by Judi Lynn
Jerod started across the yard toward his pickup. “I’ll dump the old gutters and head home. The kids are back from preschool by now. I’ll jump in the pond with them and give Franny some time to herself.”
Thane gave him an odd look. “If the kids are in preschool, doesn’t she have more time off than you do?”
Jerod chuckled. “It always sounds good, dropping the kids off and getting them out of your hair, but by the time Franny drives them to school and drives home, she loses time. Then she gets busy in her shop, refinishing furniture. And before she turns around twice, it’s time to pick them up. Believe me, kids gobble up time like black holes, and when the baby comes along, God help Franny.”
Thane scratched his head. “Maybe Olivia and I will wait before we start a family.”
“If you want kids, you have to do it before too long.” Jerod gave them a wave and went to his truck.
Jazzi started toward Ansel’s van. She liked the idea of a little extra time to get ready to meet their friend Reuben and his girlfriend, Isabelle. She’d never been to Club Soda but knew it attracted a high-class clientele. Reuben had chosen it to celebrate. He and Isabelle had finished work on the Victorian where Jazzi had rented the first floor and Reuben the second until Jazzi moved out to buy Cal’s place. Cal had been engaged to her Aunt Lynda, and her mom and grandmother had fond memories of his house. Once Jazzi had decided to renovate it, Reuben and Isabelle had bought the beautiful old Victorian and restored it to a single-family home.
She and Ansel were climbing into his work van, along with George, when Leo called to them. Ansel winced but forced a smile on his face and followed Jazzi over to talk to him.
“You’re taking your evening walk a little early, aren’t you?” Jazzi asked.
George and Cocoa sniffed each other, then George lay down. Cocoa tried to make friends with him, but he closed his eyes. Not even a pretty young female could motivate the pug.
Leo motioned to a car in his driveway. “Seth, my wife’s nephew, comes to visit her once a week. I’m not a fan, so I take Cocoa for a long walk to avoid him.”
Ansel glanced at the black SUV with tinted windows in Leo’s drive. “Not many nephews drop in once a week to check on their aunts. That’s pretty nice. The guy must be doing all right. That’s a Cadillac he’s driving.”
“Looks like a gangster’s car to me.”
Jazzi laughed. “He must like your wife. Are they close?”
“I guess. He owns a bar on Jefferson Street. We could walk there. He used to visit his mom once a week, but when she moved to Arizona, he started dropping by to see Louisa. I don’t approve of bartenders. They offer people drinks and watch them get stupid.”
Ansel looked surprised. “I think that’s the patron’s call, not the bartender’s.”
“Our country should never have given up Prohibition. Some people have no control.”
Jazzi hadn’t realized Leo could be so opinionated. “I like my beer and wine. I wouldn’t appreciate someone telling me that I couldn’t have any.”
“It’s poison. You know that, don’t you?” Leo’s fingers tightened on Cocoa’s leash. Drinking obviously upset him.
“You never drink?” Jazzi asked.
“My father was an alcoholic. I swore I’d never touch the stuff. Every time he drank too much, he’d pick fights with Mom.”
That explained it. Jazzi reached out to touch his hand. “Does your nephew drink too much?”
“Never, but he tolerates it when other people do.”
“Does your wife enjoy his visits?”
Leo glanced back at his house. “She gets lonely for family. I’m glad he comes. I just don’t want to make small talk with him.”
Ansel smiled and reached for Jazzi’s hand. “Then enjoy your walk. It’s a beautiful day.”
“Indeed, it is.” Leo regained some of his joviality and tugged on Cocoa’s leash. “You two enjoy your evening.” And he and his Lab set off.
Chapter 7
They were crossing town at a little after four. That meant long lines of traffic on Jefferson Boulevard and Hillegas Road. Ansel kept glancing at the dashboard clock. Finally, Jazzi asked, “Is there something you want to do before we meet Reuben and Isabelle?”
“I was hoping to mow the yard if we had enough time.”
“The grass isn’t that long yet.” It was late August. They hadn’t had rain for a while.
“I didn’t get a chance to mow on the weekend.”
“So? It still looks okay.” But not perfect. And Jazzi hadn’t known how seriously Ansel took grass until he’d moved in with her. He and Emily had rented an apartment, so his obsession didn’t surface until he had a yard to tend. “You grew up on a dairy farm. Did your parents keep their yard perfect?”
“My mom didn’t care about the fields or barns, but she liked everything around the house to be taken care of. I was the youngest boy. It was my job to mow and weed her flower beds. If I didn’t mow at least once a week, I heard about it.”
“I’m not as strict as your mom.”
He frowned, obviously torn. “It’s uneven and taller than I like it.”
“It hasn’t hit my knees yet.”
“Your knees?” He sounded shocked.
She couldn’t help it. She laughed, and he gave her a dirty look. She liked to give him a hard time once in a while. She glanced at the clock. “I don’t think we’re going to make it home in time.”
“If we hadn’t stopped to talk to Leo, we would have missed most of this traffic.”
“But he looked upset.”
They drove past the apple orchard on Huguenard, and Ansel pointed to a sign near the barn. “The peaches are ready.”
Peaches were a new crop there. Jazzi kept saying she wanted to stop and buy some to see how good they were. They were Red Havens, her favorites. Ansel kept driving.
“You’re not going to stop?” she asked.
“On Friday. We’re busy this week.” And he wanted to get home to his lawn.
When they finally reached their house, they had two hours before they had to meet Reuben and Isabelle. The two hours went fast. Ansel started straight to the garage and their riding lawn mower.
“I can mow everything to the hedge,” he told her. “I can wait to do around the pond until I mow the whole thing again on Saturday.”
The man was nuts, but everyone had their own kind of crazy. She waved him off, and George followed her into the house. The pug walked to his dog bed. She went to the refrigerator for a glass of wine. If Ansel wanted to work right up until they left, that was his problem. She ran upstairs to take a shower, then pulled on her sleep shorts and a tee to relax on the sofa. She sipped her zinfandel while she read her latest Savannah Martin mystery. Rafe, the bad boy love interest, was tall, dark, and sexy. But he couldn’t outdo Ansel, her blond, gorgeous Viking.
An hour and a half later, Ansel hustled into the house and hurried upstairs to take his shower. While he cleaned up, she closed her book and went to get dressed and ready. She took her cues from Savannah and reached for a flirty dress and some heels. Not three-inch wonders like Savannah wore, but better than the usual gym shoes or flip-flops she favored. She even wore eyeliner. Then she went downstairs to wait for Mr. Lawn Obsessed to join her.
He stopped and stared when he saw her. “Doggone, you look good.”
Ha! She’d surprised him. “I clean up once in a while, you know.”
“We never have shopped at Victoria’s Secret. My treat. You keep putting it off.”
“It’s sort of a waste of money. I wore those when I first started dating. I’d put on cute undies for guys, and before I knew it, they took them off me.”
He stared. “I think you miss the point. That’s the fun of it—taking them off.”
“Then why bother in the first place?”
He shook his
head. “It’s sort of like lighting candles on a birthday cake. You blow them out right away, but they set the mood.”
“Oh.” She’d never thought of it that way.
He laughed at her. “Let’s go, or we’re going to be late.”
George followed them to the door and pouted when they left without him, but the minute the door shut, Jazzi looked through the window to watch him pad to his dog bed in the kitchen. Ansel peeked over her head. “George loves it here.”
Traffic wasn’t bad on their drive back into town. The TinCaps were playing a baseball game tonight, but the traffic didn’t come as far as Superior Street. There must be a festival in Headwaters Park because a girl in a lawn chair greeted them when they pulled into the parking lot to make sure they were dining at Club Soda. Reuben and Isabelle pulled in right behind them, and they walked into the restaurant together.
Jazzi liked the restaurant’s vibe right away. Old brick walls gave it a cozy feel, and a row of windows let in light. She liked the menu even more. Four bacon-wrapped diver scallops were listed as an appetizer, enough to satisfy her as almost a meal, so she ordered a spinach salad and a baked potato on the side. Ansel decided on the walleye, and both Reuben and Isabelle chose the salmon.
Isabelle had an intensity about her tonight that made Jazzi think there was more going on than just celebrating their finished house. And Isabelle had gone to more bother than usual with her hair and makeup, which were always perfect. Tonight Isabelle’s sleek black hair was pulled up in a knotted chignon, her eyes were rimmed with black liner, and her lips were painted cherry red. Isabelle was so striking, she could pull off the severe look. If Jazzi tried that, she’d get laughed at.
Jazzi’s dear friend Reuben—equally elegant with his mocha skin, slight build, and trimmed goatee—radiated excitement. He ordered martinis for Isabelle and him, wine for Jazzi, and beer for Ansel.
Once the waiter came with their drinks, Jazzi quirked an eyebrow at him. “Okay, what’s up? You two are practically humming with happy energy.”
Isabelle held her hand out to them, displaying the huge diamond on her finger. “We wanted to personally invite you to our wedding.”
“Oh my God!” Jazzi put a hand to her throat. “I’m so happy for you!”
Isabelle deserved a happy ever after. She’d worked with Cal to expand his businesses for years, waiting for him to get over Jazzi’s Aunt Lynda and notice and love her, and it had never happened. Cal thought of her as his best, most trusted friend—nothing more. The man was rich and a wonderful person, but he’d never gotten over Lynda walking out of his life to spend time in New York, ostensibly to think things over before she married him, then disappearing without a word to anyone. Not to him. Not to Jazzi’s mom, her sister. And not to Gran, her mother.
Disappearing. Jazzi pushed thoughts of Miles out of her mind.
“Congratulations!” Ansel raised his glass and clinked it against theirs in a toast.
“When’s the wedding?” Jazzi beamed at Reuben. “You wanted to marry Isabelle the minute you met her. You’re not rushing things and eloping, are you?”
He laughed. “No, Isabelle deserves a ceremony, something to celebrate how wonderful she is.”
Yes, she did. Jazzi turned to Isabelle. “When’s the big day?”
“September twenty-ninth, my parents’ anniversary. They’re both gone, so this is my way of including them in our day.” She glanced at Reuben. “We want to keep it small, but memorable. The Oyster Bar is closed on Sundays, but the chef has agreed to open it for us and make appetizers and lots of shrimp. A retired minister will perform our vows, and we’ve invited a few of our dearest friends to join us. We’d love for you to come.”
A lump closed Jazzi’s throat for a minute. She swallowed how honored she felt. “Are you kidding? I’ll even buy a new dress.”
Reuben smiled and turned to Isabelle. “You have no idea what a compliment that is. Jazzi thinks of shopping as torture.”
“Not true.” The waiter came with their food, and she waited for him to leave. “I like to shop for kitchen things and tools.”
Isabelle laughed. “Between your sister and me, maybe we’ll convert you to love clothes. We should go to Chicago and hit some of the shops there.”
She made a face. Shopping overload. She glanced at Ansel. He liked it when she dressed up. She might have to put more effort into her appearance. “Have you picked out a dress?”
The conversation veered to flower arrangements, dress shopping, and honeymoon destinations. Both men volunteered plenty of opinions. But when the meal was finished, the topic changed to the Victorian Reuben and Isabelle had renovated.
“Just wait till you see it,” Reuben told them. “It’s fabulous.”
“You’re an interior designer,” Jazzi said. “You’d have to have a wonderful house, wouldn’t you?”
“Let’s hope. We’ll meet you there.” Reuben held out a hand for Isabelle. “You won’t recognize your old apartment.”
He hadn’t exaggerated. When she and Ansel pulled to the curb in front of the house, Jazzi blinked at her former home. No longer pink, it was painted lavender with cream trim and deep purple details. The wraparound porch had dark purple floorboards. It was stunning.
Reuben and Isabelle opened the gleaming mahogany front door and motioned them inside.
Jazzi stopped and took a deep breath. Ansel stared. Reuben had turned Jazzi’s old bedroom into an office with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and pocket doors. The walls and high ceilings were painted charcoal, set off by white crown molding and woodwork. Two golden, overstuffed sofas faced each other in the front room, covered with red and cobalt-blue throw pillows. A square, glass coffee table sat between them, and two flowered armchairs finished the grouping. In the dining room, a modern glass light with huge dangling bulbs hung over a long, sleek wooden table with straight metal legs. Three crimson, slip-covered chairs were arranged on each side. Nothing she’d ever choose, but they sang with dramatic flair.
“It’s amazing.” Jazzi circled the dining room table and stepped into the kitchen and stopped to gape again. Reuben had designed it to be galley style with white and gray marble counter tops and a V-patterned marble backsplash. Black cupboards stretched to a mustard-gold ceiling. Stainless-steel appliances gleamed. “Wow.”
Reuben smiled, happy with her response. “Not your style, I know, but it suits Isabelle and me, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “Sophisticated, but not pretentious.”
He hugged her. “Exactly what I was trying for.”
Isabelle led them upstairs to the two bedrooms and baths they’d designed. Everything could have come out of Architectural Digest. Ansel shook his head, trying to take in all of the elegance. Jazzi looked at the deep, clawfoot tub in the master bath and grinned.
Isabelle laughed. “You know how I love those.”
The bed had a high, custom-made, plush headboard and a monstrous round mirror hung over the chest of drawers. By the time Jazzi and Ansel had oohed and aahed at one special piece after another, it was time for them to go home.
She stopped on the sidewalk to turn and wave good-bye. Isabelle and Reuben were silhouetted in the window, waving too. She could see through the entire first floor. Beauty and elegance. And that’s when it hit her. Ansel was right. If you rode your bike to peoples’ houses and parked to watch them, you could see a lot. Had Miles seen something that got him killed? And what in the world would it be?
She pushed Miles out of her mind and settled on the front seat next to Ansel. The air had cooled down, and they rolled down the van’s windows to enjoy the breeze. Ansel pulled away from the curb, and his lips curved into a smile.
Jazzi loved seeing him so happy and smiled, too. “You look like you enjoyed tonight.”
“Reuben and Isabelle haven’t wasted any time. They finished their house, and now they’re getting m
arried. Do you ever think about that?”
They turned away from town onto Main Street. Jazzi turned to study his profile. “Getting married? Not much. It’s too soon.”
“I’m twenty-five and you’re...?” He frowned. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven. You’re just a kid.”
“Lots of people are married by our age. When you know you have the right person, why wait?”
“We just moved in together.”
“But we’ve known each other a while now. We’ve worked together almost every day for two and a half years.”
“It’s different than being a couple. Somewhere down the line, you’ll fuss about me squeezing the toothpaste tube in the middle. I’ll growl because you never fold the bath towels right.”
“I think we can work past those. Small potatoes, but I’m patient. I can wait another few months if you still have cold feet.”
She turned to stare at him. “You call a few months being patient?”
“Sure do. I’d take you to the courthouse tomorrow if you’d let me.”
She shook her head. “Didn’t you learn anything with Emily? The glow might fade. Let’s see what happens.”
“We could have a Christmas wedding.”
“Will you stop it?” She crossed her arms over her chest, and he laughed.
“I’ve never met a girl I could threaten with marriage before. Most women hint at it.”
“Then find one of those.”
They came to their turn, and Ansel glanced down the road toward their house. He shook his head. “I can’t find someone else. George is fond of you.”
She rolled her eyes. “George would get a vote.”
“George didn’t like Emily. I should have listened to him.”
She laughed. “I’ll remember to always be extra nice to your dog.”
When they reached the house, Ansel punched in the numbers for the security code, and they walked in, arm in arm. He tugged her closer in the foyer for a long, thorough kiss, then he glanced at the stairs. They were headed toward their bedroom when his cell phone buzzed. He glanced at caller ID and frowned.
