Free Bubblegum Blonde by Anna Snow Page A

fact that he was a male. I'd never met a male anything that wasn't somewhat demanding.
    I filled Mickey's dishes with fresh food and water, patted him on the head, and made my way to the shower.
    As the hot water ran over my head and shoulders, I let myself run through what I knew about the case thus far.
    The receipts to the motel in Trinity Grove were enough to tell me there was a big chance that Jason and Lydia were having an affair. Still, I couldn't shake the question of why Jason and Lydia would be sneaking out to the Grove when they'd obviously been meeting in Lydia's home. How else would Jason's fingerprints and personal items have gotten in her bedroom?
    There was also the possibility that she was sleeping with someone other than Jason, and that's why she was sneaking out to the Grove. Wouldn't that serve Jason the Cheater right? His mistress cheating on him with a man other than her husband? I shook the malicious thought out of my mind and finished my shower, dried off, and slipped into bed.
    Why was Detective Black so sure that Jason was guilty? Did he know something that I didn't? I'd seen the police report. There was nothing there that would suggest Jason actually killed Lydia. Finding a jacket and money clip was a far cry from finding a murder weapon.
    One thing was for certain, Detective Black would be keeping tabs on me now that he knew I was serious about the case, and that wasn't a good thing for me. I'd have to be sneakier than usual to keep him from stopping or interfering with my investigation.
    It was kind of sweet that he was worried about me, but that didn't change my mind about the case.
    I wiggled down in the thick, fluffy linens and closed my eyes. Mickey hopped up on the bed and snuggled up against me. I put my arm around him, and with thoughts of detectives, murders, and affairs buzzing through my mind, finally fell asleep.
     
    *   *   *
     
    I'd intended to get some much-needed shut-eye, but all I ended up getting was some disturbingly sexy dreams of me rolling around with an extremely naked Detective Tyler Black.
    I didn't know what my problem was, but I needed to get a grip. There was a murder to solve, and I'd get nowhere if I kept letting Detective Black wreak havoc on my mind. Launching my business into a different income bracket and freeing an innocent man teetered in the balance. I needed to get a grip and get down to business.
    I felt a little bit like a zombie, so I hopped back into the shower in an attempt to wake myself up. Mickey stationed his perverted self right outside the glass shower door to watch the show.
    Like I said before, I chalked it up to him being a male and let it go.
    When the hot water ran out, I got out of the shower, dried, and tossed on a pair of comfortable jeans, a baby pink T-shirt, and a matching pair of Converse tennis shoes. My hair was a mess, as it always was in my eyes, so I ran my fingers with a little leave-in conditioner on them through it in an attempt to tame my naturally loose waves. When I no longer resembled a lion, I washed my hands and turned off the bathroom lights.
     Mickey followed me through the house, so I checked his dishes, made sure there was plenty of fresh food and water in them, gave him a quick snuggle, then grabbed my purse, locked the door, and left the house.
    The seasons were taking their sweet time changing, and the midmorning was already so hot, I was starting to sweat. I tossed my purse into the passenger seat and hopped into my car. I was ever so thankful for the air conditioner.
    It's the little things, you know?
    Once I'd backed out of the driveway, I headed toward the nearest coffee shop. Yes, I could've made coffee at my place, but like I said before, I wasn't great at the domestic things, even making the one thing I couldn't seem to live without. I really needed to at least learn to make a decent cup of coffee.
    I turned off the main road and into the parking lot of my favorite coffee shop. I had a big day of