by Dana Moss
They hugged her back, both of them grinning from ear to ear, and then they were out the door. Taffy fell back in the crowd that was wildly tossing confetti as the bride and groom climbed into a hired limo—part of the chief’s wedding gift—and faded into the night.
Taffy returned to the head table and saw Ethan standing there, the bouquet held delicately between his big hands.
“That was a bit embarrassing,” she said. “Don’t give it another thought.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought lately actually.”
He handed her the bouquet and got down on one knee.
Taffy’s own knees felt weak and wobbly.
The bouquet was sticky. Her cheeks were hot.
She wanted to ask what Ethan was doing, but… well, wasn’t it obvious? And yet… was it?
Taffy tried to assess her situation but couldn’t—no thoughts would coalesce in her mind. She began to grin goofily. People were starting to look. And then Ethan bent over and started to tie his shoelace.
What?!
Her cheeks burned. Way more embarrassing than the bouquet toss. She swallowed tightly.
And then Ethan looked up at her, winked, and caught her eyes in a searing gaze accompanied by a secret smile, which was ever so slightly lopsided.
“Sweet Taffy, will you marry me?” he said.
Taffy’s sight tunneled. Sounds faded, though she thought she heard the distant sound of Nana’s hands clapping together. Ethan was saying something else now, but Taffy couldn’t make out the words. Friends had gathered around them.
Ethan said, and she had a feeling he was repeating himself, “Go on, look in the bouquet, Taffy.”
So she did.
Tucked under the arching petal of a white lily, she saw a flash of turquoise. A blue like no other.
Unmistakably Tiffany.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
One Week Later
The new business cards arrived one morning before Maria and Finn had returned from Maui. Taffy tore open the package and held up the gold-embossed design.
She was momentarily distracted by a sparkle on her ring finger. She smiled dreamily, remembering how a week ago she’d been so stunned to hear Ethan’s question that she’d dropped to her knees in front of him and planted her “Yes!” right on his lips. They’d sat on the floor by the head table while Taffy had removed the box from the bouquet and opened it.
“When did you get this?” He hadn’t left town to go to Portland or anywhere else, not that she’d known of, and Abandon certainly didn’t have a Tiffany and Company.
“I’ve had it for a while.”
“Since?…” That day in New York.
He’d nodded and put the ring on her finger. A perfect fit. She hadn’t taken it off since.
“What do you have there?” Ethan said, breaking her reverie. He carried two mugs of coffee from the kitchen, and he held one out to Taffy. He glanced at the card in her hand.
“I suppose I can tell you now. Since this makes it official.”
“Official?” Ethan’s eyebrow arched in that way he had of nervously anticipating what Taffy might say next.
She held up the card. He took a step forward to peer at the words.
“Sweet Hope Detective Agency?” He blinked. “What?”
Taffy was bouncing on her toes, which made the card wiggle around. Ethan looked at her instead, a large question in his slightly frightened eyes.
“Half the cards are in my name and the other half in Maria’s!”
“What?” Ethan said again.
“We’ve leased the old ophthalmologist offices on Main Street for a year!”
“What?” He echoed himself once again.
Taffy grabbed her coffee mug and took a big gulp.
“It was all Maria’s idea. We’re going into business together!”
Ethan looked down at his coffee. “Is it too early for beer?”
“Of course it is, silly! It’s only 9 a.m. The signs should arrive next week. We have to go pick up filing cabinets, desks, and office chairs when Maria gets back from Hawaii…”
Taffy led the way back to the sunny kitchen where a white book with gold-edged pages sat open on the long harvest table. Her own wedding planner. When it caught her eye, she stopped chattering away and turned to Ethan. His last comment had finally registered.
“Wait. You’re not happy for us? For me?”
“It’s just not what I—”
She glanced back at the wedding planner.
“Does this change your mind about…”
He put down his mug and took hers from her hand. He slipped his arms lightly around her waist.
“It’s not that, it’s just…”
“What?”
He threw head back and sighed with exasperation. “It’s always chaos when you’re on a case.”
She blinked once, felt a pout coming on, and then switched gears and broke into a wide grin. She playfully pushed at his chest.
“Did you say you wanted boring?”
He shook his head.
“Did you say you wanted predictable?”
He shook his head again.
“Did you say you wanted calm?”
He hesitated. “Well, now that you mention it…”
She pulled him closer and grew serious. “Give me a chance to prove myself. Maria knows what she’s doing. Finn has helped us set things up.”
“Finn?”
“And Mitch has agreed to be a consultant.”
“Mitch? Since when has all this planning been going on without my knowing?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re always surprising me, Taffy. You are a surprise and a half on a daily basis. But are you sure you can handle this? What about our wedding?”
She smiled innocently. “I know how to handle a wedding and a case at the same time.”
Ethan barked out a small laugh and then ran one hand roughly through his hair. Taffy knew that meant he was beginning to accept the situation, albeit with some resignation. He also probably knew he didn’t really have a choice. When an idea got lodged in her brain, there was no turning back.
He said, “I worry about you being in danger.”
“Maria and I agreed on no more murders. Not if we can help it anyway.”
Ethan looked unconvinced.
“You’re giving it a go for a year?”
She nodded.
“Which means Abandon is your real home now?”
She nodded again.
“And we’ll still get married?”
She nodded vigorously this time. And she reached up to smooth down his hair. “Can I have your blessing?”
He looked down at her with his slightly worried but warm and loving eyes. “You know you have my everything.”
She held his scruffy cheeks between her palms and brought his lips down to hers. And then she twirled out of his arms and stuck the business card under a magnet on the fridge.
Her new ring flashed in a ray of sun slicing in through the kitchen window. She let the quality of its brilliance and the simple elegance of its setting dazzle her for a moment, and then she turned back to Ethan, unable to avoid assessing and voicing her glorious situation:
“Former New York socialite falls into the arms of her handsome fiancé after finally finding her home and her happily ever after.”
He caught her and held her, smiling, and she knew he’d never let her go.
* * *
Thanks for reading Book 3, SWEET TAFFY AND THE MILLIONAIRE'S MURDER by DANA MOSS.
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See the next page for a page about the author, and a list of all the books in the SWEET TAFFY AND MURDER cozy mystery series!
About the Au
thor
Dana Moss lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys gardening, hiking, and camping -- basically everything her character Taffy can't stand! She also enjoys traveling to far flung urban places like New York and Paris (things Taffy loves). Sometimes she worries that coming up with different ways for people to die is not the healthiest obsession, but she loves writing about characters in strange situations who need to find ways to connect with one another.
If you want to be the first to find out about the next Taffy Belair book, sign up for Dana's newsletter (only book news, never any spam): http://eepurl.com/giR_6br
Or you can find Dana on Facebook at www.facebook.com/danamossauthor
Sweet Taffy Cozy Mysteries - Series Reading Order
Book 1: Sweet Taffy and Murder
Book 2: Sweet Taffy and the Marshmallow Murder
Book 3: Sweet Taffy and the Millionaire's Murder
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