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Jane beamed, then slumped, Conrad’s advice fresh in her mind.
Jane: Amazingly good or amazingly bad?
Beaudyguard:…
Beaudyguard:...
Beaudyguard: I want more talking trees. But also a legit reason for talking trees.
Jane was just about to ask him to explain himself when she realized she’d missed a few other texts.
Juniverse: Hiya sis!
Jane’s brow wrinkled. Her baby half-sister, June Moonrose, was the oldest of her mother's children with Arthur Moonrose. Arthur wasn’t the love of her mother’s life, which was the reason her marriage had lasted almost twenty years, sidestepping the Ladling Curse. Or so Jane had once thought. And nope, she had never been, not once, jealous that the name Moonrose paired perfectly with a cemetery. But until recently, Jane and June had rarely spoken. Why continue to reach out now? Because of the wedding?
Like all things that had to do with her sister, Jane pushed this into the background.
Tiffinator: Have you seen my corner rounder? It’s nowhere in the cottage.
As if Jane even knew what that looked like.
Jane: I’ll keep an eye out.
Fionality: I hear you’re running the police station now. Jane, this is so wonderful! I have a feeling our crime rates are about to drop to 0%
Running the–well, not yet. No, no. Definitely not ever. She ignored the little flutter of excitement. Because she worked at the cemetery. And now authored stuff. Although Grandma Lily had always said the key to her happy marriage with Pops was doing everything together.
And dang it, Jane needed to ask Fiona to be her matron of honor. And yet still she hesitated. Why? There was nothing she would rather Fiona do. Right?
MommaSue: Jane!!!!!! You won a two hundred and fifty piece puzzle with a photo of you and Conrad!
It warmed Jane’s heart how much Conrad’s foster mother was enjoying the wedding planning.
MommaSue: It’s for the reception. You give each guest a piece and they’re invited to “Piece Together Love.” Isn’t that romantic?
Well. She teared up for a moment.
Jane: It is romantic indeed.
The elevator dinged, the door opening as her gaze flipped up. When she spotted the visitor, she jumped to her feet without thought.
“Christopher,” she said with a smile and a wave. “Hello.”
He did a double take upon his approach. “Jane. Hi.” Quickening his step, he returned her smile with one of his own. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
No reason to explain the situation. Even out of his uniform, he carried himself like a man ready to charge into any disaster as needed. His jeans and T-shirt looked great on him but had never really meshed with her hats and vintage lifestyle.
When he leaned over to offer her a hug, she jolted. Um, okay. Unsure what else to do, she hugged him back, and it was kind of awkward for both of them, but it was too late to backtrack. When they pulled apart, they both laughed it off.
“The lava cake was delicious.” He gave her a teasing glance. “Maybe the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“Thank you.” She beamed at him as she sank into her seat. “Hey, since you’re here, I have a question. What’s Donnie Eggerson’s story?”
“Oh. Well. He moved here from Atlanta. Lives alone and loves video games. Doesn’t have a girlfriend, and I don’t think I have to explain why.”
Loved video games, did he? Hmm. If she had written Mr. Eggerson into her story, he would’ve been the perfect red herring. But even better than a red herring—making the supposed red herring the killer. Hello plot twist! “Was he with you at the grocery store?”
“No. He was off that day.”
