Twice Layered Murder Read online

  “I know that,” I answered.

  “So make it up to me,” he said sheepishly.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “Gosh, are you gonna make me come out and say it?” he asked, biting his lip. “Fine. Be hard on me, why don’t you?” He took a deep breath. “You stood me up. Sure, it was for a fake arrest, but you stood me up, nonetheless. So, in order to make that right, I’m gonna need you to have dinner with me.”

  “Oh?” I said.

  I did not see that coming.

  “Don’t say no yet,” he said as if expecting it. “Just say maybe.”

  I looked over at Aiden and then, ridiculously, at Darrin.

  Aiden was dancing with Peggy, a smile wide on his face.

  I shook my head. Life wasn’t about this. Not even a second life. You couldn’t live by looking back, not if you expected to be happy.

  So I looked at Sam and smiled.

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Okay?” he asked, seemingly floored by the admission.

  “Okay,” I answered. “I’m saying maybe.”

  “I’ll take it,” he said, extending his arm. “And, with it, how about a dance?”

  I grinned, taking his hand in mine.

  “Well,” I said, thinking about my life (both of them) and how crazy, mysterious, wonderful, and complicated it was. “It is a wedding.”

  Rita’s Perfect Wedding Cookies

  1 cup crushed pecans

  2 sticks unsalted butter softened

  3/4 cup powdered sugar

  3 teaspoons vanilla extract

  2 cups flour

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, to coat the cookies

  Toast the nuts on the stovetop: Place the nuts in a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until they darken and smell nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let the nuts cool in the pan.

  Crush the nuts: Once the toasted nuts are warm but not hot, pour them into a quart-size sealable freezer bag. Seal the bag, and then use a rolling pin to roll and crush the nuts until they are crushed into a chunky powder

  Mix the butter and sugar: Place the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of mixer . Beat together on medium speed until the sugar is absorbed into the butter and the buttery paste clings to the side of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 30 seconds to incorporate.

  Add the flour and salt: Mix on low speed.

  Empty the crushed nuts into the bowl with the dough: Mix on low speed to incorporate.

  Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until the dough is firm.

  About 7-8 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

  Remove the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and form into 1-inch balls of dough. (If your dough chilled longer than 1 hour, you may need to let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature.) Roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar and place on the baking mat, spaced slightly apart.

  Bake for 17 to 19 minutes.

  While the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in the powdered sugar again. Return the cookies to the cooling rack and let cool completely before serving them.

  Thank You for reading!

  Curious about what happens to Rita next?

  * * *

  Find out in Twice Dipped Murder!

  Dear reader, if you REALLY want to read my next Cozy Mystery novel- I’ve got a bit of bad news for you.

  Unfortunately, Amazon will not tell you when the next comes out.

  You’ll probably never know about my next books, and you’ll be left wondering what happened to Rita and the gang. That’s rather terrible.

  There is good news though! There are three ways you can find out when the next book is published:

  1) You join my mailing list by clicking here.

  2) You follow me on my Facebook page. I always announce my new books there, as well as interact with fans.

  3) You follow me on Amazon. You can do this by going to the store page (or clicking this link) and clicking on the Follow button that is under the picture of my cat on the left side.

  If you follow me, Amazon will send you an email when I publish a book. You’ll just have to make sure you check the emails they send.

  Doing any of these, or all three for best results, will ensure you find out about my next book when it is published.

  If you don’t, Amazon will never tell you about my next release. Please take a few seconds to do one of these so that you’ll be able to join Rita and the gang on their next adventure.