Read Online Morning Cup of Murder by Vanessa Gray Bartal - Free Book Online

would they say when they learned the mystery man she was dining with was their new pastor?
    She licked her lips and gave a nervous glance toward the door. The last thing she wanted was to become the center of gossip. Was it too late to make a break for it?
    “Tosh.”
    She turned to stare at the preacher, looking up to do so. “Excuse me?”
    “You asked me my name. It’s Tosh.” He indicated her chair with a wave of his hand, and waited until she sat before taking his own chair.
    “I’ve never heard that name before.”
    He smiled as he picked up a menu. “Apparently labor was pretty awful when I was born. My mom was so relieved to have medicine that she promised to name me after the anesthesiologist. Unfortunately for me, she was a woman named Natasha.”
    Lacy’s eyebrows rose. “Your name is Natasha?”
    He shook his head. “My mother is the type of person who sticks to her word, no matter what. She regretted her pain-induced vow, but she didn’t feel right about going back on it, even though the doctor in question probably couldn’t have cared less. Instead she changed the name slightly. Instead of Natasha, it’s just Tosh.”
    “What’s your last name?” she asked.
    “Underwood.”
    “That’s almost as bad as my name,” she said sympathetically.
    “What’s your name?”
    “Lacy Steele.”
    “What’s wrong with that? It’s pretty; it suits you.”
    “I’ve always hated it. It’s an homage to my grandmother, I guess. Her name is Lucinda, though only her closest friends call her Lucy.”
    He put down his menu and put on what she guessed was his official pastor’s face. Somehow he managed to look concerned and wise at the same time, which was a feat because he was very young.
    “I heard she was arrested yesterday for murder.”
    “She didn’t do it,” Lacy said defensively. “She’s the sweetest person in the world. And besides that, there’s no motive and very little evidence.”
    His expression slid into a perplexed frown. “No offense, but that’s an odd thing to say. What would you know about motives and evidence? Are you in law enforcement?”
    “No. I’m a writer. I spent the day tracking down leads.”
    He leaned in and rested his face in his hand. “Did you find anything?”
    She shook her head just as the waitress arrived, delaying any further conversation. Lacy ordered and watched while Tosh made easy, polite conversation with the waitress. She had never been one of those people for whom social interaction came easily, and she was amazed by his gift of gab.
    “You’re staring at me,” he said when the waitress walked away.
    “Do they teach you how to talk to people at pastor school?”
    “No. They tried to teach me how not to talk to people. I have the unfortunate habit of blurting out the first thing that pops into my head without running it through a filter first--not good for the politicking required of pastors today.”
    “Politicking?” she echoed.
    “Being a pastor is a little like being elected to public office. You have to make your board and your parishioners happy while still fulfilling your calling to preach. It takes a finesse that I’m afraid I haven’t developed yet.”
    “You seem good at it to me.”
    “That’s because you’ve only seen me in happy situations. I have no tolerance for hypocrisy or meanness within the church. I’m afraid I’m a little too good at speaking my mind.”
    “Is that why you’re here in my grandmother’s tiny church instead of somewhere bigger?”
    “That’s one of the reasons,” he said. “Another is because I’m young and this is my first senior pastorate. Also, I wanted to come here. I grew up in Chicago . I’ve always wanted to live in a small city.”
    “Are you crazy? Small cities are the worst.” Realizing how loudly she blurted that last sentence, she leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Everyone knows everyone else’s business and there’s nothing to do. We don’t even have any decent