The old me could really get behind her materialistic motto. The new me is too broke to even think about it.
Jackson Mortimer strides out of the shadows with a dangerous smile on his lips, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s all for Tilly.
“Ladies,” he says without taking his eyes off of her. “Mother, Bowie—pleasant to see you.” He tucks a kiss to the nape of Tilly’s neck. “Ms. Teasdale, you are sublime.”
“Hear that?” I elbow Opal in the ribs. “He called her sublime. Who knows? You might just get another family member out of this deal.”
“Ooh, speaking of family members.” Opal yanks open the giant tote bag strapped to her shoulders and plucks out a fuzzy white Himalayan that glows like winter snow. “Aggie wanted to come along, and I couldn’t say no.” She strokes the sweet angel over the back, and I do the same.
“Aggie!” I land a kiss to her fuzzy forehead. “Fancy meeting you here. I wish I thought to bring Pixie.”
Opal lifts a brow my way and I quickly point in the opposite direction.
“I think I see the dessert table. Excuse me, calories are calling.”
The dessert tent is lit up with pink and purple twinkle lights, giving each of the sweet treats heaped over silver platters an ethereal glow. I make my way to the chocolate chip cookies and begin scooping them up by the handful and shoving them into my mouth. I’ve never been a dainty eater. I don’t see why I should start now.
“Well, well”—Regina Valentine pops up in a pretty pink dress that looks more like a negligée—“if it isn’t the banana cake bandit. After shoving your face into that eight-inch round double layer cake, I’m shocked you have room for more. You’re not eating for two, are you?” She scowls my way. “Don’t tell me you’ve made Shep a father so soon in your negligible relationship.”
“What are you rambling about?” I mumble through a mouthful. “First of all, Shep and I have yet to crest first base. Second of all, I’m not a fan of banana cake.” I swallow down the rest of my cookie. My sister Steph was the banana cake, bread, pudding, and pie fiend. The phallic fruit was a staple in what she called her dumped depository. Steph has gone through more men than the United States Marines. And she’s had about as many broken hearts, too, thus the food bank she kept on hand to aid in healing her next heartbreak.
Regina squints over at me. “How did you get your hair dark again so fast?”
“Again, what are you talking about? I’d check you for a fever, but I highly doubt your delirium has anything to do with your body temperature.”
“Your hair, you dyed it a brassy shade of blonde. I told you I hated it and you told me where to go using an entire barrage of four-letter words.” A husky laugh emits from her as if she enjoyed the salty exchange, and I’m betting she did.
“Regina, I’ve never had blonde hair. My sis—” I stop cold. My sister looks like my twin, save for her brassy self-induced highlights.
I glance down to the tennis bracelet on my wrist and gasp.
“Calm down.” Regina strides past me and begins loading up on chocolate chip cookies herself. “I won’t tell Opal about the dessert heist. Besides, I like having something over you.”
I stagger away from the tent, sucking in as much fresh night air as possible.
Steph is here. Well, not here in Sterling Lake at the Hathaway compound, but she’s in Starry Falls.
“Psst!”
The sharp hiss emits from my left and I spot a glowing face near a hedge of bushes. A woman steps out from the shadows, and that shock of brassy blonde hair, that familiar face, leaves me frozen solid with fear.
“Stephanie?” I hiss back as I trot on over and, sure enough, it’s my sweet little sis—alive and in the flesh.
We wrap our arms around one another so tight it feels as if we’re about to meld into one.
I pull back and grab her by the shoulders.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” I give her a little rattle. “You’re going to get us both killed.”
Steph makes a face and it’s like looking in a mirror. Although I’ve always thought her nose was a little more pert than mine, but she’s never agreed with me about that. She’s never agreed with me on just about anything.
“I’m not getting us killed.” She quickly wipes away a few errant tears. “I went up to see Daddy last month, and he told me you called. He thought he knew where you might be and he was right.” She shrugs. “Uncle Vinnie got that cute pillow you made. He showed it to Mom, Lorenzo, and me. We’ve all been worried sick.”
“So you had to come up and bring the Morettis with you?”
“Nobody followed me. I followed that Regina chick. I was careful. Cross my heart and hope to die.” She quickly makes an X over her chest.
“Yeah, well. That’s one wish that just might come true.”
“How long have you been here? Did you send this bracelet?” I hold it up for her to see and it glitters in the moonlight just like those tears streaking across her face.
“That’s right.” She scowls over at it. “Eddie Ferrari gave it to me as an I’m sorry for sleeping with Lorretta Vitali.”
I suck in a quick breath. “Eddie knew you hated Lorretta.”
“Everybody knew I hated Lorretta,” she snips back. “Anyway, that’s when I went to see Dad.”
“And that’s also when you started doing a few drive-bys with the notes. Have you been in Vermont this entire time?”
“I went home twice, but I’m here to stay. I’m not going back to Hastings ever again. I’ve had it with Eddie. He’s flaunting Lorretta around like a new Lamborghini, and to make matters worse, his family has welcomed her with open arms. I hate him. I hate her.
