by Cate Conte
“I know,” I muttered.
She shot me a look. “My point is, I just met the guy. It’s kind of crazy to think I’m falling for him. But what could I do about it anyway?”
I sat down next to her on the bed. “Val. Forget Ethan for a minute. Don’t get me wrong, I think he would be great for you.” I wasn’t so sure how she would be for him, but that was for him to figure out. “But the real question here is, do you love Cole? Are you willing to forgive the way he’s treated you? How he’s dishonored you? Because you’re the only person you should leave Cole for. Now. If you’re looking at Ethan and seeing what you might be missing out on and that’s prompting you to make a decision, that’s something entirely different. And something I would applaud.”
She looked at me, amused. “Maddie. I’m sure you’d be the last person in the world to be sad if I left Cole. You don’t have to pretend otherwise.”
“Val, that’s not true. I just want you to be happy.”
Her smile faltered. “There’s that word again.”
“Well, I stand by it.”
“Yeah. You always were kind of a romantic.” Her eyes took on a wistful look I hadn’t seen in years. “I just wish I believed it was possible.”
Chapter 55
I woke up the next morning to my phone vibrating incessantly under my pillow. I’d shut the ringer off in an attempt to have some peace and sleep in a bit, but clearly that wasn’t happening. JJ, who’d come up sometime during the night and curled up on top of said pillow, was not impressed with this wake-up call either.
I fumbled around under my pillow and finally fished the phone out. The first thing I registered was my parents’ number. The second was the time. Seven ten. Why were my parents calling so early on a Sunday?
“Hello,” I muttered.
“Maddie.” My dad.
I sat up. “Yeah? What’s wrong?”
“I thought I told you to stay away from the Tanners and the Hawthornes.”
I frowned. My dad, usually way laid-back and calm, sounded agitated. I guessed Cole had gone running to mommy and daddy about our … conversation.
“I have stayed away from the Hawthornes,” I said indignantly.
“And the Tanners?”
I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “Mostly.”
“Mostly? Madalyn. What possessed you—”
“Dad. Hold on a minute,” I said. “I went to see Cole. Cole doesn’t count. I didn’t go see Erik or Mira.”
“But they heard about it. And as I suspected, Mira is trying to cause problems for me with the gala. And, quite possibly, with the rest of the board.”
“If I recall correctly, Mira was already mad because of the episode the other night,” I pointed out. “So I think she already had a bone to pick, Dad, no offense. I was trying to stick up for my sister.” I couldn’t believe I had to explain this to him. I got that he was under a lot of pressure, but this was crazy.
“Well, it certainly added fuel to the fire,” he said. “My reservations person told me the Coopers canceled. Followed closely by the Berkinhowsers.”
I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something I’d regret. “Dad. Maybe something came up. You immediately assumed it’s my fault?”
“I’m asking you again, Maddie. Stay out of this. Stay out of your sister’s marriage, stay out of this murder. It’s been solved anyway, granted with a sad outcome, but solved all the same. I need to try to repair this relationship so I still have a job next week.” And he hung up.
My own dad. Hung up on me. After calling me at seven in the morning on a Sunday.
* * *
I spent the morning stewing about the whole sorry situation. I went to Val’s room to see if she’d gotten a similar phone call, perhaps asking her to avoid filing for divorce until after the gala, but she wasn’t there. Ethan was nowhere in sight either, which led me to believe they’d taken off somewhere. And there wasn’t even any coffee. I made some and then wandered into the café. We weren’t opening until noon, but I figured I’d get the chores done.
But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the room had been cleaned and freshened, and the cats fed. So all I had to do was sit and play with them and get snuggles. JJ eventually came down and wanted in on the action too, so we all had a little lovefest. Until my phone rang again.
Wary, I picked it up and checked the screen, fully prepared to ignore it if it was another lecture. I didn’t recognize the number. At least it wouldn’t be someone yelling at me. Hopefully.
I answered and heard a chipper voice on the other end asking for me.
“This is Maddie.”
“Hi, Maddie! This is Julie from Purple People Pleasers! I understand you’re interested in a caterer?”
The caterers Gigi had worked for. I’d almost forgotten. “Yes, thank you for calling me back!” I stood, disrupting Moonshine’s cuddling in my lap. As a parting gift, he dug his nails into my leg. I gritted my teeth against the pain. “I heard you catered an event last weekend for the Hawthornes.”
Julie must have been prepared for this, because she didn’t miss a beat. Despite the fact that someone was murdered at that party, she was focused on their food. “We did. It was a lovely, low-key gathering for a group of friends. What kind of event were you looking to have catered?”
I nearly laughed out loud. Lovely and low-key, huh? “It’s actually a bit fancier,” I said. “But I’m just curious, how did you come to work with the Hawthornes?” I hoped my question sounded casual enough.
“Of course, I should’ve said that up front. So sorry,” Julie said. “We were lucky enough to make a connection with someone who lives on Daybreak who’s had some experience as a server. She mentioned that some folks in town were in the market for something new cateringwise, so we just made the calls and wooed them. Apparently it worked!”
“I guess so,” I said. “That’s great. Who’s your connection? I actually know a few people in the area through my dad’s work. Just curious, of course.”
“Oh, of course. Her name is Gigi. I can’t remember her last name—I’m not in charge of staffing—but she’s a dear. So, now, tell me about your event.”
Chapter 56
I hung up after giving Julie my e-mail so she could send me a proposal for catering services for the gala, which of course I didn’t need. All kinds of warning bells were going through my brain about Gigi. So when she showed up at the door five minutes later, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Hey,” I said, heading over to unlock the screen door. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “I’m working the café hours today. I thought I’d come by a little early and visit with the kitties.”
“Oh. Cool. Okay,” I said. “I’m going to get some coffee. Want anything?”
She shook her head no. I went into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. There was a strong possibility that Gigi had been responsible for Holly’s death, and Adele had felt responsible for her part in dragging Gigi through her drama with Holly. But Gigi had her own bone to pick with Holly and Heather, as the ones responsible for Felicia’s declining status as a caterer on the island.
So had she orchestrated this whole scenario as a way to get close to the Hawthornes and get revenge?
The kitchen door opened and Ethan came in. He looked surprised to find me standing there. “Hey. You waiting for coffee? I can make some,” he offered.
I shook my head. “No. Just taking a breather. What are you up to?”
He shrugged. “I took Val to breakfast,” he said, looking me in the eye. She must’ve told him she’d talked to me. But I had bigger fish to fry today.
“Good,” I said. “I hope you went somewhere yummy.” I glanced at the clock. Eleven. I went back out to the living room and found Gigi on one of the floor pillows. Moonshine had convinced her to take up where I’d left off and was curled in her lap, kneading contentedly.
Something told me he was about to
get mad at me again.
“Gigi. Can I talk to you for a second?” I asked.
She looked up. That panic was in her eyes again. At this point I figured it was an act. Clearly she was a good actress. “Sure,” she said, her voice unsteady.
I shut the front door. I didn’t need any early visitors as an audience. “I know you worked with the caterers at Holly Hawthorne’s house the other night,” I said. No reason to pussyfoot around. Cut to the chase and catch her off guard.
She went whiter than the walls in Dad’s emergency room. “How … how do you know that?” she asked.
“Doesn’t matter. But now I’m wondering why you were really there. Especially since I know you and the Hawthornes had some major issues.”
Gigi said nothing. Moonshine, sensing the tension, meowed softly.
“Gigi?”
“I needed some money,” she said.
“Money? Come on. Then why didn’t you work for your mother?”
“Because she doesn’t have that many jobs,” Gigi blurted out. “And it’s my fault. It’s all my fault that Heather Hawthorne and her nasty family were trashing my mother all over the island.”
“Why? What happened with the two of you?”
Gigi resumed petting Moonshine, almost with a vengeance. “It’s stupid,” she muttered.
“Enlighten me.”
Gigi looked up at me, and for a split second I saw pure, raw anger glittering in her eyes before they transformed back to wounded puppy. “Why do you care?”
“Why? Because you’re working in my café, for one. And two, because I don’t believe Adele killed Holly. I think she’s taking the rap for someone else.”
It took her a minute, but then she got it. She leaped to her feet, sending Moonshine racing to the nearest cubby for cover. “You think I killed her and she took the blame? You’re crazy!”
“Then what were you doing there?” I challenged. “Even if you did need money, why didn’t you go work for another caterer on the island at a different job? How did you even get back in their house if they have such a problem with you?”
Gigi laughed, a harsh sound. “They’re too stupid and snotty to even look at the servers. Lord Voldemort could’ve gone in there with a white apron and pants on and they’d never have noticed. They don’t pay mind to the hired help. And I couldn’t go work for anyone else. She badmouthed me to enough people that none of the other caterers would hire me, and I don’t have experience with anything else!” She stalked around the room, her hands moving in useless circles as she tried to work out whatever was in her head.
“You still didn’t tell me what caused the problem,” I said. I could tell she was thinking, Do I have to? She was definitely more calculating than she usually let on. Which made me even more suspicious of her.
In the end, she must’ve decided she had to tell me something, even if it was not the whole truth. She stopped pacing and stood near the far wall. “I took some of the extra food from one of the parties and gave it to the cats,” she said, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay what? That’s what Heather got mad about!”
I frowned. “Was it food that should’ve been served, or was it about to get tossed?”
“Tossed.”
“Then why would she care?”
“Because she hated cats. Especially outdoor, dirty cats.” She made a face. “Loser. Especially when it was her sister who caused some of them to live outdoors!”
Heather hated cats. So what would’ve happened if Holly had brought Georgia home? The whole thing made my head hurt.
“Gigi. Did you take that job so you could get in there and have access to Holly? To … do something to her? Because it’s not right to let Adele take the blame for this. Listen. You have to tell me.” I closed the gap between us, imploring. “Let me help you—”
The doorbell rang, startling me enough that I jumped. Muttering a curse, I stalked over to open it.
Craig was on the porch. In uniform.
If I didn’t know better I’d assume he’d had the place wiretapped and was coming for Gigi. Except she hadn’t said anything incriminating yet. And certainly wouldn’t now. I turned around to see if she’d seen him.
She was gone.
Chapter 57
I swore out loud this time, then flipped the lock on the screen to let Craig in.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Gigi. She must’ve slipped out the side door.”
“She trying to get away from you?” he asked, only half kidding.
“Yes! And we were just … having an important conversation,” I finished lamely. “Hang on a minute.”
I left him standing in the living room and hurried through the house to the other side, exiting near the garage. Just in time to see her bike disappear down the street.
When I went back in, Craig was playing with one of the new kittens. He glanced up from the laser toy. “Everything okay?”
“Not really.” I squared my shoulders and faced him. “Craig. I’m worried about Gigi’s mental health.”
He stood up slowly. “Explain.”
I told him everything I’d found out about the party and Gigi’s elaborate scheme to get on the catering staff. “Don’t you think that’s suspicious?” I asked. “That she went to so much trouble to work in that house on the night Holly died?”
“Of course it’s suspicious,” he said. “But since we have the killer, I’d say maybe she was planning something else. Maybe she wanted to poison the Hawthornes, but Holly dying put a wrench in her plans.”
I couldn’t tell if he was kidding. “So you don’t believe me.”
“I believe you that it’s suspicious. But I also believe Adele when she says she did it.”
“But—”
“Maddie. I didn’t come here to argue with you about this again. I actually came to ask if I could take you to dinner. We’ve been crossing paths a lot lately with … all this stuff but we haven’t had a chance to talk. I’d like for us to be able to talk.”
“Craig.” I tried to soften my words. “I appreciate the gesture. Really I do. But I don’t think it would be smart for us to try and date. Look. Going backward has never worked for me. No matter how tempting it is.”
“And yet,” Craig said, “you came back here. That’s the ultimate going backward, no?”
I looked out the window at the ocean beyond while I tried to figure out how I felt about that. The ocean—this little piece of it, anyway—knew my secrets, knew me better than I knew myself. Was Craig right? Had I made a mistake coming back here? My entire family had fallen back into their old ways of coming to me to solve everything, beginning with Grandpa’s house issues that had sucked me in in the first place. My sister Val’s life was falling apart. My mother wanted me to save the day. My dad wanted me to help him run his professional life. Craig wanted to get back together with me. And in less than three months, I’d been dragged into the unraveling of two murders.
On the other hand, I’d opened a brand-new business, reconnected with old friends, and had met an amazing new guy. Who I promptly drove away, but still. I’d given my business partner a chance to embrace a whole new life, with a new venture in a new setting. Ethan was adaptable enough that he’d slipped right into this brand-new world with nary the blink of an eye. He seemed to be doing better than me, actually, but perhaps that was because his entry into this world didn’t come with five or six people who still hadn’t resolved their key dependency issues.
This was all too much to think about this early in the morning, in the face of a terrible murder. With my ex-boyfriend as witness, no less.
“It wasn’t going backward. There was a chance to start something new here. A new business, a new life for Grandpa.” But now that I was back here, I wasn’t sure how to quite fit in.
“Did you ever think it was something else that brought you here?” Craig asked.
“Something else?” I arched an ey
ebrow at him. “I think I would know if there was anything else that brought me here.”
“Would you?” Craig asked. “Maybe it was some, I don’t know, some pull you couldn’t explain.”
“Since when did you become all romantic and woo-woo? That’s not really a cop trait,” I said, trying to inject a teasing tone into my voice. I didn’t know what else to do. Yes, I loved Craig. I really did. But I loved him in the way old friends loved each other, not the way he seemed to want.
He blew out an impatient breath. “I meant, did you come back because maybe you thought you had something unfinished here? Like us?”
“Craig,” I said gently. “Look. I know you think we can pick up where we left off, but it’s not that easy. We’re different people.”
“Which makes it better,” he said. “I don’t want to go back to high school. Believe me, Maddie.”
“That’s not the point.” I took a deep breath. “Listen. I really like Lucas. I have to see where that goes.” I hated breaking it to him like that, but he seemed to need me to be direct. “I’m sorry. I want us to be friends. Craig.” I grabbed his hand, forced him to look at me. “I really want us to be friends.”
He smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Yeah. But we can’t always have what we want, can we?” He gave my hand a little squeeze, then released it and walked out the door.
Chapter 58
Monday morning. The café was closed and I was happy about it. Aside from my newly adopted antisocial behavior, I also had work to do on the gala. My father had been sending me messages through Charlotte—apparently he was still mad at me about the whole Cole thing—and I had to get the menu from Felicia so it could be approved, and help them sort out a few last-minute auction details, and a thousand other stupid details that I’d never have thought of myself because I wasn’t a party planner.
I could start a business from scratch and make it work any day of the week, but clearly this was not my forte. Finally I got up, grabbed Dad’s stupid binder, and marched up to Val’s room. She was still here, and I was glad about it. She didn’t seem to be going anywhere soon, either, although I hadn’t asked.