AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Anita’s smile slowly curled up as if she were the Grinch, and she wagged her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
“Scandal,” she whispered excitedly, “just absolute scandal.”
Growing more comfortable with her part, Wendy grabbed Anita’s hands and gave them a squeeze.
“Tell meeverything,” she encouraged.
* * *
Wendy’s feet hurt. So did her legs, arms−and, well, pretty much her entire body. She was happy she’d finally run into Anita and that the plan had gone well, but she hadn’t been prepared for how seriously the woman could shop. Now that it was over, she was very thankful Erik had set up the credit lines because the amount of money she spent just to keep up with Anita wasastounding.It wouldn’t have drained her inheritance, but it certainly would have put a big dent in it.
Anita had dragged her to almost every store in the outlets, all the while chatting a hundred miles a minute about Birgit andThe Mystic Refuge.Wendy wasn’t exactly sure where the rage behind Anita’s venting came from, but she was certain that there wassomethingthat Anita hadn’t yet said that caused the need for such talk.
Once home, Wendy sat her many armfuls of bags in the living room and began to ready a basin of hot water and Epsom salts for her sore feet, texting Erik as she did so. Just as she put the basin down in front of her couch, she heard her back door open, popped her head out into the hallway, and waved toward Erik, Tucker, and Cynthia.
“So, we finally caught the wasp in the honey trap.” Erik chuckled as he walked closer.
“You were right,” Wendy agreed, going to the couch, knowing they’d follow her into the living room.
“See, all we had to do was go to the right−holy crap.” Erik stopped in his tracks as he walked into the living room and saw the mountain of bags.
“Just remember that it wasyouridea to set up a line of credit for those stores,” Wendy teased, gingerly setting her feet in the warm water. “Oh gosh,” she sighed, “that’s wonderful.”
“Where did you go?” Cynthia asked curiously, peeking into the bags.
“Everywhere Anita led me,” Wendy explained. “It didn’t take her long to start talking, and I learned that the easiest way to keep her talking was to just do exactly what she said, including buying whatever she suggested.”
She looked at Erik with a teasing grin. “I hope this doesn’t wreck your credit score.”
“Imaybe starting to regret this plan,” Erik admitted, pulling out a receipt from one of the bags. His eyes skimmed over it, then almost bulged out of his head.
“Four thousand dollars for adress?!”he exclaimed.
“Anita insisted I wear it. She’s throwing a little cocktail party tomorrow and invited me. She picked out my entire outfit for the night. We also have hair, nail, and facial appointments together tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s good,” Tucker said. He seemed to be the only one unfazed by the massive amount of money spent on clothing and accessories and wanted to get right down to business. “So, she talked a lot today?”
“That she did,” Wendy agreed. “And buckle up, because she is definitely on a roller coaster of emotions.”
The three of them quickly sat down, and Wendy began to recount her day. She told them about Anita’s obsession withThe Mystic Refuge,and how she wanted it for her own.
“She didn’t quite say it, but I think there’s something personal about it as if taking it over was her birthright or something. She kept talking as if it was meant to be hers all along and that the Strauss sisters getting it was a huge mistake.”
“That’s strange,” Tucker stated, his brow furrowing. “The Strauss sisters inherited the hotel from their great-aunts. Why would Anita feel a personal claim to it?”
“I don’t know,” Wendy admitted, “but she seemed convinced that it was meant to be hers.”
“Just hers?” Cynthia asked. “Not hers and Frank’s?”
Wendy shook her head. “She didn’t mention Frank at all today, not even when she brought up the cocktail party.”
“Maybe he is innocent in all of this,” Erik pondered aloud.
“I’m not entirely convinced,” Tucker countered. “He’s been awfully quiet this month. I spoke to Birgit and Heidi, and both of them said that aside from the candy cane drop-off, he’s been really hands-off with the Chamber of Commerce events this month.”
“So?” Wendy asked.
“So, he’s breaking an established pattern,” Tucker explained.
