Sandy Bay Series Box Set 5

by Amber Crewes

  Mia’s pretty face darkened. “That no-good brat is an opportunist,” she declared. “I heard that she was sobbing like a fool when Lucky passed away. Lucky didn’t love her. He used her, just like he used every beautiful woman he met along the way.”

  “Including you?”

  Mia shook her head. “You can only be used if you let someone use you,” she told Megan in a conspiratorial tone. “I understood what Lucky was bringing to the table, unlike Wendy and all of the other girls he tricked. And, I was his wife. Regardless of whomever he spent his time with when he was on the road, we had a connection that no one could match. He knew it. I knew it. Surely that stupid Wendy knows it.”

  “Are you seriously yapping about that dumb Wendy again?”

  Meghan and Mia looked up as a teenage girl stepped outside onto the porch. The girl was beautiful, with thick, long dark hair and sharp features. A hoop hung through her nose, and Meghan could see a tattoo peeking from beneath her t-shirt.

  “Honey, that’s enough,” Mia scolded. “Meghan, this is my daughter, Lola. Lola, this is Meghan. She is your cousin Pamela’s boss.”

  Lola rolled her eyes and stomped back into the house. “Pamela? She is such a square.”

  Mia turned to Meghan. “I apologize for my daughter’s rudeness,” she whispered. “Lola has been taking Lucky’s death so hard. They were so close when she was younger, but as a teenager, she has really resented his absence. Now that he’s gone, she’s been off the walls.”

  Meghan smiled kindly. “I understand,” she assured Mia. “Teenagers aren’t always the easiest. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for her to lose her father.”

  Mia leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. “You have no idea,” she whispered as Meghan’s eyes widened. “You have no idea.”

  13

  L ater that afternoon, Meghan stopped by the pet salon to find some treats for Fiesta and Siesta. She had waved hello to Hilda, the enigmatic owner, as she walked in, but Hilda had barely returned her greeting. “Just another person who thinks I killed Lucky,” Meghan moaned as she rounded the corner and wandered into the pet treat aisle.

  Meghan scanned the packages in search of the perfect treats for the dogs. As she looked, she thought about her visit with Mia and the unexpected meeting with her daughter. Lola looked older and rougher than Pamela, and Meghan was shocked that the two were the same age.

  Meghan reached for a can of wet dog food and gasped as she bumped into another customer. “Oh, hey there!” Kirsty Fisher greeted her. “How are you, dear?”

  Meghan shrugged. “I’m doing okay, I guess.”

  Kirsty looked concerned. “What’s wrong? Why the long face?” she asked as she tucked her blonde hair behind her ears and adjusted the pearl necklace draped perfectly along the collar of her sweater.

  “Everyone in town thinks I had something to do with the death of Lucky Earnshaw,” Meghan explained. “Everyone is now avoiding my business and me, and I don’t know what to do. I didn’t have anything to do with his death, but no one believes me. My business is suffering, and I’m worried that I’ll be run out of town soon if the police don’t publish a full report of exactly how he died.”

  Kirsty sighed sympathetically. “I am so sorry to hear that,” she told Meghan. “But you can’t lose heart, my dear. Remember when you first came to town? I can’t remember exactly what happened, but I do recall that your treats were accused of having something to do with a death. Isn’t that right?”

  Meghan nodded in dismay. “That’s right.”

  Kirsty smiled. “See? You made it through that situation, and you will make it through this one! You are a sweet girl, Meghan, and I have no doubt that you will come out on top. Remember the scandal I went through last year, when my ex-husband was found guilty of embezzling money from our charity? It was a horrible time in my life, but I was strong, and I got through it. You will get through this, too.”

  Meghan threw her arms around Kirsty. “Thank you,” she whispered into Kirsty’s ear. “Thank you for the kind words. No one has been able to make me feel better until this conversation. I am so glad I ran into you.”

  Kirsty gently patted Meghan on the back. “Of course,” she told her. “What are friends for?”

  Meghan bade Kirsty a farewell and left the pet salon in good spirits. Thanks to Kirsty, she decided to rethink her attitude about her current predicament; it was time she embraced a positive outlook, and she was ready to continue her day with a smile on her face.

  When Meghan arrived back at the bakery, she was shocked to find Pamela screaming in the kitchen. She was standing in a cloud of baking powder, a tray of pastries at her feet.

  “What is going on here?” Meghan shouted as Pamela’s eyes widened.

  “That stupid brat is getting in my way!”

  Meghan turned to see Lola in the corner, a rolling pin in her raised hands. “Lola, put that rolling pin down,” Meghan cautioned carefully as she eyed the heavy wooden object. “You could hurt someone with that.”

  “She’s trying to hurt me!” Pamela cried out in fear. “She’s crazy, Meghan! Call the police!”

  Lola scowled. “She’s the crazy one! I leave town for a few months, and she goes and steals my man.”

  “Roberto was never your man.” Pamela insisted as Lola shook her head. “You never even officially dated. You can’t just decide that he was your boyfriend.”

  Lola glared at Pamela. “If I say he is my man, he’s my man!” she screamed. “And you need to step back and let me take what’s mine.”

  Meghan stepped between the two girls and raised her arms. “Ladies!” she said as she stomped her foot. “This is ridiculous. Lola, put the rolling pin down now. Pamela, stop screaming.”

  To her surprise, the two girls obeyed. “Both of you are making fools of yourselves. You are family. Boys will come and go, but family never ends. You two should be each other’s biggest fans, not trying to kill each other in the middle of my kitchen!”

  Lola bit her lip. “You’re right,” she murmured as Pamela’s eyes widened. “My mom always says that family always comes first. I’ve been a bad older cousin.”

  Pamela gritted her teeth. “You’re just saying that.”

  Lola hung her head. “No, I’m not,” she replied. “I’ve lost so much lately; between losing Roberto and my dad, I barely have anyone left to be on my side. I wish I had you on my side, Pamela.”

  Pamela’s jaw dropped as Lola began to sob. Pamela’s eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry as well. “I’m sorry for everything,” she wept as she ran to her cousin and wrapped her arms around her.

  “No, I am sorry,” Lola told Pamela as she buried her face in her hair. “I have been horrible to you, and I don’t deserve to be your family.”

  Meghan stood back and let the girls cry together. She remembered major fights as a teenager with her own sisters, and she knew the two cousins needed the moment to heal.

  “I love you,” Pamela cried as Lola hugged her.

  “I love you more,” Lola responded.

  After a few minutes, Meghan tapped the girls on their shoulders. “Girls, I think I should walk Lola home,” she said quietly. “Pamela, you’re welcome to leave, or to stay and finish your shift.”

  Pamela pulled back from her cousin and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’ll keep working,” she said.

  “I’ll get out of the way,” Lola told Meghan. “You can walk me home if you want.”

  The girls hugged again, and then, Meghan escorted Lola out of the bakery. “Do you mind if we sit down for a minute?” Lola asked as they walked toward her house. “I want to get myself together; my mom is upset enough with my dad passing away, and I don’t want her to see me looking like a drowned rat with these tears running down my face.”

  Meghan laughed. “Of course we can sit,” she answered kindly as she lowered herself down onto the curb.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes. Meghan’s mind was racing. She had given Lola�
�s name and information to Jack, but to her knowledge, Lola had not been interrogated by the police. As Meghan sat with the teenager, she decided to do a little prying of her own.

  “Do you miss your dad?” Meghan asked gently, watching as Lola’s face turned cold.

  “No,” Lola responded curtly. “He was a piece of trash. He abandoned us, running all over the world and spending our money on women, gambling, and booze. That loser got what was coming to him.”

  Meghan’s blood went cold. “You sound angry with him,” she said to Lola.

  “Wouldn’t you be?” Lola asked. “If your dad took off and left town before you were even born?”

  Meghan shrugged. “I don’t know the full situation,” she stated cautiously. “I can’t really judge.”

  Lola rolled her eyes. “Figures.”

  Meghan changed the subject. “Where were you on the day he died? Did you two get to have some time together while he was back in town?”

  Lola grimaced. “I was going to see Roberto on the day my dad died. I was standing outside of Roberto’s yard, and I saw him kissing Pamela. I got so angry, and I stormed away.”

  “So you didn’t get to have any last words with your dad?”

  “Oh, I had my words,” Lola assured Meghan with a glimmer in her eyes. “He took me to lunch that day, and I let him have it. I told him how pathetic he was, and how I wish he wasn’t my father. I told him that I’d rather have a dead dad than a deadbeat dad, and look! My wish came true.”

  Meghan was shocked by how nonchalantly Lola was discussing her father’s demise, but before she could ask the girl another question, the roar of a motorcycle filled her ears. A young man dressed in leather chaps rode up, winking at Lola as he sidled up to the curb.

  “Hey, baby,” he greeted the girl as she rose from her seat and batted her eyelashes at him.

  “Hey, yourself,” Lola replied flirtatiously.

  “I heard you were back in town,” the young man told her. “Want to go for a ride?”

  Lola looked at Meghan and waved goodbye. “Good talk,” she called out as she climbed aboard the motorcycle and wrapped her arms around the man’s waist. “See ya, Meghan!”

  As the pair sped off into the distance, Meghan could hardly catch her breath. Had she just been conversing with Lucky Earnshaw’s killer?

  14

  I t was a rainy morning, and Meghan’s mood mirrored the weather. She was filled with gloom as she stepped into her slippers and trudged to the bathroom, not ready to face another day of the bakery lacking customers.

  She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, hoping that her brain would be fooled by the pleasant look on her face. “It kind of worked,” Meghan laughed as she began to run her soft paddle brush through her wild hair. “A smile a day keeps the gloomies away. That’s what Mama used to say, at least.”

  Meghan decided to doll herself up for the long day ahead of her. “Maybe if I dress for success, success will come,” she chirped merrily to Fiesta and Siesta as they lounged on her bed.

  She carefully applied foundation to her face, choosing a natural shade that complemented her coloring and still allowed her freckles to show through. Meghan dabbed a light layer of rose lipstick on, pleased by the warm color. The finishing touch to her dolled up appearance was the careful selection of a cute outfit. Instead of aiming for a comfortable, sensible look, Meghan opted for a knee-length coral dress with puffed sleeves.

  “I feel better already,” she told her reflection in the mirror as she reapplied a thin layer of the lipstick. “Even if I don’t have a single customer today, at least I feel put together! That’s a start.”

  Meghan kissed the dogs goodbye and walked downstairs. She fastened a yellow apron over her outfit and walked to the dining room to unlock the front door. As she turned the lock, she saw a familiar face waiting outside.

  “Robin!” Meghan greeted as she stepped outside. “Good morning! What a delight to see you.”

  Robin smiled at her, his face bright. “Good to see you, too. I was just passing through town on my drive to San Francisco and I had to get one of your croissants.”

  Meghan ushered Robin inside. “We’re a little quiet today,” she told him apologetically as she ducked beneath the counter to retrieve a fresh croissant from the display.

  “That surprises me,” he remarked. “It’s usually packed in here when I stop by.”

  “Sometimes the bakery business can be...seasonal,” Meghan said carefully as she wrapped his croissant in yellow tissue paper.

  “I understand,” he replied. “My wife and I own a little inn just south of Bend. Business is always booming during the winter, but in the spring, it quietens down. It isn’t great on our wallets, but we know that it always gets better when tourist season comes back around.”

  “That’s good to hear,” she said, smiling weakly as she handed Robin his croissant. “I hope you are right.”

  The little silver bells chimed, and Meghan was thrilled to see a suited woman marching toward her. “Good morning,” she called out. “What can I do for you today?”

  The woman nodded at Meghan. “Five lemon muffins,” she answered briskly. “Put it on the governor’s tab.”

  Meghan puffed up her chest. Perhaps her thought to dress for success was working after all. She scurried to the kitchen to fetch the muffins, and when she returned, she found the woman chatting pleasantly with Robin.

  “Here you are,” Meghan announced as she handed the pale yellow box of muffins to the woman from the governor’s office. “I put it on the official account and included the receipt in the box, as I usually do.”

  “Excellent,” the woman said. “Thank you for your time.”

  As the woman turned to leave, Meghan’s heart sank. Wendy strutted into the bakery, her chin in the air and her hands on her hips. “Don’t put any of that trash in your mouth!” she shouted. “Meghan Truman kills people with her desserts!”

  Robin’s eyes widened. “Meghan? What is this girl talking about?”

  Wendy sauntered over and batted her eyelashes at Robin. “Hey, Handsome,” she murmured flirtatiously and then pointed at Meghan. “See this woman?”

  Robin nodded. “Yes? Meghan owns this bakery. I’ve been stopping by Truly Sweet for the last six months, and I enjoy her desserts.”

  Wendy leaned in. She was perilously close to Robin’s mouth, and Meghan cringed. “Wanna hear a secret?” she asked slowly.

  “I think I’d best be going,” Robin replied hastily as he backed away from Wendy.

  “I would put down those desserts,” she roared. “Meghan’s desserts killed my darling boyfriend--I mean….my work associate--, and if you eat anything that wicked woman made, you’ll die too.”

  The woman from the governor’s office tapped her heel impatiently. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered as Wendy approached her.

  “What did you say?” Wendy screeched.

  “This is ridiculous,” the woman repeated. “I’m a regular here, lady, and trust me: if Meghan’s treats were deadly, my boss and I would have been dead ages ago. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m leaving here without this box of muffins.”

  She turned on her heel and stormed out of the bakery as Meghan stared in awe. “What a woman,” she whispered in delight as Robin clutched his croissant close to his chest.

  “I’m leaving too, Meghan,” Robin called out as he walked to the door. “Thanks for the croissant. I’ll be back next week on my drive up.”

  Meghan smiled at Wendy. “See? My loyal customers will stand by me,” she proudly declared as Wendy glowered at her. “You may have scared off the town for now, but eventually, the truth will come out, Wendy. I didn’t have anything to do with Lucky’s death. Nothing!”

  The little silver bells chimed again, and Wendy gasped as the front door opened. Mia walked into the bakery carrying a mint green basket. “Hello, Meghan,” she said kindly. “Hello, Wendy.”

  Wendy glared at her boyfriend’s wife. “What are you do
ing here?”

  Mia raised an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same question,” she said to Wendy. “Although, I think I already know the answer. I heard you in here, harassing poor Meghan. How dare you, Wendy? She’s a nice girl, and you have no business bringing your troubles around here.”

  Wendy balled her fists. “I can go wherever I’d like,” she declared rebelliously. “Just as I went wherever I liked with your husband.”

  Mia’s jaw dropped. She set the basket down on the counter. “I brought you some dragon fruit,” she told Meghan as she unclipped her white gold hoop earrings and placed them beside the basket. “I wanted to thank you for your kindness the other day.”