Wine, Dine and Christmas Crimes

large manila envelope. The car inched toward the end of the driveway.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Family pictures,” Tristan said. “I figured it would be easier to explain how Angelique and I ended up married. Sort of a paper trail, if you will, or family tree. I got the idea from watching you on all the local channels. You and some dark and handsome man who was keeping you pretty close. Had I not known you, I would have guessed you were an item, you know, a couple.”
What? “You mean Doubl...I mean, Dale Wolf?” My throat...dry.
“Yes, him. The point I’m trying to make is that often appearances can be deceiving. The last thing I wish for is deception and misunderstanding between us.”
I kept quiet.
He went on. “Fiat, you do know how special you are to me, right?”
I kept nodding yes, then shaking my head no. “No more Fiat,” I said.
He took my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine. “Now, silly girl,” he swallowed hard,  “The pink Fiat can be fixed, and you will always be my one and only Fiat.”
~~~~~
Dear Reader,
The book you just read feels like a lot more than a book to me. This story became the first thing I wrote after 19 months of blank pages. You see, I started Wine, Dine and Christmas Crimes at the end of 2017 with the goal of a Christmas release. Christmas 2018. Then, the unexpected happened. My little ferret died. She was old, but I didn’t feel ready to let her go. And I did a lot of foolish things to ease my grief. In the end, only time helped.
I still cry at times. Find myself looking for her where she slept while I wrote. The last thing I wanted to do was write a sad story. Little-no-name-girl wouldn’t like that.
I hope I succeeded and you found the book entertaining.
Entertaining enough to leave a review? I’d appreciate that. Either way, I always enjoy hearing from my readers. Don’t hesitate, you will find all my contact information on my website, www,mariagraziaswan.com.
Mille Grazie.

SO INTENSE, SO ITALIAN!
Award-winning, USA Today Bestselling author Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy. She’s lived in Belgium, France, Germany, Southern California and Arizona—all juicy places that fuel her stories and characters.
These days, Maria Grazia concentrates on her deepest passions.  Writing and being the matchmaker for people and pets who are waiting to find each other.
Maria Grazia loves travel, opera, good books, yoga, and intelligent movies. Her idea of a perfect evening?  Stimulating conversation, Northern Italian food, and chilled Prosecco.
She loves to hear from her readers! Feel free to contact her through her website:  www.mariagraziaswan.com.


OTHER BOOKS BY MARIA GRAZIA SWAN
More books by Maria Grazia Swan
Baker Girl’s Cozy Mystery series
Cooks, Crooks and a Corpse #1
Food, Fools and a Dead Physic #2
Wine, Dine and Christmas Crimes #3
Lella York series
Gemini Moon #1
Venetian Moon #2
Desert Moon #3
Mina’s Adventure series:
Love Thy Sister #1
Bosom Bodies #2
Italian Summer #3
Ashes of Autumn #4
A Cat to Die For #5
Best in Show #6
Sniffing Out Murder #7