Free Marked Down for Murder (Good Buy Girls) by Josie Belle

them to admire their reflections in the mirror. It really would be fabulous if hats made a comeback in the fashion world.
    The door opened and Maggie glanced up with her “greet the customer” smile firmly in place.
    “Good morning, how can I . . . Oh, it’s you,” she said.
    Blair Cassidy raised her arched eyebrows and gave Maggie a sour look. “Is that how you greet shoppers?”
    “You’re not a shopper,” Maggie said. “You’re a manipulative, sneaky, bothersome, bossy—”
    Blair held up her hand. “Please, let’s not quibble.”
    “You’re right,” Maggie said. “Why don’t you leave and then we’ll get along just fine?”
    Blair did not look amused. She heaved a put-upon sigh, as if she were being forced to do something she would rather not. Maggie wondered if Bruce had insisted that she come and apologize. That would certainly be unexpected.
    But instead of uttering an “I’m sorry,” Blair reached into her purse and pulled out her checkbook, then she wiggled it in the air to get Maggie’s attention.
    “How much?” she asked.
    “Excuse me?” Maggie said.
    “How much do you want?” Blair asked. She enunciated every word and spoke very slowly, as if English was Maggie’s second, or possibly her third, language.
    “Are you buying something?” Maggie asked.
    She looked at Blair’s arms to see if she’d picked up something. No, her hands were empty. Was she interested in a piece of furniture? That seemed unlikely, but then would anything that Blair did surprise her? Maybe Bruce told her she had to buy something as a peace offering to Maggie. Unnecessary, but she appreciated the thought.
    “Don’t be coy,” Blair said. “You’re a grown woman, a businesswoman; why don’t you try acting like it?”
    Maggie felt her brain contract as she tried to keep her temper in check.
    “I can assure you that I am,” Maggie said. “Now what are you talking about?”
    Blair slapped her checkbook onto the counter and took out her pen. “How can I make this any plainer? How much do you want to break up with Sam Collins?”

Chapter 9

    Maggie shook her head as if she had water in her ears. Surely she must have heard wrong. Was Blair actually offering her money to break up with Sam?
    “Are you out of your mind?” Maggie cried. She couldn’t help it. She’d had about all she could take of Blair Cassidy and her daughter.
    Blair gave her a hard stare, the kind that said she was a woman who always got what she wanted and she wasn’t about to start taking no for an answer now. “Everyone has a price. What’s yours?”
    “Let me be very clear,” Maggie said. “You don’t have enough money in your checking account to make me break up with Sam.”
    “Oh, I don’t know,” Blair said. She glanced around the shop as if she found it desperately in need of an infusion of cash. “I have an awful lot of money.”
    Maggie stood and gaped at her. The woman actually thought she could buy Maggie off. She opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. She opened it again. She was utterly speechless, which was amazing, because that pretty much never happened.
    “I can see you’re struggling with the mental math,” Blair said. “How about I get you started with the offer of five thousand dollars? Yes?”
    She started to write the amount and Maggie was jolted out of her stupor. What the what? Blair actually thought they had a deal? No!
    “No! Stop!” Maggie said. “Absolutely not!”
    Blair paused and glanced up at Maggie with one eyebrow raised, as if reconsidering her.
    “Summer said you were a savvy negotiator,” Blair said. “How about seventy-five hundred?” Maggie saw Mrs. Oliver and her friends approaching with their hats. She smiled at them, trying not to let her ire with Blair show. She didn’t want to scare away customers in her attempt to get rid of the crazy woman in front of her.
    “No!” she said to Blair through her teeth.
    “Fine.” Blair’s mouth tightened in a look of steely