by Judi Lynn
When she and Ansel went upstairs to bed, he pulled her against him and held her close. “Jerod and I threw around the idea of forgetting the fixer-upper and going to his place to finish the basement when everyone leaves tomorrow. That way, we could stay home Saturday and start getting things ready for our wedding.”
“I’d like that.” It was a small thing, but it lifted her spirits. They knew it would, and she appreciated their effort.
He bent to kiss the top of her head. “I love ya, babe. I can’t wait until we make it official.”
That lifted her spirits even more. Growing old with Ansel rated really high on her happiness list. When she drifted off to sleep, she was ready to wrap things up in the morning and move on with her life.
* * * *
By the time Gaff and Walker and his crew sat around their kitchen table, Jazzi had coffee cups at each place and filled carafes within easy reach. Ansel had loaded rolls and donuts on serving trays to pass around. Might as well have something sweet to wash down the bad taste left by the solving of Darby’s murder. Thane took a seat next to Walker, and when Bea arrived, she sat next to Earl.
Jerod walked in next and looked surprised. He glanced at the kitchen clock. “I’m five minutes early. I thought I’d be the first one here.”
“Your parents aren’t coming?” Jazzi asked Walker.
“Mom asked me to call her when we’re done. This whole thing has upset her. She didn’t want to hear what Dad did in front of everyone.”
Haze was the last person who knocked on the door, and Jazzi led her to join the others in the kitchen.
“This is some place,” she said, looking around.
Jazzi motioned to Ansel and Jerod. “We renovate houses. It’s what we do.”
Gaff cleared his throat and laid his notes in front of him, calling the meeting to order. “You’ve all heard by now, but Whiskers is the person who killed both Darby and Colin. I thought I’d run through what happened so we’re all on the same page.”
He started with Whiskers giving Darby the money to buy him scratch-off tickets and went from there. When he reached the part about Colin trying to shake down Whiskers, Earl looked distressed.
“If he needed money, why didn’t he just come to me?”
“If his plan worked, he’d never have to pay back his debt,” Gaff said. “He didn’t know Whiskers that well, though. He misjudged him.”
Bea reached to put her hand on Earl’s thigh. “You helped him all you could. He knew you were always there for him.”
Walker leaned forward, looking as upset as Earl. “My dad stole that hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It should have gone to Whiskers. That means it should go to you now, Haze.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want a penny of his blood money. Find something good to do with it.”
“I was going to renovate Dad’s house, get rid of his memory, and make the house mine.”
“If it removes every trace of Darby, I’m all for it. Besides, Whiskers left a message on my cell phone, said he signed his house and bank account over to me. By the time he gets out of prison—if he gets out of prison—he’ll have a good pension waiting for him. If he dies first, he signed that over to me, too.”
Gaff and Jazzi gaped at each other, surprised.
Haze caught it. “I know, I’m the one who ratted him out, told you Darby never played the lottery. And I’m the one who hit him in the head with an exercise weight. I went to visit him in jail this morning and reminded him of that, but he said that’s why he fell for me, because I’m a straight arrow. I promised to visit him once a week in prison, and he said that would be worth every penny of his money.”
Jazzi stared. “But I think you were right when you said he’d tie us all up and then set the house on fire. He’d have killed all of us.”
“I know, but he’s giving me something I’ve never had—some security. I can give him something in return—my company.”
Jazzi didn’t think she could be that forgiving, but she’d never had to pinch and hustle to keep her head above water either. “Are you going to stay in his house?”
“No, I can’t live there, but the money I make selling it can buy me another one. My friend said she’d move in with me, and I won’t make her pay rent. That way, she can build up some savings, too.”
Walker nodded. “Either way, if you ever need anything, give me a call. I’ll be there.”
“I might take you up on that. I’ll need help moving.”
“Done.” The expression on his face said he’d help more than that.
Gaff put away his papers. “Any more questions?”
Everyone looked at the door, ready to put Darby and Whiskers behind them.
He stood. “Let’s call it a day then.”
People filed out of the house until only Jerod remained.
“You sure you want to head to my place? You could start your weekend early, cuz.”
She shook her head. “I need to keep busy, get my mind off this. I want to see how your basement turns out.”
He grinned. “Good, because it would be hard hanging the ceiling myself.”
“I haven’t made anything for lunch. Didn’t think about it,” she admitted.
“With Darby trying to kill you last night? And the meeting this morning? Why would you? I’ll throw some hot dogs on the grill.” Jerod snatched the last donut. “I’m ordering pizza for supper, eating healthy today.”
Ansel started to clear the table, wearing a heavy frown. “He would have tried to kill you, you know. If I’d lost you before I even got to marry you…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
She hugged him. “But I’m here, and I love you. Don’t think about it.”
He turned to Jerod, visibly trying to shift moods. “We’ll be at your house in half an hour.”
“See you then. If you’re a little late, I won’t send a Saint Bernard looking for you.” He left them.
The cats zipped into the kitchen once everyone was gone. A good diversion. She’d already fed them breakfast, but what the heck? She split another can of wet food between them. The worst was behind them. Life should get back to normal soon. And then, his parents would come. Ugh!
Chapter 46
The week before the wedding flew by. Jazzi and Ansel cleaned and cooked everything possible ahead of time. Jazzi was putting the last-minute touches on the floral decorations before his family arrived. They’d decided to come in time for supper on Saturday, spend the night, and celebrate with them on Sunday, then drive back to Wisconsin after the reception.
“That’s a lot of driving for such a short visit.” Jazzi added a half dozen delphiniums to the bouquet of pink and white roses and baby’s breath.
“They want to be back in time to milk the cows on Monday morning. They’re paying two boys from their church to milk while they’re gone, but they have to go to school on Monday.”
“You didn’t tell them to come at the last minute and get out fast, did you?”
He finished setting the table. “If they didn’t like that, they didn’t have to come.”
A quick trip might be for the best. She worried about how everyone would get along. She’d decided on a slow-cooker stew and a big salad for supper, something simple. They had enough last-minute cooking to do tomorrow. Adda had volunteered to help, but Ansel had warned that might or might not be a good thing.
She was mixing the salad when a gray van pulled up close to the garage. Six people piled out of it, and Ansel went to open the door and meet his family. Jazzi carried the salad bowl to the table and went to join him.
His mother and father led the way. When they reached Ansel, he said, “Mom and Dad, this is Jazzi. Jazzi, these are my parents, Britt and Dalmar.”
Jazzi smiled, and his mother gave a timid smile back. The woman was tall and so thin she could double as a wraith. Ansel h
ad said she was frail.
A big, beefy man, his dad didn’t offer a hand, scowling at her. “What kind of name is Jazzi?”
She decided not to take offense, but his tone irritated her. “It’s short for Jasmine. My mom loves to read. She named me after the heroine in some book she loved.”
The man sniffed and moved on. A real charmer.
The two brothers came next. Ansel motioned to the one who was six feet tall and stocky. He walked with a limp. “This is my oldest brother, Bain.” The second man was an inch taller with a sinewy build. “My older brother, Radley,” Ansel told her.
The whole family was blond with blue eyes. Bain looked grumpy and hadn’t even stepped into the house yet. “Adda told us you had a beautiful house, but she thinks everything you do is wonderful, so I wanted to see it for myself. She didn’t say you must be rolling in it.”
Ansel’s voice turned chilly. “We got it for a good price when it was in bad shape and fixed it up.”
“How much money did that take?”
“None of your business.” The two brothers glared at each other.
Radley stepped forward, bumping Bain out of the way. “Hey, bro, congratulations!” He wrapped Ansel in a bear hug.
“Glad you could make it.” Ansel slapped him on the back. His dad and Bain had chosen Radley over him to help run the farm, but Radley hadn’t been part of that decision. He’d told Ansel he felt bad when they drove him away.
Radley turned to Jazzi. “So you’re the poor girl he tricked into marrying him.”
She laughed. Thank heavens someone in this family was happy for them. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“My baby brother hit the jackpot. Got a real looker, and he says you’re a good cook, too.”
“I lured him with food.”
Radley’s grin was a match for Ansel’s. He wasn’t quite as gorgeous as his younger brother, but he was handsome enough. Radley sniffed the air. “Something smells good in here.”
“Stew. Supper’s ready whenever you get settled.”
“Where do you want us?”
“Ansel will help carry your luggage. There are two spare bedrooms upstairs. We put you and Bain on air mattresses in your parents’ room unless you’d rather find a spot down here.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s only for one night.”
He moved on, and Adda and her husband came to greet them. Adda turned to Jazzi. “You remember Henry, don’t you?”
“Sure do. Come in. I’ll show you to your rooms.”
Jazzi led the way upstairs while the guys carried suitcases behind her. She’d put Adda and Henry in the same room they’d slept in the last time they came—the caramel-colored bedroom. Ansel’s parents and brothers shared the bigger amethyst-colored room next to it. She and Ansel had moved the queen-size bed to one side and had placed two tall air mattresses on the other side.
“What do you need a room this big for?” Bain asked.
“The man who owned the house before us entertained a lot,” Ansel told him.
Bain shook his head. “Is your room this big?”
“Bigger, with its own master bath. All of you will have to share the guest bathroom.” Ansel waited for Bain to digest that information. Then he glanced at his mother. “What do you think, Mom?”
She put a hand to her throat. “It’s beautiful. Everything about it is beautiful. The house, the yard…everything.”
Ansel smiled. “We dug a pond at the back of the property with a gazebo. We love it here.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” His dad looked ticked. “You left the farm, and you’ve never had it so good.”
“Yup.” Ansel’s blue eyes glinted. “Getting kicked out of the dairy business was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Radley grinned, but his dad’s complexion darkened to a deep red. “With money like this, you could have hired us some help when Bain broke his leg.”
“I thought with such great management skills, you’d be in good shape.” Ansel’s temper colored his voice. Good for him! Jazzi did nothing to soothe him. His dad was pushing his luck, and if he kept prodding, he’d regret it.
“I’m just glad you showed up to help us.” Radley carried his bag close to one of the air mattresses.
Ansel nodded, his gaze fixed on his dad. “You’re lucky I came at all.”
Adda rushed into the room and tugged on Ansel’s arm. “I want to see your property and pond before the sun sets.”
“A walk would be nice,” Henry said, joining her. “We were cramped in the van for a long time.”
Jazzi couldn’t imagine spending hours stuck with Ansel’s dad and Bain. She’d need to walk it off, too. She started for the door. “Grab your jackets on the way out. It’s chilly once the sun gets low.”
George lifted his head as they passed him to go outside.
“Want to come, boy?” Ansel slapped his thigh, but the pug got comfortable again and closed his eyes.
“Not worth much, is he?” Bain said.
Jazzi bit down on her bottom lip. Ansel was a big boy. He could take care of himself.
Ansel knotted his hands into fists and jammed them in his pockets. “We don’t make things earn their keep around here. We enjoy George’s company, and that’s enough.”
Bain’s expression turned sour, but he didn’t comment.
They walked past the two-car garage and over the rise that Ansel had bulldozed into place. Then they followed the edge of the pond until they came to the gazebo.
“I bet you have some good times here!” Radley stood on the built-in bench to get a better view. “You even have a charcoal grill and a picnic table. You can give some good parties.”
Dalmar grimaced. “Parties are expensive. You have to feed everyone.”
“I have a big family,” Jazzi told them. “We like to invite them over on Sundays.”
“Every Sunday?” Britt asked.
She nodded. “Just about, but everyone pitches in on the cost. They stuff money in a jar to help cover expenses.”
Radley’s voice turned wistful. “You must like each other.”
“We always have a good time when we get together.”
Radley and Adda exchanged meaningful glances, and Jazzi felt sorry for them. Fun wasn’t part of Dalmar or Bain’s vocabulary.
When Dalmar glared at Radley, Adda twined her arm through Jazzi’s. “This has been fun, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starving. Did you say supper was ready?”
A great save. Jazzi motioned for them to follow her back to the house. Once in the kitchen, she said, “Ansel, why don’t you get everyone something to drink while I carry the food to the table?”
As it turned out, everyone but her wanted beer. Ansel handed out bottles to each person, then placed a bottle of wine and a wineglass by her plate. She put the stew on the table with a huge bowl of parsley potatoes next to it. Radley stood to dish up the stew from the heavy Dutch oven. Adda passed the potatoes, and Ansel passed the salad. Once everyone was served, Radley made an effort at cheerful conversation. “Did you hear that Jezebel got married? Up and hooked up with a forty-one-year-old guy who has even more money than her first husband.”
Bain stabbed at a potato. “That girl chased after you for weeks before Ansel came back to town. If you’d hooked up with her, we’d be set.”
“Couldn’t stand her,” Radley said. “She’d be worse than being stuck with you.”
Bain’s head snapped up, his lips twisted in a snarl. “She might look better if our money gets much tighter.”
“I’d rather eat kale every day than jump through hoops for a spoiled, picky wife.”
Their father put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “The price of milk will go up again. We’ve weathered worse.”
“Now, Dalmar, boys, let’s enjoy ou
r meal.” Their mother looked at Jazzi and smiled. “I’ve always added potatoes to my stew. I’ve never made them separately. This tastes wonderful.”
“Thank you.” Jazzi nodded at Britt’s empty beer bottle. “Do you want another drink?”
Britt shook her head. “I only allow myself one. I’d like water, though.”
Jazzi got up to get it, and Adda asked, “Have you two decided on where to go for a honeymoon?”
Ansel reached for a second helping of stew. “We’re waiting until we finish the house we’re working on. By then, it will be past Christmas and New Year’s. We were thinking of flying someplace sunny.”
“Florida?” Henry asked.
“Maybe Cancun or the Bahamas.”
“Must be nice,” Bain grumbled.
“I think it sounds wonderful.” Adda winked at Henry. “We haven’t taken a honeymoon yet. We should think about somewhere warm.”
“Like you two have that kind of money.” Dalmar smirked, and Jazzi fought back a strong urge to jump to Adda’s defense.
Instead, Henry answered. “Selling insurance has been good to me. If Adda wants to travel, we can afford to.”
Dalmar blinked. “Are we the only ones who are struggling?”
The others looked around the table. “We’re doing all right,” Adda said.
Ansel nodded. “So are we.”
The conversation wasn’t making their father happy. He shot an angry glance their way.
Jazzi had listened to him long enough. She stood and started to collect plates. “I made a trifle for dessert. And there’s coffee to go with it. Adda, do you want to help me with dessert plates?”
Adda grinned. “On my way, and we’ll talk about happier things while we eat our sweets.”
Radley took one look at the layers of sponge cake and pudding buried in strawberries and whipped cream. He smiled with a mouthful. “Heaven!”