“I can’t thank you enough for that,” I say, cutting a sideways glance back at Mackenzie and her cruel crew. “Those women are all certified psychotics. And if they’re not certified, they should be.”
Jasper’s dimples dig in for a moment. “You can thank me later. But that’s not why I pulled you aside. Bizzy, what the heck happened?”
I open my mouth to answer when Mom and Georgie appear, both slightly out of breath.
“Bizzy!” Mom grabs my other arm. “Are you okay? We heard screaming and—oh my goodness.” She spots the body and goes pale.Well, that didn’t take long. I really should look into hiring private security detail to follow my daughter around—in order to keep the general public safe.
I gasp at the woman for even thinking such a thought.
Not that she’s wrong. But still.
Georgie cranes her neck past her. “Well. That’s one way to end a party.”
“Georgie!” Mom scoffs. “A woman was killed!”
“And I’m guessing she deserved it,” Georgie says with a sneer. “Nobody gets stabbed at a beach party unless they’ve been asking for it all night.”
“Georgie, that’s not—” I start, but Emmie rushes over, her entire face flushed.
“Oh wow. I won the pool!” she says just as her fingers fly toher lips. “I’ll get Jordy to help with crowd control,” she says, already turning. “He’s really good at herding people.”
Jordy happens to be my handyman and Emmie’s brother—not to mention he’s Macy’s plus-one. And technically, he’s my ex-husband, thanks to a Vegas wedding involving bad liquor, an Elvis impersonator, and a divorce finalized in under forty-eight hours. It’s a long story that I try very hard not to think about.
Emmie takes off toward the party, and Mom drags Georgie back a step.
“All right, Red, I’m with you,” Georgie says. “Let’s go hunt down the babes still roving the grounds. I’m feeling lucky.”
“Georgie,” Mom hisses. “A woman has lost her life!”
“All the more reason to secure the perimeter,” Georgie says with a wink. “Single men panic in a crisis. It makes ’em vulnerable.”
Perfect. I’m surrounded by chaos dressed in shoulder pads and kaftans. But then, what else is new?
Macy appears out of nowhere, linking arms with Sloane like they’re old sorority sisters. They look like twins—same sharp blonde bobs, same calculating eyes, same air of expensive competence.
Macy’s is born out of an overdrawn credit card.
“Macy,” I say, surprised. “I didn’t realize you knew any of Mackenzie’s friends.”
“Friendsis a generous word,” Macy says, examining her nails. “Let’s call them acquaintances with shared enemies.”
“We go way back,” Sloane adds smoothly. “In fact, I just helped Macy with her new candle line. Snacks After Midnight.”
Macy waggles her eyebrowsdespite the corpse lying less than a few feet away. “Sloane came up with the scent combination. Mac and cheese with caramel drizzle.”
“Mac and cheese with caramel drizzle?” I wrinkle my nose just trying to imagine it.
“It’s bold,” Sloane says with a smile. “And unexpected. Just like Macy.”
“It’s going to be a hit,” Macy says with a touch too much confidence. “I’d better collect Candy and take off. My big launch is tomorrow, and I have a feeling this new line is finally going to put Lather and Light on the map.”
Lather and Light would be the soap and candle shop she owns and runs down on Main Street. Or more to the point, the shop owns and runs her.
She breezes away, and Sloane steps over to join Mackenzie and the rest of their friends, who’ve gathered in a tight cluster near the body.
Mackenzie is still holding that bloody knife like it belongs in her hand.
I take a breath and sigh. I knew this night was going to go sideways. I just didn’t expect it to go full homicide before the fireworks even started.
