t murdered each other yet. He bought me a coffee maker. That was it. Nothing else to tell.
Sterling broke the silence. “Savannah is pretty patient, but hedging your bets with a coffee maker was smart. You never know when you’ll have a bad day and drive her to murder.”
“It’s been close a few times,” Finn admitted with a grin.
“We’ll see,” Hope said, that thoughtful look still in her eyes. “I have a feeling I’m going to win this one.”
I didn’t get a chance to ask her which of us she bet on. Hawk appeared at my side, his face somber, as always. “Savannah, do you have a minute?” His tone indicated it would be best for everyone if I indeed had a minute. I was thrilled to give him all the minutes he needed if he’d get me out of this room.
Chapter Twenty-Four
SAVANNAH
“What’s up?” I asked, following him to the front door as the others started discussing how to organize my kitchen cabinets.
“This place is great.” Hawk swept a glance around the room. “Parker really fixed it up. It looks completely different.”
“It does,” I agreed. “I love it.”
“We need to talk about security. I don’t like you and Nicky on your own out here.”
Hawk led me out the front door as I mulled over his words.
“But the estate’s under guard,” I said. “You have people walking the property twenty-four hours a day. Cameras everywhere.”
We were all aware of the danger. No one had caught Prentice’s murderer, and thanks to Vanessa’s notes and everything she’d said before she died, we knew his killer was still out there, still holding a grudge against the Sawyers. Nothing had happened in a while, at least nothing that seemed related to Prentice’s murder. I looked at Heartstone Manor across the side lawn. The winding gravel path looked a million miles long. It’s a two-minute walk, I reminded myself.