Come to think of it, Luke raved about everything Liana made, too.
He was probably her biggest fan.
Luke was one of Liana’s regulars at the coffee shop. They had grown up together in Sugarcomb Lake. In fact, they had been schoolmates. Though they had only been acquaintances back then, as adults they had forged a friendship.
Liana still didn’t know why they hadn’t gotten to know each other sooner.
Though she didn’t want to admit it, maybe it was partly because Luke had been such a shy, nerdy kid. He’d had braces, glasses and an unusual love of science. He had also been picked on by the school bullies. It was a shame because Luke was quite literally the nicest person Liana knew.
Thankfully, adulthood had been kinder to Luke than adolescence was. The scrawny, timid kid had grown into a tall, quietly confident man. His braces were gone and his stylish, dark rimmed eyeglasses really suited him.
Luke’s love of science had paid off, too. He had gone to university on a full scholarship. Now he worked remotely for some prestigious security firm based out of Seattle. His job was very secretive - and very impressive.
Liana was proud of how far Luke had come.
In her opinion, no one deserved happiness and success more than he did.
“You seem preoccupied,” Luke observed as he finished his dessert. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“You’d better tip me more than a penny,” Liana joked.
“I will,” Luke promised. “So, what’s up?”
“Hmm...actually, I have a question for you. It’s kind of random,” Liana cautioned. “And it’s science-related. Which explains why I don’t know the answer.” Science had never been Liana’s strongest subject.
“Great. What’s your question?”
“How long does it take for rat poison to work?” she blurted out.
Luke blinked. “That is random,” he said. He lowered his voice and asked, “Liana, are you having an issue with rodents? I didn’t even know we had rats in Sugarcomb Lake. Are you sure they’re not mice? I can set up some humane traps if you like.”
“No, no...that’s not why I’m asking,” Liana explained hastily. The last thing she needed was for infestation rumors to start circulating. That would be terrible for business. She cleared her throat and clarified, “I want to know how long it takes for rat poison to kill a person.”
Luke nearly choked. “Are you messing with me?” he asked.
“No.”
“Okay, well to answer your question, it depends. How much poison are we talking about?”
“I’m not sure,” Liana admitted.
“Well the timeline depends on the amount of poison used, the person’s body weight and a variety of other factors. But it can, in theory, take days for ingestion to become fatal. Sometimes it might even take a week or two.”
“Thanks,” Liana said gratefully. “That’s very helpful.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to be worried?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not going to poison my coffee, are you?” he joked.
“What? No, of course not!” Then a thought occurred to Liana. “You’ve been shut away in your apartment the past couple of days working on some secret project or other, haven’t you?” she asked knowingly.
“Yeah. I knew yesterday was your day off, so I figured I’d stay home and get caught up on a work assignment,” Luke replied. Then he realized what he had said. His face turned red, a stark contrast to his sandy blonde hair.
Liana was blushing, too. She busied herself with wiping down the counter. “Well just so you know, the man who was found dead down by the lake was poisoned,” she informed Luke. “It was rat poison, to be exact.”
“Ah, now I understand why you started asking me obscure, disturbing questions. So I don’t have to worry about you lacing my coffee with rat poison, then?”
“Not unless you leave a penny as a tip,” Liana teased. Then she cleared her throat. “I shouldn’t joke about that, should I? The last thing I need is for some sort of awful rumor about me to start circulating. The gossips in this town can be ruthless!”
“And there they are,” Luke said wryly as the bell above the door jingled.
Sure enough, Patricia Porter and Barbara Norman were on their way inside.
The two middle aged women were dressed to the nines in pearls and high heels. They loved nothing more than to act snooty and important. That often meant acting like know-it-alls about everyone and everything. It was exhausting, really.
Patricia and Barbara came in for coffee and pastries all the time. Seeing them stroll through the door was nothing out of the ordinary. But today they were walking arm-in-arm with a third woman: Liana’s mother.
“Oh no!” Liana gasped.
When it came to the town gossips, Liana always kept her guard up. She was professional, courteous and friendly...but she also kept Patricia and Barbara at arm’s length. She prayed her mother wasn’t giving those two awful women gossip fodder.
“What’s the matter?” Luke asked as he opened his wallet.
“My mother just walked in,” Liana replied, her face ashen.
Luke took a second look. Then he visibly cringed, his face reddening. It was obvious he was embarrassed. “I didn’t see your mother there,” he said hastily. “I wasn’t meaning to imply that she was one of the town gossips.”
“I know,” Liana assured him. “But for the record, my mom can be rather, er...intrusive.”
Her parents spent so much time traveling that it was rare for them to visit the coffee shop. Since they had retired, they were hardly ever home. And that arrangement worked wonderfully, as far as Liana was concerned. Why mess with a good thing?
Liana wasn’t sure she liked mixing work and family. What if her mother did or said something humiliating? Worse yet, what if she tried to redecorate, revamp the menu and take right over? Anne could certainly be overbearing at times.
Luke chuckled to himself as he tossed some money on the counter.
“Should I wish you good luck?” he asked.
“I might need it.”
“Okay. Well then good luck,” he told her. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
Liana gulped. She had just locked eyes with her mother.
Anne rushed over immediately.
“Hi honey!” she exclaimed loudly. She sounded excited. “Isn’t this little coffee shop of yours sweet! I had forgotten how cute it is in here! Oh, but you’ve got something on your face. Here, let me get it,” she said before licking her fingertip.
Then she leaned across the counter to “help” as she would call it.
Liana, however, did not consider it helpful.
“Mom! Get away!” Liana shrieked, barely dodging her mother’s fingertip. “I’m working!”
“Fine,” Anne huffed.
As Anne studied the menu, the bell above the door jingled.
In walked Aaron Shepherd.
The young pharmacist’s dark blonde hair was neatly combed and kept in place with copious amounts of gel. He wore his glasses well, though not quite as well as Luke. He was wearing his long white lab coat, which tipped Liana off that he was on the job.
She knew she needed to serve him quickly so he could get back to the pharmacy.
“Hi Aaron,” she greeted him. “What’ll it be?”
“Just coffee, please. Black.” Aaron glanced into the display case. He groaned. “You have lemon tarts today! How am I supposed to resist those? I’m convinced you must put crack in your lemon tarts because I’m completely addicted to them. I’ll take two.”
“Sure thing,” Liana grinned.
As Liana poured Aaron’s coffee and packaged up his lemon tarts, she couldn’t shake the strange sensation that she was being watched. She glanced up and saw that, sure enough, her mother was staring right at her.
Anne wasn’t even trying to hide it. It was awkward, not to mention unnerving.
As soon as A
aron left, Anne rushed over.
“Was that Aaron Shepherd?” she demanded in a hushed tone.
“Yes, why?”
Liana wasn’t sure why her mother was whispering and acting all skittish. It wasn’t as though Aaron’s identity was some closely guarded secret or anything. Why not speak normally? Sometimes Anne could be so strange.
“You went to school with Aaron. He was a nice boy, wasn’t he?”
Liana felt like she was walking into a trap. “Sure, I guess. Mom, what is this about?”
“Oh nothing,” Anne said, smiling coyly. “Aaron is a nice looking fellow, isn’t he? He has good bone structure. And he’s college educated, just like you. He has a respectable profession, too. Pharmacists make good money, you know.”
“Okay…?” Liana didn’t know how to respond. Simply put, her mother was a lunatic.
There was a long, awkward pause.
Then Anne confirmed Liana’s suspicions.
“Is he single?” she blurted out.
“Mom, you’re married.”
Liana said it for no reason other than to get under her mother’s skin.
“I’m not asking for myself!” Anne exclaimed in horror. “I’m asking for you!”
Liana sighed deeply. “Mom, I’m not interested in dating Aaron.”
“Why not?” Anne demanded, as though Liana’s statement was somehow a personal affront to her. “What’s the matter with him?”
“Nothing. Aaron is a perfectly nice guy. And all that stuff you said about bone structure and whatever else is probably true,” Liana shrugged. “That’s great for Aaron! Hooray! But it doesn’t mean I want to go out with him.”
“Maybe you should,” Anne insisted. “If he’s single, why not give him a chance?”
Liana shut her eyes and willed herself to be patient. Then she looked her mother dead in the eye. “Mom, I have no idea if Aaron is single. None whatsoever. Do you know why that is? It’s because I’ve never cared enough to ask. I’m not interested in him in that way, okay?”
Anne opened her mouth and then promptly shut it again. Then, after some hesitation, she finally asked, “Liana, have you ever wondered if maybe you’re too picky? You can’t wait around for Prince Charming to ride into town and sweep you off your feet, you know.”
“I can’t?” Liana gasped, feigning shock.
Anne shook her head. “I’m only trying to help. There’s no need for sarcasm.”
“Sorry.”
“So who was that other fellow?” Anne asked curiously.
“Who?”
“The one you were talking to when I came in.”
“Oh, that was Luke.”
Anne furrowed her brow. “Luke who?”
“Luke Graham,” Liana replied. “You remember him. He was in the same grade as me. We were lab partners in science that one year. He’d come over to the house every so often to help me study, remember?”
Anne’s jaw dropped. “That was Luke Graham?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yup.”
“He looks so different!”
“He does,” Liana agreed.
“Is he still the same sweet, shy, polite boy I remember?” Anne asked hopefully. “He was always so nice. I hope transforming from an ugly duckling to a swan didn’t change him.”
“He’s still as nice as ever,” Liana confirmed, remembering the way Luke always offered to help her out around the coffee shop. “But Mom, please don’t call him an ugly duckling,” she added, suddenly feeling defensive. “He wasn’t ugly when he was a kid. He was just...awkward.”
“You can say that again. But he’s a swan now,” Anne smiled. “I’m happy for him.”
Liana snorted. “Please don’t call him a swan, either. That’s just weird.”
“Is he single?” Anne asked. She was nothing if not persistent.
“Mom! I don’t have time for this - I have work to do!”
It was true. Liana did have work to do. Her strawberry shortcake had been such a hit that she needed to make some more. She also had coffee to make, tables to clear and dishes to wash. At some point she needed to catch up on her bookkeeping, too. Running the coffee shop was definitely a full time job.
Though she didn’t say so, Liana knew the answer to her mother’s question.
Luke was indeed single.
Liana knew that because she had checked.
And she had secretly been relieved to learn the answer.
Every time Luke came into the coffee shop, it brightened Liana’s mood. Even on the most chaotic days when everything was going wrong, he made her feel calm. She looked forward to his visits and missed him when he didn’t come in.
The other day, Liana had actually gotten upset when another customer had sat on Luke’s stool at the counter. It had been irrational, sure. She had even caught herself by surprise with that over the top reaction. And it had gotten her thinking.
Liana and Luke’s friendship had been decades in the making. And the more she got to know him, the more she liked him. It was scary to admit it, even to herself...but Liana was pretty sure she wanted to be more than just Luke’s friend.
Chapter 08
“Oh, hey! I didn’t know we had an appointment today!”
Liana glanced up from the magazine she had been flipping through. The pleasant fragrance of high end hairspray wafted through the air. When Liana saw Amy Owens standing there in a grey smock and stylish black velvet jeans, she felt a twinge of guilt.
Amy and Liana had been friends since their school days. They had stayed in touch when Liana had moved to Green City for college. And when she had returned to Sugarcomb Lake, their friendship had picked right back up where it had left off.
These days, Amy was a hairstylist at the local beauty salon. Liana always requested that her appointments be with Amy. It was partly due to loyalty and partly due to vanity. Amy was absolutely fantastic at her job.
“I uh....we actually don’t have an appointment today,” Liana stuttered apologetically.
“Oh.” Amy ran a hand through her thick, auburn curls. She looked confused.
Liana motioned for her to come closer.
“I’m trying to find out who poisoned Chester Atkins,” Liana whispered. “I heard he was dating a woman from Sugarcomb Lake. I asked around at the coffee shop, because I figured someone had to know her. I found out she works here.”
“Who is it?” Amy asked curiously.
“Delia Day.”
Amy’s eyes widened. “Really?” she asked in disbelief. “I had no idea Delia was dating Chester! She never said a word about it...not even after he turned up dead. And she didn’t take a single day off work to, you know, mourn or anything. That seems weird.”
“It does,” Liana agreed. “I called the salon on a whim and asked if Delia was in today. I didn’t expect she would be. But I uh...I made an appointment with her,” she explained.
“You did?”
“I figure the best way to get Delia to open up to me is to chat while she gives me a trim.”
“I see.”
Amy wasn’t saying much. Her facial expression wasn’t giving much away, either. It was difficult to tell if she was insulted, upset or indifferent. It wasn’t as though she was visibly hurt or anything. But even so, Liana couldn’t help but feel like the world’s biggest jerk.
“It’s nothing personal!” Liana insisted. “You’re still my favorite hairdresser, hands down.”
Amy raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
“Next time I come in, I will request an appointment with you and ask for all the things. All. The. Things. You can deep condition, highlight...whatever’s most expensive. And I will give you a huge tip! Promise!”
Amy chuckled. “Relax. It’s fine! Good luck with your sleuthing.”
She turned to leave the waiting area, her red stilettos clicking on the floor with every step.
How Amy managed to spend all day on her feet in high heels was a mystery.
Liana spent a large portion of h
er workday on her feet, too. But there was no way she would ever consider wearing heels at the coffee shop. Her standard attire was sneakers or, in the summertime, flip flops. Occasionally she snuck in her fuzzy pink unicorn slippers to wear.
Those slippers were Liana’s dirty little secret. They were about a million years old, well worn and very juvenile looking. But they were so comfortable that sometimes the temptation to wear them to work was too strong to resist.
On the days she wore the unicorn slippers, Liana made sure to stay behind the counter. That way, nobody but Fluffy knew about her embarrassing fashion faux pas. Thankfully, Fluffy didn’t seem to judge her for wearing the slippers to work. The worst he did was try to chew on them from time to time.
“Hang on!” Liana called, jumping to her feet.
Amy paused and turned back around. “What is it?”
Liana took a step closer. “What is Delia like?” she asked in a hushed tone.
Amy shrugged. “She’s only worked here for a couple months. She seems kind of standoffish, almost like she thinks she’s too good to be here. The only person she’s really friendly with is Kimmy. Sorry, I mean Kimberly,” Amy corrected herself with a roll of her eyes.
Liana grimaced. They had gone to school with Kimmy, who now insisted on being called Kimberly. She had been a mean girl back then and she was still a mean girl even at thirty years old. The fact that Delia was friends with that awful witch spoke volumes.
“I’m going to regret making an appointment with Delia, aren’t I?”
Amy smirked. “Are you getting your eyebrows done?”
“How did you know?” Liana touched one of her eyebrows self consciously. “Oh, it’s because they’re starting to resemble two fuzzy brown caterpillars, isn’t it? Yes, I’m getting my eyebrows done today. I know, it’s long overdue.”
“Ha! If you’re getting your eyebrows done then yes, you may regret it. Rumor has it, Delia enjoys inflicting pain on her clients. The last woman who was in here to get her eyebrows waxed left in tears.” Amy winked. “Cheating on me just might be the biggest regret of your life.”
“I’m not cheating on you!” Liana protested. She made a face. “Now I’m scared.”
“Good!” Amy laughed.
Strawberry Shortcake to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 5
