Chapter Eleven

Shanna stormed into Lily’s office. “I’m engaged!”

Lily quickly slid the Zeus pamphlet under her client folders and got up to embrace her sister. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe my ears—to Detective Donald Abrams?”

Shanna frowned. “Who else would it be?”

“No one.” Lily shrugged. “But I still can’t believe it. Let me see the ring.”

Shanna put out her left hand, letting the light catch the sparkle coming from the round stone. 

“It’s a beauty. Congratulations. I had my doubts that Abrams could be into anything other than himself, but I guess I was wrong.”

Shanna playfully wacked Lily on the shoulder. “Oh stop. I knew it all along. All those years of wearing him down finally paid off.”

“When did he propose?”

“Last night. I had a feeling something was up when he offered to cook. Best steak I’ve had in years.”

Lily’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. Don Abrams cooked? That is serious.”

Shanna giggled like a schoolgirl. “I know. It’s like he’s a different person.”

“Have you thought about the wedding date or venue?” 

“No. I’ve barely gotten over the proposal. I know we don’t want anything too flashy but we’re not getting any younger so the sooner the better.”

Lily’s eyes opened wide. “I know! We could do the wedding here. I can plan it for you. You won’t have to do anything.”

“Here?” Shanna’s eyes darted around. “With all the bodies?”

“Why not? You spend almost all your waking hours around them. You used to live and eat here amongst them. If you’re comfortable enough to do that, why not get married here?”

Shanna stood in silence. “I guess I always had the traditional venue in mind but now that I think about it, you’re right. It would be a lot less expensive, too.”

“If you get married next spring, we could do the ceremony outside in the front yard. It’s a beautiful house. We should take advantage of it.”

Shanna pressed her pointer finger to her lips. “It’s not a bad idea. It might take some work convincing Abrams though.”

“You’re clearly a pro at that and you know what’s also a good idea?”

“What?”

“Letting paying customers use the funeral home as their wedding venue as well.” Lily’s eyes glittered with excitement. “This could be a new source of revenue for us. We already have the vendors for flowers, caterers and music. This is a no-brainer.”

Shanna frowned. “It is?”

Lily ignored Shanna’s comment as her mind raced with the possibilities. Her eyes went wide. “We could have Chris officiate.”

“I thought this was about my wedding?”

“It is, but don’t you want to make more money and secure the business for your kids’ future?”

“Whoa.” Shanna’s hands went up. “Kids? Can we just talk about lace or tulle first?”

“All right. I’ll reel it in, but I am going to get started on drafting promotional materials, updating our website, etc. We can call it, Reynolds Royal Weddings.”

“Is it royal though?” 

“We’re going to make them think it is. I can even do the bride and bridal party’s makeup. What would be your contribution? You can’t embalm anyone even if the bride wants you to.”

“Ha! I can be their point person to help everything get organized.”

“But you haven’t even had your own wedding yet. You’re not qualified.”

Shanna cocked her head. “Now you’re getting annoying. We’ll learn together.”

“Fine. I just wanted to make sure you were totally on board.”

“I am as long as Zachary doesn’t hit on any of the bridesmaids. His breakup with Julie has sent him back to his old ways.”

“I know. Poor Zach. They’ve been dating on and off for a bit now and I think judging by his withdrawn mood lately, they are currently off. We need to keep an eye on him.”

Shanna nodded. “What about Marcia? She could help you with the makeup.”

Lily’s eyes dropped to the ground, avoiding eye contact. “Marcia may be left out of our plans.”

“Does this have anything to do with whatever you were hiding from me when I walked in?”

Ah, Shanna. Always on point.

“Maybe. But until I’m sure, I don’t want to involve anyone else.”

“Does James know?”

“Yes.”

“Phew. At least he’ll be notified when your body turns up.”

Lily returned a wicked grin. “We already talked about this. I want to be cremated. I don’t want your grubby paws pumping me with formaldehyde.”

Shanna pointed at her sister. “You’re sick. And keep my groom out of it if you insist on putting yourself in the line of fire.”

“I wouldn’t dream of involving him. Speaking of which, I think we should go dress shopping as soon as possible, since according to you, I might not be around long enough to help.”

“Good idea. I’m ready when you are.” Shanna walked to the door but paused in front of it. “What did Marcia do?”

Lily hesitated. She hated all the drama her investigation might cause, knowing it would surely break-up their little group. In the end, it was her fault for hiring Marcia in the first place. She’d been too soft back then. That was about to change.

“Marcia is under investigation.”