Hang Ten Australian Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Stacey Alabaster

  Matt pulled away finally but didn’t let go. He searched my eyes for a moment. “I’ve missed this,” he practically whispered.

  “What?” I smiled. “You being here for me after I’ve nearly gotten myself killed?”

  He laughed. “Yes.” But then he grew quiet again. “Seriously though, I’ve missed being close to you. I know we decided not to get married and I know we’re supposed to just be friends, but…”

  Before he could finish, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss.

  “Hey!” We heard the familiar voice calling from behind us. “This isn’t your day! It’s mine!” We turned to see Alyson, standing side by side with Troy, and both were smiling wildly. “Come on!” Alyson said, waving us over. “Let’s get this thing started!”

  The music began to play, and Alyson took a deep breath behind me as I walked down the aisle first and she followed. The star of the show. Her hair was windblown and the bottom of her dress was wet and sandy, but she looked perfect.

  I reached the end first and then turned around. My breath caught in my throat when I saw how happy my best friend looked. I glanced over at Troy. He had tears in his eyes.

  J was scattering flowers with reckless abandon and had already used up the entire basket before she even reached halfway down the aisle. She just stopped for a moment and pouted. “Aww, no fair!” But the music kept playing and she kept walking.

  Matt was standing across from me on the other side of the aisle. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe one day, we’d give the whole marriage thing another try. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

  It was strange to watch my best friend take this huge, grownup step, right in front of me, before I did, considering I was always the more ‘mature’ one. But at the same time, it felt so right, and I knew somehow that it would always end like this. Alyson, for all her quirks and foibles, was in some ways the more traditional of the two of us.

  And I still had a bit of growing up to do.

  And a lot of adventures still to take.

  “We never actually planned the honeymoon,” Troy said, laughing as the bridal party got their wedding photos taken. Matt and I were doing a silly pose together, and I was laughing as I overheard their conversation.

  I butted in and wondered if maybe I could make a suggestion.

  “Anything except a cruise ship.”

  Epilogue

  Claire

  Two Months Later

  The swings were rocking slightly back and forth in the wind now that the autumn weather was setting in.

  I hadn’t been back in this specific park for a very long time. Too many painful memories. But on that day, it seemed sweet. The leaves falling from above me hit the ground and I walked over them, hearing the crunch as I headed toward the swing set. I might be an adult, but you’re never too old to hang out on the swings.

  I took a seat and took in the view of my town.

  I was waiting for my best friend to return from her honeymoon. I had two apples with me.

  This particular park was a little out of the way of the rest of Eden Bay. It was smaller than the skate park and the flower gardens in the center of town. Closer to Eden Bay High. So not a very far walk for when you were skipping school and hiding out for the day.

  I swung my legs back and forth as I picked up a bit of pace. A couple of teenage girls wandered into the park and looked at me with suspicion.

  I glanced over at them and wondered if they were supposed to be in school. Then I remembered that it was still a school holiday and they were probably just hanging out.

  “Alyson!”

  I was so excited that I jumped up off the swing and ran over to hug her.

  She was looking very tanned.

  She told me all about her honeymoon to the islands of Far North Queensland. Turned out there had been a few boats involved after all, but only small ones that took her and Troy island to island. No giant cruise ship. The ship that had clogged up our own town for weeks had finally moved on as well, and Wells was back on the force.

  “Give me one of those,” Alyson said with a grin as she looked down at the apples in my bag.

  There was the first chill of the autumn setting in. Soon, Alyson would be off to school. Her first year of university. Big changes. And soon I would be off on an adventure of my own. Maria and Bianca were going to look after Fabled Books while J and I traveled with Matt. He had enjoyed his little stint going pro and now had several competitions lined up. I had also started writing my second novel. This time, it was a romantic suspense—two aspects of my life I seemed to know quite well.

  We wandered back over to the swing set. Alyson now had her memories of that day flooding back apparently, and she was laughing telling me about how much fun the whole thing had been. The thrill of being caught. Of annoying our vice principle. She laughed again.

  “That’s not quite how I recall it,” I said, shaking my head, still feeling like I was doing something wrong by being there, a grownup on the swing. But Alyson threw her head back and pushed herself as fast and high off the ground as she could.

  “Oh, why the heck not?” I asked with a laugh and pushed myself as well, just as high, while the two young girls stared at us shrieking like children.

  Because for just a moment, that’s what we were. And no matter who else walked into the park today, they couldn’t destroy that

  Grownup life was beckoning us. But for just a little while longer, it was just me and my best friend.

  Thanks for reading the Hang Ten Cozy Mystery Boxed Set. I hope you enjoyed these stories with Claire, Alyson, and the folks of Eden Bay. It was a lot of fun to write the stories from two different perspectives. If you could take a minute and leave a review for me on Amazon and/or Goodreads, I would really appreciate it.

  That’s all I’ve got for Claire and Alyson, but I have a lot of other stories you might enjoy. Head over to Amazon and check out all of them.

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