Free Real Women Eat Cake: A Yellow Rose Cozy Mystery (Yellow Rose Mystery Series Book 1) by K. P. Hilton Page A
Authors: K. P. Hilton
upbeat.
“I'm afraid there is. It has to do with the wiring in the building here.”
“And...” Betty drawled, adding a bit more Texas twang than was probably needed.
“I got a call from John Able down at the county courthouse late yesterday afternoon. He said your permits are all in order, but the wiring will have to be updated before you can open.”
“I don't understand,” Betty said, looking surprised. “All of the paperwork was done months ago. I was under the impression everything was in order. Why are they just now getting around to saying that the building's not up to code?”
“It's the government, Betty. You know how that goes.”
Betty shook her head. “Well, the first thing to do is not panic. There's got to be a solution in this somewhere.” She sighed and tried looking at the brighter side of things like she always did when life wasn't going her way. “At least in comparison, the rest of the week should go well.”
The shop's front door opened again and Brianna stepped in. “Oh good, you're here,” she said, addressing her mother.
“Of course, I am. There's still a lot of work to be done.” Betty remarked. “By the way, why aren't you getting ready for class at the community college?”
“Oh, didn't I tell you?,” Brianna said brightly, her smile a mile wide. “I dropped out. I'm going to be working here with you instead.”
There was a brief moment of silence when all that could be heard were the cars puttering down Main Street. Camden grabbed a chair and placed it behind Betty as her knees started to flex and give. He and the rest of the men soon found activities that kept them out of the front of the shop and away from the conversation that was about to ensue.
Chapter 2
The morning sun bore down on the citizens of Yellow Rose like a laborer driving a nail through a 2 x 4. Though barely nine o'clock, the temperature was already close to ninety degrees with the forecaster on the local radio station predicting a hundred by early afternoon. May had turned out to be a scorcher.
Betty adjusted the air vents in her Ford Explorer so they blew directly on her. For some reason, the air didn't feel as cold as usual to her. She made a mental note to have one of the mechanics at Billy's All-N-1 Lube check the coolant level next time she went in for an oil change.
“What is that girl thinking?” she said aloud, referring to Brianna. “She's only a year away from graduation. She knows how important a good education is. She knows .” Betty and her late husband had never sat down and talked about what their daughters would do after high school. They'd always assumed that they would get their degrees. Bobbi had taken classes at the University of Texas, an hour north in Austin, and was finishing up her training as a physical therapist when she met and later married her husband, Gary. They lived and worked in the Live Music Capital of the World but frequently drove down on weekends and days off to visit.
Betty did her best to push thoughts of Brianna from her mind until later. She would sit down and try again later to talk some sense into her daughter. She'd wanted to talk more at the store but the wiring issue took priority for now. Plus, Brianna wasn't really listening to her, anyhow.
She pulled into the county courthouse parking lot and, finding no shaded spaces available, parked as close as she could to the building. She got her purse and a folder full of papers and headed up the concrete steps. The building was two stories tall and made of limestone. She pushed open one of the heavy metal and glass doors and stepped into cooler temperatures.
She checked the directory and found where John Able worked, which was Room 222 there on the first floor. She headed for his office, nodding 'hello' at those she met along the way. Her shoes made a soft rhythmic clicking against the marbled floor.
She found the room and
“I'm afraid there is. It has to do with the wiring in the building here.”
“And...” Betty drawled, adding a bit more Texas twang than was probably needed.
“I got a call from John Able down at the county courthouse late yesterday afternoon. He said your permits are all in order, but the wiring will have to be updated before you can open.”
“I don't understand,” Betty said, looking surprised. “All of the paperwork was done months ago. I was under the impression everything was in order. Why are they just now getting around to saying that the building's not up to code?”
“It's the government, Betty. You know how that goes.”
Betty shook her head. “Well, the first thing to do is not panic. There's got to be a solution in this somewhere.” She sighed and tried looking at the brighter side of things like she always did when life wasn't going her way. “At least in comparison, the rest of the week should go well.”
The shop's front door opened again and Brianna stepped in. “Oh good, you're here,” she said, addressing her mother.
“Of course, I am. There's still a lot of work to be done.” Betty remarked. “By the way, why aren't you getting ready for class at the community college?”
“Oh, didn't I tell you?,” Brianna said brightly, her smile a mile wide. “I dropped out. I'm going to be working here with you instead.”
There was a brief moment of silence when all that could be heard were the cars puttering down Main Street. Camden grabbed a chair and placed it behind Betty as her knees started to flex and give. He and the rest of the men soon found activities that kept them out of the front of the shop and away from the conversation that was about to ensue.
Chapter 2
The morning sun bore down on the citizens of Yellow Rose like a laborer driving a nail through a 2 x 4. Though barely nine o'clock, the temperature was already close to ninety degrees with the forecaster on the local radio station predicting a hundred by early afternoon. May had turned out to be a scorcher.
Betty adjusted the air vents in her Ford Explorer so they blew directly on her. For some reason, the air didn't feel as cold as usual to her. She made a mental note to have one of the mechanics at Billy's All-N-1 Lube check the coolant level next time she went in for an oil change.
“What is that girl thinking?” she said aloud, referring to Brianna. “She's only a year away from graduation. She knows how important a good education is. She knows .” Betty and her late husband had never sat down and talked about what their daughters would do after high school. They'd always assumed that they would get their degrees. Bobbi had taken classes at the University of Texas, an hour north in Austin, and was finishing up her training as a physical therapist when she met and later married her husband, Gary. They lived and worked in the Live Music Capital of the World but frequently drove down on weekends and days off to visit.
Betty did her best to push thoughts of Brianna from her mind until later. She would sit down and try again later to talk some sense into her daughter. She'd wanted to talk more at the store but the wiring issue took priority for now. Plus, Brianna wasn't really listening to her, anyhow.
She pulled into the county courthouse parking lot and, finding no shaded spaces available, parked as close as she could to the building. She got her purse and a folder full of papers and headed up the concrete steps. The building was two stories tall and made of limestone. She pushed open one of the heavy metal and glass doors and stepped into cooler temperatures.
She checked the directory and found where John Able worked, which was Room 222 there on the first floor. She headed for his office, nodding 'hello' at those she met along the way. Her shoes made a soft rhythmic clicking against the marbled floor.
She found the room and
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