Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries Book 1) (15 page)

Chapter 22

“This place is a depressing mess, Narel,” Carl said frankly.

I was more than a little hurt, but it was honestly hard to disagree. I looked around at my little one-bedroom cottage. It was constantly dark with very little natural light, though with the way I’d decorated it, I considered that maybe darkness was something of a mercy. Truth be told, using the word ‘decorated’ almost felt like an insult to decorators.

“I know; I know,” I admitted, sighing. “But you know how busy I’ve been, with someone trying to murder me and all. I didn’t realize just how depressing this place was. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here and thought about it.”

Carl smiled warmly. “I’d say that you could make this place your own and warm it up a bit, but I think you’re better off just buying a new one. It’s not like you don’t have the money for it.” He raised an eyebrow as he said it.

I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right again. I told Borage I’ll probably buy a bigger place, but I don’t want to do so until the business has taken off.” It’s true that I could afford a bigger place, a much bigger place really, and it would probably be completely fine. But there was something about spending so much money that didn’t sit right with me until I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wouldn’t come back to bite me. I considered that it might be something as simple as not being able to relax while I was in a new house if I felt any guilt about buying it in the first place.

“Oh, Borage, is it?” Carl teased. “I didn’t realize you were discussing life decisions already. How many kids have you got planned? And will kids be safe from Mongrel?” He pointed to Mongrel, who was now out of his basket and close to us, watching us. It seemed that his attack on Lucinda had cheered him up. A long piece of her hair still hung to the side of his mouth, but there was no way that Carl or I would attempt to remove it.

I punched Carl in the arm playfully, though hard enough that he knew not to pursue it further. “Just eat your dinner, Carl,” I said, laughing. He looked down at his plate and then back at me, quizzically.

“When’s it coming?” he asked. I didn’t know what to make of his question, as I’d already served him a chocolate panna cotta with a side of fudge brownie squares.

“It’s right there in front of you,” I said, confused.

He looked down at it and laughed. “I should have known, Narel. It’s so like you to serve this kind of thing as a dinner.” He picked up his spoon and started eating.

I shrugged, figuring he was telling some kind of inside joke that was beyond me.

“Well,” Carl said between mouthfuls. “If you’re not going to be moving into a better place soon, you could at least make this one less depressing to be in. Have you considered decorating?”

“Carl, I haven’t considered anything apart from not dying, and trying to run a business,” I said, more sternly than I intended. “I think you’re right, though. If I can find the time, I’ll clean up a little.”

“Clean up a little?” he asked. “I think you’d need a flamethrower or some kind of Special Ops team to sort this place out. I mean, it’s not that it’s dirty, but it’s just so... awful,” he said, more earnestly than I would have liked. “Sorry, Narel, but it can’t be good for you to be in a place like this.”

I started to argue my position, but was interrupted when I noticed my bright lime-green cat-embroidered curtains blowing gently behind him. I sighed aloud. “Yeah, I think you’re right,” I said, frowning. It was hard to admit, but I’d be a fool not to. Decoration hadn’t exactly been my strong suit, though I seemed to be oblivious to this fact until recently. “Any recommendations?” I asked hopefully.

Carl sat for a moment, laying his spoon on the plate and looking around. “Well, like I said, I’d just buy a new house.” He laughed. “But honestly, I’d just start from scratch. This couch looks like an old British professor’s jacket, and I think your table might be an undiscovered color—one which I’d like to remind you should have stayed undiscovered, though it does make our existing color spectrum somewhat more pleasant by comparison.”

I winced as he spoke, and it was apparent that he really, really hated my house. The more he explained, the more I realized that I agreed with him. “Well, let’s go shopping soon,” I suggested. “I’d like to get some nice decorations. But only on the condition that I don’t make it as white-washed as your place,” I teased.

Carl looked a bit hurt by that comment, but agreed nonetheless.

“Just remember that I’m staying here to be careful about my money,” I said. “So I can’t go buying too much, or I may as well just move into a nicer place.”

Carl nodded happily. “It’s a date,” he said with a mouthful of food. “I won’t tell Borage. Wouldn’t want him to get jealous.”

“Oh, come on! Stop teasing me,” I said, though I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wait, he hasn’t seen this place, has he?” Carl’s expression was grim.

“Unfortunately yes, as you know,” I said seriously. “He came inside just after Lucinda shot at me. Maybe just up and buying a new house isn’t such a bad idea after all.”

“Good, good,” Carl said with a sigh of relief. “It’s a wonder he didn’t appear on the news going on and on about your decorating!”

“Oh, that’s enough now; you’ve made your point,” I said sternly. “Though speaking of which, I believe the news is on in a minute.” I flicked on my ancient box TV and switched to the news. It wasn’t long at all before we saw exactly what we’d hoped to see, as Clyde, Rieker, and Lucinda all made their grand debut. She was struggling against her cuffs as they pushed her into the back of a police car, and her face was covered with bandages. Carl and I watched on in silence.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Carl asked.

“Uh, not really,” I said.

“No, no, not the whole situation. I mean it’s funny to watch this sort of thing after having lived it. I’ve seen thousands of these sorts of news stories, but there was always a complete detachment from it. It’s easy to forget that they’ve had a really horrible impact on the world. At least, in this case she has,” Carl said, his voice trailing off.

I continued to watch as the news reported that Lucinda had been denied bail, and felt a wave of relief wash over me. “Thank goodness for that,” Carl said, rubbing his temples. I nodded in agreement and watched as the news switched stories.

“Anyway, that was delicious Narel, thank you,” Carl said happily, rubbing his stomach. “It wasn’t what I had in mind when you invited me over for dinner, but it was certainly within your culinary expertise.”

“Do you want dessert?” I asked, and Carl laughed. When I didn’t look away or say anything else his laugh stopped immediately, and he looked a bit stunned.

“Uh, not right now, thanks,” he said. I shrugged and fetched a bowl of assorted gourmet chocolates, bringing it back to the table and sitting it down.

“Help yourself when you’re ready,” I exclaimed happily.

“Does Borage like chocolate?” Carl asked.

I was stunned. “What sort of a question is that? He has a soul, Carl, so of course he likes chocolate. He also likes breathing and puppies. Why would you ask something so ridiculous?”

“Sorry, sorry. I just mean, you really love chocolate, owning a gourmet chocolate shop and all. I was wondering what sort of interests you and Borage shared.” Carl raised his eyebrows as he spoke, possibly trying to hint at something.

“I’m not talking about Borage to you, Carl!” I threw a chocolate at him as I said it and cursed under my breath as he nimbly dodged it. I made a mental note to make future chocolates more aerodynamic. And harder. Carl laughed and apologized. Before I could push the point home, I heard my phone ringing. I looked at the caller ID: Borage.

“Hello?” I asked, feeling a little nervous.

“Hi, Narel, it’s Borage. I just saw that Lucinda was refused bail on the news, and I wanted to call and check that you’re doing all right.” Borage sounded earnest, but a little nervous. He was probably as shaken up as I was about it all.

“I’m okay. Thanks, Borage. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me, but I’m dealing with it. Knowing that she’s probably not getting out of jail is doing me wonders, if I’m honest,” I giggled, then realized it was the least appropriate time imaginable to giggle. I swallowed nervously as Carl smirked at me.

“Okay, good to know. Well, you’ve got my number, so feel free to call if it all that’s happened ever starts to weigh on you a bit. Oh no, that sounded dramatic.” He laughed awkwardly. “Anyway, my point is that I know what you’re going through, so go ahead and call if you need anybody to talk to about it all.”

I smiled broadly. “I will. Thanks a lot. You do the same.” I was happy to have Borage looking out for me. We said our goodbyes and I hung up.

“Oh, wipe that big dumb grin off your face, Carl,” I said.

Carl laughed. “You forgot to ask him to grab dinner on the way home.”

“Oh, stop it. You’ve had enough fun at my expense.” I thought about throwing another chocolate at him, but figured it would be a waste. Maybe I could find something less delicious to throw at him later. Before I could think of anything, my phone rang again. There was no Caller ID this time.

“Geez, he’s calling again already. Maybe I should leave and give you two some alone time,” Carl said.

“No, it’s somebody else,” I explained, answering the phone. “Hello?”

“Miss Myers, it’s Detective Clyde. I’m calling to let you know that Lucinda Shaw-Smythe was denied bail.” Clyde sounded tired, and I suspected he hadn’t had any sleep since Lucinda had been detained.

I sighed. “Yes, I saw it on TV. Thanks for letting me know, though. It’s a huge relief.”

“While I can’t talk about the case in detail, I think it’s safe to say that you don’t have to worry about her from here on out. I know this is a lot easier for me to say than it is for you to do, but try to forget about her if you can. Move on.” Clyde sounded as though he’d had this conversation before.

“I’ll try. Thanks again for calling.” When I hung up, Carl looked at me quizzically.

“That was Detective Clyde,” I explained. “Just calling to let me know that Lucinda was denied bail.”

“Did he ask about me?” Carl asked.

I laughed. “No, sorry. It was strictly business. But he told me to try to forget about her, to try to move on.” I looked down at my feet as I spoke, lost in thought.

“Do you think you’ll be able to?” Carl asked.

“Yeah, I think I will. I don’t think I’m holding a grudge against her, because I gave the number of my plastic surgeon to the cops to give her. She’ll need it, that’s for sure!” I shuddered. “It won’t be easy, but I can move on. I have a business to build!” I declared.

“And a new house to buy,” Carl reminded me with a smile.

I laughed. “And that.”

“Oh, and we’ll have to plan your marriage to Borage,” Carl said as he ducked another chocolate.

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Next book in this series

The Sugar Hit

Book TWO, the next book in the
Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries
series.

Narel is excited about the grand opening night of her Cocoa Narel’s Designer Chocolate Shop, but her happiness turns to dismay when a police officer is murdered right in the middle of proceedings. The detectives suspect Narel and tell her that the victim had her under surveillance. But why?

How can Narel’s mean cat help this time? Will Narel end up behind bars? And who is the mysterious woman in Borage’s life?

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