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On Saturday afternoon, Mitch surprised her by turning up at the house.
“You’re right, the lawn does look a little shaggy.” He smiled.
They stood in the back garden surveying the rough grass.
Lauren thought he looked just as good dressed in an old pair of faded denim jeans and a gray t-shirt, as he did when he dressed up to take her out to dinner.
“I wasn’t hinting when I said that.”
“I know you weren’t,” he assured her.
“Any news about the gnome thief?” Lauren asked, looking up at him.
“No.” He shook his head. “And the little guy is still here.” He gestured to a spot near the brown wooden shed. The gnome dressed in a yellow jacket and red trousers stood looking coyly at them.
“Do you think anyone will try and steal him?”
“I hope so.” He smiled at her and headed toward the shed. “I’ll get started.”
“How lucky am I, Annie?” The Norwegian Forest Cat suddenly appeared. Zoe and Annie knew she disliked mowing the lawn, a chore that Mitch had willingly undertaken a while ago.
“Brrt,” Annie agreed, her long white whiskers seeming to vibrate in agreement.
Lauren sat down in the living room with a cozy mystery she’d decided to try, but found it hard to concentrate. The steady drone of the mower should have been comforting, but instead she felt guilty that she was relaxing – or attempting to – while Mitch was working in the garden – her garden. Perhaps she should join him?
At the very least she could have a nice cold drink ready for him. The afternoon was warm and sunny.
“Is that Mitch mowing out there?” Zoe appeared in the living room.
“Yes.” Lauren rose from the sofa. “I’m going to make him some lemonade. Want some?”
“You bet.” Zoe grinned. “I was sorting through my closet but didn’t find any left-over yarn for you.”
“That’s okay.” Lauren smiled. “I still haven’t decided what to knit next, anyway.”
“What about a blanket for Annie?” she suggested. “It might be finished when the colder weather hits.”
“But you knitted two blankets for Annie,” Lauren reminded her.
“Ooh, a tea cozy!” Zoe’s eyes sparkled. “When someone orders a pot of tea at the café – okay, not many of our customers do – you could put it on the teapot and it might be a talking point – especially among the seniors.”
“That is an idea,” Lauren said slowly. And it wouldn’t be a huge project. It mightn’t take her very long to make. “Okay, why not?”
“Awesome!” Zoe grinned.
“Brrt?” Annie asked.
“I’m going to make a tea cozy,” Lauren told her.
“Brrp.” Annie sounded a little unsure about that.
They all entered the kitchen. Lauren got out lemons, sugar, and filled a pitcher with water.
“I know I should cook the lemon juice and sugar,” she told Zoe, “but I want it to be ready by the time Mitch needs a break from out there.” She nodded toward the back door.
“I’m sure he won’t mind,” Zoe told her. “In fact, I think he’d eat and drink anything you made for him – even if it didn’t taste good!”
“Zoe!” Lauren stifled a smile, touching the gold L of her necklace.
“So when are you two going on another romantic weekend?” Zoe teased. “Since your first one ended in murder.” She sobered.
“We haven’t talked about it much,” Lauren replied. Mitch had been occupied with his gnome case, and she and Zoe had been busy running the café. Besides, was it only one week ago that they’d been at the B&B at Zeke’s Ridge? It seemed a lot longer than that.
“We should check it out,” Zoe told her.
“Check out what?” Lauren crinkled her brow as she juiced the lemons.
“Brrt?” Annie queried.
“The B&B. Edna’s husband.”
“You think?” Lauren measured out the sugar.
“Yes.” Zoe sounded a little exasperated. “Like I said before, I don’t think Detective Castern is going to solve this case, so it’s up to us – again.”
“I don’t think it would look good for Mitch if Detective Castern finds out Mitch’s girlfriend was poking about in his murder case.” Lauren stirred the juice and sugar concoction.
“You haven’t seemed to worry about that before.” Zoe frowned.
Lauren put down the wooden spoon and faced her cousin.
“Do you really think we need to go sleuthing?”
“Yes!”
“Brrt!”
Lauren looked at Zoe’s animated face and Annie’s hopeful one, and gave in – like she usually did.
“Okay, fine. We’ll visit Harry and see how he’s doing. But that’s all.”
“Of course.” Zoe was all smiles. “Isn’t that right, Annie?”
“Brrt.” Annie looked as innocent as could be. “Brrt!”
***
A WHILE LATER, MITCH came into the kitchen, all hot and sweaty. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek and his short dark hair was matted at the temples. The aroma of freshly cut grass and sunshine surrounded him. Lauren thought he looked and smelled delectable.
“Here.” She offered him a frosty glass of lemonade.
“Thanks.” He downed it in one gulp.
She refilled the glass and held it out to him.
“I’ll go home and have a shower, then pick you up at seven.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You choose.”
“I don’t want to go to Zeke’s Ridge.” She instantly felt guilty about her plan to visit Harry. Should she tell Mitch? She wanted to, but maybe it would be best if she didn’t. That way, he could honestly tell Detective Castern that he knew nothing about it – if the detective found out about their little jaunt.
“I understand.” He nodded.
She sighed. She loved living in this small town but there weren’t a lot of restaurant choices. She didn’t feel like burgers, and the former steak house wasn’t an option right now. And she and Mitch had been to the bistro a lot recently.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“We can go to Sacramento,” he told her.
“Maybe,” she replied. Perhaps she should have suggested to Zoe they double date tonight after all.
Lauren didn’t know what was wrong with her. She loved spending time with Mitch, even if it was just enjoying a latte together. Was it the fact that she hadn’t made up her mind about their sleeping arrangements last weekend? Or the fact that it had been made up for her – by the killer?
“Let’s do something different,” she proposed.
“Like what?” A smile edged his mouth.
“Like—” she grabbed an old phone directory from the kitchen counter, closed her eyes and flicked it open. She stabbed her finger on a page and opened her eyes. “Like this ... comedy club in Sacramento.”
“I’m game if you are.” He put down his glass. “Okay, I’ll go home and grab a shower. See you at seven.”
She nodded.
The doorbell rang.
“Expecting someone?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No.”
“Brrt!” Annie had been silent during their conversation, as if taking it all in. Now, she scampered down the hall toward the front door.
Lauren followed her, wondering who it was. Zoe was getting ready for her date. Maybe Chris had driven over, wanting to surprise her? Or was it Father Mike, collecting for the local Episcopal Church?
She opened the door, conscious of Mitch standing behind her. Her mouth parted and her eyes widened.
“Mom!”