Death Fricassee Read online

  Lucas reached for my hand. “Do you feel any better? Any closure?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. I’m glad we have an answer. But at the same time, Lucas, it was because of me that Al called his friend, who sent Eddie to him. If I hadn’t asked Al to do me a favor, Eddie never would’ve known that Al and Alec were the same man. He wouldn’t have told Antonia. Does that mean Al’s death is my fault?”

  “Of course not. You might’ve asked the question, but everyone else along the way had a choice to make, ending with Antonia. She chose to pull the trigger. She alone is responsible, Jackie. Not you.”

  “I tried to tell myself that. I’m not sure I completely buy it. I let my imagination go wild, and that made me ask for the favor.”

  Lucas spread his hands in front of him. “If you’re going to follow that route backward, then it’s my fault for being a death broker and for moving down to Florida. And for not telling you right away who and what I am, so that you had to guess. And it’s Veronica’s fault for what she did to me. You’ve got to remember, too, Jackie, Al’s end of life date was already set. I heard it the day I met him. It was his time. That should give you some little bit of comfort.”

  I nodded. “I guess. . .in a way, seeing you that night sending him on, that was my closure. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was. It’s what gives me peace.”

  “And you’re giving him a legacy, too. At least part of it. In that cookbook, Al’s spirit is going to be shared with people who never got the chance to know him. You’ll pass on his philosophy and his food to the whole world.”

  “I’m working on it. We think with a little luck, we may be able to release the book before Christmas. I’m calling it Food Like Heaven. It’s something Al said once.”

  “Al’s children are going to love it. You should be proud of yourself.” He kissed my fingers.

  “I am.” I hesitated. “Lucas, when I talked to Dena yesterday, she asked me if I might be interested in buying the diner.”

  I felt his surprise. “Seriously? What did you say?”

  “I told her I had to talk to my boyfriend first.” I smiled down at him. “It’s a big decision.”

  “I can’t think of anyone better to carry on Al’s work there. But what would it mean for your column?”

  “I don’t know. But I’ve been thinking of making a change lately. I’m restless. I love what I do, but it’s become so. . .rote. I’m not the kind of writer I always dreamed of being. And then I think of giving up cooking to become a full-time writer, and it makes my heart hurt.”

  “They’re both part of you, Jackie. Two sides of your coin. Why should you have to do one without the other?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. But maybe I’m tired of cooking other people’s dishes. I want to share my own recipes. I want to see people eat my food and rave about it. Does that make sense?”

  “It does, absolutely. Have you looked at the numbers? Can you swing it? I’d be happy to help. I don’t have much, but I’d buy in.”

  I smiled in the darkness. “Thank you. That’s very sweet. But no, I think I can handle it. Dena said they’re happy to hold the note for me, so I won’t have to go out and get a loan. They just want to see Leone’s live on. Another part of a great man.”

  Lucas tugged on my hand until I slid from the rocking chair and onto his lap. “Sounds like my girlfriend is about to become a restaurant owner. And a cookbook author. Is there anything you can’t do?” He turned my chin, and holding my face with his fingers, he kissed me, deep and sweet.

  “It sounds scary.”

  “I think some of the most worthwhile ventures in life are the scariest. I mean, falling in love with the guy next door who turned out to be a death broker and half-vamp was frightening, right?”

  My heart beat picked up speed. “Who said I was falling love with that death broker half-vamp dude? Maybe I’m just using his hot body for amazing sex.”

  Lucas laughed. “And I’m perfectly okay with that. But I hope you are falling in love with that dude, because I know for sure he’s deep in love with the crazy writer-chef who dashed half-dressed into his yard, fell right into his bushes and stole his heart.”

  I tilted my head to kiss him again, trailing my fingertips down his throat. “Love’s a scary thing. I wouldn’t want to do it by myself.”

  “You’ll never have to. I’ll be right by your side the whole time.” He slipped his arms around me. “For the rest of time, and then some.”

  “We don’t know yet whether you’re immortal,” I reminded him. I thought of Veronica, the mystery woman who had changed his life. She was still out there, a nebulous creature with murky motives. “There are still so many answers we don’t have.”

  “The answers will come in time. I’m sure of it. And it doesn’t matter whether or not life is everlasting when love is.”

  Lucas kissed me again, and I knew he was my everlasting.

  ***

  Veronica

  I STOOD IN the shadows, just out of sight. I was near enough to hear their words, but then again, I’d have been able to hear them anyway. Incredibly good ears are part of the vampire package.

  He held her in his arms, and I listened to the words of promise he spoke. I closed my eyes, sighing. The woman had been an unexpected complication. My seer hadn’t predicted her involvement and couldn’t see her future even now. I would’ve happily disposed of her, or perhaps even allowed their infatuation to run its course, but she troubled me enough that I hadn’t yet made a move. Lucas lusted for her blood nearly as much as her body, and he couldn’t hear her lifespan. I didn’t know why, and I’m not a woman who tolerates mystery. I like to know.

  As it stood now, there was time. I could afford the luxury of waiting. Soon, that wouldn’t be the case. I needed Lucas. He had a role to play, and at some point I’d have to separate him from the mortal girl he fancied he loved. With a mumbled curse, I rubbed my temples. I didn’t like complications any more than I liked mysteries.

  The breeze stirred, and I breathed deep, taking in the scents of the two people cuddled on the porch. Tonight, I’d let them live. I’d slip away into the night without either of them guessing I’d been so close. One day, I’d have to act. One day, he’d have to choose. But this was not that day.

  For now, they were safe.

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  Author Love

  Thanks for reading Death Fricassee! If you enjoyed it, the absolute best way to show an author love and appreciation is to leave a review on at least one vendor site and/or Goodreads. I hope you’ll do that.

  If you’d like to chat books, come visit my website (http://tawdrakandle.com), my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTawdraKandle) and Twitter (@tawdra). If you can’t remember any of those, just Google me; as far as I’ve been able to tell, I’m the only Tawdra out there.

  I do have other books out there just waiting to be read. If you enjoy paranormal romance and you liked the characters in this book, check out The King Series (it’s Young Adult) and The Serendipity Duet (New Adult). Also, remember that Stardust on the Sea is the short story that tells how Lucas and Cathryn met in Cape May, before Death Fricassee begins. If sweet and sultry (non-paranormal) love stories are your thing, you might enjoy The Perfect Dish Duo (New Adult) and The One Trilogy (New Adult) or The Posse (adult). All these books are available in the usual hangouts.

  And if you fell in love with Jackie and Lucas, book 2 will be out in 2015.

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  Welcome to Mystery The Plain White T’s

  Breaking Anberlin

  Under Control Parachute

  For the Longest Time Billy Joel

  Death and All His Friends Coldplay

  Only the Good Die Young Billy Joel

  Just Breathe Pearl Jam

  The Night is Still Young Billy Joel

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  In 2009, when I had finished Fearless and was working on Breathless, I was part of a critique group called A Writer’s Block. We grew large enough to need two groups,
and since I was leading, I felt I should participate in both of them. For that I needed a secondary story. At this point, I was only writing young adult, but a persistent idea had taken hold in my mind, and it was not YA.

  At this time, there was a flood of teen vampire/werewolf/shifter romance books in the market. They were great (well, at least most were), but I was not a teen, and I began to wonder, what if the girl who met the vampire wasn’t a fresh and dewy young thing? What if she were older, more experienced and mature? And what if the vamp weren’t a perpetually-20-year-old hot guy, but a man who’d been turned later in life?

  And so Jackie and Lucas were born. Because I scaled back to just one critique group after publishing Fearless, I didn’t finish their book at that time, but I always planned to do it after I finished The King Series. However, one thing and another happened. . .and Lucas and Jackie kept getting pushed back.

  What was fascinating, though, was that while they waited, more of their story evolved. I realized this was not just one book, but entire series (how many books is yet to be determined). I also learned that Jackie and Lucas existed in the same world as The King Series. And so when I wrote a short story for the anthology Eternal Summer, with Cathryn Whitmore from The King Series as the female lead, I wasn’t too surprised that Lucas was her love interest. How that all worked together has been seriously cool.

  If you haven’t read The King Series or The Serendipity Duet, you can always go back and enjoy more of Cathryn, Rafe and Nell in those books. And if you want to read about how Lucas and Cathryn met, the short story Stardust on the Sea is now available as a stand-alone book.

  As always, huge thanks to my fabulous team of supporters: Mandie Stevens, who always wanted this book to be written and is always my biggest cheerleader; Amanda Long, who tells me the truth even when I really don’t want to know it, makes my website pretty-pretty, designs kicking logos, gives sage advice and keeps me from making a fool of myself when I don’t know what something means; Stacey Blake, who makes all of my stories so pretty and exhibits saintly patience with changes; Stephanie Nelson, who made this amazing cover, exactly what I wanted even though I couldn’t articulate it and all my fellow Romantic Edge Books ladies, who inspire me daily and graciously give help and advice.

  Huge gratitude and thanks to Heather Batchelder, for my gorgeous new author photos. (Flip to the back now and check it out. Go ahead. I’ll wait.)

  My readers make me smile every day. I love the funny and/or deep posts, the cheer-me-on messages, the reviews, the posts and tweets. . .you truly do rock my socks.

  And of course, thank you to my family for extraordinary patience. This book was finished in the midst of a move that dragged out much longer than was planned, and I was often on the laptop while everyone else unpacked and organized around me. I appreciate the understanding.

  Last but not least, thanks and love to my sister Robyn, who has been discussing this book with me for a long time and who gave me the character of Nichelle. Inspiration is everywhere.

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  Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books run from YA paranormal romance (THE KING SERIES), through NA paranormal and contemporary romance (THE SERENDIPITY DUET, PERFECT DISH DUO, THE ONE TRILOGY) to adult contemporary and paramystery romance (CRYSTAL COVE BOOKS and RECIPE FOR DEATH SERIES). She lives in central Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks purple hair.

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