I frowned and checked my phone for the third time in as many minutes. I sat on a bench under an oak tree in the inn’s front yard, waiting for Gamma to make her presence known. This was our rendezvous point, come rain or shine, and I’d texted her to meet me here forty-five minutes ago. It was unlike her to be late, especially when there was an interesting development to dissect.
Life in Gossip was slow, and Gamma liked to keep an eye on everyone and everything that happened in town. So where was she?
Footsteps crunched on the gravel pathway, and my grandmother appeared, a spring in her step and a smile gracing her features.
“Charlotte,” she said.
“It’s been forty-five minutes,” I replied. “Are you OK?”
“Goodness, since when are you a time lord?” Gamma’s prim British accent was always more pronounced when she was irritable. Or happy. Any type of emotion, really. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. I was just… preoccupied.”
“With?”
“Nothing of consequence.” Gamma lowered herself onto the bench beside me, tucking her skirt underneath herself. “Now, tell me what you’ve discovered. I hear we’ve lost another valuable member of the Gossip community.”
“Was that sarcasm?”
Gamma shook her head. “Oh no. I don’t joke about death. Unless it’s the death of someone truly evil, and I know that Mr. Braxton was not truly evil. Though, no one called him Mr. Braxton. He was Donny to everyone.”
Briefly, I told my grandmother what had happened this morning at the inn—the over the top reaction from Mia and then the interesting encounter I’d had with her mother. “I think there’s something going on there. Do you know anything about them? Or the victim?”
“Oh, I know plenty, but I can do a little extra research regarding all the major suspects and the victim. I’ll put my feelers out. Ask the grapes.”
Gamma had a “grapevine” of informants who told her all about the goings on in Gossip. It was likely how she’d known about Donny’s death before I’d messaged her.
“Mia and her mother do not get along,” Gamma said. “And Mia is an aspiring model. Wants to leave Gossip behind and head out to the big city, last I heard, but her mother forbade it.”
“That’s interesting.”
“How so?”
“Mia mentioned that she’d fought with Donny this week because he hadn’t proposed to her. Why would she want him to propose if she planned on leaving Gossip? Weird.”
Gamma fell silent, mulling it over and tapping her fingers on her knees. She definitely seemed more upbeat than usual. “Now, that is interesting. I’ll have to talk to some people before I give you feedback on that.”
“What about Donny?” I asked. “Mia’s mother had some pretty choice things to say about him.”
“I don’t blame her,” Gamma said. “I’ve always detested a man who thinks it prudent to date multiple women at the same time. Somehow, it’s frowned upon for women to do that but with men, it’s to be expected. Ridiculous. I’m of the school of thought that all men and women should behave respectfully.”
“Thanks for the lecture, Georgina.”
She grinned at me, good naturedly. “Donny was a mechanic. Handsome as they came, and he loved to play the field. He made a lot of enemies because of that, whether they were ex-boyfriends of the ladies he dated or the parents. Murder, though? It seems a bit much.”
“A bit,” I agreed. “But Mrs. Cruz definitely fits the bill when it comes to disgruntled parents. She might have motive. And if Mia’s lying about her argument with—”
Footsteps came on the gravel driveway a second time, and I cut off. Both Gamma and I turned in our seats.
Detective Goode strode toward us, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans so that he swaggered rather than walked.
My heart did another silly somersault. Ugh. Get over it, Charlie.
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Detective Goode,” Gamma said. “I’m going to assume you haven’t come to speak to me.”
“Unless you’ve robbed any banks lately.”
“The Gossip Bank was robbed?” Gamma asked, incredulous.
“No,” he said, and cleared his throat. “That was a joke.” Detective Goode was dark-haired and handsome, with a strong jawline and eyes that cut right through me.
“Ah, well,” Gamma replied, “yet more proof that comedy isn’t for everyone.”
I snorted a laugh.
Gamma grinned at me. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She rose and walked off a distance before glancing back at Detective Goode. “I hope you’re not another Don Juan, Detective Goode. Apparently, they don’t live long around these parts.” That was a reference to the romantic mechanic, Donny, who had just died. And it was definitely a threat from my grandmother.
Detective Goode had the good grace to gulp. Although, it might’ve been his true reaction to the threat. Gamma had a knack for scaring men and women alike with her intense stares.
She left us together, disappearing into the inn.
An awkward silence sidled into place.
Detective Goode cleared his throat. “So.”
“So?” I stared up at him, refusing to look flustered even though I felt like fifty million ants were crawling over my skin.
“How are you?” he asked, scuffing the underside of his boot across the gravel. He kept distance between us.
“I’m great. How are you?”
“Great. Good. Fine.”
Wait, was he flustered too? So far, Detective Goode had been nothing but in charge and remarkably annoying.
“OK. Well, glad you came all the way down here and interrupted my conversation with Georgina to tell me that,” I said.
Goode flashed me an irritable smile. “I came here because we haven’t talked since Thanksgiving.”
Thanksgiving. The day he had kissed me. The day I had blushed too many shades of red and pink to count. Over the past couple of weeks, I’d been focusing on being a fixer, on trying to figure out what I wanted to do after the Christmas season. And actively avoiding thoughts about the handsome detective. He hadn’t called or come by. I’d assumed that he hadn’t wanted a kiss or a date anymore.
“Right,” I said. “You want to talk, so talk.”
“Sheesh. Tough crowd.”
“The last time you were here, you kissed me and then you left,” I said, putting it plain as day. “And then you didn’t talk to me for weeks. So, you expect me to be polite? My life is complicated enough already without men thrown into the mix.”
Goode opened his mouth then shut it again.
I stared him down, waiting.
After a minute, I rose and made to leave.
“Wait,” he choked it out. “I’m not good with… this kind of stuff.”
Me neither.
“I want to take you out on a date,” he said. “For real this time.”
“A date,” I replied. “And you promise not to arrest me during the appetizers?” You aren’t seriously going to say yes, are you?
Goode gave me a cocky grin. “Don’t break the law again and I won’t have to.”
“It was never proven that I broke the law,” I countered. “The charges were dropped.”
Goode kept on grinning, and so did I. So we stood, like two loons, smiling goofily at one another.
“Would you like to go out with me on Friday?” he asked. “At eight?”
I considered. A part of me wanted to close off the thought, and another…? Well, I wanted to live in Gossip, didn’t I? And what harm was there in going out with a handsome law enforcement official? Particularly one who might give me details about the Donny Braxton case?
“Fine,” I said. “But don’t be late.” I spun on my heel and marched off, hoping I looked more serious than I felt.