EPILOGUE

I felt lucky to be alive. Truman had finally checked his texts and came to the rescue. And three weeks later, I made good on my promise to Rachel to both expand our book of business and hire another assistant. On a warm June evening, I had enough time to go on a date with Garrett. We were catching a late-night screening of The Wizard of Oz.

We arrived at The Duchess theater just in time to purchase our tickets and grab a bucket of popcorn. Jacqueline waved from the ticket booth, the proud new owner of the business. Jacqueline planned on screening a colorful mix of old classics, art pieces, and current indie film hits. She’d sold out every showing her first month of helming The Duchess. She’d happily taken over because Alma was too busy with the community service projects she’d been sentenced to for faking her own assault. Rhett had slunk back to town a week after the local paper detailed Piper’s arrest for Felicity’s murder. He was no longer suspected for murder, and he tried to woo Jacqueline back, but she was firm in her decision to kick him out. Last I’d heard, he’d moved into Tara with Alma. The mother and son pair deserved each other.

Eric and Piper were safely tucked away, languishing together in the Port Quincy jail, sentenced to many years between them for their various schemes and crimes. The depth and dizzying web of mayhem they’d spun in their short time back in Port Quincy still baffled me as I reflected on the past two weeks. Piper’s desperation to keep Eric had led her to murder Glenn a year ago, and her desperation to return to the States had driven her to murder Felicity and try to kill her fiancé. She was single-minded in her pursuit to get her way, at any cost, and I could sleep better at night with her behind bars.

I’d watched Pickles while Keith and Becca took an impromptu honeymoon in the Poconos after their quick nuptials in my kitchen. I was wistful as I drove the big Maine Coon back to his owners, and had nuzzled his head and his sweet, tufted ears as I rang their bell. Becca had flung open the lacquered door and received her cat, a dazzling newlywed smile lighting up her face. As I’d turned to go, a sleek Cadillac screeched to a stop in the circular drive. A figure exited the car and sprang up the walk.

“You ruined everything!” Helene quickened her pace, a menacing, white-hot look of anger boring into me.

I gulped and took a step back, putting a small topiary cone of a tree between us.

“Mother, I won’t have you talking to my wife that way.” Keith materialized in the doorway and took Pickles from a shaking Becca’s arms. He seemed to have thought Helene was blaming Becca, but I thought she’d directed her accusation at me. Becca sent Keith a look of tender affection, and I could practically see the steam rising from Helene’s ears.

“But—”

“No exceptions. You can accept Becca as my wife, or I don’t need you in my life.” Keith sent Helene a pitying gaze, then shook his head as his mother gave a strangled yelp, tore down the path, and threw herself behind the wheel of her Cadillac. I’d restrained myself from giving Keith a high five, but instead gave Pickles another pat, inwardly cheering. Becca had mouthed a quick thanks and sent me off with a wink, and I left the newlyweds to start their new life together. The altercation with Helene had been a few weeks ago, and I’d been fortunate enough not to cross paths with her since.

June was shaping up to be serene and calm, my life settling back into mellow predictability.

I squeezed Garrett’s hand as he ushered me down the red carpet to our seats. He leaned over for a tender kiss in the brief gap of time between the lights dimming and the start of movie previews. I felt cozy and safe, elated with the state of things just as they were, happy to be in Port Quincy and following my own yellow brick road.