Death of a Pumpkin Carver Read Online Free Page A

slouching away, defeated.
    Hayley glanced at the credit card receipt and giggled.
    Danny sat back and sighed. “What’s so funny now?”
    â€œShe wrote her number on the top of the receipt.”
    Danny picked up the piece of paper. “So she did. How about that?”
    â€œYou’re still a hit with the ladies.”
    Danny crumpled up the receipt in his hand and dropped it on the table.
    Another first.
    Danny ignoring a woman trying to slip him her phone number.
    Maybe he had changed.
    Or maybe this was just an act and he was playing this role as “the new, improved, mature Danny Powell” to get something from her.
    It was hard to tell.
    He opened the door for her like a true gentleman as they left the restaurant, never once eyeballing Denise, who stood by the hostess station, forlorn and crushed by his blatant rejection.
    And to his credit, Danny didn’t even pretend to forget his wallet and race back to the table to pocket that piece of paper with Denise’s number on it.
    Maybe he was telling the truth this time.
    But she was determined to keep her guard up.
    Do not waver.
    This was Danny Powell.
    And years of hard experience had trained her to be vigilant and alert.

Chapter 5
    â€œWould you relax? I’m not going to get sucked back in by Danny!” Hayley said, parked on a stool at her brother Randy’s bar, Drinks Like A Fish. She had met Liddy and Mona for a quick happy hour round of drinks after work, and the conversation quickly steered toward the hot topic of the day.
    Danny Powell was back in town.
    â€œWe’ve heard you say those exact words before, Hayley. Right before you announced the two of you were getting back together,” Liddy said. “Right, Mona?”
    Liddy glanced over at Mona hoping for some support, but she didn’t respond. She just sat on her stool, slumped over the bar and chugging down a Bud Light.
    Mona clearly had no interest in jumping into this discussion.
    â€œWell, that was before I married the guy and had two kids with him and put up with his crazy antics for the best years of my life. I’ve come out on the other side. I’m immune to Danny now.”
    Liddy eyed her warily. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”
    â€œWell you don’t have to be. Look, I can see Danny is working hard to impress me and to pretend he’s gotten his act together, but sooner or later he is going to slip up and the old Danny Powell will finally show up again.”
    â€œI just want you to be careful . . .” Liddy said.
    â€œOh for the love of lobster, Liddy, would you stop squawking at the poor woman? She said she’s got this. Didn’t you hear her? Danny’s got no power over her anymore!” Mona screamed, guzzling the rest of her beer and slamming the empty bottle down on the bar.
    Randy snapped to attention and spun around from the far end of the bar, noticing her bottle was empty.
    He zipped over to the cooler and fetched her another.
    â€œDid she just say ‘for the love of lobster’?” Liddy asked.
    Hayley nodded. “Yes, she did.”
    â€œI say whatever comes to my mind,” Mona growled.
    â€œAs you should,” Liddy said, patting her on the back. “Never keep a thought inside your head. It’ll get very lonely.”
    Randy delivered Mona her next beer and she nodded, took a swig, thought about what was just said, and slammed it back down.
    â€œDid she just insult me?” Mona barked at Randy.
    â€œBig time,” Randy said before sailing off to the other end of the bar to tend to his other customers.
    Liddy spun back around on her stool to face Hayley.
    â€œLook, I believe you, Hayley . . .” Liddy said, fingering the rim of salt around her half-empty margarita glass and scraping some onto her finger before licking it off with her tongue.
    â€œThank you,” Hayley said, sipping her Jack and Coke.
    â€œI believe you because I know