red Camaro, parked smack-dab in front of them.
“I’ve got my ways.” The redhead nodded to a handsome older man sitting at one of the outdoor tables. “In fact, I’d better go thank him. When I saw you two under attack, I forgot my manners.”
Skye wondered briefly whether Mr. Distinguished was Bunny’s new beau, but Frannie distracted her by saying, “Let’s go inside. I want to say hi to Kayla.”
“Are you two friends?” Skye asked.
“Sort of.” Frannie opened the shop’s door. “We were both interested in some of the same colleges and went on campus visits together, but she still really wants to get out of Scumble River, and me, not so much anymore.”
Skye was about to follow Frannie and Trixie into the store when she heard her name being called. Turning, she saw her mother hurrying toward her, May’s four best friends bringing up the rear.
“Hi, Mom.” Skye waved. “I didn’t know you were coming here.”
“We decided to give it a look-see at the last minute.” Skye’s mother reached up and pushed a stray chestnut curl off Skye’s cheek, adjusted her daughter’s blouse, and brushed a piece of lint off her jeans. May’s own short salt-and-pepper hair was perfectly coiffed, and her brown tweed pants and matching jacket looked as if they had just left the ironing board—which they probably had. “Glory and Hester wanted to get some books, Maggie’s checking out the pastry competition, and Kitty and I are here just to be neighborly.”
Skye nodded. She knew her mom and aunt never passed up an opportunity to socialize.
May added, “Besides, Thea called and said there was some excitement here.” Like May, Thea was a dispatcher for the Scumble River Police Department. “People wanting to close down the store.”
“Someone called the cops?” Skye wasn’t surprised her mother and her friends didn’t want to miss the action. Gossip was better if acquired firsthand.
“The owner. She said there were protesters blocking her entrance.” May frowned. “But Wally said as long as they are on the sidewalk, which is public property, he can’t stop them. Some nonsense about freedom of speech.”
“The police take the constitution pretty seriously,” Skye confirmed. “Wally had no choice until they attacked someone, like they did me a few minutes ago.”
“See!” May’s voice was shrill. “How can you marry someone who won’t even protect you? Simon always tried to stop you from putting yourself in danger, but Wally goes and makes you the police psych consultant.”
“Mother!” Emerald eyes that matched May’s own blazed. Her mom didn’t approve of Skye’s engagement to Wally, who was older, divorced, and not Catholic. There was nothing he could do about the first issue, and he was trying to get an annulment to address the second; Skye wondered whether her mother would come around if he converted, which would solve the third problem.
“Yes?” May’s expression was angelic.
“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, a fact Wally understands and applauds. I am
“We’ll see.”
“I’m marrying Wally as soon as he gets an annulment.” Skye and Simon had broken up more than two years ago, when he’d refused to explain how he “forgot” to mention that the college friend he was staying with on his trip to California was a woman. By the time he finally did clarify the situation, it was too late. “Deal with it,” Skye told her mother.
“Look how hard Simon is trying,” May wheedled.
He had actually shown up at her parents’ house last Sunday while they were all having dinner together and serenaded Skye with “Love Me Tender” from outside the kitchen window. His voice hadn’t been half bad, but the Elvis outfit was a bit much.
“Drop it, Mom.” Skye crossed her arms. “I mean it. Unless you want me to elope.”
May looked stricken. “Don’t even tease about something like that. I’ve been planning your wedding since you were born.” She clutched her chest. “I’m going to be at both my kids’ weddings if it’s the last thing I do.”
CHAPTER 5
All Quiet on the Western Front
When Skye finally entered Tales and Treats, she was astounded by the clever design. The main room contained the register, gift items associated with reading and writing, and a massive glass-fronted oak cupboard with an engraved plaque that read, RARE AND FIRST EDITIONS. Radiating from the central hub were the cafe and four areas decorated according to the genre they held.
She was immediately drawn to the mystery section. Elegant wood paneling and cushiony armchairs invited customers to relax as they made their choices. A jumbo magnifying glass hung over the fireplace mantel, and handcuffs, crime scene tape, and a variety of toy weapons were arranged on top of cherry occasional tables.
Skye looked around for Trixie, sure her friend would be attracted to this setting, but there was no sign of her. She did see her mother’s pals Glory and Hester, their arms full of paperbacks. They lifted their chins in greeting.
Next, Skye tried the romances, knowing that was Trixie’s second favorite read. Here the furnishings ran to a pink velvet chaise longue and a white wrought-iron daybed stacked with frilly pillows. Oversize champagne glasses and high-heeled shoes were placed on gilt tables, and a lace peignoir hung from a brass hook on the wall. Bunny was sitting on the floor, half glasses perched on her nose, engrossed in a book with a mostly naked cowboy on its cover. A flush tinged her cheeks, and she didn’t look up when Skye said hello.
Trixie had to be somewhere, and Skye doubted her friend was in the science fiction/fantasy/horror section, which was bedecked in outer-space gear, fairy wings, and vampire fangs. With Trixie’s active imagination, reading anything too scary was likely to give her nightmares.
Skye was also pretty sure her friend wasn’t in the literature alcove, which was decorated like a college professor’s office. They both agreed that they saw enough demoralizing endings in real life and didn’t need to read about them in their fiction.
On her way through the main hub to check for Trixie in the cafe, Skye spotted a wire cage the size of a refrigerator box behind the front counter. It was draped on three sides with dark material, and she couldn’t see what was inside. Curious, she threaded her way through the crowd toward the register.
As she got nearer, Skye saw a petite figure crouching down with her head and shoulders inside the pen, and called out, “Hi, Kayla. Are you enjoying your first day on the job?”
“Sorry.” After closing the door of the cage, the person turned around. She was wearing a yellow polo shirt with TALES AND TREATS stitched in black across the pocket. Beneath the store name, RISE was embroidered in dark green. “I’m not Kayla, but I am enjoying my first day on the job.”
“Sorry.” Skye felt her cheeks redden. “From the back, you two look very similar.”
“No problem.” The shop owner smiled. “Being mistaken for a nineteen-year-old is extremely flattering.” She held out her hand to Skye. “How kind of you to come to our grand opening. I hope your being here doesn’t cause a problem for you with your cousin.”
“Thank you.” Skye shook Rise’s hand. “I’m Skye. It’s my pleasure to be here, and I couldn’t care less about Hugo’s opinions.”
“I’m thrilled that so many Scumble Riverites are here.” Rise was glowing. “I was a little afraid no one would show up, and then with those people picketing in front of the door . . . Well, you can imagine.”
“Of course,” Skye reassured her. “But they’re gone now, and at least the leader of the pack didn’t show up.” She paused. Why
“Your friends told me how they fought them off.” Rise straightened a stack of bookmarks. “That Bunny is my kind of woman.”
“She’s certainly unique. She’s one of those rare, truly happy-go-lucky people who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.” Skye mentally shook her head. Rise the intellectual feminist and Bunny the man-crazy flake were the
