Toxic Attack: Spirit of the Soul Wine Shop Mystery (A Rysen Morris Mystery Book 2) by K.J. Emrick Page A

nothing had ever been said between them or—
    "I'm proud of you, Rysen," he said after a drink of milk.  He never looked at her as he cut another bite.  "What you did for your sister means a lot."
    Rysen couldn't believe what she had just heard.  Her father had just told her that he was proud.  Of her!  Wow.  She'd have to mark that one on her calendar.
    They ate in silence after that, but Rysen couldn't help like the fact that she and her dad had just grown a little closer.  It wasn't like he'd come over to give her a big hug, but it might just be the first step toward healing the hurts between them.
    Those were the best pancakes she'd ever had in her whole life.
    ***
    The wine shop was going to stay closed today.  With everything that had happened Rysen figured she needed a day off.  Christina would be back tonight and they could discuss how to go forward from here.  One thing was certain.  They would need to have much better security.  If the man who killed the woman in Bea's shop and then tried to steal the poisoned ledger to cover his tracks could break through security alarms that easily, they'd have to come up with something different.
    Brandon would probably be able to help them with that.  He'd already offered to stay in the area for them, and help with whatever they needed.  Rysen sighed as she walked up Main Street.  That was one more complication she would have to iron out.
    Josh or Brandon.  Both men were perfect, in their own way.  Both of them were obviously into her.  She couldn't just lead both of them on and she couldn't just keep pretending she didn't have feelings for both of them.
    She was a leaf being blown around on the wind.  She needed to land somewhere, to make a decision and ground herself in her choice.  It would be nice if someone could make the choice for her, but that wasn't how these things worked.  It was her choice to make and she would have to make it.
    Just not today.  Today she was going to drop in on Beatrice and let her know everything they had found out.  The killer.  The arsenic.  The link to whoever was behind everything.  It was like the plot to a mystery novel.
    The bell above the door to the flower shop jingled as she entered.  The buzz around Bea's store had died down in the days following the murder, and now the shop was empty in the early morning hours.  Rysen found Bea in the work area behind the sales counter slamming vases out of her way to toss a bunch of flowers down on the table.  She must be putting together an order.
    "Hi, Bea," she said, leaning over the counter.  "Did you hear about what happened?"
    Bea jerked around to Rysen, a pair of curved garden shears gripped tightly in her gloved hand.  "Oh," she said almost immediately, "hi, Rysen.  I didn't hear you come in."
    "That's all right.  You must have a lot of work to catch up on."
    "I do," she said with a tight smile.  "Especially now that Josh doesn't work here anymore."
    She turned back to the flowers, roses and purple lilies, and began expertly snipping the stems shorter.  Rysen could only imagine how Bea must feel, how she must be tense and upset still about the dead woman in the back of her shop.  Hopefully what Rysen had to tell her would make her feel better.
    "Well," she said to Beatrice's back, "I've got good news.  Christina's going to be home tonight.  Wait until you hear the rest of it!"
    Bea turned, a rose in her hand.  With a harsh snip she cut the head of the flower off.  It fell to the floor at her feet.
    "Bea?  What's wrong?"
    "What's wrong?  What's wrong!  Seriously, Rysen?"  Bea slammed the shears down on the counter and began waving her hands around as she practically screamed at Rysen.  "How about the fact that you basically swooped in here and stole Josh away from me?  How about the fact that there was a murder here in my shop and now the police are back asking questions since they think there's a big old conspiracy going on, thanks to you!  How