Read Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse (A Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Book 1) for Free Online Page B

couldn’t have the funeral until after it was done, so Mr. Cardosi wasn’t buried until a week and a half after he’d died. I was glad for Matty when the medical examiner’s office finally released the body. I knew it was wearing on Matty for things to take that long. I saw it in his eyes and the way he carried himself. He didn’t magically stop being sad after the funeral, but at least he was finally able to get back to his normal routine and not spend all day, every day, thinking about his dad’s death.
    After we both went back to our jobs, we didn’t see each other as much. In fact, I’d only seen him once since the funeral, when he showed up in the café one day shortly after the lunch rush ended. We didn’t offer a lot of food, just some pastries and sandwiches, but that didn’t stop the tourists from flocking in to get something to take back to the beach.
    Sammy, Becky, and I were all working. Becky was in the back washing coffee cups, Sammy was wiping down the counters, and I was making some fresh mozzarella-tomato-basil sandwiches to go in the refrigerator case. I heard the door jingle open but didn’t look up from what I was doing, since Sammy was closer to the register.
    Until I heard her whisper, “It’s Matt!”
    I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, it was Matty. I was surprised to see him because, even though he lived in Cape Bay, he actually worked a couple of towns over. If we saw him at the café, it was usually first thing in the morning or just before close. I was surprised by how happy I was to see him. I’d enjoyed spending time with him, but I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until he walked in.
    “Hello!” Sammy said in a singsong tone. “What can I get for you today?”
    “I got it,” I said, wiping my hands on my apron. “Can you finish up the sandwiches?”
    “Sure thing,” she replied, moving over to my station. “Nice to see you, Matt!”
    Sammy’s cheerfulness and friendliness were part of what made her such a great employee. We had customers who I swore came in just because they liked to talk to her. We also had customers who I thought came in just because Sammy wasn’t bad to look at. She had a round cherub face to go with her blond angel hair and soft curves that I’d heard made men think about cuddling up with her on cold winter nights. But she, of course, had been seeing the same guy for almost ten years. He lived with his mother and said he couldn’t possibly get married and leave her because it would break her heart. Why he wasn’t as concerned about Sammy’s heart, I didn’t know. In any case, the men who came in to flirt with her didn’t seem to bother Sammy.
    I smiled at Matty. “Caffè mocha?” I confirmed, already starting the drink.
    “Yeah,” he answered simply.
    I looked at him as I pulled the espresso. Something didn’t seem right, and it wasn’t that he was reaching for his wallet. “Put that away, Matty. It’s on me.”
    He didn’t argue, just shrugged and shoved his wallet back in his pocket. Something was definitely bothering him.
    “Go ahead, sit down,” I said. “I’ll bring it over in just a minute.”
    Matty nodded and walked over to sit at a corner table. I made a second drink, that one for myself, while I worked on creating a sunrise in the foam of Matty’s drink. It had been one of my favorite patterns in the weeks after my mother passed away. It reminded me that no matter how bad any given day was, there was always another day coming, and life went on. I finished it just in time to pour the milk on my own drink. Since it was just for me, I wasn’t going to bother creating something terribly intricate, but sometimes I seemed physically incapable of not putting some kind of design in a latte. I poured in a quick rosetta.
    I pulled off my apron and picked up the two cups and saucers to take over to Matty’s table. “I’m going to take a quick break,” I told Sammy as I walked past her.
    “Sounds good!” she