Page 29 of Blood and Buttercups

“At least this much. But fresh is best, so you don’t want it sitting in your fridge for more than a few days.”

My eyes pass over the contents of the cart. It looks like we’re going to be hosting a massive barbecue.

But if this will keep me from vomiting every five minutes…so be it. Even if it’s going to cost me a small fortune. Is that really $11.99 perpound?

My eyes fix on the cucumbers when we leave the meat department and pass through the produce department. They’re stacked up in the cooler case, calling to me like vegetal sirens. Crunchy, cold, full of hydrating water…my stomach growls, remembering a time I could eat them.

We end up in the soup aisle, and Noah begins placing cartons of beef broth in the cart. Three…four…five…

“What’s that for?” I ask reluctantly. “And do I need that many?”

“Drinking. And yes.”

“You think I’m going to drink beef broth?”

“You’ll get tired of water, and this will keep your strength up.”

He’s one of those men who always seems to know what he’s talking about. I admire it, but I find it annoying at the same time.

“Dr. Granger said I need to eat meat.” I frown at the cartons. “I wonder if I can have dairy?”

“Not yet.”

Huffing out a breath, I place my hands on my hips. “How, exactly, are you so confident about all this when you have no idea what’s wrong with me?”

He lifts his brows like I’m overreacting and calmly says, “Your doctor said meat, didn’t she? Is dairy meat?”

I bite the inside of my cheek as I study him. “Fine. No dairy.”

Before he can respond, my phone vibrates. I look down, frowning at the screen. “Just a minute.”

Noah turns away, scanning the cans of soup.

“Miss Edwards?” a man says when I answer.

Instantly nervous thanks to Ethan and the predicament I’m in, my pulse jumps. “Yes?”

“This is Officer Kerrington. As a courtesy, I’m calling to let you know we’ve arrested the man we believe killed your boyfriend.”

“You’ve arrested him?” I’m so relieved. I don’t even bother to remind him that Kevin was myex-boyfriend.

“That’s right. He confessed as soon as we brought him in. I can’t give you any more details right now, but I hope it will bring you peace of mind to know he’s off the streets.”

“Yes, thank you.” I gulp as I end the call, feeling lightheaded—and this time, not because of this weird virus I’ve picked up.

“What was that?” Noah casually asks.

I really don’t want to tell him. But he drove me to the doctor, and now we’re grocery shopping. He probably has a right to know that his sickly new acquaintance has some skeletons in her closet.

“About a month ago, my ex-boyfriend was murdered. According to the autopsy, it happened a few hours after I found out he was cheating on me and broke up with him.”

Surprise flashes across his face. “The guy on the news was your ex-boyfriend? The druggy?”

“He wasn’t a druggy!” I exclaim, and then I pause. “At least I would have sworn he wasn’t. But all the evidence says otherwise.”

“No kidding,” Noah deadpans.

“He left a suicide note, but the police are certain it was planted. They’ve been looking for the culprit, and it sounds like they found him.”

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