Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries)

desolate.
    “I’ve got some things to do to follow up on the case, so I need to take off for a few hours.” He ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated gesture. “I’ve got two dead bodies that are somehow linked and a third I have a sinking feeling about. Something about Greg doesn’t sit right with my gut. The first victim was stabbed multiple times with a damned pocketknife and the second was killed with a freaking .22. The ME is putting a rush on Greg’s autopsy, so I’ll have a report before the end of the day. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything conclusive.
    “Oh, well, you probably need to get started,” I said even more depressed.
    “I called your mom earlier. She’s going to come over and stay with you until I can get back. I don’t want you to be alone right now.”
    “You called my mom?” The tension headache from the day’s events came back in full force.
    “Of course I called your mom. You can’t stay here by yourself, and I can’t spare an officer to guard you full time. I need every man I’ve got on duty.”
    “But my mother? Couldn’t you have called Kate? Haven’t I been through enough for one day?”
    Nick rolled his eyes. “You’re overreacting. Don’t forget we’re having dinner tonight. And don’t argue with me about it. You need to get away from here for a little while and wind down. And I need it, too. It’s no wonder you’re upset. I would be too if I lived in this pile of rubble.”
    “ You’ll regret bringing my mother into this. Just wait until she starts interrogating you. My mom has a tendency to leave people a little rattled. Or maybe the word I’m looking for is confused.”
    “Why, because she asked me if I was single and if I liked children? Or maybe because she wanted to know my medical history and asked point blank if I’d ever had an STD.”
    I groaned and ducked my head. If I wasn’t the reason Nick should be running for the hills then surely my mother was.
    “I especially liked it when she asked if I was only looking to ‘dally’ with you,” he said grinning.
    “What did you tell her?”
    “I told her I wanted to get you naked as soon as possible and then she invited me to Sunday dinner. We’re supposed to bring a dessert by the way.”
    Nick smiled over his shoulder at my open-mouthed expression before shutting the door behind him. I was not ready to bring Nick home to eat dinner with my family. Nobody had bothered to ask me if my intentions were honorable. I was having some pretty naughty thoughts about “dallying” myself.

    I heard the rumble of my mom’s Dodge before it turned into the parking lot. It was a big boat of a car, and my mother looked like a child sitting behind the wheel.
    I’d showered and changed into dry clothes, and I was currently looking for something to wear out to dinner that portrayed grief and lust both at the same time. There weren’t a lot of outfits in the world that could combine the two so I just decided to go casual.
    My mom unlocked my front door and came in with bags slung over both arms.
    “What’s all this?” I asked.
    “I’ve brought you a few necessities,” she said, pushing me towards the couch until I was laying flat on my back. “That nice young man mentioned you’re without a car, so I brought mine for you to use until you get yours back. I’ll call and have a neighbor come pick me up when I’m finished here. I stopped by Peach Tree Bakery and bought an ice cream cake. I’ve got a twelve-pack of Corona, my manicure kit and Sleepless in Seattle.”
    “That’s so sweet.” My eyes started to well with tears again. I’m not much of a crier normally, but I seemed to be leaking tears at an alarming rate. Maybe it was hormones. I was thinking I probably needed to drink quite a bit of that Corona so I wouldn’t get dehydrated.
    “I also brought the video from when you graduated high school,” she said, and I started to cry harder. “I was so proud of you. I got great footage of your valedictory speech. Maybe we should watch that first.”
    I could think of about a million things I’d rather do instead, but I just nodded my head noncommittally.
    “Of course, it was also a bitter-sweet moment because I realized how old I’d gotten without even noticing. Then before I knew it I was afraid to wear a bikini in public anymore and my pubic hair started to turn gray. Let me tell you, that’s a real eye opener.”
    I always had such nice, tender moments with my mother.