“Sure. Anything.” She shrugs as if she means it.
“That envelope you gave to Bobbie—what was supposed to be inside it?”
Her eyes close a moment too long. “Two tickets for a Caribbean cruise. Just a five-day outing from Florida. Nothing more than a booze cruise. Lacey found a special last December for less than half off, and we thought it’d be a fun surprise for Bobbie and Chip.”
“Oh? Was it their anniversary?”
“No, it was just something Lacey thought they deserved. With the intention, of course, of doing it at our next big conference.” Lord knows everything needed to be acknowledged publicly. “There were some publicity elements to the gift as well. Bobbie’s fans really buy into that whole perfect couple angle she and Chip were putting out there. It dovetails into the fact they’re all about relationships and making them work. Most of the women who listen are yearning for a romance of their own, and the getaway was supposed to get them in the mood for romance.” And in the mood to buy that darn book on how to find your perfect pairing. Maybe Bobbie and Lacey should change the title of that book to A Perfect Parting—as in parting me from my money. She sighs as she looks to Gizmo. “Come here, boy,” she calls out, and I can feel our visit coming to a close.
“Diane, who could have made that switch? Did you ever find the right envelope?”
“I don’t know who did it. But I guess it could have been anyone. I had that envelope unattended on my seat before the event ever started. And the envelope was the same one I was going to give her. Someone just added the pictures—and, unfortunately, that’s what Bobbie saw first.”
I nod her way as I consider all of this.
“Well, I’d better go.” She hands Sugar back to me and scoops up Gizmo. “I’m off to make Rick some stroganoff for dinner. It’s his favorite. Nice seeing you ladies again. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the books you’re storing for me. I’ll be by the inn bright and early on Valentine’s Day to help stage the scavenger hunt.” She gives a cheery wave as she takes off.
“And just like that, I’m left with more questions than I came with,” I mutter to Sugar.
Like? the tiny cat mewls.
“Like why did Bobbie need to borrow sixty grand? And why would Diane risk everything to give it to her?”
I guess you’ll have to wait until Valentine’s Day to get your answer.
“No.” I shake my head, still watching Diane as she makes her way toward the barking lot—per the sign in front of the lot we parked in. “I’m going to do my darnedest to speak with Tiger Caldwell.”
A riot of barking breaks out, and soon every dog, big and small, in the park is chasing after Georgie as she runs this way.
“They’re after my bacon, Bizzy!”
“Then give it to them,” I scream in a panic, but Georgie persists in heading my way.
Bizzy! Sugar yowls as she jumps into my front carrier and burrows in deep. Run!
And I do.
Georgie, Juni, and I run all the way to my car and don’t look back.
And since Georgie didn’t part with her stash of salted meat, we enjoy a nice snack once we land safely inside.
Sherlock and Sprinkles get their fair share, too.
And I’d like to give a fair share of my attention to Tiger Caldwell.
Here’s hoping Tiger Caldwell will be just as easy to track down as Diane was.
Although something tells me he won’t.
And I don’t think I’ll be able to lure him into spilling his secrets with bacon either.
But I have a saucy sister who might just do the trick.
Here’s hoping I don’t land my sister in front of a cold-blooded killer. Not that it would be her first foray with a homicidal maniac.
Tiger Caldwell, this might just be your luckiest Valentine’s Day yet, courtesy of the Baker sisters.
Tiger.
Here kitty, kitty, come out, come out, wherever you are.
Chapter 10
“That’s the one,” Mackenzie Woods announces with fervent vigor as I stand examining myself in the mirror wearing one of Georgie’s wonky quilt dresses.
It’s the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday, and I’ve come to the conclusion these so-called wonky quilt dresses should be outlawed every day of the week.
The shop my mother and Georgie run together, Two Old Broads, is teeming with customers. It’s the first day of their big winter sale, and everything is being snapped up at a quickened pace, even these wonky disasters.
Okay, so they’re not disasters, but I can sense one on the matrimonial horizon and I seem to be taking it out on this innocent frock.
Fish and Sugar watch from on top of the checkout counter, both equally horrified and yet somewhat amused.
Juni is working the register while Georgie and my mother cautiously watch me from the corner of their eye, where I stand just outside of the dressing room with Mackenzie and my mother-in-law, Gwyneth. They’ve both come to the startling conclusion that I should wear this piecemealed muumuu on their special day as I stand up for the both of them. If I ever had doubts that they liked me, they’ve firmly been put to rest. I can rest assured both women seek to humiliate me in the very near future.
Two Old Broads is a rather eclectic shop, selling everything from quilts in all of their iterations to Georgie’s sea glass creations. The shop holds a cozy appeal with rustic floors and homey furnishings. Most of their inventory is held in large wooden barrels scattered around the shop and on chunky dark-stained tables.
Oh, they hate you, Bizzy. Fish brays and it sounds like a laugh. The next thing you know, they’ll ask you to wear your hair in rollers and frost your face with a mud mask.
Sugar swipes the air. Look on the bright side. You can always find a corner to curl up in and take a nap.
“I don’t know,” I say. “There are going
