Double Dating with the Dead by Karen Kelley (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

offense, Selena, if you’re reading this. She knows how much I love her, so I’m sure she won’t take offense.

Anyway, I arrived at the hotel, but no one answered my knock, so I went inside. What if something horrible might have happened to them? The old hotel is practically falling down and should have been leveled years ago. Let me tell you, it hasn’t gotten any better. Dismal doesn’t even come close to describing it, darlings.

I finally found them in the kitchen, but ooh-la-la, ladies and gents. Their clothes were in…well, let’s just say…disarray? And they were quite flustered at being interrupted.

But who can blame our little Selena? Sexy doesn’t even begin to describe Trent Sanders. A definite hunk, but he only had eyes…and roaming hands…for Selena. It looked like she was raising more than the dead.

Ta-ta for now, but won’t it be interesting to see who—ahem—comes out on top?

“That bitch!” Selena stomped her foot.

“That fact has already been established,” Trent said.

“So,” Tye began. “What exactly did this Barbara catch y’all doing?”

His expression was a little too innocent when he looked between them. Heat rose up her face. She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed.

“Selena spilled some water,” Trent said. “Barbara blew everything out of proportion.”

“My column took away some of her space,” Selena chimed in. “She’s hated me ever since I went to work at the paper.”

Tye nodded. “Okay. That sounds plausible.” He downed the rest of his coffee and carried the cup to the sink. “I’m going home and crawl between the sheets. I just thought y’all might want to know what this Barbara chick wrote in the paper. Forewarned and all that.”

“Thanks,” Trent told him. “I appreciate you bringing the paper.”

Tye turned at the door and studied them. “A word of advice. When someone asks if there might be more going on than meets the eye, you might try to look a little more innocent.”

He whistled a tune as he left.

Selena hadn’t thought she could be more embarrassed, but she’d been wrong. Was their lust that obvious? She looked at Trent.

He didn’t look a bit worried about what his brother thought. He didn’t seem that concerned about the article, either, other than commenting on the obvious, that Barbara was a bitch.

And why should he be concerned? His books would probably start selling like crazy. What was the saying, even bad publicity was good publicity? Well, she could’ve done without Barbara’s column.

“You probably think this is funny,” she said.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. The damage is done.”

“Except you have more PR for your book.”

“True.”

“You admit this doesn’t bother you?”

He rose and went to the coffeepot, pouring himself another cup. He held up the glass pot, but she shook her head.

“It’s publicity. What can I say?”

“It could be pretty embarrassing for the loser, though.”

He shrugged before he sat across from her again. “But we’ve known one of us has to lose. There can only be one winner.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“That you’re going to be publicly embarrassed.”

“You think you can convince me there are ghosts? That Dixie and Wesley exist? That’s pretty arrogant of you.”

She shrugged. “When I’m right, I’m right. Wesley and Dixie do exist.”

“And they don’t want to show themselves because we’ll leave?”

She nodded.

“You sure you weren’t dropped on your head as a child?”

“Funny.” She crossed her arms in front of her. The man had an attitude problem. But he was cute, even early in the morning. His hair was tousled and he hadn’t shaved. She was such a sucker for that Miami Vice look.

Chapter 15

“Hey, Barb, The Man wants to see ya,” one of the high school students who worked part time at the paper said as he sauntered past her cubicle.

Barbara looked up from her computer screen and gave the kid the once-over. He was kind of cute if a little nerdy. She’d give him a treat.

She dropped her pencil on the floor, then bent over to retrieve it, making sure she moved in a way that her shirt gaped open, then stayed in that position a second longer than necessary.

When she straightened, her gaze went to the kid. Her knowing smile didn’t stay in place long. The boy was actually ogling some pimply-faced girl at the water fountain rather than her perfect breasts. She’d given him a free look, and he hadn’t taken it. She’d always known there was something strange about him.

She stood and sashayed to the editor’s office. After her piece in the paper about Selena using company time to have a sordid affair, he was probably going to give her a bigger column. Maybe he’d even fire Selena. The little bitch had it coming.

She tapped on his office door, then went inside. “You wanted to see me?”

“Have a seat.” He motioned for her to take the chair across from his desk.

She’d been inside his office only a few times. She glanced around. Family photos. God, his wife could really use a makeover, and his kids were such dorks.

“About your article in this morning’s paper.”

She slowly crossed her legs. She’d practiced this move ever since she’d watched the uncut version of that Sharon Stone movie, and she’d gotten damn good at it.

Mr. Radar’s face turned red. He looked down at the paper. Oh, yes, he’d definitely noticed her move. She smelled success. And when he fired Selena, she wanted the bitch’s cubicle. It was bigger and a lot nicer than hers.

She leaned back in the chair. “It’s the best article I’ve ever written.”

His steely-eyed gaze raised, giving her a moment of trepidation. “Your article is a piece of trash.”

She sat straight up in the chair. “Wh…what?”

“I said it’s a vindictive piece of trash.”

Her chin jutted forward. “It’s the truth!”

He threw the paper toward the trash can. It landed inside with a bang.

“I knew from the start you hated Selena. I thought you could both iron out your differences and get along, but you couldn’t do that.”

His gaze slid over her, and when it returned to her face, his