by Hillary Avis
Kimmy pulled back and stuck her left hand out. Bethany dutifully examined the sparkling sapphire hugged by the rose-gold setting, even though she’d already seen it.
“It’s perfect. Charley did a great job.”
“Right? And it’s bezel-set, so I can even wear prep gloves over it! I don’t have to take it off at work!” Kimmy clapped her hands and danced in place, and Bethany melted. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Kimmy so happy, and the engagement couldn’t have come at a better time. Nothing else could possibly get Kimmy’s mind off being unemployed better than a dang proposal.
“You’re getting married!” Bethany squealed and bounced on her toes as Charley brought them both fizzing glasses of pink champagne. “To the truest love I’ve ever witnessed.”
“Hear hear,” Charley said, and raised her glass. She put her arm around Kimmy as the three of them toasted and sipped from their glasses.
“Now you get to plan a wedding!” Bethany’s smile was so wide, her cheeks ached.
Charley nodded, her expression blissful. “And find a new apartment big enough for both of us. The closet at my place is definitely too small for two.”
Bethany’s stomach clenched. She’d forgotten, for a moment, that the wedding meant Kimmy would be moving out—and once Kimmy moved out, the cottage rent would be too high for Bethany to afford on her own. It seemed silly that they both had to find somewhere new to live. “Maybe I should move out and Charley can move in.”
Kimmy’s face fell. “I don’t want to kick you out. Couldn’t we all live together?”
Bethany and Charley exchanged a look. Neither one of them wanted to be the bad guy.
Bethany shrugged. “I think you two should decide what’d work best for you—this is your honeymoon year. You will probably want your privacy.”
“I’m sure we could work something out,” Kimmy said, frowning. “Some kind of system so we’d have the house alone sometimes?”
Kimmy shouldn’t be frowning. Bethany waved her hand dismissively. “You need to decide flowers and colors and cake flavors, not worry about whether I’m wearing earplugs. I can move out; it’s not a big deal.”
But Bethany’s words didn’t have their intended effect—Kimmy’s frown only deepened. “It is a big deal. This is your home, too!”
Charley grimaced slightly. “We can work this out later. I’m beat, and this champagne has put me over the edge. I think I’m too tipsy to drive home.”
“Lie down on the couch for a bit,” Bethany suggested. “Kimmy and I can talk cake flavors and dresses and stuff like that while you rest.”
“Cool.” Charley fist-bumped Bethany, gave Kimmy a peck on the cheek, and vaulted over the back of the sofa. She settled into the cushions with a throw pillow over her face, and soon was snoring softly.
Bethany took the champagne glasses back into the kitchen and rinsed them in the sink. “She’s had a big day, I guess. She was pretty nervous when I saw her earlier.”
Kimmy chuckled affectionately and admired her ring, turning it this way and that. “That’s silly. She knew I’d say yes. Did you go with her to pick this out?”
“No—I was hoping she’d ask for my help, but she did that all on her own! I kind of feel like I missed out on an important friendship milestone.”
Kimmy looked up. “Well, you should come with me to pick out one for her, then! I have no idea what Charley’d like—she’s not much of a jewelry person because of all the rules the department has for what they can wear on the job.”
Bethany nodded. “We’ll find her one that she doesn’t have to take off at work. That’ll be super fun. And then”—she rubbed her hands together gleefully—“we can go dress shopping!”
Kimmy shook her head firmly. “I’m not setting one foot in a bridal shop until I have a job that can pay for it. I mean—what if I have to go all the way to New Haven to find work? It could happen, and then it’d be crazy for me to stay in Newbridge.” She moaned and rubbed her face with her hands. “Charley probably won’t want to leave, and we’ll end up living apart anyway. A wedding might not even happen, so it’s dumb to buy a dress before we have all those details figured out.”
Bethany’s eyes widened. “Stop talking like that! If you get a job further away, maybe you and Charley will move somewhere in the middle. There are a million ways to make this work, so don’t start thinking about all the ways it won’t! This should be a happy day.”
Kimmy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, shaking her shoulders as she exhaled. “You’re right. You’re right. This is a happy day. I am going to marry the woman of my dreams—she’s beautiful, smart, kind...”
“Funny,” Bethany added, grinning.
“Funny. Hardworking. Loyal. And so much more. Whatever challenges we run into, we’ll figure them out together.”
“I’m so happy for you. I really am,” Bethany said wistfully. “I only hope I can find a partner half as good someday. I have to say, judging by the dates I’ve been on recently, it’s not going to be easy!”
Kimmy’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, your date! I totally forgot about it! How was it?”
Bethany slumped into a chair at the kitchen table and let her head flop backward. Kimmy slipped into the one across from her and leaned forward, elbows on the table. “That bad, huh? What’d he do?”
Bethany hid her face with her arm. “It’s not what he did—it’s who he is!”
“Not the homeless thing again. You knew about that when you agreed to go out with him! I think it’s unfair of you to keep harping on it. Either date him or don’t.”
Bethany shook her head, still hiding her face from Kimmy. “No—no. I mean who he is. Kimmy—I found out he’s a Lazam!”
Kimmy gasped. “What? A ZamRail Lazam? The Lazams?”
“Yup. He’s their son.” Bethany’s voice came out muffled. “He lives on a freaking yacht.”
“Wait, so he’s not just talented, smart, and hotter than a habanero—he’s also a billionaire?”
Bethany moaned, and Kimmy reached across the table and tugged one of Bethany’s arms down so she could look her in the eye. “Hey. You aren’t getting snobby about him being rich now, are you? That’s not a character flaw, just like being unhoused isn’t a character flaw.”
“Nooo.” Bethany put her head down and bumped it gently on the table. “I’ve just acted like such an idiot. I was so judgmental and patronizing when I thought he was homeless. There’s no possible way he’d want to even be friends with me now, let alone date me. And I feel like a terrible person for even changing how I feel about him based on his net worth. And I totally ditched him at the end of the date. I literally ran away and jumped on Daisy.” Bethany’s cheeks burned as she thought of how she must have looked, frantically pedaling away on her bike.
“You didn’t apologize or anything?”
Bethany lifted her head and shook it, her expression doleful.
Kimmy winced. “You probably should have done that, at least.”
“I was too embarrassed! I’d literally just fake-barfed on his yacht to try and get out of the date!”
Kimmy giggled and then tried to rearrange her face into a serious expression. “So you just fled when you found out who he was?”
“Sort of. That was part of it.” Bethany blushed, still mortified. “At the same time one of the yacht crew was telling me about Ryan, I put together some pieces about the cook-off murder. I came home as quickly as I could to tell Charley. I think I know who did it.”
At the sound of her name, Charley stood up from the sofa, rubbing her eyes. “Did I hear that right? You know who the poisoner is? You’re sure?”
Bethany turned to face her and nodded. “Yep. I’m sure. You might want to sit back down for this.”
Chapter 20
WEDNESDAY MORNING
BETHANY CRANED HER neck back so she could admire the ceiling. While some areas of Newbridge Station were still swathed in caution tape and drop cloths, the concourse was sp
arkling and new. Even the stained and worn antique marble floors had been restored. “It looks like it was built yesterday!” she exclaimed.
Ben beamed and bounced on his toes. “It’s extraordinary, isn’t it? Makes all that I’ve gone through for this place worth it.”
Charley shook Ben’s hand. “Congrats. Really.”
He clapped her on the shoulder. “We’ll catch up after the awards ceremony and have a beer!”
“You got it.” Charley grinned at Ben’s back as he ambled to the front of the crowd where a podium had been set up near a curtained wall. “Hey, is that where Ryan’s been working on the mural?”
At Ryan’s name, Bethany’s stomach twisted. Is he here yet? She dreaded the moment they made eye contact again, the expression that he’d wear when he saw her face. Would he laugh at her? Or just be disgusted? She wasn’t sure which would be worse. Charley gave her a strange look, and Bethany raised her eyebrows. “What?”
Charley pointed and repeated her question. “Is that the mural behind the curtain?”
“Oh,” Bethany said faintly, hardly daring to look in that direction for fear of seeing Ryan in the milling crowd. “Yes. They’re unveiling it before they award the prize for the chili cook-off. It was hidden behind some old paneling. Ben didn’t even know it was there!”
“What a trip.” Charley caught sight of Milo entering the station and waved him over. “Hey, it’s our boy.”
“Is it OK if I tell him who the suspect is?” Bethany asked quickly, before Milo made it all the way across the floor to them.
Charley bit her lip. “Nah. Wait. We can’t be sure until we’re sure, you know? Best to keep our eye on everyone, just in case. If we all get too focused, we could miss something.”
She finished speaking just as Milo joined them. His hair was rumpled and his glasses were slightly crooked, throwing his whole face off balance. Bethany couldn’t help reaching out to straighten them.
“Sorry,” she said. “They made you look like you’d just come through a wind tunnel or something.”
He grinned sheepishly. “I rode my bike here. You know how that is. I just wanted to make sure I got here in time, and I didn’t stop to look in a mirror.” He shrugged and made a futile attempt to tame his hair. “Hey, it looks great in here. I should bring Caboose back. I am going to miss having that guy around the house, though.”
Bethany felt a surge of affection for his ordinariness. Milo probably lived in a regular old two-bedroom apartment, and his parents were electricians or teachers or bricklayers—definitely not billionaires. She smiled at him, and he shook his head as though he’d just realized something.
“I almost forgot!” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a softball. “This is for you.”
He handed it to her and Bethany examined it, running her finger lightly over the laces. The leather was scuffed and smudged with grass and dirt. It was definitely not new. “Is this from the big game?”
He nodded, looking pleased. “Yep. I threw the winning pitch with that ball.”
“Oh, you should keep it, then!” She tried to give it back to him, but he shoved his hands into his pocket so she couldn’t.
“I want you to have it. You were my good luck charm.” He looked embarrassed but endearingly defiant, so Bethany relented.
Charley knocked against her side, giggling. “He wants you to have his balls, Bethany.”
Milo glared at her. “I didn’t say that—I didn’t mean—” Bethany giggled, too, and he threw up his hands in exasperation, muttering under his breath. “Guy tries to make a statement...only one ball...”
“Oh, you made your statement,” Charley said, and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “He only wants to give you one of his balls. He’s holding out on you with the other one. Why only one ball, dude? Why not all your balls?”
Milo looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and just held out his hands pleadingly at Bethany. She held up the softball and composed her face as seriously as she could. “Thank you. I will treasure this.” She tucked the softball into her purse. “I think Charley’s delirious because of the engagement.”
Milo gaped at Charley. “What? You finally asked her?!” Charley nodded, her blissful smile and welling eyes saying more than words ever could. Milo swooped her up in a big bear hug and jumped up and down. “I’m so happy for you, man!”
Charley bounced up and down with him a few times and then pried his arms from around her waist. “OK, OK, let go, I’m on duty. We’re here to catch a killer, remember?”
Bethany swallowed. Right. All the worry about Ryan and what he thought about her melted away. She had more important concerns—like preventing another murder.
Charley jerked her head toward the podium. “I’ll be up there behind the podium, so I’ll have my eye on the crowd. And I’ll be close enough to Chuck Bolton to make sure nobody tries to off him.”
Milo nodded. “Bethany and I will stake out the food service table.”
Bethany shot a look at Charley to confirm. The food service table was way in the back, off to the side. Too far away to be helpful in case the killer decided to act...
Charley nodded. “Fine. Eyes and ears open, you two.”
“Three,” Kimmy said from behind them. “I want to help!”
Milo swooped in and grabbed her left hand. “Let’s see it! Oh—nice rock, Charley. I’d marry you if you pulled out this ring.”
Kimmy grinned. “I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”
“I’m a sucker for true love,” Milo said earnestly, crushing her in a hug. “Congrats to both of you.”
“I guess now’s a good time to ask if you’ll be one of my bridesmen,” Charley said. “Wanna wear a penguin suit and stand up next to me?”
“I’d do it even if you didn’t ask. Top hat, tails, the whole nine yards. You’d be all, ‘Please sit down, Armstrong. You’re upstaging the bride with your good looks.’”
Charley snorted. “Yeah, I debated whether to ask you for that reason. But Kimmy said if we picked you out an ugly dress, it’d be OK...”
Kimmy cracked up.
“See? That’s why I love you—you laugh at my jokes.” Charley gazed at Kimmy with a gooey expression. Kimmy took Charley’s hand and kissed it and then leaned her head on Charley’s shoulder.
“Get a room, you two,” Milo grumbled playfully. “I’m feeling left out here. C’mon, Bethany—we know when we’re not wanted.” He headed for the row of seats at the back, near the food service table.
“Watch Clementine with one eye and Chuck with the other,” Charley said, nodding at Bethany to follow Milo.
Bethany started to go, but Kimmy stopped her. “What about me?” she asked. “Who am I staking out?”
Charley hemmed and hawed. “Do you want to sit up front and keep an eye on the water bottles? I’m going to put some there for presenters, but if anyone—I mean anyone—touches them other than me, I need you to give me a signal.”
Kimmy nodded. “I can do that. I’ll pull on my ear.”
Charley gave a satisfied nod. “Perfect.”
Bethany fist-bumped both of them and went to join Milo. As she passed the food service table on the way to her seat, she noticed that Clementine had arrived and was arranging platters of tiny toasts topped with everything from avocado to butterflied shrimp.
“Nice spread, Clem!” she exclaimed. “I love the twist on your restaurant brand. You could really turn this into something.”
Clementine blushed and tucked one of her braids behind her ear. “Thanks. I tried.”
“Where’s Alex? Isn’t he supposed to be catering this, too?”
“He backed out. Said his food isn’t good at room temperature. I told him I had chafing dishes he could borrow, but he said he wouldn’t serve food unless it was to his standards.” Clementine shrugged.
Weird. Alex never cared about quality before. Bethany’s forehead furrowed. “Sorry you got stuck with the whole job.”
“I
figured I’d just make more tiny toasts to make up for it. It gave me an excuse to try out some different toppings.” Clementine gestured to the spread, which was admittedly really beautiful. She’d arranged them by color, from tomato-basil on the left to blueberries and goat cheese on the right, like a rainbow of toast toppings. “This one is the new Tender Splendor toast. Ham and cheese with hot sauce, like you suggested.”
“Tiny Toasts would be a really great name for a new catering biz,” Bethany said. “I feel bad that I gave you such a hard time about your contest chili using canned ingredients. You’re a good cook. This really shows off your knife skills.”
Clementine ducked her head shyly. “I deserved the criticism. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I came up with that chili recipe. Hey, speaking of thinking clearly—how’d your date go last night after we got off the phone?”
Bethany chuckled ruefully. “Barely. It all worked out, I guess. Thanks for your advice.”
Even if it made me look like an idiot, I’d already done a pretty good job of that myself.
Bethany couldn’t help glancing over to where Ryan was standing by the mural. He caught her eye and she hastily looked back at the food on the table and pretended to be engrossed in it. She pointed randomly at one of the toasts. “What’s on this one?”
Clementine stared at her. “Um, a slice of hardboiled egg and some chives.”
Bethany swallowed. Of course—I pick the most obvious one to ask about. She forced a smile. “Nice.”
“Welcome!” Ben’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “If you could take your seats...”
She gave Clementine a small wave and slid into the seat next to Milo.
“What do you think?” he murmured under his breath. “Are her toasts OK to eat?”
“I think so. Anyway, there’s no indication the poisoner wants to hurt anyone except Chuck Bolton. You don’t need to worry—I don’t think anyone’s going to mistake you for him.” She grinned mischievously at him.
“I don’t know if I should be offended!” Milo squeezed his own bicep, pretending to measure it.