when I realized what was going on.”
“You did?” Since I was pretty sure the police call hadn’t said anything about Pepper Martin’s ability to talk to the dead, I couldn’t help but wonder what Quinn was getting at. “Do you mean-”
“I mean that’s when it finally hit me. When I thought something might have happened to you and I felt my stomach go cold and I realized that if you weren’t in my life… well, things just wouldn’t be the same. That’s when I knew it, Pepper. That’s when I knew I loved you.”
“You… love…” They were words I never thought I’d hear from Quinn, and now that I had, I could barely process the enormity of what he was saying. “Are you telling me-”
“I’m telling you that though I might want to spend my life with you, I don’t want to spend it worrying. I hate it that you’re putting yourself in danger. What would happen if next time-”
“There won’t be a next time. Cross my heart.” Yeah, it was the easy way out, but it was better to promise than it was to risk ruining the perfect, fairy-tale moment.
Good thing Quinn dragged me behind a nearby van where nobody could see us. He was so busy kissing me, he didn’t notice that behind my back, my fingers were crossed.
20
Team One’s section was beautiful. Every headstone in it had been carefully cleaned, and each and every one sparkled in the morning sunlight. The stone paths were pristine. I swear, the white flowers they’d planted in two huge urns bordering the entrance to the section came right off the cover of a
It was impressive.
I was bummed.
“Hey, cheer up.” Absalom poked me in the ribs. We were standing on the sidelines watching the final judging, and with the camera rolling, he had to keep his voice down. “They got big bucks on their side, but no way they have our style.”
He was trying to make me feel better, so I smiled even though I didn’t feel like it.
After the points we’d scored for our bachelor auction, we were ten points behind Team One in the competition. Had their gorgeous landscaping sealed the deal and left us runners-up? We were about to find out.
When the judge from the art museum stepped forward, I held my breath.
“It’s all very lovely,” she said. “The lines are clean and pleasing. The flowers are cheery without being disrespectful. My fellow judges and I… we’re awarding Team One ten points.”
“Ten?” I groaned. “That means we’re twenty behind. We’re never going to catch up. Not twenty points.”
“Hey, team captain!” Reggie slapped me on the back. “You’re the one who usually gives the rah-rah speeches. Don’t lose faith now.”
I wished I could be so optimistic.
When Greer ordered us to get moving, we tromped over to our section. The judge’s words whirled through my head and for the first time since we’d planted our flowers, I second-guessed our color scheme. Our team had decided to honor Sammi with our plantings, and since we figured he had as much right to put in his two cents as anyone else, we consulted Virgil. He’d come up with the perfect plan, and he’d even chipped in to buy gigantic new flowerpots, too. They stood at the entrance to our section, jam-packed with flowers in Wonder Bread colors-red, yellow, white, and blue.
I guess the judges got the message, because as they neared our section, they stopped and took a careful look around. The guy from the Art Institute went a little pale.
When they were done with the flowers, they checked out our little fountain (we’d had a problem with the pump, and it wasn’t flowing as much as it was belching), and the bench we’d put nearby that we hadn’t been able to get perfectly level, no matter how hard we tried. They walked up and down the rows of headstones, stopping, checking, scratching comments in their notebooks. When they were done, they put their heads together and talked for so long, I thought I was going to burst from anticipation. Finally, the lady from the art museum stepped forward. Absalom was on one side of me, Delmar was on the other. I grabbed both their hands and held on for dear life.
“Well!” The art museum lady laughed, uncomfortable. “This section certainly isn’t restored as perfectly as Team One’s.” I stifled a curse. “But…”
The single word gave me hope. I tightened my hold on Absalom and Delmar.
“This section has a certain panache that demonstrates something the other section didn’t. Yes, cemeteries are places where we honor our dead. But they are also places where we celebrate the lives of the people who’ve gone before us. This section certainly shows that aspect of celebration. We’re awarding Team Two twenty points.”
“Twenty!” We whooped and hollered.
That is, until I did the math.
“We’re tied,” I said, and I knew that Team One realized it, too. That’s why they were throwing death-ray looks our way.
“The final points will be awarded once the Monroe Street volunteers arrive,” the art museum lady said. “That’s when the fundraising money will be turned over to them. The team that raised the most money will be our winner.”
“Cut!” Greer yelled, and while everyone scrambled around, getting ready for the next shot, my team and I gave each other high fives.
Oh yeah, we knew what was about to happen. We were about to be declared
In honor of the moment, I stepped aside to refresh my lipstick and check my hair. I’d just put my mirror back in my purse when Bianca walked over.
She reached into her own purse and pulled out a business card. “I took the liberty of having these made. I hope you don’t mind.”
The card was printed on heavy stock, the font was elegant, but not over-the-top. Under the distinctive
PEPPER MARTIN, FASHION CONSULTANT
I caught my breath. “Does this mean… You’re asking me to… You want me to… The offer’s still open?”
She laughed, the sound of it as sweet and soothing as our fountain was supposed to be. “Of course. That is…” Bianca lowered her voice. “It could be yours, Pepper. If things work out the way they should.”
I was puzzled. “If things work out? You’re not talking about-”
“The contest, of course.” She smiled at me the way she’d smiled from the covers of so many magazines. “If Team One gets that final twenty-five points-”
“But there’s no way. It’s based on how much money each team brought in, and you know we raised more than you did. You’re not asking me to-”
“No one will know.” Her smile stayed firmly in place. “A few hundred dollars, who would miss it? And if anyone does… well… just look at your team.” She did, and I looked over their way, too. They were eager for the next scene to shoot. This was their big moment and even Crazy Jake’s expression shone with pride. “No one would be the least bit surprised if there was money missing.”
I weighed what she said against the beautiful business card in my hands.
I tore the card in half, gave the pieces to Bianca, and walked away.
“Congratulations.” I wasn’t surprised to see Quinn at the cemetery for the big announcement. Ever since that night at the car lot when he finally spoke those three little oh-so-wonderful words, we’d been pretty much inseparable. I mean, when he wasn’t out catching bad guys and I wasn’t finishing up the
