Salami Murder: Book 8 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning

she had felt. Now, however, she found herself wishing she had someone to share her thoughts with.
    Why not just ask David? she thought. But it wasn’t as simple as that, not really. She and David had never talked about dating each other exclusively. Did she have any right to be angry, or even jealous, if he chose to spend time with another woman? It wasn’t like they were married; he was free to do what he wanted, as was she. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I have a right to be upset , she thought ruefully. I still feel that way.
    With a groan, she rose from the stool behind the counter at the deli and began reorganizing the cases of meat, anything to keep her busy. It was a slow time of day, and she would be grateful when the evening rush started. Anything would be better than being left alone with her own thoughts right now.
    As if in answer to her wishes, the deli’s front door jingled as someone walked through it, and Moira hurried back to the register to greet the customer. Something about him was familiar, and with everything that had been going on in the last few days, it took her a moment to place him.
    “Eli, wasn’t it?” she asked at last when it came back to him. “You own the ice cream parlor in Lake Marion.” She was nearly certain he was the same young man who had stopped in to Candice’s Candies to say hi the week before, but she was still relieved when he smiled and nodded.
    “That’s me,” he said. “And you’re Candice’s mom, right?”
    “Yep. Moira Darling.” She shook his hand, glad for the distraction that he had provided her. “Can I help you with anything in particular today, or are you just going to look around?”
    “Oh, um, I’m supposed to pick up some cheese slices and sparkling cider,” he said. “I can probably find it myself though.”
    “The cider will be in the case on the end,” she said. “And the cheese is in front of the meat right there.”
    She watched while he picked out the items. When he walked up with the items, plus a few extras, she began ringing him up. Since he was a fellow local business owner, and had been kind enough to stop by the candy stop just to introduce himself, she gave him a small discount. It never hurt to be nice to people, especially when they were people you were bound to run into again.
    She was just packing the items into a bag for him when his cell phone rang. He gave her an apologetic smile and took the call, assuring whoever was on the other line that he had found everything all right and that no, the other person didn’t need to pay him back.
    “No problem,” he said. “See you soon, Candice.”
    Moira stared at him as he hung up, not wanting to admit that she had been listening, but dying to know if he had been talking to her daughter. Surely there was another Candice in town.
    “Was that my daughter?” she asked after a moment of internal struggle, unable to help herself.
    “Yeah.” He grinned at her in a friendly way. “She wanted to make sure I found this place all right. Oh, she said to say hi.”
    Moira nodded and forced a smile, printing out his receipt and handing it to him. She liked Eli, but she was startled to find out that he and Candice were on such close terms. Just when had they become friends?
    Being vague about why exactly she needed to call her daughter, Moira asked Meg to watch the register while she stepped outside. Careful to leave a brick between the door and the frame so the back delivery door couldn’t shut all the way, she speed dialed Candice’s number. Her daughter answered after just a few rings.
    “I thought you might call,” her daughter said, her voice amused.
    “Is there something you want to tell me?” Moira asked. Candice had almost always told her mother about her relationships, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt that her daughter hadn’t thought to tell her anything this time. Then again , she reminded herself, she doesn’t live with me anymore. I have to let her grow