Scoop to Kill Read Online Free Page A

flipped the OPEN sign, and threw the dead bolt. Late-April weather in north Texas is unpredictable, but the local news promised sun and highs in the eighties for the day. With any luck, the A-la-mode would be jumping by lunch.
    “Listen,” I said. “Whether you like it or not, Alice is going to stand by her teacher. And you can’t watch her every minute of every day.”
    “Wanna bet?”
    I let the laughter escape this time. “For what it’s worth, Finn thinks pretty highly of this lady, and he’s a good judge of character.”
    Bree arched an eyebrow, and I knew she was itching to press me about Finn and Emily, but she showed uncharacteristic restraint.
    “Why don’t you compromise?” I suggested. “Tell Alice that she can meet with Dr. Clowper, but they have to meet here. On neutral territory.”
    Bree snapped a clean apron over her head.
    “Not a bad plan. Though I’m not sure either one of us is ‘neutral’ toward that woman.”

chapter 4
    M uch to Bree’s surprise, Alice and Emily both agreed to meet at the A-la-mode. Much to my surprise, Emily brought Finn Harper with her.
    I watched through my plate glass storefront as Finn waited patiently on the sidewalk, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his rumpled khakis, while Emily locked a pink bicycle to a parking meter. Her short flippy purple skirt and ballet-necked white T-shirt showed off a lithe figure that her long linen dress had concealed when I first met her. With a canvas tote bag slung across her body and a pair of Earth sandals on her feet, she looked like she could be a college student herself.
    Finn held the door for both Alice and Emily, and they filed to the back of the store.
    “Anyone want ice cream?” I asked as they settled down around one of my wrought-iron café tables. Bree crossed behind them to the door to lock up for the day, and Kyle Mason, my only nonfamily employee, slouched by the restroom door, watching Alice’s every move with a blend of longing and animosity peculiar to moody teenagers. Poor Kyle teetered right on the brink of adulthood, but Alice, his crush, had already entered the grown-up world of college. He chafed at being left behind.
    “No, thanks,” Alice said, as she rooted around in her backpack.
    “You know I can’t resist your ice cream, Tally,” Finn said with a wink. “Bring me something tasty.”
    I looked at Emily. She stared back, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Diabetic. Just water.”
    Ah yes, no ice cream for Dr. Emily Clowper. She probably ran marathons, too, or did that hot yoga stuff.
    As though he read my mind, Finn piped up. “Don’t let Emily fool you. She has a sweet tooth.”
    She glared at him. “I like sweets,” she conceded, “but they’ll kill me. Literally. So I resist temptation.”
    “Hmmm. I seem to recall a certain evening at Ciao Bella that involved multiple desserts.”
    Emily blushed. “All tiramisu. Every time I’m near a piece of the stuff, I absolutely inhale it, and then spend the evening shooting up extra insulin to compensate.” She lowered her eyes. “Some temptations are simply too great.”
    Eww. I really didn’t want to be privy to this conversation.
    I ducked behind the counter and dished up two scoops of cherry-vanilla, Finn’s favorite flavor, and topped it with a ladle of warm bittersweet-chocolate fudge and a dollop of whipped cream.
    Bree filled a glass with ice water for Emily, popped open a can of Diet Dr Pepper for herself, and slid Alice a can of the full-sugar variety. I handed Finn his ice cream and smiled as he tucked in with gusto.
    “Em,” Finn said around a mouthful of my French pot ice cream, “you have no idea what you’re missing.”
    I tried to ignore the pang I felt at Finn’s use of Emily’s pet name. It was none of my business how long they’d dated, how serious they’d been, how much tiramisu he’d fed her, or even whether they were back together. I tried to ignore that pang, but if we’re being brutally honest, I