Read Sunny Side Up (Lake Erie Mysteries Book 1) for Free Online

skittered across Ruby’s expression, but she recovered quickly, broke out her famous smile, and exclaimed in a confident tone, “Oh, I know just what you need!” She beckoned me over to the showcase where she was standing and waved her hand toward the display of sterling silver and crystal beads.
    I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store as I leaned over the sparkling glass case. “You probably put that bead with the wine glasses right up front because you knew I’d be here this weekend!”
    “I can box that right up for you, sweetie!” And she did.
    Ruby handed me back my husband’s credit card along with the small red gift bag. I have never left her shop without one.  She was staring out the front window, her gaze coming to rest on the spot where Hamm was nervously shifting from foot to foot. I followed her line of sight, and when I saw what she was looking at, I laughed out loud.
    “My poor husband is a little pathetic, don’t you think? He teases me constantly about the money I spend here, and how we’d be able to afford a bigger boat if your store would just disappear. It’s all just an act, of course.” I took my purchase and glanced out the window just as that gorgeous specimen of male anatomy jogged past the store again, apparently on his way back from wherever it was he came from. He came to a stop in front of Hamm. They had a short conversation, all the while Jack Morgan never stopped moving his feet. He checked his fancy heart rate and pulse-monitoring watch and waved a friendly good-bye as he headed back to complete his evening workout. I might take up jogging too if I had such beautiful scenery to look forward to every day, and I don’t necessarily mean the lake and the beach.
    Ruby’s gaze shifted from the window back toward the corner of the store where June had just discovered the section containing the merchandise she needed to “research.”  There were beautifully scented oil-infused candles, romantic CDs, decadent chocolates in red and gold wrappings, even some tastefully sexy lingerie. Nothing lewd or cheesy here. June picked up a silky emerald green camisole. She had an odd, dreamy look on her face.
    Handing the expensive nightwear over the counter to be wrapped and ribboned, June commented, “Ruby, these things are fabulous, the best on the island, I’m sure. But now I need something to compare and contrast them with, if you know what I mean. My boss tells me there’s a new boutique on the island that might be perfect for my article.”
    Just then, the door chimes jangled and Ruby’s husband, Roger, swooped in on a gust of pipe-scented air. “Hello, my friend! Welcome back to the island.” He gave me a big hug, nearly spilling the entire tall glass of iced tea he carried with him everywhere. He made a quick save and I discreetly blotted at the dribble of tea on my sleeve, then put just a bit more space between his swinging glass and my new Michael Kors top. “I just talked to your husband across the street. I hear he was making friends with the island’s new full-time detective.”
    “Detective?” June’s journalist antennae were vibrating. “Since when?”
    “You mean that hottie in the running shorts I just met?” I couldn’t help myself. He was definitely a 9.9 on the hunk-o-meter. “Hey, June, if you get into any trouble this weekend, maybe you’ll get to meet Detective Dreamy. I’m sure you can come up with some obscure island ordinance that was just meant to be challenged.”
    Roger gave us a conspiratorial look and huddled us closer. Using his top-secret attempt at a whisper, he began. “Yeah. Name’s Jack Morgan. He moved here in January. He had to move all his stuff by plane since the ferry wasn’t even running. This was the first winter in over a hundred years that the lake was frozen solid. Since it’s taking so long to thaw, the water is having trouble rebounding to its usual temperature for this time of year.” Roger grinned and held his