Grilled Cheese Murder: Book 4 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page A

sure I want to keep dating him. We might just end up as business partners instead.” Candice shrugged. “He is really good at figuring out how much everything will cost though. He’s already saving me the cost of an accountant. How are you and David doing?” Her daughter gave her a sly look, referring to David Morris, the private investigator who had helped them out of some recent sticky situations.
    “There is no me and David, we’re just friends,” Moira said, half amused and half irritated. “But he’s doing well, from what I’ve heard.”
    “You can’t be that blind, Mom. You’ve got to know that he likes you as more than ‘just friends.’ He wouldn’t hang around and help out at the deli so much if he didn’t.”
    “He’s just being friendly—you’ll understand when you’re our age. Oh, speaking of David, he said that he knew someone who’s thinking of closing down his business and moving out of Lake Marion. His store is right on Main Street, so it would be perfect for you. Do you want to go take a look at it?” Moira attempted to change the subject. She was relieved when it worked; the truth was, she did have feelings beyond friendship for the private detective that had helped her so much recently, but she didn’t know if he thought of her as anything more than a good friend and she wasn’t willing to risk their friendship to find out.
    Candice jumped on the distraction. “Right on Main Street? That sounds perfect. How big is the display window? Do you know if he’s planning on leasing the building or selling it? Does it have a natural gas hookup?”
    “Slow down, slow down,” Moira said with a chuckle. “I don’t know much, but he said that we can come and look at it today or tomorrow if you want.”
    “Can we go today? As soon as we close the deli?”
    Unable to resist Candice’s eager face, the deli owner agreed. “As long as the temperature doesn’t drop. I don’t want to be driving on icy roads if I can help it. Just don’t get your hopes too high,” she warned. “David said his friend wasn’t even a hundred percent sure he was going to sell it. I’ll call him and ask if he can meet us there.”
    “I know, I’ll try to keep my expectations realistic, but—” Candice was cut off when the deli’s front door swung open. A young man walked in. His olive skin and gray eyes looked familiar, but Moira couldn’t quite place his face.
    “Welcome to Darling’s DELIcious Delights,” she said brightly. “Feel free to take a look around. Our soup of the day is spring onion, and that comes with an Asian ginger salad.”
    “I’ll take a bowl of the soup,” he said. “No salad. And can you do that to go?”
    “Sure thing.” As her daughter ducked into the kitchen to get the young man a bowl of soup, Moira rang the order up. “Will you be paying with cash or card?” she asked. He looked up from the wall of photos he’d been examining. The photos were all of local people, plus a few pictures of the winning ice sculptures from the Winter Festival. A group shot of everyone that worked at the deli had the place of honor in the center. Darrin, one of her young clerks, had thought up the photo display, and the locals loved it.
    “Oh, um, cash.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a few crumpled ones, which he placed on the counter near the register. When Candice came back out with his order, he mumbled a thanks and left. Moira stared after him for a few seconds, certain that she had seen him before. Maybe he’s related to someone I know , she thought. Then she shrugged and left Candice to handle the young woman that had just walked in, while she whipped up some salads and a couple of bowls of soup to serve as a quick lunch for the two of them.

CHAPTER TWO
    Luckily for them the weather held, so after the two of them closed up the deli for the evening, they headed down the road to Lake Marion. It was a scenic drive, with thick forest abutting either side of the