Drowning the Daffodils (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) Read Free

on, a head of loose red curls, and a nervous smile. Vicky guessed this was Mike's wife, Charlene.
    The front door swung open and two more women with husbands in tow walked into the lobby. Though they had softer features they shared the same regal arrogance that the rest of the Carters did. Vicky easily guessed that they were Beverly and Sasha, Max's daughters. That meant that everyone should have arrived.
    Everyone seemed to be mingling fine until a young woman, probably the youngest of the group in her early twenties, stepped up beside Simon and slid her arm through his. She had straight black hair, a short skirt, and a tight blouse. She was gor geous from head to toe, in the way that no one could overlook. But most of the women present seemed to be less than impressed with her presence. This had to be Simon's fiancée, Jane.
    “ Oh, I see you brought her,” Mike said gruffly as he glanced over at Jane. Jane shifted uncomfortably and lowered her eyes. Her cheeks flushed and it was clear that she was insulted by the comment.
    “ Yes, of course I brought my fiancée,” Simon snapped in return as he locked eyes with his brother. Vicky realized she had stepped right into the middle of a hornet's nest. Luckily, Alina stepped off the elevator at that moment and distracted Mike from Jane.
    “ I have everyone's room keys available,” Vicky said brightly hoping to ease the tension of the situation.
    “ Good,” Simon said as he glanced at her. “I'll take ours,” he held out his hand for the key.
    “ Sure just let me get it out of the lockbox,” Vicky said quickly and walked over to the desk. As she tapped a few keys on the computer to log into the system and check out the keys she was just about to hand out, Mike's wife, Charlene, began gushing.
    “ I know that this is our first official family reunion,” she said quickly. “And I'm just so proud to be a Carter, so I brought something special for everyone,” she glanced shyly at Mike. He nodded encouragingly to her. She pulled a box out from behind her suitcase and opened it up.
    “ I had these made for this weekend,” she explained as she began pulling out baseball caps from the box. Each one had a bright blue “C” imprinted on it.
    “ Ha, just like my necklace,” Lawrence chuckled as he displayed a circular, gold pendant with a raised 'C' on the front of it.
    “ How lovely, Charlene,” Alina said, though her tone was dripping with sugar. Beverly and Sasha were quick to take a few of the hats and hand two over to their husbands.
    “ This was a great idea,” Beverly said in a friendly tone. “It's a souvenir that we can keep to remember the weekend.”
    “ Thanks, Charlene,” Simon said as Mike slipped on his cap, and Simon reached into the box. He pulled out the last cap.
    “ Oh,” Charlene said quietly as she shifted uncomfortably. “Mike had said that Jane wouldn't be coming this weekend, so...”
    “ It doesn't matter, she's not a Carter yet,” Mike pointed out and offered Jane a cruel smirk. Simon smiled at his fiancée who was struggling not to let the insults get to her.
    “ She will be soon enough,” he murmured as he settled the cap onto her head. “You look beautiful, Mrs. Carter,” he leaned in and kissed her softly in front of the whole crew. Vicky had to hide a smile in reaction to Simon's defense of his fiancée and the ripple of annoyance it sent through the rest of his family. She was certain that this reunion was going to be much more interesting than she had anticipated.
    “ Here you are,” she said as she began handing out the keys. “Once you get settled in you're welcome to explore, I have lunch scheduled to be served beside the pool in an hour.”
    “ Sounds perfect,” Lawrence said as he smiled at Alina and pulled her close. “Maybe you can give me the tour of the suite.”
    “ Gladly,” Alina replied with a purr.
    “ Ugh,” Mike and Simon both groaned and glanced away from their father. Lawrence tugged his