Mark held the door open for Kelly, and when they entered Gio’s, the hostess showed them to a table. As they made their way through the dining room, Kelly felt the stares. It looked like news that she found Tawny’s body had spread.
Her cheeks heated, and her pace quickened, though the hostess seemed to enjoy the excruciating trek from door to table.
“Kelly!” Liza popped up from a table for one and wended through the tables to intercept Kelly and Mark. “I heard about Tawny. It’s such a shock. She was so young and vital. What a waste.” Her eyes teared up.
“I’m so sorry; I didn’t realize you and Tawny were friends.” Kelly offered a weak smile and hoped Liza wouldn’t break down there in the middle of the restaurant.
Liza sniffled. “She and Jason are members of the church. Such good people. They always volunteered. She was just helping out the other day.” She took in a ragged breath.
“Would you like to join us?” Mark offered.
Liza shook her head and dabbed at her watery eyes. “Oh, how sweet of you. No, I’m almost finished with my meal. My one treat every now and again when my budget allows. Kelly, I’ll let you know when the service for Tawny is.”
Kelly murmured a thank you and then Liza returned to her dinner as the hostess caught their attention. “Sorry.” Kelly dipped her head and continued following the hostess.
The other diners either had curious looks on their faces or whispered to their companions as Kelly passed by. Beads of sweat pooled at her temples, and her gaze bounced around the room. All of this reminded her of the weeks following Ariel’s accident. Back then, the comments were in the lowest of low tones because they were harsh and cruel about Kelly. She swallowed hard and shook off the unpleasant memory.
After the hostess handed them their menus, she told them their waitress would be with them shortly.
“You’ve created quite a stir.” Mark opened his menu. The past week he’d been putting in long hours on a case, forcing him to postpone their date night more than once.
Kelly looked over her shoulder. “Believe me, it wasn’t my intention.”
“I spoke with Marcy earlier. She caught the case, huh?” Mark closed his menu and set it down.
Kelly didn’t have much of an appetite but refused to cancel because they hadn’t had a date night in ages. Okay, that was an exaggeration. But it felt like an eternity. Now, with the subject of his sister brought up, what little appetite she had vanished.
“She most certainly did. She wasn’t pleased to see me there.” Kelly closed her menu.
“Shocker.” Mark flashed his sexy McHottie Lawyer grin. When they first met, he was representing a customer who wanted to sue her for an outlandish reason. Mark realized the lawsuit would have been a waste of his client’s time and money, so he worked out a more than reasonable settlement.
Kelly laughed. “I’m serious. I hadn’t planned to walk in on a murder scene. I was there for a yoga session. Some Zen time. Maybe even a little meditation.
“You meditate? Since when?”
“I don’t, but maybe I should start. Between the roof and the murder—”
“Good evening, I’m Jessie, your server tonight. Are you ready to order?”
Kelly recognized Jessie as the owner’s granddaughter. Still in high school, she had a freckled nose and rosy cheeks with long strawberry hair pulled back into a high ponytail.
“Would you like to hear the specials?”
Kelly and Mark both shook their heads no.
“I’ll have the spaghetti and meatballs.” Kelly handed her menu to Jessie. Whatever she didn’t eat, she’d take home for leftovers tomorrow.
“I’d like a lasagna. And two glasses of red wine.” Mark handed his menu to Jessie and listened as she recited the wine options. Before Kelly could make her choice, he selected for them.
“I’ll bring out your salads right away.” Jessie began to turn away but stopped. She leaned toward Kelly. “I heard you found Tawny Fallow’s body earlier today. That must have been awful.” Interest filled her hazel eyes.
“Yes, it was—” Kelly began to say.
“Since it’s an open investigation, she’s not at liberty to discuss the details,” Mark said as he covered Kelly’s hand with his.
Kelly didn’t appreciate being cut off, but he made a valid point. The same point she made when she’d refused to give Ella a comment.
Jessie nodded curtly and spun around. She marched away.
Kelly had a new worry to obsess over. Was her food going to be safe?
“I could have told her myself that I didn’t want to discuss the matter.” Kelly pulled back her hand and unfolded her napkin.
“Of course, you could have.” Mark reached for his water glass and took a sip.
Kelly kept her gaze on her lap. She hadn’t meant to snap at Mark. Maybe going out had been a mistake. Perhaps she should have stayed home and made an early night of it.
“You’ve had a long day, and I was only trying to help. So how are you doing?” He set his glass down.
Kelly shrugged. “It’s not like this was the first time I found a dead body.” After she said it, she regretted it. She knew she shouldn’t be glib, because a woman was dead, but she barely knew Tawny. “Sorry. It was a shock finding Tawny and seeing Serena standing over her. I’m sure your sister considers her a suspect, but I don’t think she’s capable of such a thing.” Kelly stopped talking when their salads arrived. She lifted her fork and pierced a cherry tomato. “Besides, she didn’t look disheveled.”
Mark finished chewing his forkful of salad. “I don’t understand. What does how she looked have to do with anything? Are you saying she didn’t look like she killed someone?”
“Exactly. While I was at the cottage, I got a quick look around. It looked like there had been a struggle before Tawny died. Serena looked too pulled together, even though her hair was a little messy but not too messy. Trust me, there wasn’t any sign she murdered someone.”
“From what you told me about their relationship, it sounded contentious, and you did find Serena beside the body.”
“I see your point. It’s probably the point your sister is taking with her investigation.” Kelly continued to eat her salad. Her appetite was returning, and they changed the topic of conversation while they enjoyed their main course. Once the subject of murder was off the table, they relaxed, and shared ideas for a quick weekend getaway before summer got into full swing. It would be Kelly’s first summer as a merchant on Main Street, so she didn’t want to take vacation time then.
Their main course was served and over tossing around ideas for getaway locations, they ate. Kelly surprised herself by finishing her meal. Boy, her appetite had returned in a big way.
Mark pushed away his plate and wiped his mouth with the linen napkin. He smiled, lighting up his dark-as-charcoal eyes, and leaned forward. “How many lawyer jokes are in existence?”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Not another lawyer joke?”
Mark liked to poke fun at his chosen profession with random jokes. She was always tempted to remind him that, while he wasn’t an ambulance chaser, they’d met because one of his clients thought a piece of furniture she bought at the boutique was haunted. “Okay, how many are there?”
“Only three. All the rest are true stories.” He laughed and then gestured to their waitress for their check.
Kelly giggled. “Good one.” Her jovial mood and laughter came to a skidding halt when her uncle’s current wife appeared at their table.
Summer Blake pulled out a chair and sat without so much as a hello or an invitation.
“Good evening, Summer.” Kelly set her fork down.
“No, it’s not. Tawny is dead. I’m heartbroken. Devastated.” Summer’s exquisitely made-up face didn’t show an ounce of sadness. Nor did her perfectly styled bleached blond hair or her burgundy wrap dress. Apparently, former-models-turned-Pilates-instructors grieved differently than regular folks.
“You and Tawny were friends?” Kelly didn’t know whom Summer socialized with. They hardly spent time together and when they did it was usually at a family dinner. This meant Kelly wasn’t privy to Summer’s circles of friends, and she’d prefer to keep it that way. Since moving back to Lucky Cove, Kelly tried to strike up a friendship with her uncle’s wife. For the record, she refused to call Summer her aunt. They were only a few years apart in age, and it felt weird adding the word aunt in front of Summer’s name. Her attempts at friendship always seemed to end with Summer criticizing her posture, her career choice, or her bad luck of being dragged into murder cases.
She hadn’t thought it would be so hard, since they both shared a love for fashion. Their one and only bond. She soon found out that Summer preferred the friendship of women who could help her climb the social ladder. Kelly couldn’t help her with that because she was busy climbing the ladder of retail fashion for a weekly paycheck. And then, gasp, taking over a used clothing store. Yeah, there was no bonding on that topic.
Summer nodded as she set her clutch purse on the table. “We met for runs. We had a lot in common.”
Kelly thought about it, and Summer was right. Both women were in the fitness industry building their own businesses, and both were married to older, wealthier men.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Mark handed his credit card to the waitress.
“I want to make sure the person responsible for my friend’s death is sent to prison for a lifetime. I heard your former boss is a suspect. You found her standing over the body. Why didn’t you call me? Why did I have to learn about this through my clients at the studio?”
Kelly drained the last of the wine in her glass before answering Summer. A refill would have been good right about then.
“Until right now, I didn’t know about your friendship with Tawny. And, yes, Serena has been asked to stay in Lucky Cove for the time being. I don’t know anything more.” Although, she wouldn’t mind knowing why Serena and Jason met last night at the Gull Café.
“Well, I hope you’ll stay clear of the case because I want nothing to jeopardize the police investigation.” Summer leaned back and stared at Kelly.
Kelly looked to her wine glass and was sad it hadn’t magically refilled. “I feel the same way. However, you don’t get to tell me what to do. With that said, I can assure you, I have no intention of interfering with the police.”
Summer scoffed. “Oh, please, you really expect me to believe that?”
“Well, there’s always a first time for everything,” Mark added.
Kelly lifted the napkin from her lap and dropped it on the table. Her lovely dinner was over. She heard a hint of sarcasm in Mark’s tone, and like his cutting her off earlier, she didn’t appreciate it. Nor did she appreciate Summer sweeping in and telling her what to do.
“There you are, dear.” Ralph Blake approached the table with his arm extended. When he reached his wife’s side, he leaned in for a kiss. Kelly lowered her gaze; she didn’t want to see any PDA between her uncle and his wife.
Ralph was in his mid-fifties and had a peppering of distinguishing gray at his temples and a year-round tan thanks to his in-home tanning bed. He was particular about his appearance and what it conveyed. There was little wonder that all his wives had been former models. Every detail in his life was calculated and weighed on how it would appear. As a real estate developer, he spent countless hours networking, wheeling, and dealing. Successful people wanted to do business with other successful people.
“Good evening, Kelly, Mark. Dear, our table is ready.”
Summer stood. “We were discussing what happened to Tawny.”
“Quite a mess you’ve gotten yourself into again, wouldn’t you say, Kelly?” Ralph’s eyes fixed on his niece, and it almost made her squirm, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Since she’d come back to Lucky Cove, he hadn’t been shy about voicing his displeasure regarding Kelly. From inheriting his mother’s house and business to her involvement in three past murder investigations, he made it no secret he was unhappy with her.
“No. Actually, I wouldn’t—”
“I hear they have a suspect. A woman from the city,” Ralph said.
“Kelly used to work for her. Can you imagine? I’m still trying to wrap my head around Tawny being cut down in the prime of her life. Her business was taking off.” Summer’s green eyes watered as she snuggled in closer to her husband for comfort.
“Speaking of taking off…” Kelly hoped her hint wasn’t too overt but then again, not too subtle.
“We should get to our table. Have a nice evening,” Summer said with a wave as she and Ralph walked away arm and arm.
Kelly leaned forward, propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her palms. “I’m beat.”
“You look tired. Come on, I’ll walk you home.” Mark stood, and being the gentleman he was, he pulled out Kelly’s chair.
“I need to use the restroom. I’ll be just a minute.”
“No need to rush.” He kissed her on the cheek before heading to the hostess station to wait for her.
She made a beeline to the back of the restaurant and pushed the swinging door to the restroom. Like the rest of the establishment, it was classy and clean with bright lights and a double vanity. Both stall doors were closed, and the ladies were chatting. Kelly caught something about the Gull Café as she moved to the sink.
While she waited, she inspected her eyes. She’d gotten a new tube of mascara a week ago, and it came with a boatload of promises to thicken, lengthen, and nourish her lashes. What she really wanted was a mascara that didn’t give her raccoon eyes.
She leaned toward the mirror for a closer look. So far, so good.
Well, at least where her makeup was concerned. Staring at her reflection, she couldn’t help but reflect on the latest turn of events.
How had she landed in the middle of another murder? Was this now her thing? Her new lot in life?
In the previous cases she’d been drawn into, she’d helped to solve the cases. Whether or not it was due to luck, she wasn’t sure. She just seemed good at it. Maybe she had a knack for amateur sleuthing.
“My sister waited on their table last night. The woman he was with wasn’t his wife,” the woman in stall one said.
Kelly was pulled from her thoughts and into the conversation happening a few feet from her. Who were they talking about? She rolled her eyes. Duh. They had to be talking about Jason and Serena. Apparently, the only topic of conversation in Lucky Cove. They’d met at the Gull Café last night. Kelly looked over her shoulder at the stalls.
“Seriously? He sounds like a suspect to me,” the other woman said. Her voice was accusatory.
“My sister said they were holding hands.”
“Wow! And his wife is dead now. You don’t have to be a math genius to put two and two together and get a cheating husband murders his wife.”
“Exactly!”
Kelly returned her gaze to the mirror. Serena and Jason were holding hands?
A toilet flushed.
She didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping, so she swung around and darted out of the restroom. She was moving so fast, she skidded to a stop so she wouldn’t collide with a server carrying a tray full of dirty dishes. Murmuring an apology, she continued through to the hostess area where she found Mark waiting for her.
“Everything okay?” His forehead was creased, and he looked confused.
“Yeah, everything is fine. Ready?”
“After you.” He guided her out of the restaurant. With their arms linked, they walked along Main Street. There were a few passersby who Kelly knew, and they nodded. The walk was short, so she made the most of it by burrowing closer to Mark.
“Be sure to lock up tonight, okay?” Mark said when they reached the back door of the boutique.
“I will. Call me tomorrow?”
“Of course.” He leaned in for a goodnight kiss, and Kelly happily obliged. “Sleep tight.”
Kelly nodded and then unlocked the door and stepped inside, flicking on an interior light. She locked the door and made her way through the boutique to the staircase up to her apartment.
The conversation she overheard in the ladies’ room repeated in her head as she was greeted by Howard and kicked off her shoes. Howard continued to slink his lean body around her legs and then wandered off to the bedroom. Going to bed was a fantastic idea, so she followed her feline.
She pulled out a new pair of pajamas from the dresser and undressed, her mind drifting back to last night when she saw Serena and Jason meet and then enter the Gull Café. She guessed they were trying to workout out a deal about their shared property. Now, hearing they held hands made her doubt her initial thought.
After brushing her teeth and quickly wiping off her makeup, she snuggled in bed with Howard and her phone. He lasted a whole two minutes before he pulled away and curled up at the foot of the bed. She learned not to take it personally. Clearly, he liked his space.
She tapped on her phone and searched the internet for anything on Tawny and Jason. Dozens of results came up. The couple had been active in their church, like Liza said. Jason’s advertising agency had recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, and Tawny was planning a destination retreat for her clients.
All in all, the Fallows seemed like a successful, happily married couple. She lowered the phone, pressing it against her chest. It’s exactly how she envisioned her future with Mark. Minus the murder and possible cheating thing. She’d been resistant to think too far out into the future, but she and Mark seemed to be getting serious. Maybe letting herself dream a little of what could be wasn’t such a bad idea.
A text message popped up. She lifted the phone and saw it was from Mark.
Sweet dreams. XOXO
She quickly replied.
You too. XOXO
So corny, but she didn’t care. She was falling in love and wanted to enjoy every minute. Sure, he irritated her earlier, but wasn’t that a part of loving someone? Tolerating their quirks? Hopefully, he felt the same way about her quirks. What was she thinking? Of course, he did. How could he not?