Deadly Vows

by Jody Holford

  “You okay?” He leaned in so their faces were closer, giving them the illusion of privacy.

  “Yes,” she said, nodding and tightening her fingers around his. “I’m good. And you’re both right. I got Skyler to agree to an interview.”

  “Skyler?”

  “She’s the chef,” Katherine said. “Very good, from what I hear. I was hoping to sample a bit in passing, but from what I’ve seen, she runs a pretty tight—non-sampling—kitchen. No sampling, no outside ingredients. They’re only supposed to be here until about eight tonight. Then they’re back in the morning.”

  Sam glanced to the door then back at the women. “She’s just a cook. Do they really think their wedding is better because they found someone with a flashy reputation?”

  Molly shrugged. Appearances mattered to a lot of people. “I get the feeling it does matter to them, particularly the mom. But not having decent food wouldn’t be a great memory of your wedding.”

  Sam smiled at her quietly—mostly with his eyes. “No. But there are plenty of ways to have excellent food and even an amazing celebration without…” He gestured to the house. “All of this.”

  “Your father and I were married at the ocean. It was wonderful. Just us, our families, and some close friends. I don’t even remember the food.”

  Molly smiled when Sam reached out and rubbed his hand over his mom’s arm. They’d lost Sam’s dad years ago. From the stories she’d heard, he’d left quite a void.

  Katherine’s eyes took on a faraway look for a moment and then she smiled like she was reminding herself to do so. “You two should go enjoy the rest of your evening. I’ll clean this up.”

  “We can help, Mom.” Sam stood and Molly followed.

  “It’ll give me something to do. Off you go. Why don’t you take Molly down to the beach?” She stood to collect the dishes. “It’s your first end of season. You need to check out Britton Bay’s Sidewalk Celebration.”

  Molly knew that several local and visiting vendors were set up along the sidewalk that ran between the beach and its parking lot. They’d run some articles about it in the paper, but Jill had covered them, taking pictures and interviewing some of the people planning to sell their arts, crafts, and foods. Back in town after being away, Sam’s cousin was eager to throw herself into her new job and reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. As the editor, Molly worked behind the scenes, unless they were short-staffed or working on something special.

  “Do you want to go?” Sam asked. He grinned at her. “There’ll be music and food samples.”

  It would be a shame to miss something that was clearly another small piece of Britton Bay’s traditions.

  Molly looked at Katherine, hesitant to leave the woman alone with her sad thoughts. “Why don’t you come with us?”

  She waved Molly’s suggestion away with her free hand. “No, no. I need to be here in case anyone needs anything. I’ll see you both tomorrow. Thank you for a lovely meal and the company.”

  It was a much politer dismissal than the one Molly had received from Skyler, but there was a hint of loneliness in it. Sam leaned into his mom and kissed her cheek. The quiet melancholy shifting Katherine’s mood prompted Molly to give her a tight hug before taking Sam’s hand. They walked back to the cottage in the deep dusk, the serene sound of evening enveloping them.

  “I’ll just let Tigger out and grab a sweater,” she said, letting them into her place.

  Inside, Molly took Tigger out to the small, fenced yard behind her little place. When she came back in, Sam was sitting on the couch waiting. Tigger ran to him, leaping right onto his lap.

  Sam’s laughter made Molly smile. “Hey there. You just never stop being happy, do you?”

  Katherine popped back into Molly’s head. “Your mom got a little sad there.”

  Sam’s eyes met hers and that sadness was reflected in his gaze, making Molly’s heart contract painfully. She walked over and curled into his side, petting Tigger’s head.

  “Yeah. I saw that, too. Made me feel like a jerk for giving her a hard time about the sheriff. I want her to be happy.”

  “You’re not a jerk. Not even close. It’s normal for it to feel weird for you, I think. For her, too, I’d imagine.”

  They sat petting the dog, their fingers grazing. Molly rested her head on Sam’s shoulder, enjoying the quiet and just being with him. She’d been reluctant to move their relationship along too quickly, thinking that was her downfall. Instead, they’d been moving very slowly, getting to know each other and spending time together. Was she holding back out of fear? Sam wouldn’t hurt her the way her ex had. Or the ones before him.

  Until Sam, she’d let herself jump in feet first, believing the best in people who hadn’t earned that kind of faith. But Sam. Sam deserved her faith and her heart. He wouldn’t step out on her, resent her career, push her away, or play games. Maybe they were all just practice for the real thing so you’d recognize it when it showed up.

  “You still want to go?” Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  She leaned into him, inhaling deeply. He was the kind of man who would take care of her heart when she forgot to. “I do. You?”

  He smiled at her, setting Tigger on the floor. “Absolutely. It’s fun and there’s ice cream.”

  She poked him in the belly. “You’re hungry already?”

  He leaned in, tunneling one hand into her hair at the back of her head and kissed her softly. She let herself fall into the feel of his lips against hers, the heat of his body pressing in close. When he leaned back, she let out a quick breath.

  “It’s really good ice cream,” he answered, reminding her she’d asked a question.

  “Let’s go.”

  Sam stared at her another beat before standing up and taking her hand. The heat of his palm made her think something icy cold was exactly what she needed.

  Chapter Five

  Molly loved the time between the sun dipping into the sky and the star scattered darkness. There was something peaceful about that transition and living in Britton Bay, so close to the water, with not one skyscraper blocking the view, made it more magical. Sam’s fingers linked with hers, a steady, but sweet reminder of her growing attachment to this place. These people. This man. She breathed through the thought and realized she got a little less scared every day. Perhaps she was more gun-shy of finding forever than she’d ever imagined. Not just with Sam, but with her home and finding a place to settle. Moving around, as a child, it had been hard to find a sense of permanency. It was only now that she suspected she’d stopped allowing herself to yearn for such a thing.

  The laughter of kids floated into the air like the three balloons that randomly drifted by. Sam looked up and pointed.

  “Uh-oh. Escapees.”

  “Hopefully there isn’t a crying child somewhere,” Molly said, watching them move across the water.

  There were two long rows of vendors, one on each side of the sidewalk. When she’d heard about the end of summer celebration, she hadn’t imagined it would be so…huge. This town just keeps surprising you. The scent of apple pie wafted through the air and Molly nearly sighed in pleasure. Nothing went better with ice cream than apple pie.

  “You look so content,” Sam noted, squeezing her hand.

  She looked up at him as they strolled past a table with two women selling beaded bracelets and necklaces. “I have every reason to be.” She stared at him a beat longer than usual so he understood that she realized he was a big part of that.

  Leaning in for a quick kiss, he grinned. “Shop or sweets first?”

  Molly bit her lip, but only hesitated a moment. “Let’s browse until we find the first treat we want.”

  They stopped to look at some signs with vintage cars and cool phrases on them. Sam picked up a thin, rectangular one. It had the front end of a classic Corvair punched out to give a 3-D effec
t. Over the car, it read: What happens in the garage, then under the car, stays in the garage.

  “That’s cute. You should get it,” Molly said, eyeing the business cards. The sign behind the table said they did custom signs. Sam’s birthday wasn’t until closer to Christmas, but it might make a fun gift.

  Sam side-eyed her with a wry grin. “Sure fire way to make any guy not buy anything? Tell him it’s cute.”

  Molly swallowed a laugh and then made a second attempt. “Right. That is one tough looking sign. You should get it.”

  The guy watching them laughed. “Make you a deal, two for twenty.”

  Sam put it down. “Still just looking, but thanks.”

  Before they walked on, Molly grabbed a card and just grinned when Sam arched one of his brows at her as she pocketed it.

  He waited patiently while she looked at wood painted signs. They had quotes and expressions on them and she was running her hand over one when he nudged her.

  “You could make one of those,” he whispered.

  Molly glanced up to see the woman selling them was busy chatting with the person at the table next to her.

  Still, she bumped his hip with hers. “Shh. That’s not what they want to hear.”

  “Uh-oh. I think the new girl might still be more tourist than local,” he teased.

  Rolling her eyes, she took his hand. They weren’t a quarter of the way down the first row before they ran into someone they knew.

  Alan, her boss, was walking hand in hand with his wife. Knowing Vicky suffered from some health issues not long ago, Molly was very happy to see her out and looking so full of life.

  “Molly!” Probably around the same age as Sam’s mom, Vicky Benedict was a kind, soft-hearted woman. Molly had only met her a couple of times, but she embraced her like an old friend.

  “It’s good to see you.” Molly pulled back and smiled at Alan.

  Alan held out a hand that Sam accepted as they exchanged hellos. Vicky pressed a kiss to Sam’s cheek.

  “Look at you two together,” Vicky said, clasping her hands together in front of her.

  Sam laughed, but Molly felt the blush creep up her cheeks. He put a hand on the back of her neck and squeezed affectionately.

  “Vicky,” Alan said, amusement warming his tone.

  She swatted at her husband. “What? I can’t be happy for them?” She looked at them. “Sorry, can’t help it. How’s your mom, Sam?”

  “She’s good. Thanks for asking.”

  “You tell her I said hi. I need to visit with her one of these days,” she said, stepping closer to Alan.

  Alan put an arm around her and Molly’s heart pulsed. His adoration of his wife was written all over his face. She knew, because they’d opened up to her a while back about Vicky’s struggle with some social anxiety, among other things. Seeing her out and about like this was a good sign.

  “She would really love that,” Sam said.

  “She’s got her hands full right now,” Alan said, a knowing smile on his lips.

  “That she does,” Molly agreed. “Speaking of which, I have an interview set up with Skyler Friessen tomorrow morning.”

  Alan’s eyes widened. “That’s a surprise. She didn’t seem like the chatty type to me.”

  Molly still couldn’t believe how abrupt she’d been on several occasions now. “Me neither. It’ll make for an interesting side story to the wedding.”

  “Absolutely,” Alan said. He gave a nod to someone passing by, then glanced at Vicky. “We should let them get back to their browsing.”

  “It was good to see you both. Together,” Vicky said, making them laugh.

  They said goodbye and carried on hand in hand. Molly stared after them for a moment. They wove their way through small pockets of people milling about, shopping, and chatting. Down on the beach, a huge game of Frisbee had started.

  Molly pointed. “Tigger would love that.”

  Chuckling, Sam nodded. “He’d go crazy.”

  It was interesting, Molly decided, this blend of familiar and different. There were many vendors she recognized and several she didn’t. A few of the extended stay tourists had been there almost as long as Molly. She knew some people had summer homes along the ocean. She’d seen several gorgeous ones when she’d gone to dinner one night at Alan and Vicky’s.

  Many of the tables carried similar things; wooden signage, handmade necklaces, and crochet dishcloths were popular items. Food tables were dispersed between trinkets and smelly soaps, breaking up the browsing with the chance to sample.

  “Keep stealing bites of everything and you won’t have room for ice cream,” Sam teased her when she took a brownie bite from a plate that said, “Try me”.

  Popping the brownie in her mouth, she smiled around it. “You underestimate me.”

  A few tables down, she was grateful she hadn’t stolen Sam’s brownie bite as well. The Morning Muffins table had a well-deserved crowd. A couple of kids, a little girl in a bright pink sundress and a little boy with cropped blond hair, ran between them and the crowd, the girl giggling as the little boy reached for her. It made Molly smile, the simple sweetness of it. When they reached the table, there were several samples displayed, every one of them looking more delicious than the next. Behind the canopy that covered the table, a van was parked with a sign on the door that read Morning Muffins. The back doors were open and Molly expected to greet Bella when someone closed one of the doors with a hip check. Instead, it was one of her employees, Georgina, who went by Georgie. She wasn’t much older than Hannah and Molly had only met her once. Usually, she was shadowing Bella in the kitchen more than serving customers out front.

  “Hey Sam,” Georgie greeted, then looked at Molly with a smile just a little less radiant. “And Molly, right?”

  Molly bit back her grin. She’d been told by Calli that while most people were happy Molly was settling in, a few women were disappointed that one of the quote unquote hot and good ones had been taken. “It is. Georgie, right?”

  “Yup.” She set down the white plastic bins she was carrying and grabbed a set of tongs.

  “How’s things, Georgie?” Sam picked up a piece of what looked like cinnamon scone and popped it in his mouth. Molly went for the double chocolate one and had no regrets. It melted on her tongue.

  “Good. Summer is almost done, which means my hours will get cut back. I’m thinking of taking some classes at Oregon State.”

  “Hmm,” Sam said, picking up another sample. “Jill went there for a semester I think. You should ask her about it.”

  The smile Georgie gave Sam was worthy of emeralds and diamonds. Molly nearly rolled her eyes at Sam’s blindness toward the blatant adoration.

  “That’d be great. I’ll do that. I like working with Bella, but even she said, if I ever wanna strike out on my own, I need business classes.”

  A woman reached around Molly to grab the last bite of chocolate scone, but thankfully, that was the bin Georgie just opened. Using the tongs, she set more onto the empty plate.

  “I’m surprised Bella isn’t here tonight,” Molly said, trying to decide between the chocolate scone and some sort of delicate berry filled pastry.

  Georgie made a strange noise, almost a cross between a huff and a snort. “Me, too. But she was too wound up. Said she was working her grumpies out on the dough.” Then Georgie laughed and shook her head, looking right at Sam. “She’s like a Disney cartoon or something. Even when she’s mad, she’s cute and sweet. I mean, who says ‘grumpies’?”

  Molly and Sam both laughed, but Molly couldn’t help wondering what Bella was grumpy about. She wondered if things were okay between the baker and Callan. Georgie moved down the table for a moment, helping a little girl reach a cookie sample.

  “Don’t think I’ve ever seen Bella in a bad mood,” Sam said, then winced. He, of course, knew that Molly hadn�
�t been the baker’s favorite person for a short period of time. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I feel like things are smoothing over. Though, if I’m honest, I still wonder about her and Callan.”

  Sam stroked a hand down her hair then pressed a kiss to her head. “I know, honey. But he’s a good guy. Not as good as your guy, but that’s asking a lot.”

  Molly laughed, leaning into him. When Georgie wandered back over, Molly chose a box of muffins to take home. While she dug money out of her purse, it was Sam who voiced her question.

  “What was Bella wound up about?”

  Georgie took the money from Molly and dug in her apron for change. “She went over to meet the chef. You know the one who is catering the wedding? Thought it would be nice to offer the use of her ovens if the ones at your mom’s place aren’t enough.”

  Molly accepted her change. “I’m guessing Skyler wasn’t receptive?”

  “You know her?” Georgie frowned.

  “I’ve been introduced to her, but no, not really.” Molly didn’t tell the young woman that just meeting Skyler for a few minutes would be enough to wind most people up. She wasn’t exactly receptive and Molly could just imagine how curtly she’d refused Bella’s offer.

  “My mom feels bad that she canceled her regular orders for the next few days,” Sam said.

  The small-town camaraderie was one of the things Molly loved about Britton Bay. The businesses supported each other, just like the people. Katherine kept Bella’s goods on hand while the baker kept a rack of pamphlets featuring the bed-and-breakfast in her shop.

  Georgie waved her hand. “Aw. Bella knows your mom didn’t have much say in it. She’s not upset about that. And she’ll be over this before the night is out, I’m sure.”

  “Hope so. Tell her everything is delicious as always,” Molly said as Sam slipped his hand against hers.