by Amy M. Reade
A groan escaped from Lilly’s lips. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mention those, since I seem to be involved with both,” she said ruefully. “The first victim, Eden Barclay, was found strangled in my shop. The second victim, Herb Knight, was found dead the morning after he had a big argument with me at a holiday party.”
Hassan stopped walking and looked at Lilly, his eyes wide with surprise. “You’re kidding me.”
“I wish. But it’s all true. I can’t think why Eden would have been in my shop after I closed it. And as for Herb, he was a hotheaded yogi. Someone killed him right in his studio.”
“But they obviously don’t believe you committed either of those murders,” Hassan said.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been cleared yet. I don’t have an alibi for either murder that can be confirmed by anyone.”
“That’s simply unbelievable,” he said, shaking his head. “So you haven’t been cleared. But are you an actual suspect?”
Lilly shrugged. “My brother, Bill, is on the police force here in town and he’s trying to get the police to move quickly to find the murderer or murderers, but they can only go so fast when there aren’t any clues to be had.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through this,” Hassan said quietly.
“I’m just hoping it will be over soon,” Lilly said with a sigh. “It hangs over my head every minute of the day.” She looked over at him. “That’s part of the reason this evening has been so nice. It’s allowed me to get away from the drama for a little while and have a grown-up conversation that doesn’t involve motive or opportunity.” She gave him a wan smile.
“In that case, perhaps you’d like to go back to the house where I’m staying and meet my family,” he suggested.
“I would like that, but I really should be getting home,” she said. She was sorry to decline the invitation, but she wanted to get home and see the kids before they went to bed and she wanted to talk to Bill to see if there had been any progress in finding Beau. Though she had been dying to pull out her phone and check her texts while she and Hassan ate dinner, she felt it would be too rude. Now that the evening was drawing to a close, she was feeling anxious again and as much as she had enjoyed herself, she needed to get home.
“If you would like to go out again, I would consider it my duty to keep your mind off your troubles,” Hassan said with a grin as they made their way through the parking lot. She unlocked her car door with the key fob and he opened it for her. She stood in front of him nervously. Was he going to kiss her? Worse yet, was he going to shake her hand? She thought she would pass out wondering.
He gazed at her for a moment, the expression on his face unreadable, then he leaned toward her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but he surprised her by kissing her cheek. She opened her eyes and he was grinning at her.
“I hope you don’t mind me doing that,” he said. Mind? A kiss on the lips would have been nice, but I’ll take what I can get, Lilly thought. She smiled at him and shook her head.
“Not at all,” she answered.
“If it’s all right, I’ll stop by your shop in the next couple days and perhaps we can go out again,” he said.
“I’d like that.”
She slid into the driver’s seat and he closed the car door with a gentle thud. Then she pulled out of the parking lot while he was getting into his car. He watched her drive away and in her rear-view mirror she saw him waving.
Chapter 28
When Lilly got home she chatted with the kids before they went to bed, then she took out her phone and texted Bill. She had been surprised that he didn’t text her while she was at dinner, so that probably meant he hadn’t located Beau yet.
”Hi. Nothing to report,” he greeted her. He must have known what she was going to ask.
“How can it be so hard to find an apartment or condo complex with an indoor pool?” she asked in frustration. Bill might have called it “whining.”
“We’ve just got a couple places still to check out. Hopefully we’ll get a lead on him at one of those places.”
“You’ll let me know, right?”
“Of course. You’ll be my first call if I find him.”
“Did you talk to Mom tonight?”
“Yeah. She was fine. How was your date?”
“I had a great time. Hassan is charming.”
“Hassan? That’s not a name you hear around Juniper Junction very often. You’re more likely to hear “Chip” or “Flynn." Is he Muslim?”
“Yes. Normally I save my heavy personal questions for the second date, but he did mention it.” As Bill shared Lilly’s parents, he also shared her sarcastic tendencies, so he wasn’t ruffled by her response.
After Lilly hung up she immediately called Noley. She told her friend all about her date with Hassan.
“Hassan sounds hot,” Noley said.
Lilly laughed. “How can you tell?”
“I don’t know. He just does. When do I get to meet him?”
“Let’s see if we go out again before we go making plans to meet the family,” Lilly answered dryly.
“Did he kiss you?”
“On the cheek.”
Noley let out a sigh. “How romantic and old-fashioned.”
“Do you think? Maybe I just don’t appeal to him.”
“He wouldn’t have kissed you at all if you didn’t appeal to him. He would have shaken hands instead. Plus he would have sent you on your way after dinner instead of suggesting a walk in the snow. It’s all just too romantic.”
“Easy there, tiger.”
“So he’s a gem hunter. That’s got to be the coolest job in the world.”
“I agree.”
“So you two have a lot in common. I’m so excited!” she squealed.
When Lilly hung up with Noley she found she was too excited to sleep. It had been ages since her last date, and this one had been so… so… invigorating. She had enjoyed every minute she spent with Hassan. She hoped he would call back. Soon.
The next day was the Main-Street-open-late celebration that was supposed to help make up for Lilly’s Black Friday sales. Lilly was busy in the shop from the moment she unlocked the front door and was glad she had spent so much time decorating the displays for Christmas. She got rave reviews for how lovely the shop looked. And true to her promise to surprise Lilly with a dazzling menu, Noley had made finger foods: cheese straws, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese palmiers, roasted shrimp cocktail, rum balls, and lots of cookies. Lilly had decided wine created too much liability, so Noley had made a nonalcoholic punch. That way Lilly wouldn’t have to deal with anyone who had celebrated a little too much.
The sales were fast and frequent that evening and Lilly was busy with customers while Noley made sure they were well-fed as they waited their turn to speak to Lilly and part with their credit card numbers. When Lilly finally closed and locked the front door at ten o’clock, she and Noley flopped down on two chairs in the office and ate what remained of the hors d’oeuvres while they talked.
“I was surprised Hassan didn’t come in,” Noley said between mouthfuls. “I was so hoping to meet him tonight.”
“To tell you the truth, I hoped he would come in, too. But he’s on vacation with his entire family, so maybe they had plans.” I hope that’s what happened and that his plans weren’t to take someone else to dinner, Lilly thought to herself with a miserable twinge of jealousy.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Noley chided her. “You’re thinking he’s out to dinner with someone else. Quit worrying.”
“You know me too well,” Lilly said with a laugh.
After they had cleaned up the food Noley went home. Lilly stayed for a little while to tidy up. It was close to eleven o’clock when she looked at her watch and yawned. This could have been done in half the time if I had someone to help me, Lilly thought. I’d be in bed by now.
She snapped her fingers. “Taffy!” she exclaimed to herself. Why hadn’t she thought of Taffy? She wondered if Eden Barclay’s forme
r employee had found a new job. She vowed to call the woman first thing in the morning.
When she arrived home the kids were already asleep, but there was a note from Laurel on the kitchen table. “Look in the fridge!” it read. Lilly opened the refrigerator door and gasped when she saw a gorgeous bouquet of pine boughs, red berries, pinecones, and little white rosebuds. The vase was encircled with at least two dozen candy canes held in place with a red velvet ribbon. There was a card attached to a pick in the bouquet.
“Thank you again for a lovely evening yesterday. I wanted to visit your shop tonight for the Main Street celebration, but my aunt insisted on taking everyone to dinner.
Hassan
So she had been right. Hassan’s other plans for the evening had included his family, not some leggy blond. She grinned to herself as she set the vase in the center of the kitchen table. Things were looking up.
True to the promise she had made to herself, she called Taffy the next morning as soon as she got to the shop.
“Taffy, this is Lilly Carlsen from Juniper Junction Jewels. I don’t know if you remember me.”
“Sure I do. I asked if you knew of anyone hiring. Have you found something?”
“Actually, I think I have. Would you have any interest in coming down to my shop for an interview?”
There was the briefest of silences, then Taffy gushed, “I’d love that! Thank you so much for the opportunity. When should I be there?”
“Are you free today?” Lilly asked.
“Yes.”
“Then come down to the shop anytime today and we can talk then. You might just have to wait a few minutes if I’m busy with customers.”
“That’s okay. Gee, thanks for thinking of me. I’ll see you later today.”
She was, indeed, busy with a customer when Taffy came into the shop later that afternoon. Lilly noticed her out of the corner of her eye and gave a little wave, then she returned to her customer and Taffy waited patiently until Lilly had concluded the sale.
“Hi, Taffy. Thanks for coming in,” Lilly greeted her.
“Thanks for calling me. I was beginning to think I would never find a job,” Taffy said. Lilly could hear the relief in her voice.
“So what can you do?” Lilly asked.
“At the general store I waited on customers, answered the phone, opened up some mornings, locked up at night sometimes, and counted the cash register and credit card receipts at the end of the day. I used to have a small store when I lived in Missouri, so I’m familiar with everything that has to be done.”
Lilly nodded. “All that would be useful here, but I also need someone who knows at least a little about jewelry and gems. Do you know anything about them?”
Taffy shook her head. “Not really, but I’m a quick learner,” she answered. The eagerness in her voice was apparent, and Lilly decided on the spot to give Taffy a trial run.
“Okay, that works for me. I have some books in the back office that you can take home. Spend some time looking through those and hopefully they’ll get you acquainted with some of the things you’ll need to know to work here. When can you start?”
“Today, if you want me to.”
“I’ll tell you what. You can start tomorrow, but I’ll pay you for the time you spend looking through those books today.”
Taffy gave Lilly a bright smile. “Thank you! That’ll be great. How much time should I spend on the books?”
“Just learn what you can from them and I’ll pay you for eight hours of work.”
“That’s really generous of you, Ms. Carlsen.”
“And please call me Lilly.”
“Okay, Lilly.”
Chapter 29
She beckoned Taffy to follow her as she went back into the office and selected several thin volumes from one of her bookshelves. She handed them to Taffy.
“These are great for people who are just learning about gems and jewelry,” Lilly said. “They’ll give you a good background.”
Taffy thanked her again and left through the front door of the shop.
Lilly smiled to herself after Taffy left. Not only would she get some help around the shop, but having an assistant would enable her to spend a little more time at home with the kids and with her mother. And maybe Hassan, too, she hoped.
She told Laurel and Tighe about Taffy when she got home that night. They greeted her news with relief.
“Mom, you work so hard. I’m glad you’ve finally hired someone to help you,” Tighe said.
“Yeah. Does this mean we can go on vacation sometimes?” Laurel asked.
“I don’t know about that yet,” Lilly cautioned. “I’ll have to see how Taffy works out. I’m not ready to leave my store in someone else’s hands just yet. For one thing, I hardly know her. I’ve only met her twice. And for another thing, it’s still my store. I can’t just leave it to other people to handle for me.”
“But you can take a break sometimes, can’t you?” Tighe asked.
“Of course. That’s why I hired Taffy.”
“Where should we go first when we go on vacation?” Laurel asked.
“I vote for Hawaii. I want to learn how to surf,” Tighe answered.
“I vote for Paris,” Laurel said.
“Um, kids, there’s no more money to take an extravagant vacation than there was yesterday,” Lilly reminded them, her eyebrows arched. “Less, in fact, because now I’m paying an assistant.”
“Ugh. Au revoir, Paris,” Laurel responded. Tighe nodded his agreement.
Lilly smiled. She would miss this type of banter when the kids were in college. A twinge of sadness—or was it despair?—rose up in the back of her mind. She wouldn’t think about the kids leaving for college right now.
“We can at least go out for dinner to celebrate,” Lilly said. “Get your coats on and we’ll go.”
“I can’t,” Laurel said. “I told Nick I would meet him at the library.”
“Oh, Nick, I’ve missed you so much,” Tighe teased in a high voice. Laurel swatted his arm.
“Can’t you postpone it an hour?” Lilly asked.
“Can I invite him?” Laurel countered.
Lilly sighed. She supposed it was the only way she was going to spend time with her daughter. And it was probably time for her to meet Nick.
“All right. But hurry up. I’m starved.”
Laurel ran upstairs and came down talking into her cell phone. She clicked it off and turned to her mother and brother. “He’s coming. He’ll meet us wherever we go and he and I can drive to the library after dinner. Where are we eating?”
“How about the Route Ten Diner?” Tighe suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Lilly said. “Laurel?”
“Okay. Let me text Nick.” Her fingers flew across the keys as she told Nick where to meet them.
“We should take Gran with us,” Laurel said.
Great. All I need is to go out for a nice, relaxing dinner and end up with Nick the phantom boyfriend and my mother, who may or may not decide to wear any clothes, Lilly thought with a grimace.
“Uncle Bill and I will take Gran out for dinner sometime soon,” Lilly said. “I just wanted to spend time with you guys.”
“And Nick,” Tighe said, grinning.
“And Nick. Of course.”
The three of them piled into Lilly’s car and she drove them west out of town to the Route Ten Diner. As always, the parking lot was full of pickup trucks and motorcycles. It was a popular place with locals. They went inside and sat down at a booth by the window, but since it was dark outside they could only see their own reflections.
They had been there about ten minutes when Laurel’s face lit up. She was seated where she could watch the diner’s front door and Lilly assumed Nick must have walked in.
A moment later Lilly was shaking hands with a shockingly tall young man with light brown hair that needed cutting. He grinned when Laurel introduced him as her boyfriend.
Chapter 30
“It’s nice to m
eet you, Nick,” she said, gesturing for him to sit next to Laurel. Nick slid into the booth, his hands under the table. Lilly assumed one of his hands was on her daughter’s knee and she wanted to smack him. She put both of her own hands on the table in a not-so-subtle effort to get him to follow suit.
But he chose not to take the hint. Or maybe he just didn’t get it.
Nick liked talking about himself. In the first five minutes after his arrival at the diner, Lilly learned that he was an avid skier and wanted to be a ski instructor after he graduated from high school. So much for my daughter marrying a surgeon, Lilly thought with an inward groan.
“Wouldn’t you like to go to college first?” she asked. Laurel kicked her under the table.
“Nah,” Nick said. “It’s a little-known fact that good ski instructors can make as much as a CEO.”
I have a feeling I know why that’s such a little-known fact, Lilly thought. Because it’s a crock.
“That’s funny. I was married to a ski instructor—Laurel and Tighe’s father—and he never made that much.”
Laurel and Tighe both fixed her with blank stares. “Our father was a ski instructor?” Tighe asked, his eyes wide.
Lilly hadn’t meant to let that information slip. Damn that Nick. He was bringing out the worst in her.
“Yes, he was,” Lilly said matter-of-factly. “A good one, too,” she added with a glance at Nick. “But he never made as much money as any CEO I ever heard of.”
“Even so,” Nick said after taking a long slurp of soda, “good instructors can make good money.”
“And then what do they do in the summertime?”
“There are plenty of opportunities for someone who’s willing to work.” Nick smiled broadly. “Like me.”
“So, what’s everyone ordering?” Laurel asked, giving Lilly the evil eye.
“Mom, Laurel wants you to change the subject,” Tighe said, his eyes twinkling. Lilly would have sworn he was trying not to laugh.
Nick appeared oblivious to the barely-concealed family argument that was fomenting around him. Laurel leaned into his shoulder and whispered something to him, studiously ignoring her mother. Then she pulled out her phone, turned toward the corner of the booth so no one could see what she was doing, and let her fingers fly.
