“No.” He smacks his lips as the shouting rises from inside.
“No? How about a job? I have a feeling I’m going to need to scrape together a few nickels and dimes to get Wanda back up on four wheels, if you know what I mean.”
The sound of dishes breaking erupts from inside the café and he nods that way. “Something tells me they’ll be hiring a brand new manager in just a few minutes.”
The door bursts open and a disheveled brunette stalks out with her hair falling out of a bun, her red lipstick smeared over her cheek, and the look of hellfire in her eyes.
Nice to know I’m not the only brunette having a hell of a week.
“You!” she shouts, jabbing her finger at the man in the suit. “I’ll see you tonight.” She takes off in a huff, and I can’t help but giggle.
“Something tells me you like ’em rough and rowdy.” I give a cheeky wink.
He frowns a moment before picking up a briefcase I never quite saw him set down.
He nods my way. “What’s your name?”
“Ste—Bowie. Bowie Bing—Bingham? No, that’s not right.” I squeeze my eyes shut tight a moment. “Binx!” I raise a fist as if calling out the correct answer on a quiz show.
“Bowie Binx.” His cheek curls on one side. “Do you need me to call anyone for you? Where are you from?”
“No!” I’m quick to stop up the dam before it truly bursts. “I’m from—Chicago. I drove all day yesterday and my car just died out of the blue.”
He tips his head to the side, inspecting me with those soulful eyes. “It only took you one night to drive here from Illinois?”
“Did I say Illinois?” A high pitched laugh bubbles from me. “I meant Chicago… Connecticut.”
“Chicago, Connecticut?” He gives a long blink.
Shoot.
“Oh yeah, it’s a small town. So small it’s not even on the map.” A nervous titter evicts from my throat. “Google Earth didn’t even waste its time with us, we’re that unimportant. So do you know of a place to stay?”
“I’m sorry.” He shakes his head. “Good luck with the job,” he says as he takes off.
“I didn’t get your name!” I shout, but he’s already outside, pretending he didn’t hear me.
I guess it’s true what they say. The minute you start living on the streets, you’re invisible to the rest of society—especially hot men with briefcases.
It takes everything in me to venture into that café with my wild hair, my staccato zombie walk, and overall air of a degenerate nature. It’s light and bright inside, not a single customer in sight. The tables are evenly dispersed, the wooden floors look as if they’ve been clawed by a thousand cats, and there’s a chipped counter up front with a couple of women standing behind. The tables are beat up, the booths and chairs are made from ripped up red Naugahyde and duct tape, and there’s a black and white checkered wallpaper border that looks as if it’s doing its best not to fall right off the walls.
I make my way to the two women standing near the counter. One is older than my mother but not quite as old as Nana Rose was when she passed.
Her silver hair is cut in a blunt bob and she has on a shock of dark red lipstick, lots of dark kohl lining her bright green eyes, and she has an overall soured expression about her. She’s wearing a crushed velvet blazer in gun metal gray and has a brooch in the shape of an overgrown ladybug that cinches her blouse at the neck.
The younger one looks about my age, a bit more hardened by life, brown hair with thick, chunky blonde highlights, boobs bustling out of her unbuttoned blouse, and a pretty face, or at least it would be if she wasn’t busy scowling at me like I was about to rob the place.
“This is a stickup,” the words bark out of me partially because I couldn’t help it and partially because what the heck. I’m already fumbling around in some alternate universe. How much worse can it get?
The two of them exchange a glance, and for a solid moment I’m convinced the register drawer is about to fly open. But instead, they burst into laughter and I plop down on the stool in front of them, failing at yet another criminal area in life.
“All right, clown,” the older one drawls the words out, and if I’m not mistaken with some sort of unidentified accent. It’s sort of a cross between an English accent and a hard-nosed socialite. “What are you really doing here? Would you like the breakfast special, perhaps?”
The younger one shakes her head. “We don’t have a breakfast special.”
The older one hushes her in haste and already I like the two of them.
“I heard you were hiring.” I swallow hard as I look to the two of them. “The man with the suit and briefcase told me so.” I hitch my thumb to the door and they look twice as baffled. “The hot guy with the icy blue eyes?”
The younger one waves me off. “That’s just Shep.”
Shep. Now there’s a name that practically guarantees he won’t be allowed in a single mob family and I like him more because of it.
The older woman leans in. “Do you know Shep? Is he recommending you? Have you worked in food service before?”
“Oh yeah, lots of times.” If serving my brother and my idiot ex grilled cheese sandwiches at their beck and call for years counts for anything, I’m a seasoned pro. Not to mention my quasi-illegal stint at the donut shop. “So when can I start?”
The older woman ticks her head to the younger girl and they seem to be having some sort of a silent conversation.
The older woman plucks a dirty apron off the counter and tosses it my way.
“How about now?”
“You mean I’m hired as a waitress?” I quickly pull the apron over my head and the frilly thing fans out over my chest.
“Nope.” The younger woman comes around the counter and plucks the apron off and ties it around my waist. “You’re the new manager.”
“Manager?” I swallow hard. “Wow, that’s great. I think. So what are your names?”
No paperwork? No questions regarding my head wound? Why do I get the feeling I just got handed the hot potato of managerial positions?
My God, I’ll have access to those registers myself in less than an hour. But something tells me the spare change rolling around in there isn’t worth risking the pokey for.
The older woman presses out a crimson smile. “I’m Opal Mortimer and this is waitress extraordinaire, Tilly Teasdale.”
I wince to the younger woman at the mention of her unfortunate last name. Things couldn’t have been easy in school for her.
Tilly juts her chin forward. “And who are you?”
“Bowie Binx,” I answer just as the door to the café bursts open and a teenage girl with a long ponytail and cat-winged eyes flies to the counter next to me.
“Mom,” she barks at Tilly. “I need six bottles of Jamison, two kegs, and a couple of cases of peppermint schnapps. It’s Friday and we’re having a party at Amanda’s.”
“We don’t serve that here”—Tilly leans back, the look of boredom quickly taking over her features—“and you’re sixteen.” She folds her arms across her chest and her cleavage bursts forth with the threat of unleashing from any harness-like device she has restraining them.
“Hey, you owe me!” The girl doesn’t waste any time in escalating the situation.
“Owe you for what?” Tilly snaps back.
“For the time you pretended to be a seventeen-year-old boy from Manhattan looking to hook up. Only a sick person makes their kid fall in love with an imaginary hottie. You’re not buying, are you?”
Tilly shakes her head as she looks my way. “Boobie, this is my daughter, Jessie. Please ignore the tantrum she’s throwing. I don’t buy liquor for minors.” She gives the girl a wink like maybe she does.
“It’s Bowie,” I whisper but Boobie feels about right considering where I’ve ended up in life, so I don’t make a stink about correcting her.
“Fine,” the girl snips. “I saw Regina screaming on the front lawn. I’ll ask her. She hates you en
ough to do it, too.” She charges for the door.
“Hey!” Tilly shouts after her. “Have her pick me up a couple of six packs while you’re at it!”
My mouth falls open. As I live and breathe, I had no idea there were places in the world that could give my hometown a run for its dysfunctional money.
I hitch my thumb toward the door. “Is Regina the girl that ran out screaming?”
Opal nods. “That would be her. Regina Valentine.”
“Are she and Shep a thing?” I’m not even sure why I asked. “I mean, she said something about seeing him later tonight, but it kind of sounded like a threat.” And it kind of sounded like a date all at the same time. A part of me respects women who can pull off a feat like that. Something tells me she’d fit in nicely in Jersey.
Opal chortles. “Yes, well, she’s definitely his type.”
Tilly rolls her eyes. “Everyone is Shep’s type. Have they knocked boots? Maybe. Shep does love the ladies.”
Opal offers a sorrowful look my way. “You’ll get sick of him soon enough. He uses this place like an office. So where are you from? Where are you staying?”
Tilly leans in. “You’re new in town, aren’t you?” There’s a dazed look in her eyes as if she’s seeing a slab of fresh meat—me.
I’m about to answer when an all too familiar warm, fuzzy feeling takes over and spreads throughout my limbs, rendering me disabled for a moment. The room blinks in and out of focus as I get a serious bout of tunnel vision. And in my mind’s eye, I see Opal looking at me with fright as a gun dangles from her fingers. “Oh my God,” she says. “He’s dead.”
The room snaps back into focus and a cool breeze washes over me as Opal shakes me by the shoulders.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Tilly, get the girl a chocolate chip cookie. She nearly passed out.”
“No.” I shake my head as I look to the sweet, somewhat kooky older woman beside me. “I saw something. You were standing there with a gun and you said, ‘oh my God, he’s dead.’” I glance to Tilly then Opal. “Look, I’ll leave town. On foot apparently. But sometimes I see things, and I think you’re too nice to do some serious time. Don’t do it. Whoever this man is, he’s not worth wearing an orange jumpsuit for life.” I should know, I’m working hard to avoid the same wardrobe malfunction.
Tilly makes a wheezing sound as she comes in close. “You’re one of those psychics, aren’t you? The kind they advertise at two in the morning? What’s going to happen to me tonight? Am I getting lucky with Perry Flint?”
“What? No, I’m not a psychic. That’s horrible stuff. It’s witchcraft. It’s from the devil. Believe me, I know. I’m just—” I pause long enough to decide there’s no point in spilling all the supernatural beans. “I’m just a girl who sometimes sees things, and it gets me in trouble more often than not. And please do me a favor. Don’t tell anyone.” I look Opal in the eye. “And whatever you do, don’t kill him.”
Need more? Order NOW! —> An Awful Cat-titude and enjoy the rest of Bowie’s story!
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Cozy Mysteries
Meow for Murder
An Awful Cat-titude
A Dreadful Meow-ment
A Claw-some Affair
A Haunted Hallow-whiskers
Country Cottage Mysteries
Kittyzen’s Arrest
Dog Days of Murder
Santa Claws Calamity
Bow Wow Big House
Murder Bites
Felines and Fatalities
A Killer Tail
Cat Scratch Cleaver
Just Buried
Country Cottage Boxed Set 1
Country Cottage Boxed Set 2
Murder in the Mix Mysteries
Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix 1)
Bobbing for Bodies (Murder in the Mix 2)
Pumpkin Spice Sacrifice (Murder in the Mix 3)
Gingerbread & Deadly Dread (Murder in the Mix 4)
Seven-Layer Slayer (Murder in the Mix 5)
Red Velvet Vengeance (Murder in the Mix 6)
Bloodbaths and Banana Cake (Murder in the Mix 7)
New York Cheesecake Chaos (Murder in the Mix 8)
Lethal Lemon Bars (Murder in the Mix 9)
Macaron Massacre (Murder in the Mix 10)
Wedding Cake Carnage (Murder in the Mix 11)
Donut Disaster (Murder in the Mix 12)
Toxic Apple Turnovers (Murder in the Mix 13)
Killer Cupcakes (Murder in the Mix 14)
Pumpkin Pie Parting (Murder in the Mix 15)
Yule Log Eulogy (Murder in the Mix 16)
Pancake Panic (Murder in the Mix 17)
Sugar Cookie Slaughter (Murder in the Mix 18)
Devil’s Food Cake Doom (Murder in the Mix 19)
Snickerdoodle Secrets (Murder in the Mix 20)
Strawberry Shortcake Sins (Murder in the Mix 21)
Cake Pop Casualties (Murder in the Mix 22)
Flag Cake Felonies (Murder in the Mix 23)
Peach Cobbler Confessions (Murder in the Mix 24)
Poison Apple Crisp (Murder in the Mix 25)
Christmas Fudge Fatality (Murder in the Mix)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 4-6)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 7-9)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 10-12)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 13-15)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 16-18)
Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 19-21)
Mystery
Little Girl Lost
Never Say Sorry
The First Wife’s Secret
Romance
Just Add Mistletoe
3:AM Kisses (3:AM Kisses 1)
Winter Kisses (3:AM Kisses 2)
Sugar Kisses (3:AM Kisses 3)
Whiskey Kisses (3:AM Kisses 4)
Rock Candy Kisses (3:AM Kisses 5)
Velvet Kisses (3:AM Kisses 6)
Wild Kisses (3:AM Kisses 7)
Country Kisses (3:AM Kisses 8)
Forbidden Kisses (3:AM Kisses 9)
Dirty Kisses (3:AM Kisses 10)
Stolen Kisses (3:AM Kisses 11)
Lucky Kisses (3:AM Kisses 12)
Tender Kisses (3:AM Kisses 13)
Revenge Kisses (3:AM Kisses 14)
Red Hot Kisses (3:AM Kisses 15)
Reckless Kisses (3:AM Kisses 16)
Hot Honey Kisses (3:AM Kisses 17)
Shameless Kisses (3:AM Kisses 18)
The Social Experiment (The Social Experiment 1)
Bitter Exes (The Social Experiment 2)
Chemical Attraction (The Social Experiment 3)
Low Down & Dirty (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook1)
Dirty Disaster (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook 2)
Dirty Deeds (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook 3)
Naughty By Nature
Heartless (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 1)
Wicked Heart (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 2)
; Stone Cold Heart (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 3)
Beautiful Oblivion (Lake Loveless 1)
Beautiful Illusions (Lake Loveless 2)
Beautiful Elixir (Lake Loveless 3)
Beautiful Deception (Lake Loveless 4)
The Solitude of Passion
Someone to Love (Someone to Love 1)
Someone Like You (Someone to Love 2)
Someone For Me (Someone to Love 3)
BOXED SETS
Breakers Canyon Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
Lake Loveless Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
A Totally ‘80s Romance (Books 1-3)
3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook (Books 1-3)
Young Adult Romance
Melt With You (A Totally ’80s Romance 1)
Tainted Love (A Totally ’80s Romance 2)
Hold Me Now (A Totally ’80s Romance 3)
Paranormal Romance
(Celestra Book World in Order)
Ethereal (Celestra Series Book 1)
Tremble (Celestra Series Book 2)
Burn (Celestra Series Book 3)
Wicked (Celestra Series Book 4)
Vex (Celestra Series Book 5)
Expel (Celestra Series Book 6)
Toxic Part One (Celestra Series Book 7)
Toxic Part Two (Celestra Series Book 8)
Elysian (Celestra Series Book 9)
Flag Cake Felonies (MURDER IN THE MIX Book 23) Page 18