Read Watchin' The Detective: A Mystery Dinner Romance for Free Online

skips breakfast and
quickly puts on some clothes. She is in no mood to talk to Joshua
yet—besides, she didn’t have time to shower—so, she takes the long
way around the courthouse, by the law library and the Wall of
Honor, where the homeless guys camp out.
    She ignores their cat calls. I hate
walking this way. After opening the back door to the library,
she hurries to her post at the reference desk next to Nicole.
    Nicole says, “Where have you been? Joshua and
I called you several times yesterday. We were worried about
you!”
    “Oh, I’m sorry. I was busy.”
    “Busy doing what? Thinking about that
detective? Listening to your aunt’s 1980’s albums again?”
    “You know me way too well. Guilty as
charged.”
    “Well, you could’ve called, you know.”
    “I’m sorry. I set my phone to voice mail and
haven’t had time to check for messages yet this morning.” Isabella
crosses her legs and tries to pull down her short skirt while
saying this.
    Nicole notices her doing this and starts
laughing, “Oh, my God, Isabella!” she says, pointing at her
friend’s shoes.
    “What? What’s wrong?”
    “Look at your shoes. You’re wearing two
different ones.”
    “Holy crap! Look at me!” They both start
laughing. She says, “Oh, my God! This is what I get for buying two
pairs of black shoes that both have straps that crisscross.”
    Nicole says, “And you didn’t even notice that
when you were putting them on?”
    “Obviously not,” Isabella says and continues
laughing at herself.
    Her friend observes, “You really do have it
bad.”
    “I know. I know.”
    The phone at the reference desk rings and
Nicole says, “You better answer that. It’s probably Joshua. He’s
already called here three times looking for you.”
    Isabella rolls her eyes, and answers,
“Reference Desk…Oh...Hi, Joshua. Yes, I’m okay. I’m sorry I didn’t
call you back yesterday. I forgot to check my messages.”
    Nicole stands up and leaves the reference
desk in order to give them some privacy. When she comes back a few
minutes later, she asks her friend, “So, is everything okay with
you two?”
    “Yeah. He wanted me to come get some coffee
off his cart, but I told him about my shoe fiasco. He just
laughed.”
    “Isabella,” Nicole says, putting on her
judgmental/holier-than-thou tone, “Do you like Joshua?”
    “Well, sure I do. He’s cute. What’s not to
like?”
    “You know what I mean.”
    “I’m not sure. He is kind of young for
me.”
    “I know. But don’t lead him on. He seems like
a nice guy.”
    “You sound a bit like you want him for
yourself.”
    “I would never date your boyfriend.”
    “But, what if he were free? Would you go out
with him, then?”
    “I’m not sure how easily he’d get over you. I
don’t want to date someone who’s on the rebound.”
    Isabella says, “On the rebound? We were never
bound in the first place.”
    “I saw the way you two were making out after
the show.”
    “It was our first date. You always kiss on
your first date.”
    “I don’t always.”
    “Are you saying I’m a ‘ho’?”
    “No.”
    You can be so judgmental sometimes.”
    “I don’t mean to be.”
    “So, anyway, Nicole. Let’s change the
subject. I am just dying to call that detective. But I don’t know
what to say. Any ideas?”
    “Well, he gave us his card, right? He’d like
us to call if we thought of anything helpful to the murder
investigation. Maybe you’d better think of something.”
    “Like what?” Isabella asks.
    “Well, think about it. Did you see anything
unusual that night? Was somebody there acting in an unexpected
way?”
    “I can’t think of anything right now.”
    “I’m sure you’ll think of something,
Isabella. You always do.”
    Isabella gives her friend a dirty look and
they don’t talk to each other for the next half hour. Finally,
Isabella says, “That’s it! I thought of something.”
    “What did you come up with?”
    “Well, I remembered seeing that