Handbags & Homicide

by Anne Marie Stoddard

  I wrinkled my nose. "Don't say that. You'll jinx me."

  The others joined us at the baggage carousel. Coco and Valentina made their way toward the opposite end of the conveyor belt to retrieve their oversized bags as they came through the hatch. Emma grabbed her own suitcase and lugged it toward Jamie and me.

  "Kaley, I'm so sorry," she said breathlessly. Remorse shone in her eyes. "I should have given you a heads-up about Coco and Val before we got here. I was afraid if I told you, then you wouldn't want to be a part of the wedding." Her head drooped. "I'm a crappy friend, aren't I?"

  "I wouldn't go that far." I smiled. "Of course you're not a crappy friend," I said, patting her shoulder. "And it'll take more than those two to chase me off. I'm here for you, no matter what."

  Emma tilted her head to peek up at me. "Good," she said, though her tone was still low and worried. "Because there's one other thing I should have mentioned before." Her gaze fixed on a point over my shoulder, and guilt flickered across her face. She inhaled sharply and then let her words tumble out in one breath. "Dante liked my Hawaiian getaway idea so much that he decided to do the same for his bachelor party. The guys are here too, and they're walking up right now. Please don't be mad!" She plastered a smile on her face as she dropped her bags next to my feet and waved at someone behind me. "Hey, baby!" she called. I barely had time to process what was happening before she took off through the crowd.

  I turned on my heel to watch as Emma leaped into the arms of a broad-shouldered mountain of a man in a black Atlanta Falcons shirt and shorts. He was nearly six feet tall, with a chiseled jaw, black hair, and skin the color of creamy milk chocolate. Normally, I'd have been happy to see Em's fiancé, Dante Becker. He was a funny, charismatic guy, and we'd been good friends for several years. The problem was that he wasn't alone. As Dante untangled himself from Emma, I shifted my attention to the four men behind him—in particular, the blond, blue-eyed jerk standing slightly apart from the others. The air left my lungs, and I took a tiny step backward, feeling as if I'd just been sucker-punched.

  "You have got to be freaking kidding me," I whispered, feeling heat surge through me. (Confession: Freaking wasn't the word I actually used.) "You really did jinx us," I told Jamie in a low voice, my gaze still fixed on my slimeball ex-husband, Bryan Colfax.

  His dimples showed as he grinned back at me. If I were a less civilized woman, I'd have marched over and smacked the lazy smile off his stupid face. Hell—I was tempted to do it anyway, civility be damned. This was the man who had cheated on me with three women, resulting in a divorce that had been dragged through every news outlet from ESPN to TMZ. He'd caused me more humiliation than I'd ever thought I'd be able to bear. If there was anyone I loathed more than those two cheer skanks, Val and Coco, it was him.

  Bryan made his way over to us, undeterred by my glare. "Hey, sweet cheeks," he said, his smile stretching even wider. "How've you been?"

  Anger flared in my belly. He didn't have a right to call me pet names anymore. Our marriage had ended on terrible terms, and he was probably only being so chummy in case anyone happened to recognize him. Bryan had always cared more about his image than anything else.

  "Never better," I said flatly, pulling away when he tried to lean in for a kiss on the cheek.

  Bryan seemed to catch himself as I recoiled. He quickly straightened again, a fleeting look of embarrassment coloring his expression before his plastic smile slipped back into place.

  "What were you thinking, coming back here?" I demanded in a low tone.

  He shrugged. "You didn't think I'd miss a chance to return to Kauai, did you?" He swept his arm around in an arc. "Aloha Lagoon is like my second home."

  I'd met and fallen in love with Bryan Colfax when he'd moved to Hawaii to attend college, but he'd been born and raised in a small Southern town. He'd dreamed of playing for the Atlanta Falcons since he was a kid, so when he'd been drafted, we had dropped everything and moved to Georgia. I should have realized it was a mistake to put my own life on hold to follow him clear across the country, but you know what they say about hindsight.

  "Shouldn't you guys be at football practice?" I asked, gesturing to Dante and the other men. "The season kicks off in just a few weeks."

  "Coach made an exception." Bryan's grin widened. "It's a special occasion, after all." His gaze roved over my low-cut purple tank dress and down to my bare legs, which were a shade or two darker and—thanks to Aunt Rikki dragging me along on daily jogs to sunrise yoga—a little more toned than the last time he'd laid eyes on them. "You look great, by the way."

  I didn't respond. If Bryan thought he could charm me into forgiving him, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

  "Of course she looks great," Jamie piped up from beside me. She brushed a few strands of sandy hair out of her eyes and stuck out her chin. "Kaley's practically glowing these days—breaking free from a toxic relationship has that effect on people." She tilted her face toward me, sending a wink my way but wincing as she caught sight of my face, which I'm pretty sure had turned an even darker shade of purple than my dress.

  "Oh." Bryan knit his brows together, looking suddenly uncomfortable. He dropped his gaze to the floor as he collected himself. When he looked up again, he gave Jamie an amused smile. "Kaley, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

  I puffed out a breath. "Jamie, this is my asshat ex-husband, Bryan," I said flatly.

  He ignored the barb and stuck out his hand. I felt a sense of satisfaction when my usually hug-happy pal didn't make a move to shake it. Bryan's cool facade began to crack, a hint of color forming along his collarbone and creeping up his neck. "Well, er, nice to meet you, I guess," he mumbled, letting his arm fall back to his side.

  "There you are, babe." Valentina appeared at Bryan's arm, shooting me a dark look before wrapping her arms possessively around him and latching her lips onto his for a long, steamy kiss.

  I met Jamie's gaze as I looked away. My expression must have shown my discomfort because she grabbed my arm with one hand and Emma's bag with the other, leading me away from the lip-locked couple. We moved close to Mia, who was lugging her suitcase off the conveyor belt.

  Mia's eyes pinched in a look of sympathy. "Don't hold it against Emma," she said in her soft, airy voice. "Dante sprung it on her on Monday that he and the guys wanted to come to Hawaii too. She didn't have anything to do with it. And besides, they'll be off doing their own thing for the weekend. We probably won't even see them again until we head back to the airport on Sunday."

  That was still too soon, in my opinion, but I kept that thought to myself. "Fine by me," I said, forcing a smile and trying not to sound as bitter as I felt.

  Mia didn't fall for it. "I know it must be hard to see Bryan and Val like that," she said, giving me an understanding look. "If it's any consolation, they fight all the time."

  As if on cue, an angry squawk erupted from Valentina. I turned in time to see her rear her hand back and slap Bryan across the cheek. She began scolding him in her native tongue, her words tumbling out in rapid succession. I couldn't understand what she was saying, but it didn't sound pleasant. Bryan's expression grew stormy. As we watched, he gripped his girlfriend by the wrist and pulled her away from the crowd, toward an empty corner near the restrooms. They continued to argue quietly.

  Mia turned back to me and rolled her eyes. "See what I mean?"

  My lips twitched. "I guess the honeymoon phase is over. I'm not letting them bother me, anyway," I told her. "I've moved on—I'm actually seeing someone here on the island." I felt my smile widen at the thought of Noa.

  "That's great," Mia replied, beaming.

  "So, does that mean I missed my window?" asked a rich, velvety voice. I looked up to find that Dante's other three groomsmen had walked over to the baggage carousel. One of them, a tall man with close-cropped sandy hair, was grinning at me.

  I did a double take. "Will?" I stepped into his outstretched arms, laughing when he scooped me off my feet in a bear hu
g. "I almost didn't recognize you," I said as the man set me down. I stepped back so I could look him over. When I'd last seen Will Bolero the previous fall, he'd been a scrawny kid. The poor rookie kicker had been benched for months with a broken leg. Since then, he'd filled out and seemed to have bounced back from the injury. The muscles in his arms and chest rippled under his tight gray T-shirt. He looked more like he was ready to tackle someone than kick a few extra points.

  "Wow. You're so…buff," I stammered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mia bobbing her head in agreement.

  "Physical therapy really helped," he said, giving me a modest smile. "And I've been on this high-protein diet for a while. It's worked wonders."

  It certainly had. "You look fantastic!" I told him. "I'm glad your leg's all healed up."

  "You and me both." He mimicked kicking a field goal and then pumped his fist in the air. "It's going to be a great season."

  I introduced Jamie to Will and Dante's other two groomsmen, who also played for the Falcons. Freddy Jenkins, a short man with long dreadlocks, gave us a friendly hello. Tom Evans, a tall, bald man with a thick, muscular neck and permanent scowl, simply glared at me with silent disapproval. Tom had never been very warm toward me when I'd been married to Bryan, and I supposed our divorce hadn't improved his opinion of me. Oh well. It was no skin off of my back.

  Once Emma had kissed Dante goodbye, we parted ways from the men, who were headed to the car rental agency. Jamie and I led the girls out to the passenger pickup area. Waiting at the curb was our own shuttle from Gabby's Island Adventures. I'd visited Gabby LeClair's office a few days earlier and explained my plans for Emma's special weekend, and we'd worked out an agreement where I could use the shuttle as a "party bus" for the evening. Jamie and I had decorated the inside of the vehicle with streamers and decals of pineapples, palm trees, and tropical flowers.

  "Right this way, ladies," I said, gesturing for them to follow me onto the bus.

  "Wow!" Emma breathed when she reached the top step. Her bright eyes went wide as she took in the decorations. "Kaley, this looks incredible."

  "Thanks." I grinned at her. "Only the best for my favorite bride-to-be."

  "Aloha," said the attractive young Hawaiian man sitting behind the steering wheel. He climbed out of his seat and stood to take Emma's hand. "I'm Koma, and I'll be your driver this evening."

  Koma Pukui was an employee of Gabby's Island Adventures, and his chauffeur services came with the bus rental. With his dimpled smile, muscular frame, and bronze skin, he looked more like a model than a bus driver. His good looks weren't lost on the rest of the women, either. I glanced over my shoulder to find Mia eyeing him with her lips slightly parted. I was pretty sure I saw a little bit of drool.

  "Where are all the dirty decorations?" Valentina griped when she stepped on board. She squinted as she surveyed the bus interior. "This looks more like a dinky luau-themed retirement party than a bachelorette bash." Nose crinkled, she ran a finger along one of the pineapple decals I'd placed on the window.

  "Yeah—there's nothing naughty in sight," Coco agreed, copying Val's disdainful tone. Her gaze came to rest on Koma, and she licked her lips. "Actually, I take that back. At least you hired a hot stripper." She wedged past Mia and Emma and sat down in the first empty seat near the front of the bus. She licked her lips and crooked a finger at Koma. "Come to Mama," she said, patting her lap.

  I shot Koma what I hoped was an apologetic look. "He's not a stripper," I told the lusty bridesmaid. "He's our driver."

  Coco shrugged and continued to beckon for the young man to join her. "Well, you can drive me anywhere you want," she said, bouncing her eyebrows at him.

  Koma's complexion turned a shade darker, and he dropped his gaze to the floor. "I should get back to my seat," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

  Valentina settled in beside Coco. "What are these?" she asked, holding up one of the gift bags.

  "Kaley and I put together some party favors," Jamie explained. She led Mia over to an empty seat and handed her one of the bags as the two cheerleaders tore into theirs. Jamie and I had filled the paper totes with colorful flowered leis, bracelets, and cute seashell earrings from the Happy Hula Dress Boutique, as well as T-shirts that I'd had custom made just for the bachelorette festivities. Each bridesmaid received a hot pink tank top with the words Team Bride screen-printed on the front.

  "Still not even one penis," Coco muttered under her breath.

  "Yeah, I didn't know this was going to be a PG party," Valentina said sourly. Neither woman sounded the least bit appreciative of the gifts. "No wonder Bry left her," she whispered to Coco, purposely loud enough for me to hear. "She's such a prude."

  Don't let them get to you, I reminded myself. I did my best to ignore their whispered barbs and scooped Emma's goodie bag off the seat. "For the bride-to-be," I said, holding it up.

  She took the tote from my outstretched hand and began riffling through its contents. "Kaley, this is amazing!" she gushed, holding up her own tank top, a white shirt with Bride printed on it and a pineapple in place of the letter i. She laid the top against her chest. "I can't wait to put it on." Emma placed the shirt back in her gift bag and then gave me a hug. "Don't listen to Coco and Val," she whispered in my ear. "I think all of this is perfect."

  I beamed at her. As far as I was concerned, Emma's opinion was the only one that mattered. "I'm glad you like it."

  We took our seats as Koma started the shuttle and drove us from the airport to the Aloha Lagoon Resort. The luxury destination was the epicenter of the little island town of Aloha Lagoon, and most of the residents worked there in some capacity, me included. Koma rolled the little bus to a stop in the circular driveway in front of the resort's main lobby. Two bellhops hurried toward the bus and began to unload our luggage. One of them, a curly-haired man named Marco, avoided my gaze when I stepped off of the bus. We'd crossed paths a few weeks before when I'd been trying to get my Aunt Rikki out of a jam, and, well…let's just say he wasn't my biggest fan.

  "This place is gorgeous," Mia said, climbing off of the shuttle right behind me. "Like, totally pic-worthy. No filter needed." She pulled her phone out of her purse and walked over to the side of the building, snapping photos of the beautiful man-made lagoon.

  "No kidding," Emma said, giving my arm a squeeze. Her gaze roved over the cream-colored building with its tiled terra-cotta roof. "The pictures on the website don't do it justice." She grinned. "I can't believe you live here."

  "Well, I don't live here," I corrected her. "I'm staying with Aunt Rikki at her place, just a few miles away."

  She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Kaley. You live in paradise." She sighed. "This is so much cooler than Atlanta."

  I just smiled. She was right about that.

  Jamie excused herself to go back to her own apartment to get ready for our first night out. While she headed to her car in the employee parking lot, I led the rest of the group through the sliding double doors and across the granite floor of the lobby. After checking in with Summer behind the front desk, we turned down the hallway that led to the ground-floor suites. Emma had booked two adjacent rooms that were connected through a door on the inside. I handed the envelope of key cards for the first room to Mia, who was staying with Coco and Valentina. Emma and I would be staying together in the other bedroom.

  Marco wheeled a luggage cart into the first room while the other young bellhop wrestled Emma's overstuffed suitcase toward our doorway. "You can just leave it right here," Emma said, motioning to the space beside the entrance. "I can take it inside." The bellboy did as she asked and accepted a few small bills from Em with a grateful nod before retreating down the hallway.

  "After you," I said, grinning as I motioned for Emma to enter the room first.

  She returned my smile. "Thanks." Practically buzzing with excitement, Emma gripped the handle of her luggage and dragged it into the room. She'd only made it about ten steps before she skidded to a halt. Her grip on the suitcase
loosened, and it toppled sideways onto the floor as she let out a piercing shriek.

  CHAPTER THREE

  "Oh my gosh!" Emma gasped. She paced around the room, taking in the huge, glittering banner that read Congratulations, Future Mrs. Becker! on the wall above one of the two queen-sized beds. On the bedside table sat a vase with a gorgeous bouquet of hibiscus, plumeria, and other tropical flowers. Pink and white streamers hung from the ceiling above the couch, and a silver tray of macadamia nuts, chocolate covered strawberries, and pineapple chunks was arranged on the coffee table, along with a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne chilling inside. I'd enlisted the housekeeping staff to put up the decorations for me while Jamie and I'd gone to the airport to pick up Emma and the other girls. I'd also given them a little white envelope with Em's name on it. It was leaning against the ice bucket, and Emma stooped to pick it up. She tore open the paper and gasped with pleasure at the Aloha Lagoon Resort spa gift card she found inside.

  "That's your gift from me," I told her, grinning. "We're all getting mani-pedis on Saturday afternoon, and I've already booked a massage for you as well." Though Dante had offered to pay for everything else, I'd scraped together enough extra money to spring for Emma's spa treatment myself.

  Emma set the card back on the table and turned to face me, her hazel eyes brimming with tears. "Kaley, you didn't have to do all this. Thank you."

  "You're welcome." I walked over to the table and popped open the bottle of champagne, filling one of the flutes. "You should check out the view." I gestured to the double doors that led to the room's private veranda. I handed Emma the glass of champagne and then poured one for myself before following her outside. I breathed the warm, salty air blowing in from the ocean, which was visible from the little patio. "Happy bachelorette weekend," I said, holding up my glass to toast her.

  Emma gently clinked her champagne flute against mine. "You're the best," she said. She cast her gaze out toward the ocean, and her eyes became clouded. She remained that way for several long moments, as if lost in thought.