Summer Reading is Killing Me (Phee Jefferson Book 2) (14 page)

Chapter Twenty nine

Closing time came soon enough. I locked up the
library with Wade and told him I’d see him shortly. He and Juliet planned to
come early and start the grill for the burgers and kabobs. I swung by the
bakery to pick up a chocolate raspberry cake with a dark chocolate ganache for
dessert. By five thirty, I had changed into a pair of capris with a sleeveless
top of cobalt blue, had placed the beer and wine on ice on the back porch, and
started a pasta salad. A few minutes before six, Juliet and Wade arrived. While
Wade lit the grill, Juliet and I poured ourselves glasses of white wine and
plopped onto my wicker chairs to supervise.

“I want to meet this Lu chick and make sure she doesn’t
have designs on Clint,” Juliet said. “You’re far too trusting of the fairer
sex.”

“Yes, because we women are oh so evil,” I said
with a wry smile. “You realize you’re a woman, too, right?”

“If you aren’t sure if you are, I can help out
with that question,” Wade called out from the yard where he stood waiting to
place the kabobs on the grill.

“Hardy
har
har
, Wade. I know I’m a girl. I also realize that not all
women care if a man is in a relationship. I’m here to assist my big sister in
scoping out the competition,” Juliet announced.

“If I have to be jealous all the time, then I
don’t need to be with Clint. Life and love shouldn’t be that hard,” I said as I
took a sip of wine. “I’ll admit I get a twinge of jealousy, but I don’t want to
turn into one of those women you see on the talk shows who pull hair and curse
up a storm over their man. Besides, Clint and I are grown adults and can handle
our insecurities in a calm and rational manner.”

“You crack me up. I can’t believe you actually
said that with a straight face. I think you believe it, too. Calm and rational.
Ha! Clint’s a great guy, but now and then, a girl needs to do a relationship
tune-up. Is everything cruising along smoothly, or do you need to do a wash and
a wax to make sure he doesn’t trade you in for a newer model,” Juliet advised
in a serious voice.

“I’m not listening to your advice, little sister.
Wade’s the longest relationship you’ve been in, and he’s amazing. What’s up
with all the negative talk about relationships?”

Juliet sat silently sipping her wine before she
spoke. “I’m sorry. I’m probably being hard on Clint because I’m in a pickle
myself. Wade’s been hinting about marriage and when we have kids. It’s freaking
me out. I don’t know if I’m ready for a house, a mortgage, two point five kids
and a dog named Spike.”

“Have you told Wade how you feel?” I asked.

“No. He’s the greatest guy, and I don’t want to
risk losing him.”

“I think Wade will understand. As long as you tell
him that you are more of a tortoise than a hare in the relationship race, he’ll
be fine. If you act like a jerk and break up with him, though, I’ll have
tortoise soup for dinner,” I nudged her bare foot with mine. “Talk to him.
He’ll understand.”

“I will. I’d apologize to Clint for being a jerk
to him, but since he didn’t even know it…” Juliet said. “Speaking of him, I
think I hear his truck.”

A moment later, Clint walked out the kitchen door
followed by Lu. “Girl, I love your house. I thought Clint exaggerated when he
described it to me, but it’s amazing. I’d love it if you could give me a few
pointers on my new place. I’m a pressed wood and futon woman, but I’m willing
to trade it all in if my place could look like yours,” Lu said. She turned to
Juliet. “Hi. I’m Lu. You must be Juliet and that good-looking grill guy must be
Wade. Clint’s told me all about you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Juliet said. She stood up and
walked towards the tub of iced drinks. “Can I get you something to drink? A
glass of wine, beer, water?”

“Just water for me, thanks.”

Clint stepped over to my chair and leaned down to
kiss me. “I’ve been counting down the minutes until I could see you again,” he
whispered.

I gazed up at him and touched my hand to his dark
stubble and kissed him back. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m glad you’re back.”

“Oh, you two lovebirds are the cutest thing since
Cabbage Patch dolls,” Lu joked. “I need to find myself a boyfriend and even up
the odds here.”

“Miller’s Cove isn’t exactly a dating hotspot.
Pickings were already slim. When Juliet snapped me up, it left only the dregs.
Sorry.” Wade gave a goofy grin and winked at her as he walked up on the porch.
“
Phee
told me you came here from New York. Not nearly
the same crime here as you’d find there. You don’t think you’ll get bored?”

“From the looks of things, Miller’s Cove is moving
up in the crime world. A minor celebrity found dead in the park. What’s not to
love about being a cop here?”

“Lu, I think you and I are going to get along
great,” Juliet declared. “I might need to pick your brain about what it’s like
to be a female cop. I’m tossing around the idea of going to the police
academy.”

My head whipped around so fast that I almost got
whiplash. “Put the glass down and step away from the wine bottle, lady. You’ve
clearly had too much to drink already. What are you talking about,
Juls
? You realize cops carry guns and aren’t into the whole
peace, love and karma business, right? You can’t walk up to a criminal, stick a
flower in his hair and call the case closed.”

“Duh. I know all this, thank you very much. Shari
going nuts and now this latest murder has really made me think about how I can
make a difference. I’ve learned everything I can about law enforcement the past
six months, and I’m intrigued. I’m considering my life opportunities and not
closing any doors,” Juliet said with a lofty sniff of her nose.

“We haven’t even figured out who killed
Elody
yet, so our detecting skills might not be up to par.”
I couldn’t believe Juliet thought she should go into law enforcement. This
might be her most hare-brained idea ever. I couldn’t wait to tell Rick this
latest one.

“Wait a minute. You two are trying to solve this
murder? Who are you? Nancy Drew and her sidekick Betsy?” Lu asked. “I mean,
don’t you think you ought to leave the investigating to the professionals?”

“Bess,” Juliet and I corrected automatically. I
continued, “I found the body. We’ve asked a few questions around town. Nothing
major. It’s more satisfying our idle curiosity than really investigating.”
 

“We’ve done more than ask a few questions,
Phee
. Don’t be so modest,” Juliet said, ignoring my pointed
looks and dodging my poorly-aimed kick to her ankle. “Tessa Brewer has a gun in
her purse and as you both know,
Elody
was shot, not
stabbed. Jay Burns and Tessa grew up in the same small town in Arkansas. Coincidence?
I think not. Shawna Collins,
Elody’s
college
roommate, fought with
Elody
about her not turning Jay
into the police for hitting her. Not bad for untrained professionals.” Juliet
leaned back with a smug look on her face. Wade, sensing a storm brewing with
Juliet and Clint, hopped off the porch to pull the meat off the grill.

“I’m not even getting into this right now since I
don’t want to ruin our evening. After what happened last year with
Phee
, I would hope you two would have gained an ounce of
common sense,” Clint said tightly.

“What?” I sputtered. “I’m sorry. Did you just say
what I think you said?”

Clint heaved a sigh. “I just came across as an
overbearing ass, didn’t I?”

“Uh, yeah, you sure did,” Lu said with an incredulous
expression. “Women are just as capable of taking care of ourselves as men are.
We don’t need a big, strong he-man bossing us around. Do we, ladies?”

Juliet pushed herself up and stood next to Lu.
“Darn Skippy. I can take care of myself and so can my sister. Right,
Phee
?”

I stood up and handed my wine glass to Clint. “I
most certainly can. To make up for your caveman ways, you can pour me another
glass of wine.”

Clint held up his hand in defeat. “Mercy! Mercy! I
give up. I won’t be a macho jerk ever again. I’d better start sleeping with one
eye open. I’m scared you three will take me out. I’m only a macho ass because I
don’t want anything to happen to
Phee
. I’m scared I’d
go into the poorhouse trying to feed that ox of a cat of hers.”

I slid next to him and put my arm around his
waist. “I forgive you this time since you begged for mercy. I’m nothing if not
benevolent. Don’t let it happen again, mister, or you’ll be sleeping in the dog
bed with Watson! By the way, my cat is not an ox. He’s just big-boned.” I
leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, “Did you really plan on sleeping
tonight?”

chapter thirty

I slept in the next morning since it was my day
off. I was scheduled to work on Saturday. I promised Mom last week that I would
come by and pick up a box of old clothes to donate to the church rummage sale.
I cruised slowly down the road singing an Aerosmith tune at the top of my
lungs. As I rounded the curve a half mile before my parent’s home, I spotted a
familiar figure in blue jogging pants with an Irish Setter beside him. Dad and
Hamlet moseyed down the road at a leisurely pace, a puff of smoke occasionally
drifting past my father’s head.

I pulled up next to him and slowed to a crawl.
“So, Dad, does Mom know you’re still smoking cigars?”

“Nope and tattling on your dad insures you get
nothing but coal in your stocking for the next three Christmases.” He let a
circle of smoke that drifted away on the warm summer breeze.

“Hop in, and I’ll give you and Hamlet a ride back
to the homestead. No cigars in Velma though. I just washed and vacuumed her.
She’s all fresh and shiny.” I pulled to the side of the road and stopped. Dad
opened the back door of the van. Hamlet hopped in and let out a small woof of
happiness as he settled onto the rear seat. Dad climbed in the passenger side
and I eased back onto the road.

“So what’s my favorite daughter up to today?” Dad
asked.

“You know Juliet and I talk. You tell her she’s
your favorite, too,” I laughed. “The gig is up.”

“You’re all my favorites,” Dad said with an
innocent air. “Your mom’s driving me crazy with all this rabbit food she keeps
stuffing into me. I’m so hungry Hamlet is starting to look like a leg of lamb.”

“So you’re pretending to jog, then go out and
smoke? Mom will murder you if she catches you.”

“I have one cigar a day. Life is full of little
pleasures. All I want out of life is a great dinner cooked by your beautiful
mother, an expensive brandy and cigar with my favorite novel, and happy
children. Is that asking too much in my old age?”

“You’re not old, Dad. And no, it’s not, but you
know Mom is only thinking of your health when she feeds you carrots instead of
carrot cake,” I said.

“I know. I love your mother, so I hide my cigars
and brandy because it makes her worry. Marriage is full of compromises and
white lies,” Dad advised.

“Dad! That’s horrible. You’re telling me to lie?
Nice,” I drawled.

“Is it really lying if you don’t say something to
spare the other person’s feelings? I don’t tell your mom I smoke cigars and
she’s happy. She doesn’t tell me how much she spent on those horrible curtains
in the den and I’m happy.”

“I’m shocked and appalled,” I laughed. “You should
write a book called
Dad’s Words of Wisdom for Wedded Bliss
.”

“Speaking of relationships, how are you and
Clint?”

“We’re fine. He got back Monday from a five day
workshop, and I got to meet his new partner, Lucinda,” I said. “Dad, did you
ever meet Clint’s parents before they died?”

“I didn’t know his mom had died. When did it
happen? You should have told us. We would have come to the service,” Dad said.
“I never cared for the woman, but I would have gone out of respect for Clint.”

“What?” I said confused. “Wait a second. I thought
Clint’s parents died when he was a kid.”

“Honey, you definitely need to talk to Clint about
this one. All I know is gossip and innuendo. I don’t know the full story, so I
don’t want to tell you something that’s not true. I remember promising his aunt
not to mention his dad’s death. Everything was hushed up to protect him.
Clint’s mom dumped him on the aunt’s doorstep and took off. As far as I know,
she hasn’t been back to see him since.”

“He never talks about his parents. I just assumed
they were both dead. I didn’t want to bring up a painful subject for him.” I
pulled into the driveway and turned off the van. I sat there shocked by my
dad’s revelation.

“From all the gossip at the time, it’s not a
pretty story. But again, I’m not the person to tell you about it. I don’t even
think Rick knows the whole story,” Dad said.

“I’m dumbfounded that I don’t know anything about
Clint’s family. How could I know him for this many years and be so clueless?”
My hands still gripped the steering wheel, and I stared out the front
windshield. I realized I was walking through life and love half-blind.

“Honey, Clint’s always been closed off and quiet.
Just because you’re dating, doesn’t mean he’ll magically change. You date a man
for who he is, not the man you think he should be. Can I give you some advice?”

“Please, do. I need some because I don’t know how
I could be so clueless.”

“You’re twenty-eight years old but acting like a
teenager in this relationship with Clint. I still get that same
punched-in-the-gut feeling I did the first time I met your mom, so I
understand. We
Jeffersons
love deeply. It’s our curse
and our blessing. When it comes to Clint, you need to take off the rose-colored
glasses and see if you love the man that Clint actually is, rather than the
fantasy you’ve created in your mind.”

“I’m scared to, Dad. He’s all I’ve ever wanted.” I
teared up.

“I think you’ll still love him. I consider myself
a pretty good judge of character, and Clint’s a good man. He has some demons
from his past though, and you need to know what they are.”

I leaned over and laid my head on his shoulder.
“Thanks, Daddy. I’ll talk to him.” 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Do me a favor and
don’t tell your mom I spilled the beans about Clint, okay? She and I made a
pact long ago to not interfere in our adult children’s lives.”

“Does this fall under the chapter called Dad’s
Marital Musings for a Magnificent Marriage?” I said with a raised eyebrow.

“Definitely. She might take away meat altogether
and make me eat tofu if I make her too angry,” Dad had the look of a stray cat
cornered in a cage as he thought about tofu.

“My lips are sealed. Let’s get in there before she
suspects we’re in collusion. I don’t want her to stop making me brownies
because she thinks I aided and abetted your secret smoking.”

Dad, Hamlet and I went into the house. We found
Mom with her head buried in a closet in my old room. She pulled out a large
cardboard box and emerged triumphant. Her hair was in disarray and her cheek
bore a smudge of dirt. The grin that split her face was pure mischievous elf.
My mom might be nearing sixty, but she was a teenager in spirit. “I finally got
it, darn it!”

I rushed forward and took the heavy box from her
arms. “I’ve got it, Mom. Is this the only box?”

“For now. I have a few coats I’ll bring out to the
van. Your father can carry the small box I put together of old books and
knickknacks for the sale.”

We carried out the donations and loaded them into
the back of Velma. Mom promised me breakfast in exchange for hauling the boxes,
but after the blueberry faux cakes on Sunday, I was a little gun shy. I felt a
little thrill of pleasure as Mom pulled a quiche from the oven. “
Mmm
…it smells great,” I lifted my nose in the air and
inhaled. My mom’s cooking really was a little slice of happiness. No wonder my
dad was depressed with the change in diet.

“It is made with free-range eggs, low-fat cheddar
cheese and turkey bacon. I think you’ll be surprised how close it tastes to the
higher fat version. I even made real coffee for you,” Mom said as she set the
quiche on a trivet in the middle of the table. “How did dinner with the Senator
go?”

“It was actually a very pleasant evening after we
stopped talking about his daughter’s murder. He’s an interesting person with
concrete ideas on how he wants to initiate change. I’m impressed. I liked his
aide, Anthony, too. He’s a hoot and a phenomenal chef.”

“Sheila said Jaime is pulling his hair out over
this murder,” Mom said as she handed me silverware and plates to set the table.

“The Senator thinks it was
Elody’s
boyfriend who killed her. I have to admit that he is the most obvious suspect,”
I said.

“I think I saw that Jay Burns character at the
lake this morning when I was jogging,” Dad said as he came into the kitchen.
“Darker hair pulled back into a ponytail?”

“Yes. Good-looking if you like the Rico Suave
look. He has a bunch of tattoos.”

“Then it was definitely him. He must not be too
heartbroken over
Elody’s
death. I saw him in a hot
lip lock with an attractive brunette. Maybe Jaime should pull him in for
further questioning. I bet he’d like to know about Jay’s new love interest,”
Dad said.

“Was this brunette short with a slim build?” I
asked.

“I think so. I jogged past them with Hamlet and
only got a brief look. They jumped apart when I rounded the curve of the path
and tried to act like they were just talking, but I know what I saw.”

“You’re jogging and new healthy lifestyle might
have cracked the case wide open, Dad. Way to go!” I winked at him and we shared
a secret smile.