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Jen and Todd got to my house early for the cookout. While Todd caught the tail end of a basketball game on the TV in the living room, Jen joined me in the kitchen. As soon as Jen and I were alone, I hit her up.
“So, what did he say? Does he think you ought to accept the promotion?”
Jen squeezed my arm. “No, and I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t want to move, anyway, and he came back even more excited about his new website plans because of the seminar he attended.”
Hugely relieved, I gave her a hug and had just returned to the counter when I got a text alert. Justin said he was running late but would be there soon with the ribs he’d marinated for us to grill.
I had finished washing and drying the Haviland cream soup bowls I’d bought earlier, then Jen rolled her eyes as I pulled out rolls of paper and prepared to wrap Carleen’s gift. “I can’t believe you’re already wrapping Christmas presents. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about buying gifts until December.”
I wagged a finger in her face. “No, no, no. That’s not the way to have a merry Christmas, now, is it?”
She laughed. “No, but people like you always make me feel guilty. I like shopping in December. How can you possibly know in early November what cute stuff will be in the stores two weeks before Christmas?”
I scoffed. “Let’s just say it’s a risk that some of us are willing to take. For me, it’s a matter of saving time and making sure I’m not stressed out at Christmas. This year, I’ve already got open houses and craft fairs scheduled for every Saturday from now through mid-December. And since I’m planning to meet up with Mom and Dad in Pensacola the week of Christmas, I’ve simply got to stay on top of things here.”
Jen wiggled her eyebrows. “Tell me again why your folks are in Pensacola. I thought they were going across the country in their RV.”
I stopped wrapping gifts long enough to explain. “In good weather, they are. In winter, they’ve decided they enjoy being snowbirds. So this year, I’m going to their house—or their RV, rather. I’m looking forward to it, too, because Pensacola’s a great town with a lot to do.”
“Meaning good antique stores and junkin’?”
“Exactly.” Cutting my eyes at Jen, I said, “Now, would you mind putting your finger on this ribbon for me?” She did as requested, and I tied a perfect red satin bow around the box containing the Haviland china. I wasn’t sure when Carleen and I would get together to celebrate, but I planned to give her the china before Thanksgiving in case she wanted to use it for her holiday entertaining.
Jen lent a hand—or a finger—while I tied bows around a few other newly wrapped gifts as well. As payment for her assistance, I promised her a sample of the easy but scrumptious pumpkin spice shortbread baking in the oven.
Once the wrapping paper, tape, and bows were out of the way, I took the first pan of cookies out and offered her some. “Want regular cocoa”—I held up the familiar packet of cocoa mix—“or their new caramel cream flavor?”
“Caramel?” Jen wrinkled her nose. “Do we have to tinker with everything?”
I grinned. “Good. I wanted the caramel anyway, and I only had one left. Came in my exhibitor gift bag at the bazaar, and this stuff is to die for.”
Jen sucked in a breath, and I realized what I’d said.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean that literally, of course.”
Jen nodded. “I know, but wow. This town has gone nuts over the murder of Miranda Hargrove. Or Horgrave or whatever her name was.”
Standing by the electric teakettle to make our mugs of cocoa, I snapped my head around to look at Jen. “What are you talking about?”
The doorbell rang, and I held up a finger. “Hold that thought.” I assumed Justin was there, so I made a beeline for the front door, and after I saw a familiar head of blond hair, I opened it. “Hello again.”
Justin gave me a quick peck on the cheek, his arms laden with grocery bags.
“Please tell me that isn’t four bags of marinated ribs.”
He laughed. “I got a little carried away at the grocery store when I stopped by this afternoon. I wasn’t sure what variety of potato salad everyone liked, so I got three different kinds. And some coleslaw too.”
Jen and Todd helped carry in the bags, then she and I went outside with the guys to get the meat on the grill. Todd and Justin promptly decided to pull up lawn chairs so that they could continue watching the ballgame on Todd’s iPad Pro.
Once Jen and I were back in the kitchen, I reminded Jen that we had unfinished business. “Hargrove, Horgrave. What were you saying about that?”
“I guess I didn’t mention it. One of the reporters checked out Miranda’s hometown newspaper to see if he could get more info for our story. According to the reports he found, her name was Horgrave, not Hargrove.”
I told her I’d learned that same thing earlier in the week—skipping the part about how I found out—and asked what she and the news staff thought about it.
“Not much, actually. But it did surprise me to find out she didn’t go to college. These days, it turns out plenty of smart people never went to college, but considering who’s on the board of Happy Hometown, I’m surprised they hired someone without a degree.”
My mind whirled. “But Miranda did have a college degree. It was hanging on the wall of the Happy Hometown office when I was there yesterday morning to help Caitlyn clean up. It was from some small community college.”
Jen tapped something into her cell phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Asking one of the reporters to send me that info from his notes.” I watched her tap Send then look up at me. “What?”
I shook my head. “Just marveling at your ability to command the troops at any time from anywhere, including my kitchen table.”
She laughed. “Multitasking is my superpower.”
I pulled the second pan of pumpkin spice shortbread out of the oven, thinking it would suffice for a bite of something sweet after our barbecue dinner. I scooped the pumpkin-shaped cookies off the pan and onto a plate, and Jen snatched one and took a bite before I could stop her.
“This stuff is heavenly. You know how I love me some cookies.”
I tapped her arm. “Just be sure to save room for some ribs.”
Jen’s phone pinged. “Ah. Here we go.” She tapped the message, peered at it, and scrolled.
“Well?”
“Just like I thought. Her hometown obit says she was a graduate of Reederton High School, and that’s it. No mention of a college.”
“Hmm.” I grabbed my phone, tapped a number, and held the phone to my ear.
“Who are you calling?”
I held up a finger as I waited for an answer. “Hi, Caitlyn. It’s Emma. Sorry to interrupt you on your busy weekend with your parents, but I need to ask you about something I saw in your office yesterday. I noticed that whoever vandalized the office broke the framed diploma that Miranda had hanging on the wall. The one from...?”
“Reederton Community College?”
I stepped to the counter and scribbled the name on a sheet of notepaper. “Yeah, that’s the one. Anyway, I wondered if you’d like me to bring by a new piece of glass. I’m assuming her family or someone will claim her things eventually, and it might be nice to repair that framed diploma before it’s picked up.”
“That’s thoughtful, and yeah, that’d be great. Thanks for thinking of it.”
I felt a wee bit guilty for having thought of it only at that moment. “Sure, no problem. I’ll drop it off first thing Monday.”
After ending the call, I turned to Jen with a smirk. “You’re not the only one who knows how to conduct cell phone investigations. Reederton Community College. That’s where her degree is from.”
Jen frowned, then her thumbs tapped furiously on her phone. “Aha!”
“Yeah?”
“There’s no such school.”
“What?” I reached for her phone, and she handed it over.
“Check out the search results for yourself. Riverton. Reedley. But there’s no Reederton Community College.”
“Huh.” I drummed my fingers on the Formica-topped table. “Isn’t that strange?”
Jen chewed her lip. “Yeah. I mean, if she lied about that, what else did she lie about?”
Todd and Justin came inside to get refills on soft drinks, and I asked if it was getting too cool for them in the backyard.
“Nah, we’re good,” Justin said. “Thanks, though.”
He closed the door, and Jen grinned at me. “If he’s anything like Todd, he’d prefer to stay out there even if he’s freezing to death.”
“Not much danger of that around here,” I said.
Our speculations about the not-what-she-seemed Miranda Hargrove-slash-Horgrave soon dried up, and Jen and I gathered bowls and platters for the chips and sides.
Before long, the kitchen door opened, and the delicious aroma of barbecue wafted through the air.
“Mm.” I gave Justin a thumbs-up. “Smells as good as I remember from the last time you made that marinade. I’m not ready to eat holiday food yet, so this is perfect. When we were at Michele’s open house last night, I couldn’t believe how many people said they’re already making cranberry sauce or turkey and dressing. I mean, I’ve still got leftover Halloween candy, for Pete’s sake.”
Jen nodded. “Us too.”
I pointed toward the living room. “The candy corn is next to the TV if you want some after dinner.”
“Good to know. Oh, and I saved you all the Goetze’s Caramel Creams from our Halloween candy too. They’re in my purse.”
“No way!” I couldn’t believe Jen had remembered how much I liked those.
“Hey, what are friends for?”
We all seemed to have worked up an appetite, and after we loaded our plates, we gathered around the table. Justin said grace, and soon we were chowing down on the ribs.
Jen took a break from her rib eating and leaned back. “So, were many people at that open house at the Feathered Nest? Looked like a lot of buzz downtown when I was leaving the office last night.”
“It was packed.” Todd pointed at a bowl of chips, and I got his wife to pass him the bowl. “Still kind of odd that so many people get into putting up the tree and cooking and baking so early in the season.”
“You know when we put up the tree at my house growing up?”
I had only known Jen since moving to Roseland after college, so I shook my head. “When?”
“Christmas Eve.”
“What? Were there even any left?”
“Back then, yeah. It was a tradition. Mom and Dad and all us kids had a ball while driving around town and trying to find that one last tree that wasn’t completely pitiful. Then we always went home and watched It’s a Wonderful Life while we put up the tree, ate popcorn, and drank cocoa.”
“Huh.” I couldn’t believe I’d never heard that story before. “Sounds like a neat tradition, but I think I would have missed enjoying the decorations all through December. I can see why people like to put up their trees by Thanksgiving now.” I turned to Justin. “What about your family? Did you have a tradition?”
He wiped his hands on a paper towel. “My mom adored Christmas, so we always had a tree up by Thanksgiving. In recent years, she’s even started decorating the day after Halloween.”
Jen had a mischievous grin. “You know what they say about putting up a tree too early?”
I stared at her. “No, I don’t. What do ‘they’ say about it?”
“For every Christmas tree that goes up before Thanksgiving”—she laughed, bracing for her own punch line, apparently—“one of Santa’s elves drowns a baby reindeer.”
“Jen! You’re terrible.”
Todd, reaching for more potato salad, cracked up.
“Hey, I read it on Facebook, so it must be true.” Jen’s eyes sparkled.
“I guess we know somebody who’s going to be on the naughty list this year. Baby reindeer, my foot.” I crossed my arms and humphed. “I can’t believe you’re being so ugly about some of God’s most magnificent creatures.”
Jen rolled her eyes. “You know I’m kidding. And for your information, once Todd and I get a fence up in the spring, we’re hoping to get a Labradoodle that can play in the yard.”
My eyes widened. “Shh. Better not let Gerald hear you say that you want anything but a rescue puppy.”
“Won’t he be happy to hear that we’re planning to become pet owners?” Todd asked.
“Not necessarily.”
Jen motioned for another paper towel, so I passed the roll down to her.
“He thinks everyone needs at least one rescue animal before they adopt a ‘designer’ pet, as he puts it.”
Justin added his two cents. “I don’t mean to be rude, but Gerald can really turn off some people with that kind of pressure. And wouldn’t that prevent him from getting the animal shelter built as fast as he wants?”
I swallowed a sip of my sweet tea. “You’d think, but this seems to be the year for pets here in Roseland. The new dog park opened in April, that new Pampered Pets boutique opened downtown in June, and the Humane Society announced the no-kill shelter campaign in July.”
Justin did a double take. “You just happen to remember all that?”
I gave him a sheepish smile. “Hey, I’m an animal lover, and personally, I’m thrilled to live in a place that cares about them as much as I do. I think that speaks heaps about this community and sets Roseland apart from other small towns that aren’t as pet-friendly.”
Todd rose, grabbed a notepad from the counter, and jotted something down.
Jen waited for him to return to his seat. “What prompted that?”
“Look”—Todd glanced around the table—“I’m in the business of selling homes. If being a pet-friendly city is such a great selling point for Roseland, I need to include that in my listings. I had a few thoughts while Emma was talking about the pet lovers in town, and I wanted to write them down while they were fresh on my mind.”
“Figures.” Jen sounded resigned. “I get excited about breaking news and have to write things down, Emma gets jewelry ideas and has to write them down, and you have to write down new ways to sell a house.”
I told Todd that I thought he was on to something by marketing homes in a pet-friendly community. “Why would you not? I mean, anybody who hates the sight of dogs being walked downtown or those people who get cranky at the occasional pet being carried into a store is probably not going to enjoy Roseland. We could be the Southern version of Carmel-by-the-Sea in California.”
“Huh?” Jen asked.
“You know, that dog-friendly town on the coast. People come from all over just to visit there with their dogs.”
Todd held up a finger. “Those who love dogs will want to hear that Roseland welcomes their pets with outstretched arms. Just another thing to love about this town. That’s why it’s still so odd to me when a couple comes into the real estate office and they actually want to leave here. Like Caitlyn Hill, that gal who’s at the Happy Hometown program until they hire Miranda’s replacement.”
“You said couple, and I know Caitlyn’s not married, so who was she with?” I asked.
“Her boyfriend, Tyler Something or Other.”
“Your new artist friend?” Justin asked me.
I frowned. “I guess so.”
“You’re just now telling me this?” Jen demanded.
“What?” Todd shrugged. “Caitlyn said she’s got a small house here, but they’ve decided it might be time to move away from Roseland. Something about having some bad luck here and wanting to leave it all behind.”
So Caitlyn was serious about leaving town. Is she already that serious about Tyler? She couldn’t have known him for very long. I hated knowing that Tyler apparently wasn’t interested in Gus after all, although it was beginning to sound like that wasn’t a bad thing. And with the news coming only one week after the murder of the Happy Hometown program’s executive director, that meant the board and I would soon be looking for yet another replacement ED.
“Earth to Emma!” Jen snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Sorry. I was thinking back to what little I know about Tyler. I was under the impression he was seeing Gus Townsend.” Then I filled them in on my experiences with Caitlyn at the Happy Hometown office.
Justin chimed in, “I know you’ve been helping out at Caitlyn’s office this week, but you didn’t know she was seeing him?”
“Nope. She never mentioned it. And it certainly wasn’t like she was wearing an engagement ring, or I would have noticed.”
Jen scoffed. “Oh, come on. I know you live and breathe jewelry, but even you can’t always notice the jewelry people are wearing.”
Todd laughed. “Yeah, Emma, that’s a little much, even for you.”
“Humph.” I pursed my lips, stood from the table, and turned my back to them. “In addition to your wedding rings, Todd, you’re wearing your college class ring, which has a big sapphire in the middle, on your right hand. You’re wearing an Apple watch with a black band, and on that same arm is a yellow rubber bracelet whose words I didn’t read, but I imagine it’s supporting some local charity. Jen, you’re wearing those diamond stud earrings Todd gave you for your first anniversary, the ones set in gold. On your right hand, you’re wearing the ruby-and-diamond ring that your parents gave you when you graduated from college, along with a red-and-white bead bracelet and two gold Alex and Ani bangles. One of them has a feather on it, and the other has the initial J.”
I spun around, gave them both a smug smile, and took a seat.
Justin was first to speak. “That. Was. Awesome.”
Jen wasn’t impressed. “That was cheating. You gave me that feather bracelet when I got promoted at the Daily Trib.”
I waved off her comment. “Never mind that. I want to know why Caitlyn is suddenly so serious about Tyler Montgomery. She can’t have known him that long.”
Todd and Justin didn’t seem as fascinated by the town’s romantic entanglements as Jen and I were, so I rose and began to clear the table. I got Jen to set out the shortbread and a pumpkin cheesecake I’d picked up at Mavis’s, then I made pots of coffee and tea.
It was late into the evening before everyone went home, and I’d had a full but rewarding day. Only one thing about it bothered me: more news confirming that Caitlyn and Tyler were definitely a couple.
For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, even to myself, I didn’t like that idea. At all.