Wine Astray: Spirit of the Soul Wine Shop Mystery (A Rysen Morris Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free

fingers together.  "Say, I've got an idea.  Why don’t you come and work here with me while you're in town?"
    "What?" Rysen asked.  "You can't be serious."
    "Sure I am!  Oh, Rysen it will be perfect.  The two of us working together.  I can't imagine anything more fun.  It will be just like old times.  You, and me."
    She really hadn't been looking for a job here.  She needed work, sure, but she was hoping to set herself back up on her feet on her own.  Still, the look in Christina's eyes told her this was going to mean a lot to her.  And she really didn't have anything else to do right now…
    "Okay, I'm in," she said with a smile.  Christina rushed her with a big hug and the two sisters fell into an easy laughter.  When they finally stopped, Rysen was out of breath.  "I'm glad you've been able to do this, sis.  And, thanks.  Having something to do to keep my mind off of what happened might be just what I need."
    "Are you kidding?  I could use the help around here.  Um.  I can't pay you much."
    "You're paying me in room and board," Rysen corrected her.  "Don't worry about the rest of it.  I'll keep looking for something else while I help you and if anything comes along, I'll talk to you about it first."
    "Good."  Her sister sighed, and her voice turned serious.  "Truthfully, I need another set of eyes more than I need another set of hands.  The shop, well, it's not doing as well as I'd like."
    "Is it hard to keep it going?  I mean, in wine country like this there must be a lot of shops to compete with."
    Christina nodded.  "There are, but I've always carved out a special niche for myself.  I've partnered with some of the other shops so we can promote each other.  Plus, I sell craft wines from local individuals.  They've become a big hit, even if I don't make a lot of money from them.  The big sellers are always the high-priced wines."
    Her voice trailed off at the end of that sentence, and Rysen got the feeling she was missing something.  "Chris?  What is it?"
    Tears brimmed in Christina's eyes and it took her a moment to answer.  “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep the shop open for very much longer.”
    "What?" Rysen was shocked.  "You're kidding!  What's wrong?"
    "It's terrible, Ry.  My wine shipments aren't making it to the shop.   I've even had break-ins here where whole cases have been stolen. I'm still getting my orders from the local guys who make wine in their closets but that's not enough.  If I can't stock my shelves, I won't be able to make any money."
    The empty spaces on the shelves, Rysen thought.  Suddenly they had a more ominous look to them.  They didn't represent healthy sales.  They represented no sales at all.
    "This shop is my only income," Christina continued.  "If it goes under, I don't know what I'll do."
    Right, Rysen thought to herself bitterly.  Because Christina wouldn't have a great sister to fall back on like Rysen had done with her.  Rysen had messed her life up to a point where she wasn't any good to anyone.  Well.  If she couldn't help herself, she was going to help her sister.
    "I'm here now, Chris," she said, putting her hands on her sister's shoulders.  "I'll help you.  I will not let you lose this place."
    "Thanks, sis.  That means a lot."  Christina wiped tears from her cheeks and turned away so Rysen wouldn't see her crying.  "But what are we going to do?"
    The door to the shop opened, and a couple of tourists walked in, hand in hand, happy and smiling, obviously in the mood to buy something.  "For right now, let's make you some sales," Rysen told her sister.  "We'll figure the rest of it out later."

Chapter 3
     
    It took no time at all for Rysen to learn what she needed to know to help out in her sister’s shop.  Smile at the tourists, show them the selection, and promise they could get anything a customer might ask for.  Write down special orders and pass them to Christina.  Do not sample the wines.  Do offer