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It felt like I worked in a cute little shop inside of a Hallmark movie. I even ran into the handsome stranger who moved to my small town to save the day. Archer would roll his eyes if I told him that. And our happily ever after better not just end with a kiss. No, I want to lick that man from top to bottom.

Just as I’m helping Dana carry more shirts from the back, my phone dings with a text.

Gemma: Don’t forget. Lunch at 11 on the dot!

Katie: I’ll be there. My mom is watching the babies for me!

Everleigh: Yay! I set an alarm on my phone to alert me when I need to stop working and leave. Won’t be late. Promise.

I laugh because they know me so well. On more than one occasion, I’ve nearly missed our lunch dates because I’ve gotten so caught up at work. But today, that ain’t happening!

After I’ve boxed up one of the trees along with the ornaments, I make several trips to the storage area in the back. Before I can get too caught up in anything else, my lunch reminder alarm goes off.

I pass Lexie, who’s carrying garland, while Dana handles the register.

“Oh hey, I’m heading out for lunch. I’ll be back in an hour. If it gets really busy, can one of you text me, and I’ll come back and help?”

Lexie laughs and waves me off. “We’ll be fine! It’s just one hour. Go have fun.”

“Okay, okay,” I say, grabbing my crossbody and make my way to the front of the store.

“Tell Archer I said hi!” she yells across the room. Heads turn and look at me with envy.

“I’m not meeting him.” I shake my head and continue forward, kinda wishing I were. No telling how fast it would spread around town that we were dating if we started going out in public together. It’s already gotten out that he lives with me. Us hooking up would be a rumor I for once wished were true. Hell, I’dgladlyclaim that one.

As I walk outside, daydreaming about Archer, I notice a black Dodge Charger parked by my car. My face contorts as two men come into view. They’re dressed in suits and ties and look completely out of place. Their presence puts me on high alert, and I wonder if I scream loud enough if my employees would hear.

“Can I help you?” I ask, grabbing their attention. It’s better to act fearless than to show any signs of weakness.

“Everleigh Blackwood?” the tall one asks.

“Who wants to know?” I try to keep a smile, but I can already tell by their demeanor that they’re hard-asses.

“I’m Detective Ballard, and this is Detective Haven. We have some questions about Eric Hudson.” They show their credentials, and I’m not sure if it puts me at ease or stresses me out more.

I look around, making sure no one is witnessing this. The last thing I need is for this to spread around town.

My attention focuses back on them.

“Okay, what about him?” I’m growing more impatient with each passing second. I literally have a couple of minutes to make it to the deli if I’m going to be on time. Sure, it’s right down the street, but I was trying to be punctual for once in my life. Guess that’s not happening today.

“It’s been brought to our attention that you had a personal relationship with him, so we need to know where you were on the night of October twenty-second.” Detective Haven’s light blue eyes stare through me.

I’m so shocked by the question that I laugh. “You can’t be serious.”

Their reactions say otherwise.

Rolling my eyes, I huff and open the calendar app on my phone. The next day was Katie’s baby shower. “I went home after working an eight-hour shift. I had an event the next morning for one of my best friends, so I stayed in.”

Ballard flips open a small pocket notebook. “Can anyone confirm you went home?”

My patience is waning. “You could ask my dog. Considering I live alone, she’s about the only one who knows I was there. I ate dinner, watched a little TV, then went to bed. Had to be at the venue at eight to start decorating.”

“So, you don’t have an alibi before eight o’clock the next day?”

I don’t want to hear anymore because I know exactly what he’s insinuating, and they’re reaching at this point if I’m their best suspect. “Excuse me, what do you think I did? That I flew to Vegas to kill him, then made it home just in time to host a party the following day? That’d give me barely enough time.”

He looks down at my left finger and sees it’s bare. “Ms.Blackwood, you’re a person of interest for the murder of Eric Hudson. He was staying with you for a little while, wasn’t he? You two had an affair?”

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