A Time to Live and a Thyme for Murder! (Outer Banks Baker Mystery Series Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

favorite turkey bacon with a smoked gouda cheese and spinach omelet. He rolled his eyes since obviously she was just being her usual rude self. He thought it smelled fantastic! Krissy saw Kyle on the news and made a comment about “poor guy”, but then left in a hurry without eating.
     
    Since they couldn’t go into work and weren’t allowed back at home yet either, Melissa and Cheryl spent a lot of their spare time volunteering at the local soup kitchen or trying out new recipes in Jason’s kitchen. Jason enjoyed being a test subject for all their new creations. Some worked out well – like the lemon pepper chicken orzo soup paired with a new version of Melissa’s thyme bread with an assortment of five different cheeses. The gazpacho with a dash of citrus splash served with her infamous Sea Salt and Rosemary bread was a huge hit, too. However, the country vegetable soup with parsnips in lieu of carrots did not go well with the jalapeño cheddar bread at all. Most evenings Jason came home to find his entire kitchen covered in flour and dirty dishes. He didn’t mind; however, it was a sore spot with his daughter.
     
    Melissa really was trying to make inroads with the young woman. She knew it was important to Jason. He loved his daughter immensely and he loved Melissa. More than anything he wanted them to form a lasting friendship, ultimately because he intended to keep them both in his life for all his days. Melissa realized this and truly wanted to get to know the young woman, but obstinate teenagers could be difficult on normal days. If one didn’t want to be your friend, it just wasn’t going to happen. As the days staying at the townhouse drew on it became more and more apparent to Melissa that things may not pan out the way Jason hoped.
     
    She and Cheryl discussed the situation at length as they cooked and baked the days away. Her friend didn’t have any advice to give except to let events run their course. No one could force the young woman to like Melissa and she expected Krissy wasn’t even giving her a chance because she wasn’t her mom. It would take time for her to accept Melissa as a permanent person in her father’s life, but eventually she would have to do just that – accept it. Sometimes though, Melissa wondered if she really was a “permanent” person in Jason’s life. She had never imagined having a long-term relationship with anyone other than her late husband, Kevin. After two years with Jason, she couldn’t envision life without him. However, she now knew, better than most, that nothing is ever guaranteed. If his daughter absolutely objected to Melissa being in his life, she preferred to exit sooner rather than later.
     
    Dwelling on the subject made Melissa too serious for Cheryl’s liking. As they worked side by side in the kitchen, Cheryl did the only thing she could conceive of to lighten the mood – she took a giant glob of thyme bread dough and smeared in down Melissa’s face. Stunned, and rather disgusted as she accidently inhaled a twig of thyme, she fought back. Within minutes the kitchen and adjacent breakfast nook were covered in dough, flour, and herbs. There wasn’t a clean spot to be seen. They were so busy throwing whatever ingredients they could get their hands on at each other while yelling bogus threats and laughing hysterically, they didn’t hear Jason come into the house with the CDC representative, Dr. Nelson behind him.
     
    The two men watched in amusement as neither woman realized they were no longer alone. It wasn’t until a glob of dough missed Cheryl and sailed through the room to smack Dr. Nelson in the face that they became aware of the men’s presence. Both middle-aged women stopped in mid-battle with childish guilty looks on their faces before they both busted out laughing uncontrollably. Jason smiled sheepishly at their antics, but he couldn’t gage the doctor’s reaction. After multiple apologies, the women started to clean up while Jason