“I do,� Olivia said slowly.
The real estate agent put a hand over her heart. “My goodness, that’s right! You found poor Yvette’s body! What was that like?�
Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Olivia wondered how she could have such rotten luck. First she’d used Kristy to avoid Andrew, only to find herself in another situation that she didn’t want to be in. Now she had a chance to avoid this situation, but it meant gossiping about the murder that she wasn’t supposed to be talking about. What was going to happen next? Was her mother going to walk in? … because that would just be the icing on the cake!
“It was startling,� Olivia muttered.
“Startling? I think I would have screamed my little head off.�
“Well, Andrew was there.�
“Oh, I bet he held your hand the whole time and just took complete charge of the situation, didn’t he?�
Was this woman from the 1950s? “No. I held my own,� Olivia said frostily.
“How’s the investigation going? I heard that you and Andrew exonerated Janelle. Does that mean that there’s another suspect?�
“I don’t know any more than what the news is reporting.�
Kristy’s face fell in disappointment. “I think that it was a lovers’ quarrel. The thought helps me sleep better at night.�
“Lovers’ quarrel?� Despite her promise to Andrew—and to herself, Olivia’s interest was piqued. “Was Yvette dating someone?�
“Well, Jacob, of course!�
Olivia moved her head to see Samantha’s petite frame standing at the counter. “Jacob? He and Yvette broke up! I thought he was with Samantha,� she said in a hushed voice.
“They did break up, but when Jacob took over the food truck business, I heard that they rekindled their romance. He and Samantha never got back together. They just hang out as friends.�
“I don’t understand. Yvette left him at the altar. Why would he give her another chance?�
Kristy shrugged. “I don’t know the particulars, but I heard them fighting in the food truck one night. He was accusing her of being afraid of commitment. Afraid to marry him and afraid to go into business with him.�
It was a crime of passion. Even Andrew knew enough to see that, and it looked like no one was more passionate about Yvette than Jacob. A secret rekindled affair? History repeating itself? Had Jacob decided that enough was enough?
“But I’ve seen him with Samantha. They were at L’Amore the other night. Why would he take her to a fancy restaurant if they weren’t dating?�
Kristy shrugged. “I don’t know. I would assume that with their history, he turned to Samantha when things went sour the first time with Yvette. I guess he just needed a friend.�
Before she could ask for more details, the bell on the door sounded again. “Darlings!� a familiar voice rang out. “I had no idea that I’d find you both here.�
Olivia groaned. She just had to put it out there in the universe. As if to prove that the universe really could make things worse, it sent her mother.
12
“Mom!� Olivia rose from her seat and forced a smile while her mother embraced her. It wasn’t hard to see who Olivia and Janelle got their looks from. Pamela Rickard had the same dark, thick hair and great legs, but her complexion was soft and creamy, and her eyes were hazel. Though she was pushing sixty, she was in great shape and always seemed to crackle with energy
While Janelle and their mother got along great, Olivia had a strained relationship with both of her parents. Her mother didn’t approve of her flighty lifestyle and wanted her to make some permanent life choices. Pamela was over the moon with Andrew and was even warming up to Olivia’s dog-walking business. It felt almost strange for Olivia to see her mother so happy with her.
“I can’t believe everything that I’ve missed while I’m gone! It’s just horrible what happened to Yvette, and Olivia, darling, why did you have to go get mixed up in it?�
“Mixed up in it?� Olivia pulled back and frowned. “I just found her. Janelle was a suspect!�
“Gee, thanks,� Janelle said dryly as she opened the door for Samantha to leave.
Pamela rolled her eyes. “I’m sure she wasn’t a suspect. Nick is a smarter man than that. Why do you have to exaggerate everything, Olivia?�
“I don’t know, am I exaggerating things, Janelle?� Olivia asked pointedly as she eyed her sister.
Her mother interrupted before Janelle could say anything. “Olivia, I know you. You don’t get involved with things like this unless you’re afraid of something. You’re just distracting yourself.�
“What on earth could I possibly be afraid of?� Olivia protested.
Pamela continued as though her daughter hadn’t spoken. “Janelle, do you remember when Olivia was fourteen and about to go to summer camp? It was a three-week experience at Lake Hurst, and Olivia was so upset when she realized that you weren’t going with her that she started pulling the criminal reports from the area. A week before camp, she had us all convinced that there was a serial killer in the area!�
“Excuse me?� Olivia said as she crossed her arms. “To this day, you still can’t prove that there wasn’t a serial killer in the area. It’s like you don’t even care about my safety.�
“I do care about your safety, darling, which is why I’m concerned about you and this murder.�
Kristy sensed the tension and immediately jumped in. “Ladies, I am so sorry, but I have another meeting to get to, and I just realized that I left the paperwork back at the office. I can see that you two still have a few things to discuss, so why don’t we reschedule this for Friday?�
“That would be great,� Olivia gushed. “We certainly wouldn’t want to make you late for your next appointment.�
“But Olivia, we still need to get the ball rolling,� Janelle protested.
“As you already pointed out, we have to sign the papers and submit them to the bank before we can do anything else,� Olivia said quickly. “I promise that next time we meet, we’ll know for sure if we’re going to get the brownstone.�
“What do you mean, if?� Pamela asked with a frown. “Is there some reason that you might not get it?�
“I’m sure Olivia just means that we’ll know for sure if the bank will approve the loan,� Janelle interjected. “Mom, you want some coffee?�
“Yes, I would. We came straight from the airport. Joseph went back to the house to check on Nikita. Olivia, I really think you need to expand your business to include cats!�
“I told you that I could stop by the house and check on her, but I couldn’t take her. Goodwin doesn’t get along with cats.� It was like arguing with a brick wall.
Janelle smirked as she brought over a mug and poured their coffee. “Maybe you can ask Celeste about that on Thursday.�
Pamela’s eyes widened in horror, and she pressed her hand to her lips. “Olivia, you’re not indulging Lady Celeste’s delusions, are you?�
“I didn’t mean to,� Olivia grumbled. “Weren’t we talking about Yvette’s murder?�
“I saw the news while we were on vacation, and I called Nick right away. Olivia, he said that you and Andrew found the body. Was it just horrible? Oh, my poor baby!�
“She means Andrew,� Janelle joked.
“Stop that. O
f course I mean Olivia. Sweetheart, are you okay?�
Olivia sighed and started to look for a quick exit. What she wouldn’t give for another interruption by an arriving customer. First her mother accused her of deliberately getting involved, and now she was poor baby. “Mom, I’m fine. Andrew’s fine. We were just shocked, that’s all.�
“Well, Nick wanted me to let you know that you need to quit meddling. Olivia, you aren’t trying to get more involved, are you? You could make things worse if you don’t let Nick do his job.�
It was like listening to a broken record. “Mom, I only got involved because Janelle was a suspect. I told Andrew that I was going to let it go, and I have. For the most part,� she added quickly.
“And how are things with you and Andrew?�
Olivia narrowed her eyes. There was a strange tone in her mom’s voice, and she was staring at Olivia’s fingers. Andrew was a traditional man. It wouldn’t surprise her if he’d asked her parents for their blessing before proposing to her. It was one thing for her sister to know, but her mom, too? Pamela was probably over the moon, thinking that she would finally get to see her youngest daughter married.
Still, Olivia had the advantage. The proposal was probably supposed to be a surprise, so her mom couldn’t actually talk with her about it. “We’re fine, why?� she asked innocently. “Is there a reason that we wouldn’t be fine?�
“What …? —no!â€� Pamela said quickly. “I just … with the murder … you hadn’t mentioned him, that’s all.â€�
Olivia hid a smile. “I just mentioned him,� she pointed out. “And you’ve been here all of ten minutes.�
“Right,� her mom said hastily. “You should bring him over. Joseph and I will cook. Janelle, you and Patrick can join us. It’ll be a family dinner! Oh, we haven’t done one of those in such a long time!�
“I’ll have to check my schedule,� Olivia said vaguely.
“Yes, we do have a lot on our plate.�
Shooting her sister a strange look, Olivia saw Janelle looking meaningfully at their mother. Janelle didn’t come to her aid often, so something else was going on here.
Awkward silence descended on Happy Endings as her sister and her mother both stared at her. “What? Do I have something on my face?�
“Don’t you have some dogs to take out?� Janelle asked pointedly.
“Sure, in an hour.�
Pamela smiled. “Oh, you can spend the next hour with us? How wonderful!�
“No.� Olivia shook her head and immediately stood. “No, I cannot, because I have to look over all these files that Janelle keeps giving me. Bye, Mom. We’ll talk later.�
Leaning over, she gave her mom a peck on the cheek and ignored Janelle’s silent gloating. They were going to talk about her as soon as she left, but at least Janelle had given her an out.
Heading next door to Shelfie, she found Jackie on a stepladder, dusting the top shelf of the non-fiction section. “Did you know that Jacob and Yvette were back together?�
Jackie paused and looked over her shoulder. “Are you really here talking about the case, or are you avoiding your mom?�
“How did you know that my mom was here?�
“She stopped by with a gift.� Reaching over, Jackie snagged a snow globe and tossed it down. Olivia caught it easily and smiled when she shook it. It was a vineyard surrounding a large wine bottle, with glitter falling all around it.
“She didn’t buy me a gift,� Olivia muttered as she handed the gift back.
“Oh, stop. It’s for my collection, and I paid her for it. To answer your original question, I did hear a rumor that Yvette and Jacob were spending more time together, but I never saw them together. Why do you ask?�
“Samantha came into the bakery while Kristy and I were talking. Samantha and Jacob are always together, so I assumed that they were a couple again. I saw them in L’Amore the other night!�
Jackie snorted as she climbed down and adjusted the glasses on her face. “What were you doing in L’Amore?�
“Andrew took me there,� Olivia admitted. “I think he’s going to propose.�
Eyes widening, Jackie snapped her head up. “Really? What makes you say that?�
“Just a feeling that I get.�
“Are you going to say yes?� Jackie headed to the back of the bookstore and pointed to a box. Olivia bent down to pick one up and followed Jackie back to the shelf that she was cleaning. The bookstore owner started re-shelving the new books.
“I don’t know. I keep making up excuses and finding distractions whenever it looks like he’s going to propose. I almost spilled a beer on him at End Game in an effort to get him to stop talking!�
“Have you lost your mind? Half this town wants to marry Andrew, and he’s in love with you. You’re in love with him. What’s the problem?�
Tugging on her ponytail, Olivia shrugged and winced. “I do love him, but I’m not sure that he’s proposing for the right reasons. I feel like he thinks that it’s the next natural step in the relationship, and that’s not why two people should get together.�
“And your reason for that insane line of thinking?�
“I showed up at L’Amore dressed in yoga pants and a tank top. I ignored his request to keep my nose out of Yvette’s case. Just today I ruined the picnic that he’d planned, and not once has he gotten angry with me!�
“Poor Olivia,� Jackie mocked. “She has the perfect and most patient boyfriend. I can see why that would make you not want to marry him. He’s terrible.�
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s this fear that I can’t shake. Something is wrong.�
“The only thing wrong here is your fear of commitment. You’re like the guy in the relationship,� Jackie said as she reached down for another book. “You’re creating problems where there aren’t any to cover up your guilt for not wanting to marry the perfect man.�
“I’m sorry, I thought you owned a bookstore. I had no idea that you’re a psychologist,� Olivia said, feeling surly. “I have no problems with commitment. I commit all the time. Just a few minutes ago, I committed to the idea of avoiding all family dinners with my mother and sister. That’s a lifetime of dodging invitations. It’s a huge commitment!�
“Haha. Face it, Olivia, you have a problem. You don’t like change. You could have signed for the brownstone by now, but you haven’t.�
“That has nothing to do with commitment and everything to do with Janelle acting like she’s doing me a favor!�
“Then tell her. Explain the problem, work it out, and get yourself an office. It’s an easy fix.�
Olivia grumbled. “I hate you. You know that, right? I’m going to find a new best friend.�
“Delilah is two doors down. I bet she’d love to be your friend!�
“Shut up.� Olivia laughed. “Delilah would drop dead if I offered to be her friend. Actually, that could work in my favor.�
“You want my advice? Spend some time with Janelle when you two aren’t talking about the brownstone. Just hang out, as sisters, rather than potential partners. And don’t doubt how Andrew feels for you. Any moron can see that he’s crazy about you.�
“Maybe you’re right,� Olivia murmured. “All right. I’ve got to pick up Snowball and Tucker. Becaus
e I’m a dog walker. I’ve committed myself to walking dogs. Would someone who fears commitment be doing that?�
“You’re impossible,� Jackie said loudly as Olivia skipped out of the store. “You’re in denial! You could quite possibly be insane.�
“Quit reading those self-help books!� Olivia said quickly before she shut the door behind herself.
Afraid of commitment? Olivia had never heard anything so ridiculous. She loved commitment. Reveled in it. She committed to everything, and Jackie had no idea what she was talking about.
13
Andrew had returned from his failed picnic with Olivia feeling more frustrated than ever. He’d simply been trying to have a good time with Olivia without the pressure of proposing to her, and even that couldn’t go right. His complicated girlfriend hadn’t even eaten her favorite sandwich, and she’d looked miserable when she’d said goodbye to him.
He’d give just about anything to figure out what was going on in her mind.
Too bad he couldn’t solve his own problems as easily as this one. Leaning back in the chair, he finished rebooting the computer and smiled when it started up perfectly. “All right, Debbie, you’re all set. Next time it freezes, try not to resort to violence. Computers don’t really respond well to that.�
“Thanks, Andrew. I’m sorry. It’s just been doing that all week, and my patience finally snapped.�
“That’s why you call me when you first start having problems and not when you’re ready to commit murder.� Smiling at the insurance counselor, he handed her the final forms that she needed to sign. Happy that another crisis was averted, he took the elevator back up to his office and found the sheriff sitting outside. Poor Cora looked at him, terror in her eyes.
“Nick,� he said smoothly as he handed the paperwork to Cora. “Can you go ahead and file this?� he whispered.
“Andrew, why are the police here for you? Should I call security?�
Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 1) Page 11