Proposals and Poison

by Rachelle J. Christensen

  “I’m going to order the prizes online,” Jessie said. “I found some whistles, and plastic dinosaurs that I’m sure any kid would love.”

  “It might be fun to order a few dozen personalized keychains, and we can invite some of the older guests to go fishing too.”

  “I love that idea!” Jessie beamed. Then her face fell. “I probably better hold off on that until I know what’s happening with Drago’s income.” Her eyes filled with tears and she put her head down on the desk.

  “That’s no problem. Something like that wouldn’t need to be ordered until about three weeks before the big day,” I said. “You have plenty of time to decide and think over lots of ideas.”

  Jessie lifted her head; tears ran down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. “Sometimes I wonder if Drago and I should just wait. Everything seems to be going wrong.”

  Uh-oh, this conversation definitely was taking a turn for the worse. I couldn’t blame her with Drago’s situation, but I also didn’t want her to back out, for more reasons than just my own paycheck. Jessie was in love with Drago, and with Gavin, they would make a beautiful family. They all needed each other, and I wanted them to have that piece of happiness to hope for in the midst of all the problems that kept multiplying around them. “I’ve heard that a time or two in my line of work, so you’re not alone. Almost every bride has second thoughts. Money doubts we can handle, but do you still want to marry Drago?”

  “Yes, of course.” Jessie sniffed. “I love him. Gavin loves him. We need him.”

  “Well, then, I’m sure we can make this work.” I patted her hand.

  My heart went out to her. I’d been in plenty of tight financial corners. Getting my business off the ground was like walking a tightrope above a pool of great white sharks. There were several times that I nearly called the whole thing off, but my never-quit attitude pulled me through. I’d worked two jobs and liquidated all my savings to start my business so that I could help brides like Jessie plan their dream weddings—that special, once-in-a-lifetime day that every girl imagines.

  I tucked my smile back in place and flipped through a few pages in the binder to find Jessie’s finance sheet. “I know it’s hard not to worry about money, but please, don’t worry.” I pulled my finger slowly down the expense sheet, noting the conservative amounts we’d listed for each of the venues. Jessie hadn’t wanted anything over the top, but she did want a nice wedding. There wasn’t a lot of wiggle room, because we’d cut out anything extravagant at the second planning meeting. There was still something I could do, though. “I’d like to give you a fifteen percent discount.”

  Jessie’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No, Adri. I couldn’t let you do that. I know you’re not overcharging me.”

  “Thank you, that means a lot to me, but I’m already writing it down and I like my wedding planners to stay neat and tidy.” I noted the discount and flipped the binder around to face her. “See? There isn’t any more room on the line, so it’ll have to stay.”

  Jessie smiled, and her chin wobbled. She stood and hugged me so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. “Thank you. Really, thank you! You’re the best!”

  “You’re welcome.” My chest warmed with goodness. The light in Jessie’s eyes was genuine. Maybe she wouldn’t end up needing the discount in the long run, but the important thing she needed now was to know that someone was on her side. “Just keep it on the down low, okay?” I put a finger to my lips.

  Jessie mimed sealing her lips, and then mouthed, “Thank you.”

  CROCKPOT BARBEQUE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

  2 lbs Pork Roast with 1 ½ cups water. Cook on low overnight or until meat shreds easily. Then add barbeque mixture and cook on low for 4 hours.

  1 chopped onion, 2 diced green peppers, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp. paprika, 1 cup ketchup, 1 Tbsp ground dry mustard, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 4 Tbsp brown sugar, ½ cup water. Heat mixture through and serve with warm Kaiser Rolls or homemade buns. Delicious paired with Janeen’s Perfect Potato Salad and a fried pickle.

  Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

  Lorea and I spent the rest of the afternoon packing up my Mountaineer with everything we needed for the booth. We’d opted to rent a tent so we wouldn’t have to worry about setting up our own. I’d also ordered a banner and some foam core posters to be printed up highlighting some of my wedding package options. My mom had made her own signage for Mashed Potatoes and Crafts, and the pictures she’d sent me were darling. The art festival just might turn out okay.

  Luke called just before I was ready to close up my shop. “Adri, why didn’t you tell me that Javier was harassing you last night?” His voice was worried, but held no hint of accusation.

  “Sorry. I thought Tony would fill you in, and then I got busy today prepping for the festival tomorrow. It slipped my mind, which is actually a good thing because he kind of scared me.”

  “That makes me so angry that he would even talk to you,” Luke said. “And Tony did tell me, about five minutes ago when he caught up to me. I’ve been gone all day, trying to do some exploratory work on my next case. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, I’ve been under a lot of stress and he took me off guard.”

  “Did he say or do something inappropriate?” Luke asked.

  “I think he was mostly looking for you and he thought I knew where you were. Maybe he wanted to scare me into telling him. Have you talked to him?”

  “Three times today. He wants to try to appeal his case. I chewed him up and down for coming to my house and bothering you. He said to tell you that he’s really sorry.”

  “Well, he’s kind of a strange guy.”

  “Yes. I’m really sorry about everything.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m trying to forget about it too.”

  “Was tonight the night you invited me over to your place for dinner?” he asked.

  “Yes, will that still work?” I’d put dinner in the crockpot before I left. “Barbequed pulled pork and a salad sound pretty good about now.”

  “Man, I’m so hungry, I could eat this file folder. I had a granola bar for lunch.”

  That reminded me of Gavin and my daydreams, and a blue-eyed girl. I put a hand to my heart to stop it from leaping out of my chest. What was happening to me?

  “Adri? You still there?”

  “Oh. Yes. Sorry, I’m distracted today getting everything ready.” I flipped the window sign to “Closed” and turned off a few lights.

  “How do you do it all? You are pretty incredible, you know. And I can’t wait to see you.” I could hear admiration in Luke’s voice, and something else too. A good thing—maybe love.

  I probably smiled and waved at everyone on my way home, because Luke’s words had left me floating on a cloud somewhere next to Cupid. My mouth watered when I walked into my kitchen, the scent of barbequed pork heavy in the air. We probably could have gone to Smokehouse BBQ, but we had originally intended to celebrate a win on Luke’s part. I didn’t want to bring up anything that would make him feel worse about the loss. Besides, my grandma’s barbeque recipe could likely rival Clay’s, especially when it was paired with the bakery kaiser rolls I’d picked up on my way home.

  I had just finished setting the table when Luke knocked on my door at 5:56. He was early, and I didn’t know why that made me happy, besides the fact that I was excited to see him. I opened the door, and smiled when Luke handed me a bouquet of zinnias. “For the lovely hostess. But I have to say your house smells better than these flowers.”

  I took the flowers and held them to my nose. “They’re beautiful. I love zinnias. Did you know that?”

  “Lucky guess.” Luke winked.

  As we walked into the kitchen, Luke moaned when he caught the full aroma of the barbeque slow-cooking to perfection.

  “You really should eat more often. Three meals a day is recommended.”

  Luke picked up a plate from the table. “You are definitely right. What do I need to do to ge
t some of that—” He pointed at the meat, and then to his plate. “—here?”

  “If I wasn’t so hungry, I’d say you needed to work on your manners, Mr. Luke.”

  Luke’s cheeks turned pink, but he laughed and stepped aside. “Ladies first.”

  Soon we were sitting at the table, enjoying the mouthwatering meal. Luke told me a little bit about the case he was working on involving a successful farmer’s estate, and I filled him in on the happenings with weddings and the festival tomorrow.

  “Can I come over and help you set up in the morning?” Luke asked after I listed off the dozens of items my parents were bringing to add to the booth.

  “No, I can’t ask you to do that. You sleep in. Lorea and I can handle it, and my parents will help us finish up.” I didn’t say that if my mom and dad saw him there helping me, they would start planning a wedding. My mom loved Luke; she’d been rooting for him ever since I said I didn’t want to date a divorce attorney. My mom liked to root for the underdog. “But you can definitely come by during the festival. That’d be fun.”

  “Are you sure?” Luke asked around a bite of barbequed pork.

  “Yes. If it’s not too busy, I might be able to sneak away for some lunch with you while someone else mans the booth.”

  Luke nodded. “Okay. I’ll come by around noon and see if you’re free.”

  “I’ll watch for you.”

  “The only thing that would make this meal better is some fried pickles,” Luke said after he’d dished up his second sandwich.

  Knowing what he was referring to with the fried pickles, I reached out and touched his arm. “I’m really sorry about the Benavidez case.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks. It’s only the third case I’ve lost since moving here.”

  “Oh dear. That hurts.”

  “Not so much as it hurts to think about that little girl. Jasmine deserves to have her father, even if he isn’t perfect. I shouldn’t share my opinion like this, but I think Rose is an unfit parent.”

  “Then why did she win?”

  “I’m still not sure what happened in there. It almost smelled like blackmail to me.”

  “Blackmail? But who could hold anything over Javier?” My mind spun through the possibilities. Sure, Javier had a fiery temper, but from what Luke said, he was an all-around good guy and hard worker, and he appeared to keep his nose clean.

  Luke put his head in his hand and slowly massaged his temples. “From what I’ve heard, Phil could absolutely be involved in this.”

  “But Rose hates him.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  Uh-oh. Here was my moment of truth. I hadn’t told Luke about my visit to Lost Trails Construction and I could probably keep it that way, but now it seemed wrong. I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to decide how to explain what I’d done. Tux wound around my legs and gave a plaintive mew, as if to tell me to keep quiet.

  I patted Tux and glanced at Luke, then I rolled my shoulders back. I hadn’t done anything wrong; I went to Lost Trails to talk about a possible remodel of my office space. I took in a quick breath through my nose and blurted out, “I went to Lost Trails Construction and happened to meet with Rose the other day.”

  Luke’s eyes bulged and he leaned back. “You talked to the opposing side of my case?”

  “I didn’t plan on it. I didn’t even know she would be there.”

  “Why would you do something like that?

  “I told you, I didn’t even know I was going to see Rose,” I insisted, my voice raising a few decibels.

  “Well, what were you planning to do there if you didn’t want to see their head designer?” Luke snapped.

  “I was just curious about how they ran the business, and—”

  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  “What? How is talking to someone going to get me killed?”

  “You’re asking questions at a prime suspect’s place of business. Phil Andrus is a suspect, whether the public knows it or not. From what I’ve heard, he’s capable of many things that you and I can’t even fathom.” His voice was firm, but held a note of desperation.

  That reminded me of what Phil had said at Trixie’s wedding. “People are capable of many things that we could never imagine.” I swallowed as I looked at the conversation with Phil from a different angle. At the time I thought he was referring to Tim, but maybe he had been referring to himself. I shuddered.

  Luke was fuming. He leaned back in his chair, and I could almost hear him mentally counting to ten. “I didn’t see Phil,” I assured him. “I talked to Rose. I wasn’t even planning on asking questions about Lily, but then the secretary took me right to Rose.”

  “But Phil probably knew that you were there. He’s a smart guy. He’ll make the connection if word gets out that you’re talking to Tim, scoping out Phil’s business, talking to his employees. Or did you forget Drago?”

  The way he lined things up made it look like I was doing a full-blown investigation. “It’s not like that. I just asked a few questions.”

  “Adri, why can’t you stop this insane desire to be a detective?” Luke threw his hands up in the air.

  “I’m not insane!” I yelled. “Tim really is innocent.”

  Luke shook his head. “I don’t get it. Do you think it will help Lily if you end up getting hurt?”

  “I’m not hurt.” I held out my hands. “How is asking a few questions going to get me hurt? I’m not being stupid. I stay in touch with Tony if I have questions, and I’m not breaking any laws. If anything, I think Tony might actually admit that I’ve helped him a little bit with this case.” I stood up and took my plate to the sink. “It’s not my fault that I keep running into people that have information about Lily.”

  Luke knew I was referring to Gladys and how the police had taken that tidbit seriously. “That’s different. Gladys came to you. But you went to Lost Trails by yourself.”

  “Nothing happened,” I said. “Why is it such a big deal for me to ask a few questions?”

  Luke clenched his fists and pressed his lips into a thin line. The tendons in his neck popped out. I took a step back, unsure if I’d ever seen him this angry before.

  My voice trembled. “I think we both need some time to cool off.”

  “No, don’t go.” Luke reached for me, but I brushed off his hand. I grabbed my car keys from the side table and hurried out my front door. He didn’t follow me, even though I’d left him standing in my own kitchen.

  Tears stung my eyes, but I held them back until I reached my car. Everyone wanted me to keep my nose out of Lily’s murder, but I couldn’t. I didn’t even consider myself an amateur detective, but for some reason I had collided with this investigation and uncovered information, and I couldn’t ignore what was happening. Someone had killed Lily, but it wasn’t Tim.

  I sped away from my house, unsure of where I was headed. I took a tissue and dabbed under my eyes, blinking several times to keep new tears from falling. Luke wanted me to be safe because he cared about me, I knew that—or at least the logical side of me knew that. But I hated being bossed around or treated like I didn’t know the value of life. I wished I had kept my mouth shut. Luke wasn’t in the state of mind to consider what I had to say today; losing the case was a huge blow to him. I groaned. Why did I have to be so honest? If I would have just kept that visit to myself, I would probably be inside chatting with Luke, trying to help him feel better.

  I traced my fingers over the curve of my lips, thinking of the way Luke had tried to kiss me before we got jumped by Mike the dog. The way Luke had looked at me so tenderly, I had felt cherished, even loved. But maybe I had read too much into things. We’d had plenty of spats since the first time I’d met him, but today felt different. There was much more at stake, and I was afraid that I’d just ruined everything.

  LEMON LIME REFRESHER

  2 lemons

  2 limes

  ¼ cup stevia or sweetener of your choice

  2 quarts ice co
ld water

  Slice the lemons and limes in thin rounds. Add them to the pitcher of water with stevia. Stir vigorously to release lemon/lime juice. Serve with a half slice of lemon/lime to garnish.

  Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

  The parks that I usually frequented were filled with lots of happy people enjoying the summer weather, so I drove over to the cemetery and put my car in park. With the air conditioner on max, I sat there feeling like a dork. I had just run out of my own house, away from Luke, when I knew that he was only being overprotective because he cared. I did know that, didn’t I?

  “So what are you going to do about it?” I asked myself. I closed my eyes and carefully analyzed Luke. Not just the outward part of Luke that was definitely worthy of “hottie” status, but the inward part. I knew him because he’d let me in far enough to see his vulnerable side.

  After a few minutes, I felt like an even bigger dork, sitting in my car while I burned up gas to keep the air conditioner going. I pulled back onto the street and drove the few miles to my house. My stomach sank when I noticed that Luke’s Harley was gone. I hated that we had ended the evening on a fight. It was supposed to be relaxing and stress free, and I’d ruined it. Well, Luke had helped ruin it too, but still.

  I parked my car and trudged up the front steps. It was seven thirty, so there was still plenty of time to get some work done, even if I wanted to take a break.

  I’d just hung my keys on the peg when a knock sounded on the door. I peeked out to see it was Luke. A little thrill shot through my heart at seeing him, even though part of me was still mad. “Hey, did you forget something?” I swung the door open.

  He stepped in and pulled me into an embrace. “Yes, this.” He covered my mouth with his, kissing me with an intensity that had sparkles of heat bursting from my fingertips. I grabbed onto his arms to steady myself. He caressed my lips and pulled me closer, shutting the door behind him.