“You’re stalling,� Janelle tapped her foot impatiently. “I know that Olivia felt compelled to help me when Nick suspected me of Yvette’s death—and I appreciate her help, but that’s all behind us now. Olivia has no other distractions.�
“She’s about to make a huge purchase,� Andrew pointed out.
“Yes, but we’ve talked about that, and she’s fine with it. There’s no reason to use that as an excuse.�
Privately, Andrew wasn’t so sure. One thing he knew about Olivia was that when she was okay with something, she did it. No hesitation. The fact that she hadn’t signed the papers was cause for concern. “Still, we both know that Olivia doesn’t do well with a lot of change. I think it’s best if I just hold off.�
“Do you love my sister?� Janelle demanded.
“More than anything.�
“And you want to marry her?�
“More than anything.�
Janelle stood and shouldered her purse. “Then you need to act on it. You know Olivia’s history with men. You need to put a ring on her finger before she decides to move on.�
“Olivia’s not going anywhere,� Andrew said calmly. “But I promise you that I’ll give it some thought.�
“You do that.� When she opened the door, someone was standing in her way. “Excuse me,� she said haughtily as she slipped by.
Brett Marco, one of Andrew’s employees—and his best friend—gave Janelle a strange look. “My apologies,� he said as he stepped aside. Watching her march down the hall, he shook his head. “That has to be Olivia’s sister. She’s a little terrifying.�
“Janelle takes after their mother,� Andrew said ruefully. “But she has a good heart.�
“I’d heard a rumor that you had a fiancée now. I’d congratulate you, but I’m a little hurt that you didn’t tell me yourself.�
Andrew rolled his eyes. Cora had a thing for Brett, so she embraced every chance she could to talk to him. “I am thinking of asking Olivia to marry me, but I haven’t done it yet. I tried to do it Janelle’s way and ask her at L’Amore last night, but things didn’t exactly go as planned.�
“She turned you down?�
“She was twenty minutes late, showed up in her work clothes, and looked like she wanted to bolt.�
Brett grimaced. “Olivia doesn’t strike me as the type to enjoy L’Amore. If I were you, I’d propose at End Game.�
“End Game?� Andrew stared at him. “You’re kidding me.�
Shrugging, Brett reached to snag a muffin. “Why not? Olivia is a casual girl, and you both love that place. She’s the kind of woman who wants to be in a familiar atmosphere.�
“For some reason, I can’t imagine telling our kids that I proposed to their mother between bar fights and a home run.�
“End Game isn’t that bad,� Brett mumbled, his mouth full. “Trust me, End Game is the way to go. And you’ve got to give her some space. Let her stew over the distance between you so the proposal is that much more a surprise.�
“Why am I taking advice from a single man?�
His friend grinned. “I might be single, my friend, but I know women.�
“Get out, and stay away from my muffins!�
Leaning back in his chair, Andrew watched with a wry grin as Brett mockingly threw up his hands in surrender and retreated. His friend wasn’t wrong. Even though Brett wasn’t into long-term relationships, his women were always happy. Even when things ended, he still managed to stay friends with them. Maybe he really was on to something.
One thing was certain. Andrew knew he couldn’t keep taking advice from Janelle.
After the town meeting, Olivia walked back to Main Street with Jackie. “What is wrong with this town? People are actually excited about Lady Celeste’s pet psychic week. Someone was murdered here! Shouldn’t that be the hot topic?�
“Oh, trust me, people are talking about that as well. Everyone assumes that it was a tourist. No one in Lexingburg would commit murder!�
“Are you kidding me? This town is full of repressed rage.� They turned the corner and saw Delilah standing outside of Delilah’s Silks with her French poodle, Duchess. “There’s a ball of repressed rage right there.�
“Olivia!� Jackie laughed. “Delilah isn’t so bad.�
“I was talking about Duchess. I know I would want to kill someone if I was Delilah’s pet,� Olivia whispered. As they approached the sophisticated woman, Olivia plastered a smile on her face. In high school, Delilah had won all the awards and was prom queen. There was no rivalry between the two because Olivia had been certain Delilah didn’t even know Olivia existed. That had changed when Andrew moved into town.
As soon as she’d laid eyes on Andrew, Delilah had pounced. According to Jackie and Janelle, she gave Andrew every opportunity to ask her out, and when he didn’t pick up on her blatant signals, she had actually asked him out herself. He had politely turned her down. When Delilah had found out that he was dating Olivia, things turned passively-aggressively ugly. Olivia used to shop at Delilah’s Silks, but now, if anything caught her attention, Delilah was quick to whisk it away and let her know that it wasn’t for sale. Janelle actually caught Delilah telling people that Olivia didn’t really walk the dogs when their owners were at work—completely unfounded, and luckily it didn’t hurt Olivia’s business, but it was then that Olivia knew that Delilah meant business.
Even though Olivia and Andrew had been going out for a year now, Delilah still flirted shamelessly with Andrew and made no effort to hide her hatred of Olivia.
“Olivia,� Delilah said with a smirk. “I had no idea you were having trouble communicating with that nasty mutt of yours. It’s a good thing that Lady Celeste is here to help you.�
Gritting her teeth, Olivia searched for patience. “I’m just trying to show support for a fellow entrepreneur. You and Duchess should stop by. I’m sure Duchess is dying to say a few things to you.�
Jackie snorted. “Excuse me, ladies. I’ve got to unpack today’s delivery.�
Olivia wanted to beg Jackie to stay, but she knew how dangerous it was to show weakness in front of Delilah. Already, a cruel smile was curving over the woman’s face. “What does Andrew think of your new partnership?�
She opened her mouth to tell Delilah that her relationship with Andrew was none of Delilah’s business when her phone rang. Looking down, she privately thanked her boyfriend for his amazing timing. Meeting Delilah’s steady gaze, she answered it. “Hello lover boy,� she purred.
Delilah sniffed and whirled around. As she stomped off, Olivia heard Andrew clear his throat. “Did you just call me lover boy?�
“Sorry,� Olivia admitted. “Delilah was taking shots at me.�
“I’m sure that’s not true,� he murmured. Andrew was a brilliant man—except when it came to Delilah’s obsession with him. “How’s your day going?�
Olivia rolled her eyes but let the matter drop. “Janelle was cleared.�
“I heard. So Nick is going to make an arrest?�
“Unfortunately, no. The camera didn’t show anyone else until we showed up. How did you hear about it?�
“So how was Janelle cleared?� Andrew asked, ignoring her question. Olivia heard him mutter something to someone els
e, and she waited until she had his attention again.
“It showed Yvette waving to her as she left. So Janelle left her alive.�
“So maybe Yvette died of natural causes.�
She sighed in exasperation. “She drowned in coffee, Andrew. That is not a natural cause.�
“Right. Well, at least Janelle isn’t involved anymore. Want to join me at End Game for a drink in a little bit? We can celebrate your good work.�
All was forgiven with the unexpected compliment. She hadn’t thought Andrew would actually support her investigation. “My good work? You were the one who found the camera.�
“Yes, I did. I’m talking about you not getting involved.�
So much for his support.
Biting her bottom lip, Olivia shook her head. “What time are you leaving the hospital?�
“I’m actually heading out now, but I’ve got a few errands to run. I can meet you in an hour.�
“What kind of errands?� she asked absently.
“The kind of errands that aren’t any of your business,� he teased. “See you in an hour?�
Olivia snorted. He wasn’t the only one who could tease. “Sweetie, I told you that you don’t have to keep dyeing your hair. I like the silvery fox look.�
“You wish,� he chuckled. “My hair is all natural, and you love it.�
“I’ll see you in an hour.� Shaking her head again, she hung up. End Game was a sports bar, but there was no reason she had to go there smelling like dog. She’d already embarrassed him last night. She owed him at least one decent dinner this week, and there was no danger of him proposing at a bar. At least she could relax and enjoy his company.
An hour later, she traded in her active wear for jeans and a decent button-up shirt. She’d shaved her legs just in case he wanted to spend the night, applied lipstick and mascara, and even wore her hair half-up rather than all the way up. And instead of tennis shoes, she wore flats.
End Game was packed, as usual. There weren’t too many bars in Lexingburg and even fewer with big-screen televisions. If Mayor Henderson ever had his way, there probably wouldn’t be any bars at all. The mayor believed that alcohol supported crime. The small, dark restaurant had an oval bar in the middle surrounded by a ring of high-top bars on the lower level. There were booths a few carpeted steps up, and brass railings separated the two levels. The walls were covered in sports memorabilia supporting both the local college and several state teams. Seven screens lit up the walls, but luckily Joe, the owner kept the sound off unless there was a major game on.
It was the first place the women called when they couldn’t find their husbands, and the last place a man would go to hide from his wife. Joe had an unspoken rule with his clientele. No family drama in his house.
Andrew whistled as he rose from the table. “You look amazing. Have you been watching those makeup tutorials again?�
“Shh,� she whispered, looking around. “You’re not supposed to know that. And yes. I learned a new way to contour.�
He searched her face quizzically. “I’m not really sure what contouring is, but if that’s what you did, it looks great. You look great.�
Chuckling, she gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I did not contour, and you just won some major points.�
“Noted. It’s probably going to take forever before the server makes the rounds, so I’m going to grab some drinks from the bar. Do you want a lager or a sangria?�
“Joe will cry if you ask him to make me a sangria again. He thinks it’s bad for his image.�
Andrew waited patiently. “So are you going to ask me to make Joe cry?�
“You’d do it, too, wouldn’t you? That’s so sweet! A beer would be great.�
Settling back in the booth, she gazed up at the televisions. Several games were going at once, but she couldn’t identify any of them. Most of the diners had their eyes glued to the screen. End Game had a lot of regulars, and Andrew, in his suit, didn’t really fit in, but he always said that he liked the environment. She had a feeling it was because he missed his brothers and the feeling of testosterone rivalry.
He returned with their drinks, and she tentatively sipped at her beer. It was smooth, and it hit all the right spots. Sighing, she leaned back in the booth and relaxed. “I didn’t realize how tense I was about this whole Yvette situation.�
“So you’re feeling more relaxed? Happy?� he asked intently, watching her over his own beer.
“I am. How was work?�
“I don’t want to talk about work.� Putting his beer down, he reached across and took her hand. “Do you know when I first fell in love in with you?�
Olivia smirked. “I thought it was love at first sight. You, staring at me while my dog attacked you with slobbering kisses. That wasn’t when you fell in love with me?�
“I’m serious, Olivia. Four months after we started dating, you tried to break up with me. You were mad because I stayed at work for an extra hour without calling you, and you told me that you weren’t the kind of woman who sat by the phone and waited for a man to call her.�
She slowly put her beer down and straightened. “I remember that night. You kissed me and apologized and said that I couldn’t break up with you because you had tickets for us to see the symphony, and they were non-refundable. And I told you that I was only going to stick it out because I wanted to see the symphony. You did not tell me that you loved me.�
“No, but I knew that I loved you. I did have to stay an hour late, and I thought every minute about calling you, but I wasn’t sure if we were at the point in our relationship when I checked in and told you that I was going to be late. That night, you told me that you’d waited by the phone for me to call, and I knew.�
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. You knew that you loved me because I waited by the phone for you?�
“I knew that I loved you because I couldn’t stop thinking about you that night. I knew that I loved you because you were waiting for me when I finally drove to your house. I knew that I loved you because there was so much passion in your eyes when you were yelling at me.�
“Well, hell, if I had known that, I would have yelled at you a lot more. You have no idea how much I’ve held my tongue, but now that I know you think it’s sexy …â€� she teased with a grin.
“You’re such an easy woman to love, Olivia Rickard. I know that you don’t think that, but you’re such an amazing woman.�
Alarm bells sounded in her head. Her fingers twitched, and she fought the urge to pull her hand away. He wasn’t seriously going to propose to her now, was he? At End Game? In the middle of cheap beer and drunken sports fans?
Not sure what else to do, she jerked her arm and sent her beer flying. Andrew jumped up, and the apology was already on the tip of her tongue, but he just gave her a strange look. “It’s okay,� he said quietly. “I’ll get someone to clean this up and get you another beer.�
As he walked away, she dabbed at the spill and sighed. “Way to go, Olivia. Your perfect boyfriend is trying to propose to you, and you freak out and spill beer all over him.�
Rubbing her temples with her fingers, she smiled sheepishly at the waiter as he came back with a cloth to clean things up. “This is my fault, and I’m so sorry.�
“No worries,� he said with a shrug. “It happens all the time around here.�
“Yes, but I’m not drunk. I’m just an idiot.�
&
nbsp; “I’m sure it was just an accident. I’ll get you another one. What are you drinking?�
“My boyfriend is getting me one. My perfect boyfriend who deserves someone way better than me,� she muttered. The waiter’s eyes widened, and he dropped the cloth. Stuttering an apology, he made a quick exit, no doubt off to tell everyone else about the crazy woman in the corner booth.
Andrew returned with her beer and a calm expression on his face. She knew he wouldn’t say anything about her jerking away from him, and that bothered her more than she wanted to admit. “Here you go. If you spill this one, I’m going to make you drink out of a children’s cup,� he said easily as he slid into the booth.
“I’m pretty sure that you’re not allowed to do that in a bar,� she said wryly. Just then, Yvette’s face filled the television screen and the whole bar quieted. Olivia leaned across the table to hear better, but Joe was already turning the volume up.
A video of Nick’s press release played in the background as the news anchor spoke. “Sheriff Nicholas Limperos announced today that there are several persons of interest in the murder of food truck owner Yvette Dunn, but he has not made any arrests. Dunn was drowned inside her place of business in the early hours of Friday morning. This is the first murder Lexingburg has seen in more than a decade.�
The audio for the press release resumed and the bar listened in rapt silence as Nick spoke. “Yvette Dunn was a beloved member of our community, and we are devastated by her loss. We are doing everything that we can to bring her killer to justice. The state police have offered their assistance, and we are utilizing their state-of-the-art forensics lab to process the evidence. I promise that this case has our full attention. It does look like that this is an isolated crime, so I do not want the community to panic.�
Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 1) Page 6