The Toast of the Town (Fox & Oakby Murder Mysteries Book III)

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Author's Note:

Viola Holyoake and her first/third husband Rhys are the main characters of my story Look Back at Me, available on my page. Have a look if you're curious! ;)

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Dr. Viola Holyoake took a sip of her coffee and put down her mobile. It seemed she'd lost her sleuthing slash shopping partner for today. It was unfortunate, but she decided she could still enjoy her adventures, even if she couldn't share them with Ms. Fox. She felt a presence behind her and glanced over her shoulder. Her husband stood in the doorway, a warm smile curled up the left corner of his lips.

"Good morning," he murmured and stepped into the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted him.

He leaned in and pressed a small kiss on her bare shoulder.

"I've made coffee," she said, and he hummed and rubbed his nose to her neck.

"What're you going to do today?" he asked, getting a cup for himself out of the cabinet above the sink.

"I can't tell you. It's a secret," Viola answered, and he raised one eyebrow sardonically. "It's going to be fun and a bit dangerous, and you aren't invited to join me," she sing-songed.

Viola widened her eyes at him dramatically, but then couldn't help but snort a suppressed laugh. He leaned his back against the counter.

"Is it something to do with you investigating the burglaries in the county?" he asked nonchalantly.

Viola froze with her coffee cup lifted. He smirked, pursing his lips in that fit manner that always made her feel rather titillated. Rhys Holyoake - though considered a tad 'too much' by some - was a very attractive man. He was, in truth, too much - too impatient, too authoritative, maddeningly self-assured, and unapologetically blunt, as well as physically massive, with a wild mane of perpetually dishevelled, coffee-coloured curls, and a thick dark beard. Viola adored him beyond measure.

"You're mucking about with Imogen Fox, our local Sherlock Holmes, and yesterday you were looking into selling diamonds online," he said with a chuckle and took another sip. 

Viola watched his lips wrap around the rim of his cup. His sharp mind, which he tended to hide behind an image of a village oik, only added to Viola's appreciation of the man. She slowly lowered her cup and rose. Something must have shown in her face, because his eyes darkened, and he put his drink down as well.

A few minutes later, she moved away from him and pressed her finger across his puckered lips.

"I really do need to be going," she said with a laugh and hopped off his lap.

She poured more coffee for herself, already planning her trip to Abernathy.

"So, are you going to be investigating the burglaries?" he asked.

"Among other things," she answered evasively.

The ring she was planning to buy for him needed to be a surprise, and it was almost impossible to keep anything secret from a Holyoake. As her sister-in-law love to joke about the men in this family, they heard everything, they knew everything, and they judged. 

"Good," he said. "The police are clearly too gormless for it."

"Aren't you going to try to stop me?" Viola asked, amused. "Ms. Fox has been prefacing each of our discussions with a caveat, stating that she promised the Mayor she wouldn't meddle into any investigations."

Rhys turned his head, and she saw that his eyes were laughing.

"She's a clever little'un, but I can see why Oakby would worry," he said with another of his signature shrugs. "He's young, and he doesn't know her as well as I know you. Plus, trying to tell you what to do would be daft."