Raspberry Lemonade and Ruin: A cozy murder mystery full of twists (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 23)
Page 19
“And you did.”
“And I’ve often wondered if it’s what I should have done.” He accepted the pictures back again. “I’m here now, though. No going back. Only forward. I wouldn’t be a good businessman if hadn’t learned from the mistakes of my previous projects.”
“And what have you learned?”
“Don’t wind up the locals,” he said with a playful wink. “And if I’m paying someone to be in my life, it’s probably not for the reason I want. And not just Ruth. I was also trying to buy Richie back.” He sighed. “And I suppose my therapist has a point when she says I might have let the situation with Mindy stretch out for so long as a distraction.”
“Present tense?”
“I’m back with the one I left when I met Ruth,” he said quietly. “Felt like it was time to be around some honest people for a change.” He walked towards the empty units and took a picture before returning to her side. “You’re right, I won’t feel it. Consider those units bought. I’ll have my people draft up plans by the end of the week.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Then I guess Fern Moore just got a guardian angel,” she said. “Might want to have a look at that lift, too. Always breaking down. And always at the worst times.”
“Ever thought of going into project management?” he asked as they returned to his car, which had attracted a group of admiring teenagers. “I could offer you a top job in a number of companies. Two hundred thousand starting salary, easy.”
“I think it’s better we stay friends.”
“Fair enough.” He pressed a button on his key and the doors slid up. “You have a good head on those shoulders, though. You might be wasted in that café.”
“It’s never a waste to do something you love,” she said as she climbed back into the low passenger seat. “Now, back to the café for cake on me.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Your birthday.” She reached into her handbag to pull out the book and a card. “The book is from your son. The card is from me, Barker, and Olivia.”
James opened the cover, and as he stared at Barker’s sloppy signature, his smile said it all.
“I liked the scenes set here the best,” he said, looking up at the estate as he started the purring engine. “I almost came back after reading it, but I chickened out. I just . . . I should have come home a long time ago.”
“Best not to think about that,” she advised as they reversed away from the growing crowd of kids wanting to see the fancy car. “You’re here now, even if you had to come by accident.”
In the rear-view, James watched Fern Moore as it shrank to a dot. He didn’t say anything until they paused at a junction to allow a fleet of diggers, vans, and trucks to turn from the road up Wellington Manor’s long driveway.
“The roadworks did send me near Fern Moore that day,” he said when they could finally set off again, “but I lied about what took me to the manor.”
“Do I want to know?”
“It’s nothing bad, I don’t think.” He laughed, waving to Evelyn in her garden as they drove past the B&B. “I drove pretty close to Fern Moore, but I panicked. Avoiding past trauma, or whatever else. But Wellington Manor felt a little easier.”
“Please tell me you’re not about to reveal that you’re Vincent Wellington’s secret love child.”
“Not to my knowledge.” He laughed, pulling up outside the B&B. “No, nothing like that. My mum used to work at the manor, that’s all. On her good days, she’d sometimes let me go with her. I’d sit on the washing machine and watch her fold clothes. I just wanted to see the place, but the ‘FOR SALE’ sign—”
“Was too much of a good opportunity?”
“And it was,” he said, turning off the engine with a press of a button. “But I was going to say that it felt like a sign to plant some roots where my story started. I had no way of knowing it would get me to wherever this place is right now, but here we are.”
“Any memories with the library?”
“Oh, she never took me there.” He shook his head, chuckling at the suggestion. “No, that really is – was – an investment opportunity. Ruth’s idea. Say what you want about the woman, but she knew an investment when she saw it.” He popped open the door on Julia’s side. “Is it okay if I stop by later for cake? I have some meetings to see how quickly we can reverse all the damage Ruth did to the assets. If this divorce is going to be fair, I’ll need my toys back where they belong before I share them.” He shrugged slightly. “She put up with me for this long, so fair is fair.”
Katie had already opened for the day by the time James sped off, but she hadn’t made it past the menu board. After everything, Julia was glad to see happy tears flowing from her made-up eyes for once.
“You added the raspberry lemonade,” Katie said, fanning her flushed face.
“Permanently, too,” Julia said. “I’ve had people stopping me in the street to ask when it was coming back. I think of everything, it’s earned its place up there.”
“I think you might be right.”
While Katie fixed the makeup she’d only recently applied, Julia picked up the mail that landed on the doorstep. On her way in, she noticed that the ‘FOR SALE’ sign had been taken down from the old Happy Bean coffee shop. About time, too, considering how long it had sat empty. If the Jacobsons kept their hands off the buildings people already owned or wanted, they might all get along fine.
In five minutes, they’d flip the sign and open the door for another busy day, and Julia was excited for it. Across the green, the church was already gearing up for the annual summer fête, where Peridale’s Eyes, rivals or not, would hopefully raise the rest of the money to fix the church roof.
If the forecast was to be believed, they’d picked the perfect day for it.
But first, she had a new postcard from Jessie to read.
MARSHMALLOWS AND MEMORIES, the 24th Peridale book, is coming July October 26th 2021. Mark your calendars, and PRE-ORDER now on Amazon!
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Also by Agatha Frost
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4. Rose Petal Revenge
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2. Lemonade and Lies
3. Doughnuts and Deception
4. Chocolate Cake and Chaos
5. Shortbread and Sorrow
6. Espresso and Evil
7. Macarons and Mayhem
8. Fruit Cake and Fear
9. Birthday Cake and Bodies
10. Gingerbread and Ghosts
11.Cupcakes and Casualties
12. Blueberry Muffins and Misfortune
13. Ice Cream and Incidents
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15. Wedding Cake and Woes
16. Red Velvet and Revenge
17. Vegetables and Vengeance
18. Cheesecake and Confusion
19. Brownies and Bloodshed
20. Cocktails and Cowardice
21. Profiteroles and Poison
22. Scones and Scandal
23. Raspberry Lemonade and Ruin (NEW!)
24. Marshmallows and Memories (PRE-ORDER)
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Peridale Cafe Book 11-20
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