1 Who Killed My Boss? (22 page)
I was feeling magnanimous. Surviving a near death experience tends to bring out the best in me. I turned to him and smiled. “Okay. I’m willing to forgive and forget.”
And then he did the damnedest thing. He put on the brakes, leaned over and kissed me.
And I did the damnedest thing. I liked it.
This was crazy. Crazy. Michael was the guy for me, not balding old comfortable George.
“That’s the way I like you, Sam. Quiet.” He laughed and eased the car back into gear again.
Not only was this crazy, but Michael was behind us. I wondered if he saw anything. Oh, God, that would be awful.
We arrived at my house without us exchanging another word. I stayed in the cop car, in a semi-daze, as George got out and opened the passenger door for me. I exited slowly. Michael got out of my car, walked up to me, and handed me my keys. They each took an arm and escorted me to my front door. I was in awe of this situation. Over the past few years, I had become a Dateless Wonder. Suddenly there were two guys interested in me.
I opened my door and Clancy ran inside. I turned and without speaking watched Michael and George walk off into the sunrise together. Okay, it was a street light, but it had the same effect. Not exactly the ending I would have planned for this adventure.
I’d probably see them both tomorrow. That would be fun. And I’d see them at the trial. That would be even more fun, because I’d get credit for solving the case. For now I needed to prepare myself for the inevitable letdown that comes after an adrenaline-laced crisis.
So I wasn’t a superhero. Some might say I wasn’t a hero at all. But I did solve the murder. Well, I was wrong for a while, and I was wrong about a couple of the participants, but I did solve it. That felt good. I mentally ran down the list of siblings that I needed to call in the morning and brag to.
Hard to believe that less than a week ago I was unemployed. Now, I was employed and was a hero. The only negative spin I could put on this thing was that I left the adventure the same way I entered it—with my virtue intact.
Again, not the ending I’d envisioned.
I looked at my faithful companion. “C’mon, Clancy, let’s go for a walk. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
She smiled.
Want to find out what happens next for Sam Darling and her faithful companion Clancy? Their second adventure,
Any Meat in that Soup?
is available now!
And please consider leaving a review for
Who Killed My Boss?
Indie writers depend on reviews because we don’t have the advertising budget of traditionally published books. Also…tell your friends if you enjoyed reading about Sam and Clancy!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’m grateful to so many people who helped birth this book. My first thanks go to Patrice Fitzgerald, of eFitzgerald Publishing, who is not only my publisher but my friend. Early on when I needed encouragement there were several people who filled the bill—Authors Beth Amos, Nelson Thurman, Cyndy Mobley, Lynnette Spratley, Debbie Puente, and the late Charlie Alexander. Thanks also go to editor Diana Kohn; agent extraordinaire, the late Jim Cypher; and producer Tim Grundmann for their help with the early stages of the manuscript.
Encouragement also came from my writers’ groups over the years: the Aspiring Writers’ Club, Housewife Writers, Easy Sisters, and ComedySportz Writing Group. Finally, I want to thank my final “first readers,” Jan Bozarth Smith and Nikki Shields, who renewed my enthusiasm for my book.
A special thanks is due to Toni Taylor from Tiger Imagery who allowed us to use her lovely photograph as a basis for the cover. The house represents the home of Gus and Georgianne Granville in the book. Thanks as well to Dan of KFD for the wonderful formatting, and for finding that cute little glyph that is a clone of Clancy.
Although people in Quincy, IL may recognize some of the buildings of our town, they won’t recognize any of the inhabitants, because they existed only in my imagination. I do hope you see the love I feel for Quincy and understand the reasons I moved back home.
Jerilyn Bozarth Dufresne is the oldest of nine, and that group gave her the inspiration for the Darling Family, although her sibs fight a lot more and have cornered the market on sarcasm. She returned to her hometown of Quincy, IL after having lived a nomadic middle part of her life. Currently she is an outpatient therapist at a local mental health clinic and teaches at Quincy University. She and her dog Gus live with, and are tolerated by, two cats.
Join Sam and company for their next adventure, due in early 2014:
Can You Picture This?
To hear first about new books by Jerilyn, sign up
here
. Your email will never be made public and you can opt out at any time.
WHO KILLED MY BOSS?
Electronic Edition
© 2013 Jerilyn Dufresne
All rights reserved.
Edition: December 2013
Published by eFitzgerald Electronic Publishing
Cover design by Keri Knutson
eFitzgerald Publishing strives to create a professional product and a smooth reading experience for readers of indie ebooks. Please report typographical or other errors to
[email protected].