sight of you. A harbinger of doom!”
“You’re the one who got me this job,” I said back, being just as wildly illogical as she was. “I can’t help it if people in this town tend to keel over when they see me coming.”
Bebe glared at me, then sighed, her shoulders sagging, and we both calmed down. I knew I should give her some room and a bit of understanding. Her relationship with Michael, a local high school teacher who used one of her warehouses for projects by the 4H kids he was advising, was stumbling a little from what I could see—and she was definitely upset about it.
I had nothing but sympathy for her. I knew how it felt.
“At least you got a cat out of the deal,” she grumbled, sounding sarcastic. “Just what Sami always wanted. A live-in pal.”
I looked over at the patch of floor Silver had taken over for himself. He blinked at me, his baby blue eyes shining. I couldn’t help it—I did like that cat-even if he did put Sami’s nose out of joint.
“I couldn’t leave him there with all the forensics going on and all. Nobody else stepped forward, so I did.” I gave her a half-hearted smile. “Just be glad I didn’t volunteer to take the parrot as a bonus.”
Bebe frowned, leaning toward me and searching my eyes. “Mele, I’m sorry. I haven’t thought about what you’ve been going through today. Really honey…” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Are you okay? What did they ask you? Was your handsome detective there?”
That gave me a quiver. “The man isn’t ‘mine’ in the first place. And in the second, he’s cold as ice these days. I don’t know what I did to turn him off, but he’s definitely not interested any longer.”
“Oh.” She made a face. “That’s too bad. I thought he was really cute.”
“Me too. Kind of. Cute is as cute does, though,” I said, downgrading the detective in my mind. “Oh well.” I frowned, thinking of what he’d said about my corsage. I’d thought it odd at the time. Maybe Bebe could clear it up. “So what do you call this orchid?” I asked her, pointing to it.
She glanced at it. “Uh…that’s a Phalaenopsis. Why?”
I bit my lip. “Because Detective McKnight named it when he saw it. Seems like a funny thing for a man like that to know, doesn’t it?”
She shrugged. “Maybe he grows orchids in his spare time,” she suggested airily.
I made a face. Cops don’t grow orchids. They follow their own rules and get yelled at by their chief and get thrown off the case. Or so TV has always told me. But orchids? I hardly thought that could be possible, but stranger things had turned up lately, so who knew?
I gave her a sideways look. “And speaking of men, what’s the deal with Michael lately? I haven’t seen him around for awhile.”
Actually, I had seen him, just not with her. Just the day before, when I went out to take a walk, I saw Michael driving off with Sherry in his car. That gave me pause. Sherry was very pretty and very young and very curvaceous. All the things that make for trouble when they come sashaying around between a man and his usual girl friend. A little clingy for my taste, but then I’m not a guy. For all I know, they like that sort of thing.
Sherry had played the “poor little me” victim card during our last escapade, claiming that the winery owner had seduced her and dropped her almost immediately thereafter. There was no denying that Kyle was a bad guy, but she had laid it on a bit thick, and Michael had seemed to fall right into her trap—wanting to take care of her.
Poor Bebe. It looked like she might have lost her man this time around. Still, she did have one card left to play. Bebe ran a huge cut flower operation and Sherry worked for her, managing the flower bundler group. It was an important job and it paid pretty well. If Bebe wanted to get tough, she obviously could make a real difference in Sherry’s life.
But knowing Bebe, I was afraid she was prepared to
“You’re the one who got me this job,” I said back, being just as wildly illogical as she was. “I can’t help it if people in this town tend to keel over when they see me coming.”
Bebe glared at me, then sighed, her shoulders sagging, and we both calmed down. I knew I should give her some room and a bit of understanding. Her relationship with Michael, a local high school teacher who used one of her warehouses for projects by the 4H kids he was advising, was stumbling a little from what I could see—and she was definitely upset about it.
I had nothing but sympathy for her. I knew how it felt.
“At least you got a cat out of the deal,” she grumbled, sounding sarcastic. “Just what Sami always wanted. A live-in pal.”
I looked over at the patch of floor Silver had taken over for himself. He blinked at me, his baby blue eyes shining. I couldn’t help it—I did like that cat-even if he did put Sami’s nose out of joint.
“I couldn’t leave him there with all the forensics going on and all. Nobody else stepped forward, so I did.” I gave her a half-hearted smile. “Just be glad I didn’t volunteer to take the parrot as a bonus.”
Bebe frowned, leaning toward me and searching my eyes. “Mele, I’m sorry. I haven’t thought about what you’ve been going through today. Really honey…” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Are you okay? What did they ask you? Was your handsome detective there?”
That gave me a quiver. “The man isn’t ‘mine’ in the first place. And in the second, he’s cold as ice these days. I don’t know what I did to turn him off, but he’s definitely not interested any longer.”
“Oh.” She made a face. “That’s too bad. I thought he was really cute.”
“Me too. Kind of. Cute is as cute does, though,” I said, downgrading the detective in my mind. “Oh well.” I frowned, thinking of what he’d said about my corsage. I’d thought it odd at the time. Maybe Bebe could clear it up. “So what do you call this orchid?” I asked her, pointing to it.
She glanced at it. “Uh…that’s a Phalaenopsis. Why?”
I bit my lip. “Because Detective McKnight named it when he saw it. Seems like a funny thing for a man like that to know, doesn’t it?”
She shrugged. “Maybe he grows orchids in his spare time,” she suggested airily.
I made a face. Cops don’t grow orchids. They follow their own rules and get yelled at by their chief and get thrown off the case. Or so TV has always told me. But orchids? I hardly thought that could be possible, but stranger things had turned up lately, so who knew?
I gave her a sideways look. “And speaking of men, what’s the deal with Michael lately? I haven’t seen him around for awhile.”
Actually, I had seen him, just not with her. Just the day before, when I went out to take a walk, I saw Michael driving off with Sherry in his car. That gave me pause. Sherry was very pretty and very young and very curvaceous. All the things that make for trouble when they come sashaying around between a man and his usual girl friend. A little clingy for my taste, but then I’m not a guy. For all I know, they like that sort of thing.
Sherry had played the “poor little me” victim card during our last escapade, claiming that the winery owner had seduced her and dropped her almost immediately thereafter. There was no denying that Kyle was a bad guy, but she had laid it on a bit thick, and Michael had seemed to fall right into her trap—wanting to take care of her.
Poor Bebe. It looked like she might have lost her man this time around. Still, she did have one card left to play. Bebe ran a huge cut flower operation and Sherry worked for her, managing the flower bundler group. It was an important job and it paid pretty well. If Bebe wanted to get tough, she obviously could make a real difference in Sherry’s life.
But knowing Bebe, I was afraid she was prepared to
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