“It was the least I could do,” Degas appeared at the bar.
“Well, you should be receiving an invitation in the mail soon,” Harvey said, “but I’d also like to personally invite you and your lovely wife to our wedding in Milburn. It’s only a few months away now.”
“Thank you,” Degas said. “We’ll definitely be there.” He adjusted his tie, looking nervous. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “How do I look?” he asked.
“Like a supermodel,” Tina said. “I’m glad you guys decided to have a relaxed beach wedding. I thought you were going to have some really fancy party with tuxedos and full length gowns.”
“Well, as you know, the reception is going to be that way,” Degas said. “But she and I both wanted the wedding to be a small affair, just family and friends.”
“Well, I’m glad we made the cut, then,” Tina said with a brilliant smile.
“Of course, you did,” Degas said. “I mean, how could you not? After all you’ve done for us. If it weren’t for you three, we would never have solved the mystery of Haku’s murder. Elly might still be suspecting I did it.”
“Well, you should thank Nora, mostly,” Tina said. “She’s got some brains behind that sweet face of hers.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” Nora said. “But I must say, there’s one mystery I never did solve.”
“What’s that? The mystery of how the food here can taste so good?” Tina joked. “Because these appetizers are just amazing.” She popped a small bruschetta into her mouth.
“Try the pork with mango-chutney,” Degas said. “That’s my favorite.”
“Ahem. The mystery we haven’t solved yet?” Nora said.
“Oh. Right. What was it?”
“Why did you say no to Elly when she asked you out?” Nora asked.
Degas looked away, a little ashamed. “She never told you?”
“No. She said it was your story to tell.”
“It’s a little embarrassing,” Degas said.
“We won’t laugh.” Nora replied.
“Probably,” Tina said, and got elbowed.
“The thing is… at the time, I was just back from the Amazon. I hadn’t been to Hawaii in a very long time. When I first saw Elly, she’d grown so much. She was so smart, so beautiful…” Degas’ voice trembled. “I fell in love with her the first day she served me coffee over at Jimmy’s. She was working there part-time to supplement her income. I started coming in every day just to see her. I couldn’t believe it was her. My Elly. The one I’d loved since she first appeared like magic in my garden.”
“So why did you reject her when she asked you out?” Nora asked.
“At the time, when I came back, I also became friends with Haku again,” Degas said. “I learned that he’d had a tough time since I left. I learned that his sister had drowned in the tintop. Well, I felt guilty, to be honest. I felt guilty I hadn’t been around to support Haku. I felt guilty because I was the one who drove that tintop and overturned it. I felt guilty because of how badly Haku had done in the years since.”
Nora nodded. “You’re a good friend. You tried to help him. You gave him a job.”
“I did,” Degas said. “I told him I’d seen my fair share of loss too, and that the only way out of it was to feel the pain, and then let it go. What Haku was trying to do was escape from his feelings, and escape from the pain. Well… Haku started working. He worked really hard to get clean. He went through a lot of pain, and he told me that the one thing keeping him alive was the thought that someday, he’d recover, and end up married to Elly.” Degas swallowed, and said sorrowfully, “What was I supposed to do? I thought the only reason Elly had a crush on me was because, well, I was new and exciting. I thought Haku was the man she really loved. I thought that the two of them were meant to be together. And I? Well, I was the eternal free spirit. How could I even dream of having a family? I let them be together, and I flirted with other people, like Simone.”
“You’re an idiot,” Tina said cheerfully, popping another appetizer into her mouth. “Luckily for you, Simone didn’t take it too hard. But you could have broken some poor girl’s heart.”
“I suppose I am an idiot,” Degas said.
“But a noble idiot,” Nora said. “I understand what you did and why you did it.”
“Haku let me down,” Degas said. “He used me. He was involved in running the drugs, too.”
“Tom confessed that he blackmailed Haku. Haku never did it of his own free will,” Nora said. “And he died because he put his foot down and stood up to Tom.”
“I wish he’d told us,” Degas said sorrowfully. “We could have helped.”
“He was about to,” Tina said. “He was close to confessing, and that’s why Tom had to… do what he did.”
“It’s in the past,” Nora said. “All you can do now, is look to the future. Don’t let the past consume you.”
He nodded, a little doubtfully. “Do you really think I can make it work, Nora?” He looked into her eyes, and Nora saw what Simone had once seen. A vulnerable little boy hidden beneath the confident charming man. “I’ve never really had a family. Do you think I can just… make one of my own?”
Nora smiled. “Of course, you can. You can and you will. You love Elly, and she loves you. That’s all that matters.”
“Positions!” The wedding planner appeared. “Come on, Degas, the bride’s on her way!”
“Right.” Degas straightened. “You guys get to your seats, and try not to wolf whistle at the bride.”
“Try not to faint when you see her,” Tina said with a laugh. “I’ve heard she’s looking absolutely stunning.”
He didn’t faint. In fact, he looked like he was about to float away with joy when Elly walked down the aisle. As they exchanged ‘I do’s’ and rings, Nora saw them both gazing into each other’s eyes with love and gratitude.
“Think they’ll be okay?” Tina asked, wiping a tear from her eye.
“Okay?” Nora smiled. “I think they’ll be absolutely fantastic.”
The End
*****
Well, here we are, five books in! I hope you are having as much fun as I am! If so, stay tuned for Book 6, Death At A Wedding, due out in November!
*****
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Continue for your FREE RECIPE…
Nancy McGovern’s…
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Continue for your FREE RECIPE…
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Please continue for a delicious recipe…
A RECIPE FOR YOU!
Nora’s Take On:
Mani Mahi With Pineapple Salsa
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 mahi mahi fillets, 4 ounces each
1 1/2 cups of diced, fresh pineapple
1/4 cup of finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup of finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons of finely chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon of honey
1/8 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of lime zest
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper
&n
bsp; Nonstick cooking spray
Directions:
1. Prepare Pineapple Salsa by combining the pineapple, green pepper, red pepper, cilantro, one tablespoon of lime juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes and lime zest in a bowl.
2. PreHeat the broiler.
3. Rinse the mahi mahi and use paper towels to pat dry.
4. Spray the rack of a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray and place the mahi mahi on it.
5. Mix the remaining one tablespoon of lime juice with the olive oil and brush the mixture onto the top side of the fillet.
6. Position broiler pan 4 inches from heat and broil for 2 minutes.
7. Flip the mahi mahi and brush the second side with the lime juice & olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with the white pepper.
8. Broil for another 2 minutes. Fillet should flake effortlessly with a fork.
9. Serve with pineapple salsa!
10. Enjoy!
Death At The Zoo: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Murder In Milburn Book 5) Page 14
