A SUNRISE FLOWER SHOP COZY MYSTERY BOOK ONE

Copyright © 2025 Elizabeth Clover

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Gema Finer Editing

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Contents

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

5. Chapter 5

6. Chapter 6

7. Chapter 7

8. Chapter 8

9. Chapter 9

10. Chapter 10

11. Chapter 11

12. Chapter 12

13. Chapter 13

14. Chapter 14

15. Chapter 15

16. Chapter 16

17. Chapter 17

18. Chapter 18

19. Chapter 19

20. Chapter 20

21. Chapter 21

22. Chapter 22

23. Epilogue

24. Epilogue

Chapter 1

Friday

4:04 pm

Who knew that unraveling a counterfeit luxury bag scheme would cause me to leave my cushy life in Scottsdale, Arizona behind and arrive in Sunrise City, California to run a campsite? I, Dove Davis, certainly didn’t.

I had married my husband for his good heart and his ability to make me laugh. I found out the hard way that he had married me for insider access to designer labels so he could steal them and leave me with counterfeits—as if I wouldn’t notice!

The first thing I did was call my grandma—if anyone could get me out of this mess, it was a persnickety powerhouse of gray hair and lost knee ligaments.

“I hope you’ve been taking your calcium, because you’re going to need some strong bones for this,” she had told me upon hearing my plight. “We’re going to use my old trick. It works every time.”

“What’s that?”

“Make something up!”

We hatched a plan to make it look like I would go to Italy for work when really, I would hop in the car and drive to California.

Which I did.

But my getaway driver was the wife of the man who was driving me out of Scottsdale—Rose Rossi. Her husband, Matteo, was the crime boss my husband worked for. And, because I had discovered his counterfeit ring, if I didn’t skip town immediately, Matteo would have my head.

I couldn’t have that. He may be able to replicate a designer bag, but there was no replicating me. If Matteo caught me, I’d be dead. Gone. Kapoof. I was only thirty-three. I had so much more life to live!

My husband, Kit, the love of my life, got me into this mess after he got in over his head. The night of our fifth year wedding anniversary, he gifted me with a Gucci Jackie 1961 small shoulder bag in Rosso Ancora red. I was the top salesperson at a luxury goods boutique in a five-star, diamond-rated resort, and I knew my way around luxury items. The Jackie was a classic, elegant bag I had my eye on for a while. The gorgeous red hue was to die for, and I was a big fan of the piston clasp.

So when Kit presented me with a Jackie that didn’t have a piston clasp, I knew something was very wrong—after all, he had initially purchased it at my boutique in front of me. I rang him up. That bag had the piston. The one he gave me did not.

I had an eye for details, and Kit was very aware of that. There was no way that I would ever not realize the bag was switched.

Kit worked in the textile industry, and his boss had pulled him into doing illegal schemes with him. Matteo Rossi was working with a factory that produced real luxury bags and was able to purchase replicas to resale. But if anyone was to know about the fakes, they would be in huge trouble, which was why Kit never told me. And of course, I had to uncover the scheme and run for my life.

Rose and I had been driving for hours to get to California and finally had arrived at our new home. That was right—our new home. The same day that I found out that I had to escape was the day Rose decided to leave her husband. Matteo setting Rose up to take the fall for a jewelry heist would do that to someone.

My grandma, Sharon Davis, had recently bought a campsite on a whim. She had always loved her garden and regularly went on hikes, but this was an odd choice. At least Matteo would never think to look for me here.

I stepped out of the car in my Louboutin heels, only to walk on dirt and gravel. I was going to have to find more practical shoes, but the thought of wearing Birkenstocks made me cringe.

I ran my fingers through my stick-straight, dirty blonde hair. I always joked the only dirt I would willingly have on my body was the color of my hair. The joke was now on me. . .

The campsite was not made for glamping. It was a regular dirt patch in the middle of the mountains. I shuddered at the thought of having to sleep in a tent. There were some RV’s parked nearby, with some tents further down the site.

A woman in a tight, upswept bun stepped out of her RV with a steaming cup of tea. She took a moment to admire the mountain view before settling onto a camp chair with a footstool. A peaceful expression overtook her as she sat, just being at one with the day.

Patches of wildflowers all around brought some color to the campsite. When I came across some dandelions, I knelt down to blow on the flower, making a wish. Please let everything work out.

The sun hung high in the air, shining brightly and casting a warm glow. An orange butterfly flitted past me. A campsite wasn’t my first choice, but I suddenly could see the appeal of it. The calm nature of it was breathtaking—especially compared to the normal hustle-and-bustle of my everyday life.

Sharon ushered us inside the office—which, fortunately, was an actual building and not another tent—after insisting we leave our bags in the car. She had three wine glasses set out on the desk inside, with a bottle of Cabernet at the ready, and a bottle of calcium supplements for good measure.

Sharon poured us all a glass. “I’ve got a bottle of gin in the cabinet if you’re in more of a botanical mood. Simon’s business partner, Fiona Shaw, is selling them. It’s pretty good. Simon’s new restaurant is opening up, I’m glad to see it’s by the pier and not stuffed in a casino.”

My cousin Simon ran a casino and Winging It, a wings restaurant in Sunrise City. And if you wanted to know the local gossip of the city, then you wouldn’t have to ask. Sharon would tell you.

I sipped my wine, which was delicious. My grandma had excellent taste. I sank into the chair, rubbing my forehead. “What am I going to do for work? I'm assuming Sunrise City doesn't have a luxury boutique that I can make a killing from commissions?”

“Of course not.” Sharon rolled her eyes, amusement sparkling in them. “You’ll run the campsite with me.”

I shuddered at the thought of welcoming visitors everyday with dirt under my feet and the sun in my face. I was going to have to invest in large quantities of sunscreen. Scottsdale had the heat, but it was so intense that I stayed inside most of the day–and air conditioning was everywhere.

Sharon arched her eyebrows. “I know you're used to pristine environments and flashy lifestyle. I get it. I couldn’t live without my standing appointment at the salon. But I can send you back so this Matteo character can break your kneecaps.”

I had made the choice to come here, there was no denying that. I couldn’t go back to Scottsdale, not until Matteo Rossi decided I was no longer a threat.

I gave my grandma a sidelong glance. “Break my kneecaps?”

“You’re on the lam! Isn’t that what happens if you get caught? If you can’t pay your debts, then you get broken kneecaps.”

“I don’t owe him anything! I just know too much about his replica bag scheme.”

“Hmph. Well, then. You know, I could use some new kneecaps. Mine are ricketier than a broken bridge.”

Rose laughed. “Something tells me there’s a reason your knees aren’t spring chickens anymore. . .and it’s not due to age.”

Sharon winked at her. “We all have our secrets.”

Rose, unlike me, was taking everything in stride. She seemed at ease with leaving her husband and going into hiding, like it was natural for her.

Well, it was definitely not natural for me. Every time I thought about it, the more worried I got. I couldn’t live the rest of my life hiding away—what was I going to do?

I took a deep breath. “Well, do you have a sleeping bag? I’m ready to make the best of this.”

Sharon blinked in surprise. “So you can sleep on the ground? Good heavens, no. I have two spare rooms at my home, and I might as well make use of them.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dove, I know this has been a lot, but I don’t want you worrying all the time while you’re here.” Sharon gave me an empathetic smile. “Rose is right. Nothing gets past me and my creaky knees.”

Rose pulled back her dark curly hair with a hair tie. “I’m looking forward to a slower pace. I want to build a new life for myself—one where I’m not always looking over my shoulder.”

I nodded. This was going to work out. We’d come up with a plan to get Matteo off our backs, and I’d be back in Scottsdale in no time. Right now was just a little getaway to get some rest and relaxation with my grandma and a new friend.

I heard the gentle tone of a wind chime sound outside, providing nice background music to our cozy chat. But then, a THUD suddenly sounded, and we all leapt to our feet.

Sharon peered out the window while Rose systematically scanned the office, checking for potential weapons. She grabbed her chair, her movements cat-like.

She held the chair up as I slowly and carefully opened the front door. For a second, I didn’t see anything—until a man appeared at the entrance of the campsite, far in the distance—and he was running directly toward me. My heart pounded.

How did Matteo find us so soon?

Chapter 2

Friday

4:39 pm

“It’s a wolf!” the man cried.

A flash of gray—gray shirt, gray jacket, gray jeans—ran to the house faster than anytime we played tag as kids. My cousin Simon dashed past me into the house, slamming the door behind him. The bag of chicken wings he was holding barely made it inside.

We all listened at the door, waiting for a wolf to try to break down the door, but nothing happened. I went over to the window, peering out of it. I couldn’t see anything, and I also couldn’t hear anything.

“How do you know it’s a wolf?” I asked him.

Rose kept holding her chair up, ready to launch it at Simon at his first wrong move. Sharon had lifted her wine glass, but lowered it upon seeing her grandson.

Simon’s eyes were frantic. “I got out of my car and immediately heard sounds like an animal walking, and then I heard some sniffing. I look around, and there is this big, dark animal following me! So, I ran!”

”Well, of course! You’re holding tasty chicken!” I slipped off my heels, setting them aside. If I needed to run, it wasn’t going to be in my Louboutins. Then, much to everyone’s dismay, I slowly opened the door.

With a collective gasp as the door creaked open, everyone’s jaw dropped—in pure relief. Calmly sitting on the doorstep, with her tail wagging, was the cutest German Shepherd you ever did see.

I grinned. “This is the wolf?”

Simon stared at the dog. “It all happened so fast. I swear, I thought I saw a wolf.”

I slowly leaned down to pet the black dog. As I scratched her ears, a ladybug flitted by, landing on her nose. The dog just looked up at me, as if asking where her chicken was.

I laughed. “Did you bring any plain wings? Or do they all have spices on them?”

Simon gave me a wry smile. “If I’d known, I would’ve brought Winging It’s special dog meal.”

The ladybug gently walked on the dog’s nose, snuggling into a comfy spot closer to the top. The dog just kept looking at me, wagging her tail.

I motioned the dog to come inside the office. “Come on, my little Ladybug. Let’s get you some water.”

Simon laughed. “You already have a name for her?”

The ladybug flew off as the dog followed me inside. “I’ve got to call her something. It might as well be a sign of good luck. We all need some.”

“I’ve never seen this pup before.” Sharon frowned, and despite her creaky knees, she bent down to pet her head. “Are you lost? Or did you run away?”

The dog just panted happily at her.

“I don’t know what you’re supposed to bring to people escaping a con artist, but I figured this would do.” Simon placed the food on the desk, glancing at Sharon. “Why are we here and not at your place?”

“It’s closer,” she said simply. “It’s good to get out in nature for a minute.”

Simon smirked, looking around the office. “Yes. Indoors is being in nature. It’s not like you don’t have plants at home.”

“And I wanted to make sure they weren’t being followed,” Sharon admonished him while checking her phone. “Looks like we’re good to go.”

“Gianna Amato has been watching, hasn’t she?”

“Of course.” Sharon clasped her hands together, turning to Rose. “Dove and Simon will tell you that I don’t mind being seen while out and about.”

Simon rolled his eyes, grinning broadly. “You always know when Ms. Sharon Davis is in the vicinity.”

Sharon shot him an admonishing glare, but her eyes were sparkling. “At home, however, it’s a different story. I prefer my privacy.”

Her tone grew serious. “And that is why no one is to ever let someone inside my home without my permission. This Matteo person will be nothing compared to what would happen if you betray my trust.”

Rose solemnly nodded. “I’m not here to break the trust of a woman willing to take in a complete stranger.”

Simon and I had grown up with this knowledge, and we knew better than to go against her on it. I had tried to throw a house party in high school one time when Grandma was away. Somehow I got caught before I could even send out invitations.

Sharon had an interesting past, and I was positive no one knew the whole story, just bits and pieces. Gianna Amato, her best friend, probably knew the most out of all of us. I was positive that was how I had gotten caught—one dinner doodling an invitation at Gianna’s authentic Italian restaurant was all it took for these spry ladies to figure it out. Nothing got past them.

“Come on, let’s go.” Ladybug rubbed against Sharon’s legs, and she tried to give her a stern look for touching her delicate knees, but she couldn’t resist and broke into a wry smile. “Bring the bug with you. We can ask around to see who she belongs to.”

“I’ve got to head back to Winging It, but I’ll see you soon.” He tipped an imaginary hat to us, and as he left, he called over his shoulder, “Don’t let any more wolves find you!”

We didn’t leave immediately, as the wings were calling our names. The honey parmesan bbq ones were my favorite. They weren’t even on the menu yet as Simon was playing with the recipe. We scarfed them down like we’d never eaten a day in our lives. Being on the run built up an appetite. Sharon pulled out a to-go container of pasta with a bolognese sauce. She never had been a fan of wings.

While we were getting ready to leave, Rose pulled me to the side. We went outside, and she pretended to inspect a wooden stand at the entrance of the campsite as Sharon doted on Ladybug, getting her some water.

The sign hanging above our heads read, Sunrise Flower Shop. Empty galvanized buckets sat on top of it, with some shelves behind the stand that were hidden away from customers. A solitary spade sat on the empty shelves. I imagined when it was stocked that the stand was gorgeous. All the flowers on it? What a delight.

“Sharon doesn’t let anyone inside her house? Not even her friends? What would cause her to be this way?”

I tilted my head, moving my thoughts to Rose. I was surprised at her reaction. This was the first time she had shown any kind of strong emotion since our journey here began.

“You just want to case it out for jewels,” I teased.

Rose rolled her eyes, but there was a brightness to them. Her movements seemed lighter. “You know I can’t resist a good challenge.”

“I’ve only known you for a very short time, and yes, I’ve picked up on that.” I laughed. “It’s not that people can’t visit her—she just wants it on her terms. She hosts elaborate dinner parties.

“It’s helpful, because no one is going to just drop by—and everyone knows that. In a city this small, if a stranger rolls in, everyone’s going to know. And if Matteo stepped a foot in my grandma’s direction, she’d be warned instantly. It’ll keep us safe.”

Rose blinked. “For someone who’s never lived a life of crime, you sure have a great safe house.”

I gave her a wry smile. “Who knew I’d actually need one?”

Sharon came outside with Ladybug, and the dog hopped into the convertible with us as Sharon followed us to her home in her own car.

I patted Ladybug as we drove up to Sharon’s house. “You can park on the right of the driveway.”

Rose barely heard me, moving the convertible in slow motion. Her eyes were peeled to the front yard of the house, and I grinned. The place was just as I had seen it last time. Well, with a few changes. The sunflowers for one hadn’t been in bloom. And the poppies were a nice touch. 

What Rose was seeing for the first time, though, was the giant maze of flowers leading to the front door. Giant sunflowers were strategically placed all along the yard in a literal maze. Poppies, roses, and other flowers were interspersed along them.

Rose gaped at me, her jaw fully dropped. “This is not what I was expecting.”

“I would have told you, but it’s better just to see it.” I shrugged. “The local ambulances and medical personnel all know they have permission to drive over the flowers in case they need emergency access. You can see the growth on the right by the garage is smaller. That was when Grandma fell in the shower after getting light-headed from her chemo treatments.”

Sharon was in remission from skin cancer, but it had given us all a big scare while she was going through it. The experience had made Sharon more willing to take chances and do things she never had before—like buying a campsite.

Sharon pulled up next to us, parking her car in the garage. We finally made it to the driveway, and she came over to us. 

Sharon gazed at her flower garden with great satisfaction. “The best way to make sure no one disturbs you is to be an elderly lady who sweetly tells you to get off her lawn.”

I nodded, keeping a straight face. “The multiple spades thrown, threats to infest you with spider mites, and the many times a hose has been turned on with the water somehow spraying directly onto passersby also work.”

Rose burst out laughing. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Ladybug, who had been sitting in the car with all top up, suddenly jumped out and sprinted into the sunflower maze.

“Ladybug!” I called out, running after her.

“It’s the same design as the summer you tried to throw a party here,” Sharon called after me.

Immediately knowing what she was talking about—and grimacing—, I took a right, a left, another left, and one more right to get to the front door—but Ladybug wasn’t there.

“Ladybug!”

I heard Sharon and Rose wandering the maze as well, calling out to her.

Turning back around, I took a corner and started exploring every section, until I came to a part where the sunflowers were smaller. No, they weren’t just smaller—they had been cut. Strategically, too. It was just the heads of some flowers here and there, so it wouldn’t draw too much attention. It was odd, and definitely not something my grandma would do.

I heard panting, and a wave of relief rushed through me. The dog was one row over, so I pushed the sunflower stalks apart so I could wiggle into the next row. The way the leaves on the stalks were torn off made me think someone had done this before me.

Ladybug was sitting, wagging her tail and panting heavily after her quick run.

“There you are! Don’t do that to me!” I knelt down and hugged her. “I don’t want you lost again.”

The dog was happy to see me, but she got distracted and started sniffing the ground. I stood, watching her. “What do you smell? Sunflowers? Is there a squirrel?”

Ladybug pushed her nose to a pile of sunflower heads on top of a pile of leaves. That was also odd. The leaves weren’t from anything in my grandma’s garden. It almost looked like it was to cover something, with the flowers on top to distract.

Ladybug dug her snout into the pile of leaves, moving them.

That’s when I saw a woman’s arm—and it wasn’t moving.

Chapter 3

Friday

6:11 pm

Who knew that Sharon’s garden was growing bodies as well as flowers? Well, one body. I really hoped there weren’t any more ready to sprout.

Sharon contacted the authorities, and a detective was swiftly dispatched to the scene, along with his team. The detective was about 5’ 4”, short dark hair and a clean-shaven face. He had a boutonnière by his shirt pocket. He appeared to be in his early forties and was very excited to be at a crime scene, based on the overall pep in his step. He kept bouncing around, looking closely at everything in sight, but had paused before me and was now gazing at the woman’s body, still covered in leaves and sunflowers.

Once I had seen the arm, I had brushed away enough of the leaves to see that she wasn’t breathing. I hadn’t touched anything beyond that. I hadn’t wanted to. Who expected to find a woman dead in a flower garden?

I also wasn’t expecting a detective to introduce himself as, “Hi, I’m Aster Graham, and me and my chiseled abs are going to see what we can do here today.”

I had raised my eyebrows when he said that. “I’m Dove Davis. How many are we talking? Four is solid, but is a six-pack really any better?”

Aster, who had then kneeled down to inspect the body, glanced up at me, confused—until he broke into a broad grin. “That’s the brand of this pen. Try it out. It works great.” He waved his ballpoint pen, taking another one from his shirt pocket and tossing it to me. “So, your dog found this woman, right? You've got a smart pup.”

Ladybug was inside Sharon's house, being watched by Rose. Since we didn't have a leash and collar, and my grandma didn’t have any rope that was long enough, we all thought the best solution was to keep her inside. None of us wanted her to run away again.

“No, we just found her. Well, more like she found us. Have you seen her before?”

Aster shook his head. “Not to my knowledge. You should check to see if she has a microchip.”

“We have an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning.”

Sharon had called up the local vet, Penelope Lozano, and given her a rundown of the situation. Penelope was going to open her office tonight to check Ladybug out. But since Ladybug seemed perfectly okay, and with a body being found, she was fine with waiting until tomorrow.

“What do you think happened here?” My heart went out to her loved ones. I couldn't imagine the devastation and loss they were about to feel. “Do you know her?”

Aster carefully brushed away the sunflowers from the woman's face, and his energy dissipated. A somber expression overtook his face, and he sighed deeply. “I do. Do you?”

I looked at her wavy chestnut hair, freckles across her nose, and a tattoo of a wildflower behind her ear. “I've never seen this woman before.”

“This is Emily Stoll. She runs the flower shop at Sunrise Campsite. I had just bought a bouquet from her this morning. Emily even gave me this boutonnière because someone was supposed to pick it up and never did. She didn't want it to go to waste and told me it would bring me good luck.” Aster rubbed his forehead. “I should have told her to wear it instead.”

A loud gasp sounded behind us. “That’s Emily Stoll! This is impossible, I just bought flowers from her this morning.” Sharon had come over to us after checking on Ladybug and Rose in the house. She frowned, giving Aster a hard look. “Where’s Detective Leonor?”

“Her area is closer to the water. I cover the mountain region of the city.” Aster rubbed his palms together. “Do you have any idea of anyone at odds with Emily?”

“At odds? I. . . You don’t think. . .” I trailed off looking back and forth between Sharon and Aster.

Aster stood, and I suddenly saw the full view of Emily. She was wearing a gardening apron over denim overalls, with some dirt on her cheek. She looked like someone who loved a garden as much as my grandma did.

“Oh, Vincent is going to lose his mind.” Sharon glanced at me. “Emily’s husband.”

“I'm not going to like the conversation I'm going to have to have with him. Seriously, though, do you know anyone who she had an argument with, a disagreement, or anything strange that you might have noticed?”

Sharon thought for a moment. “She was on the phone with Beau Knight, who was supposed to pick up a boutonnière. It sounded like he was canceling, and she was not happy about it. Emily said she made it as a special order.”

Aster nodded, gesturing to his shirt pocket. “Oh, that's who this was supposed to be for.”

“It was for the groomsmen of Grayson Dunn’s wedding that’s tomorrow. I think Beau was backing out.”

Aster’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Again?”

Sharon shrugged. “He didn’t pick up the boutonnière, so it sounded like this time it’s sticking.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why does Beau not want to be a groomsman?”

Aster and my grandma exchanged a knowing look. “Beau thinks Grayson stole a buyer from him. They're both real estate agents.”

I looked between them. “Did he?”

“I don’t know. Beau says one story, and Grayson has another version. They’ve always been competitive,” said Sharon.

“They're the best of friends, but when they fight, things get heated.” Aster added.

“How heated?”

Aster blinked. “Oh, I don’t think this has anything to do with Emily. They argue with each other, not her.” He sighed again. “But, as a detective, I do have to explore all angles. Thanks for letting me know, Sharon. And Dove, I’m sorry you had to find this. Sunrise City has a lot of wonderful things to offer. You should explore them.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I had grown up here and already knew of its–normally–peaceful existence. I had moved to Scottsdale after high school, and apparently, a lot had changed in my absence. Sharon had a campsite, there was a death in her front yard, and I didn’t know this detective. I’m sure there were many more people I didn’t know of now–like Beau and Grayson.

A thought occurred to me, and I tilted my head. “Why did Beau have to pick up his boutonnière the day before? Don’t you normally get flowers on the day of a wedding?”

I had, for mine. I had red roses as the center point of my bouquet, and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Well, except for the look on Kit’s face as I walked down the aisle. My husband had the expression of there’s no one else in the world except for you. I shared that sentiment. It was the perfect wedding.

It made me melancholic for what had been and how things were now. What was I going to do? I couldn’t stay hidden forever. I knew Kit had just gotten in over his head, but there had to be a way to figure this out so our lives could go back to normal. Right?

Aster continued his investigation, and I went inside as Sharon hovered over him, watching his every move. Rose was sitting on the couch, watching a baking competition show. Ladybug was curled up beside her. I went over and plopped down next to her. Ladybug jumped up and started licking my face. “No, stop that!” I turned away, laughing. It was a nice release from the serious atmosphere outside.

“I can watch Ladybug if you want to go see the action.” I grimaced. Inaction, really.

Rose stretched her legs. “I saw a dead body once. I was casing out an older lady’s home for her absolutely pristine jewelry collection. I slipped past her, asleep in her bed, and swiped a few gold pieces with diamonds, emeralds, and garnets. The next day the news broke that she was found dead. She had passed away in her sleep the day before I was in there, and it had taken a couple days before someone checked in on her.” She shook her head. “I don’t need to see another body.”

“What did you do with the goods?”

She shrugged. “Sold them. What was she going to use them for, anyway?”

“What about her family?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “If it took them two days to find her, they wouldn't need her jewelry.”

“I mean, two days isn’t that long. It wasn’t like they hadn’t checked on her in two weeks.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t.” Rose shuddered. “I knew the family. They’ve got plenty without her riches.”

A knock sounded on the door just then.

“Hey, Dove, another question for you. Did you notice anything out of place when you found her?” Aster popped his head in, but immediately stood still upon seeing us on the couch. More specifically, upon seeing Rose.

His eyes widened. “I know you.”

Hers narrowed. “I don’t think you do.”

“Oh, yes I do. You’re the up-to-no-good jewel thief from Maricopa County. I’d know you anywhere!”

Chapter 4

Friday

7:49 pm

My heart started beating fast. How did Aster know that Rose was a jewel thief? From Maricopa County? This was not a shot in the dark. This was not top-notch detective work. Aster knew Rose. There was no way he didn’t. And, judging by the dawning realization in Rose’s eyes, she knew him too.

Rose stood up, and Ladybug stood with her. “Aster Graham?” she asked in disbelief.

Ladybug looked between them, suddenly wary.

“Yup, it’s me,” Aster said simply.

Rose broke out into a broad grin. “Aster! It’s been too long!”

They embraced in a hearty hug, and I was surprised. This was not the tense situation I was expecting. This seemed to be a. . .reunion, of sorts.

“It’s the jewel thief of Maricopa County!” Aster said with pride.

“And you’re the murderer of Los Angeles!” Rose exclaimed.

I put my hands on my hips. “Someone want to explain what’s going on?”

They both laughed.

“We were at a theater camp in high school. I played a jewel thief, and Aster pretended to be a murderer. It was so much fun. I can’t believe you went straight! You’re an actual detective now,” Rose shook her head. “I always think about that summer with the best memories. I should have tried to find you.”

Aster laughed, a hint of sadness overcoming him. “I tried to find you so many times. You disappeared. And to see you now, in my city, in such a strange circumstance. . .” His smile matched Rose’s. “It’s perfect.”

“You think so?”

“You’re worth the wait.” Aster was dead serious, in the most genuine way. I was about to make an excuse to leave the room, to give them a moment, when Ladybug jumped up on both of them, one paw on Rose, the other on Aster.

After that, Aster finished his investigation, and the coroner carefully transported Emily out of the garden. Once everyone left, Sharon, Rose, Ladybug, and I spent the rest of the evening watching some television and going to bed early. It had been a long day. Ladybug curled up on my bed with me, and we drifted off to sleep with dreams of a better tomorrow.

The next day, I woke up earlier than I wanted when Sharon came into my room and sang good morning to us. I yawned, and Ladybug jumped onto the floor and did a big stretch.

Sharon started every morning with a brisk walk and a cup of room-temperature water with a squeeze of lemon. This morning was no different—except for the dog and I joining her. All on my grandma’s insistence, I might add.

“You need a routine! You have to know how to play the game so you can break the rules!” She had generously explained to us.

I did enjoy a nice morning hike, but yesterday’s events made me want to sleep for a month. Unfortunately, both Sharon and Ladybug were wide awake and dragged me to the campsite with them. Rose was lucky enough to sleep in, undisturbed.

We walked by an RV, and the woman I saw yesterday drinking tea waved to us. “It’s a good morning, isn’t it?”

“It is indeed,” Sharon responded brightly.

“Good morning, indeed. . .” The woman was the picture of calmness, sitting back and taking in the day, but something seemed to be stirring underneath. The way she spoke seemed performative and rehearsed, even. A man’s voice sounded in her RV, and her peacefulness turned sour quickly.

“If he’s messing with the microwave setting again. . .” she grumbled to herself while heading inside.

Sharon didn’t seem to find anything strange about it.

“Thank you for seeing us so quickly. Silas Lozano recommended you a while back, but I haven’t had any pets staying with me until now.” 

Penelope grinned. “My dad’s my number one supporter. And who is this lovely young pup?”

“She found us at Sunrise Campsite yesterday, but I don’t know who she belongs to.” I lifted my shoulders. “We’re calling her Ladybug.”

“Ladybug! What a beautiful name. Ladybug and I are going to take a little walk to my examination room, and we’ll be right back.”

Ladybug happily went with Penelope, and Sharon and I waited for their return.

“Your Rose has plenty of thorns, I see.”

I shot my grandma a wry look. “What do you mean? And I barely know her!”

Sharon took out a nail file from her purse and started filing her nails. She never missed her weekly hair salon appointment, but never fussed too much with her nails. “I spend too much time in the garden to keep up with them!” she always said.

“Diamonds are mesmerizing and durable, like Rose herself.” Sharon inspected her nails, frowning at them. I had told her about Rose’s past and the reason she was fleeing Scottsdale with me. There was no reason to hide it, and I wanted everyone on the same page. Whenever I sold luxury goods at the boutique, I always told my clients upfront the merits—and possible flaws—of the goods. It worked really well as a selling technique for me.

Penelope returned with Ladybug, who was so excited to see us again. She immediately tried to lick our faces, wagging her tail the whole time.

“I have good news for you. Miss Ladybug is in good health.”

We breathed sighs of relief.

“She doesn’t have a microchip, so finding her original owner could be difficult. It would be easier if we had contact information for them.”

I breathed an internal sigh of relief at that. As much as I wanted to reunite the pup with her family, I also selfishly wanted to keep her as my own. I couldn’t explain it, but from the moment I laid eyes on her, I was in love. The only time I’d experienced that before was when I had first met Kit. And that had been the most amazing experience until. . . Well. . .

As easy as it would be to blame my husband for my current predicament, I just couldn’t. I knew he had been trying to protect me by not telling me his boss was a criminal mastermind. I also knew that he let me figure out what was happening as a way of saying he was in over his head. I was fine with that. What I wasn’t fine with was. . .the whole situation!

I hadn’t asked to have to run away in the middle of the night—all right, early morning. . .with the wife of the criminal mastermind. I was still processing what had happened—and what was happening.

I shuddered at the thought of Matteo Rossi finding us. I couldn’t say for sure what would happen if he found us, but I knew my life would never be the same if he did.

That being said, my life now would never be the same. What was my life now? Who was I? How would Kit factor in now?

I didn’t know how long this exile would last, and Kit and I needed a game plan to handle it. Everything had happened so fast that we hadn’t stopped to think. And now that I was back in my hometown, I was stopping to think.

Ladybug brushed up against me just then, looking up at me with such happiness. I couldn’t help but feel hopeful. I had always wanted a dog, and Kit had always been on-board with it. It had just never been the right timing. The most unsurprising part of all of this would be me walking away with a dog.

I looked at the pup, and she looked back at me. I almost started crying. Everything that had led up to this moment was so emotional, and it was all so new.

Sharon patted my knee. “Let it out.”

Turning to Penelope, she asked, “Does she have fleas?”

“None detected so far,” Penelope professionally answered.

Sharon was notorious for being a crotchety lady who said what she thought, but was super sweet if she let you in. You just had to get past her hard exterior.  I had decades of experience in this, but I was also lucky enough to be her granddaughter.

My mother, a single woman who raised me, chose to do so while living at her mother’s home. It was the best decision she made—she would say having me was her best decision. My father wasn’t involved, but the women in my life were my everything. They taught me how to be treated, how to change a tire, and how to pair your handbag with your shoes.

Mom fell in love and moved after I went to college, but before that, we all lived in Sharon’s house. There was a reason she had two open rooms.

My old room was like a time capsule—if it was updated to the current day. Some of my childhood drawings, band posters, and so on were framed and hanging on the walls. It was very updated and beautiful, with many houseplants I would never have kept alive growing up.

I took a deep breath. “What do we do now?”

“What do you want to do?” Penelope asked gently. “I don’t have any way of contacting Miss Ladybug’s prior family. I can see if anyone is looking to adopt, or she can go to the animal shelter to find a new home. There are a few rescue groups out there as well.”

“I don’t want to take her away from anyone,” I said seriously.

Penelope gave me a soft smile. “You’re all she has right now.”

Sharon’s eyes shot daggers. “Hmph. And I am?”

“Why, Sharon, I had no idea you were such a dog lover!” Penelope guided us back into the lobby, where she showed us a display of collars, leashes, and bandanas. “I think Ladybug would love this set, don't you?”

She pulled out ones with ladybugs all over them, and Sharon instantly melted.

“Do you have more?” Sharon winked at me knowingly. “What if it gets dirty? We’ll have to have another set for wash day. I know the lady will need to be fashionable.”

I patted some rogue tears that had slipped out. “I still want to ask around and put up flyers,” I warned.

“Of course.” Sharon nodded emphatically. “We can ask around at the cafe too—I need to pick up something for the wedding. I’ve only got a few hours.”

I frowned. “The wedding is still on schedule?”

“Most unfortunately, the death of a florist isn’t impeding it in any way, especially when you take into consideration the boutonnières.”

Penelope blinked. “The death of. . .boutonnières. . .” A sad realization overcame her. “Not Emily Stoll?”

“Laid to rest in a bed of sunflowers, if it’s any consolation.” Sharon cleared her throat. “I wonder if Mr. Graham is keeping this quiet to not scare off his suspects.”

“I’m sure he contacted them already,” I said.

Sharon didn’t seem to share my confidence. We finished up with Penelope, and Ladybug got a new collar, leash, and lots of treats.

We then headed to Sunrise Cafe, where Sharon assured me their food and drinks were quite tasty.

The cafe was relaxing with rhythmic ocean waves just feet away from the sand, where the exterior tables were.

“If you want answers, this is the best place to find them,” Sharon also assured me as we bypassed the seating in the sand and plopped down at the bar. A prominent sign displayed a drawing of a tequila sunrise—here at Sunrise Cafe, it was named a Sunrise Hurricane.

A grizzled man with sunglasses wrapped around his head with a lanyard looked up from a maritime adventure book he was engrossed in.

He sipped his Sunrise Hurricane. “I see Ms. Sharon Davis is honoring us with her presence.”

“Oh, Silas. Have you met my granddaughter, Dove?” Sharon waved her hand. To me, she said, “This is Penelope’s father, Silas Lozano. She made sure our new friend here is in good health.”

Ladybug wagged her tail, looking at Sharon.

“We found her without a collar, and she doesn’t have a microchip,” I said. “Do you know if anyone is missing her?”

The bartender, a man in his thirties with biceps bigger than Silas’s drink and a jagged scar across his nose, glanced at us. “The last time I saw a dog without a home was when Isla, our line cook, rescued her out there in the water.” He tilted his head toward the ocean. “My fellow bartender ended up taking her home. Now Clementine and Splash are happy as can be. Maybe that’s the same for you. I’m Sebastian, by the way.”

“Hey, Isla!” Sebastian waved her over. “Remember when you rescued Splash?”

“How could I forget?” Isla loudly responded.

Sebastian whipped up a couple Sunrise Hurricanes for us, and I clapped when he made a big display of lighting them on fire. It was a spectacular sight, and that was when I noticed the bar top was slightly scorched.

Sebastian noticed me looking at it. “It’s nothing. Clementine likes putting on a show for customers.”

Silas snorted into his drink at that.

After a refreshing drink, Sharon started eyeing her watch. “I’ve got to start getting ready, or I’ll be late!”

Everyone at the cafe assured me they’d keep an ear out for anyone missing a dog, and Silas tipped an imaginary hat to us. “Enjoy the wedding. I’ll be watching from right here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I don’t know the young couple that well, but I always appreciate a beautiful wedding. It’s something, isn’t it?” He gestured to the sand, where a gorgeous white archway with flowers stood, with many chairs before it. Many people were moving around, setting everything up. “When my wife and I got married, it was the best day in the world. Until Penelope was born, of course.”

“I’ll be here, too,” Sebastian chimed in. “Dove, you’re welcome to join us. Sharon, try not to set a fire with the sparklers as the couple is leaving. You know, like at Emily’s wedding.”

If looks could kill, the one Sharon was giving Sebastian would have him dead on the ground. “It was a mistake! It was a faulty sparkler. That brand got recalled the next week.” She surveyed him curiously. “Bold of you to say such a thing.”

“I’m not a wedding guest, and I’m not working the brunch here tomorrow that the guests are invited to. I can say anything I’d like since I didn’t sign an NDA.”

Chapter 5

Saturday

10:18 am

I blinked, turning to my grandma. “You signed an NDA to attend the wedding? ‘Bold of you’. . . You can’t mention Emily’s name?”

“It’s a long story, but yes. And since I can’t say anything, and Sebastian here doesn’t know much more than what he said, I really do need to get home to change.”

And with that, we rushed home, and she got dressed just in time for Simon to pick her up. Simon dressed in a gray suit with cologne instead of his usual hint of fried chicken, and Sharon wore a floral dress with a sunhat.

“The venue is outdoors, so I might as well give myself some shade,” she told me while adjusting her hat in the hall mirror.

“Before you cast any shade?” I answered wryly.

She tossed me a disapproving look that turned into a broad grin when she looked away from me as they left.

Rose and I sat on the couch, deciding what to do next. Ladybug was chewing on a toy on the rug below us.

We both waited a moment before suddenly jumping in with ideas.

“How about—” Rose started, as I said, “What if—” in the same breath.

Rose crossed her legs. “You, first.”

“We need to find out why Beau was arguing with Emily about cancelling the boutonnière pickup. Was it really because of Grayson? Was it something else?”

“I was just thinking about that, too. I wish I knew.” Rose turned contemplative. “With my. . .background. . .I’m used to having a plan in place, and then figuring things out on the spot if something goes awry. I don’t usually figure something out after the fact.”

I frowned. “You don’t go over what went wrong after?”

Sales required a constant questioning of “How did you do?” “What could you have done better?” “How could you improve?”

I was used to analyzing my actions.

“Maybe if I had, I would have seen my husband betraying me.”

I looked over to her to see her, looking intensely at her hands, appearing as if she was having a whole separate conversation in her head. “How are you doing with that? Are you happy with the decision to leave him and come here?”

Rose let out a low laugh as she inspected her red-polished nails. “I slipped away when he was preoccupied with a business meeting. I left him no note and gave him no warning. Let’s have him worry about me for once.”

“Are you sure?” I had to admit, it made me a little worried for our safety. I didn’t like anything that would motivate Matteo to find us.

“I gave up trying to figure him out a long time ago.” Rose shrugged. “What were you going to say earlier? ‘What if?’”

I let out a deep breath. “What if we. . .inconspicuously. . .joined the wedding guests? It’s a large wedding. They might not notice.”

Rose sat up straight. “Now that is an excellent idea—and one I was going to suggest myself.”

“If we’re stuck here, we might as well make ourselves useful,” I said.

“Stuck here?’”

“You know what I mean.”

Rose watched me carefully. “I can find us another hideout if you don’t want to be here.”

“No, I like it here. I really do.” I sighed. “I just don’t know what to do with myself. I’m used to. . .you know, having a life I’m in charge of. One where my husband is with me.”

“I get that,” she nodded. Rose stood up, and Ladybug sat up as well. “Let’s do this.”

“Okay, but wait a moment,” I quickly said.

“What is it?” Rose and Ladybug waited expectantly.

I grimaced. “How do we do this?”

“I’ve got this.” Rose rubbed her palms together, and then her face fell. “I’m good with disguises, but I did not bring the right clothing for a wedding.”

“I didn’t either,” I admitted. “But I know where we can find some.”

I led her to Sharon’s closet, which was full of gorgeous pieces in various sizes. She refused to get rid of anything, saying she might go back down in weight or maybe increase after a few too many meals at L’amore di Gianna. Plus, she liked looking at them and thinking of the memories she made in them.

I chose a pastel blue satin dress with tiny yellow flowers all over, and after a few try-ons, Rose went with a shimmering gold dress with spaghetti straps. My grandma’s wardrobe was extensive, with clothes for every occasion. 

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

Rose laughed. “If what Sharon said is true, it's a big outdoor wedding, which are the easiest to blend into when you are trying to not be noticed. We just have to act—and look—like we belong.”

So, after telling Ladybug to be good and not chew anything up, we headed to the wedding. The dog was left with food, water, and toys, so hopefully that would keep her out of trouble until we returned.

Grayson Dunn’s wedding was set at the beach, with the reception a few steps away at Sunrise Cafe. We arrived before the ceremony began and casually blended in with the guests at the back of the seating area. There were about two hundred white chairs set up, facing an arch with sunflowers intertwined with vines.

I saw a table behind us with a water pitcher and a bunch of hand-held fans neatly lined up. “Do you want water? A fan?”

Rose shaded her face with her hand. “I’ll take a fan.”

It was a hot day, and a glass of water was just what I needed. As I poured it, a woman came up next to me, waving her hand over her face. I offered her the glass I had just poured, and she downed it gratefully. That was when I noticed she was wearing a mermaid-shaped white dress with her hair and makeup perfectly styled.

“Do you want me to bring you anything backstage, so to speak, so you can make your grand entrance?” I’d worked with enough high-end clientele to know that the guest-of-honor was the one to be catered to. So, why was the bride getting her own water where everyone could see her?

“I’m about to head up—I just couldn’t wait.” She grabbed a fan. “It’s so warm today.”

The bride clutched at the clasp of her 18-karat gold necklace, adjusting it. The clasp appeared faulty, which made me wonder if it was a delicate family heirloom. A new necklace wouldn’t behave like this one was. It was intricately designed with stunning diamonds and yellow sapphires. The necklace had to be worth as much—if not more—than her wedding dress.

“I’ve got to go.” She ran off abruptly, and I watched her disappear into Sunrise Cafe.

I joined Rose at our seats as a woman in a rush plopped down next to me.

“I need one of those fans. Staging homes and planning a wedding aren’t as similar as you may think. Hi, I’m Emerald Summerfield. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, please let me know so you can steal me away from this mess.”

I graciously laughed as Rose gave her a knowing smile.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not even the wedding planner here. I’m just getting all the decor up and running. I’m glad that Grayson and Beau figured it out. I can’t change the order of where everyone goes one more time.” She clasped her hands together. “Plus, as agents on my team, I like having them get along. There’s nothing like a little healthy competition, but this has been too much.”

She suddenly blinked, looking at us as if she saw us for the first time. “This must be all too much for you two as well. My apologies, I am running on three hours of sleep and way too much coffee. You’re just the first people I’ve seen who aren’t involved in any way with this wedding, so my lips ran a little loose.”

I waited, testing, to see if she would ask why we were here, but she just sat back and tried to relax.

Unfortunately for her, I poked at her relaxation with some questions that no one had been able to answer so far.

“What has been going on with Grayson and Beau?”

Emerald sighed. “A client spoke to both Beau and Grayson about being their agent for listing a house and went with Grayson. Grayson didn’t do anything wrong, however Beau was hurt that his person didn’t pick him. These things happen.”

Sharon, who was sitting much closer to the front, turned around to see everyone who had arrived. She saw us, her eyes widening, but touching her hat in greeting. I could practically feel her watching me, knowing what we were up to.

Rose leaned over to me. “Your grandma is a formidable woman.”

“Don’t I know it,” I groaned.

Rose rubbed her palms together. “I can’t wait to be her someday.”

The music began, and we all stood and turned to see Sage making her grand entrance. She glided down the aisle. Every movement seemed effortless and graceful.

“Oh, here we go. Isn’t Sage just stunning?” Emerald sighed happily.

Watching her meet her groom, a rush of memories flooded into my head. I remembered walking down the aisle of my own wedding.

It had also been outdoors, just swapping the beach for a desert landscape. Seeing Kit waiting for me at the end of the aisle was everything to me. The pure love and joy on his face was mesmerizing. He only had eyes for me, and I only had eyes for him. Our vows were simple, sweet, and full of meaning.

Sage and Grayson had that same glow about them. When the time came for their vows, Grayson said the most beautiful things about Sage. She listened intently, tearing up at the nice things he said and fanning herself. It was her turn, and she wobbled, moving back and forth on her feet. Waving the fan in front of her face, she took a deep breath.

But instead of saying her vows, she fainted, tumbling down as Grayson swooped her up before she could hit the ground.

Emerald sprang up. “Not again!”

Chapter 6

Saturday

2:47 pm

“Again?” I asked Emerald.

Emerald didn’t take her eyes off Sage as her soon-to-be-husband attended to her. One of the guests rushed over to her.

“Oh good, she’s a doctor.” Emerald nodded toward the guest, turning back to me in relief. “Sage fainted at her rehearsal dinner too, right when she was about to make a speech. Evangeline, one of the bridesmaids, told me.”

After the doctor made it clear she would be all right, and Sage was supplied with plenty of liquids, the wedding ceremony continued without a hitch.

Sage said her vows, which brought everyone to tears, and they sealed their new union with a kiss.

They walked back up the aisle to an upbeat, happy song, and then we headed to the reception, which wasn't too far from the ceremony. It was held at a community center, transformed beautifully into a reception hall.

There was a wall of donuts, all held up by wooden pegs. Each donut was expertly decorated to look like a wedding ring.

Instead of a wedding cake, there was a table full of cupcakes, each one more impressive than the last. Each was shaped into flowers and succulents, and they looked so realistic.

The guestbook had a spot for everyone to press their thumbs onto a pad of ink then place it onto a branch to make a leaf on a giant tree drawn in the book. Cleansing wipes were provided in a pretty glass jar next to it. Rose and I weren’t about to put our thumbprints on a document, but it was a nice touch for everyone not on the run.

We awkwardly tried to make it seem as if we belonged. But everyone began sitting down, and it was becoming obvious we had no table.

Fortunately, Sage walked past us, tapping me on my shoulder. “Hey, thanks for the fan earlier.”

I clasped my hands together. “Of course! I wish it could have helped more.”

“Yeah, it turns out that I didn’t eat enough, I was stressed about everyone looking at me, and I just got overwhelmed. Grayson wanted a big wedding, but I didn’t want to be the center of attention. That’s just not me.”

I frowned. “He didn’t listen to what you wanted?”

Sage smoothed her dress, a big grin flashing on her face. “Oh, no he did. That’s the problem! This wedding is perfect! It’s exactly what I wanted. It’s big, like Grayson wanted, with all the fun details that I wanted. I was so worried it wouldn’t go right, and when it was flawless, I collapsed. Self-sabotage at its finest, am I right?

“Although, one little detail that didn’t go to plan. . .or should I say two details?” Sage nodded to Rose. She winked. “I won’t tell if you won’t. I’ll consider this my ‘something new.’ By the way, what are your names? I’ve been too in my head to remember details.”

“Rose Rossi.”

“Dove Davis.”

“Oh, you’re related to Simon and Sharon? If I knew you were in town, I would have invited you.”

“That’s so thoughtful of you,” I said. I had heard stories of Simon’s good friend Grayson, and I knew that he was getting married soon. Simon really liked Sage, so I was glad that I liked her, too.

Sage directed us to a table in the middle of the room with two empty plates. She lowered her voice. “A couple of people ended up not being able to make it.” Louder, she said, “Enjoy! Your table has the best people. Of course, all the tables do.”

I recognized Emerald as one of the people sitting at Table Seven. She winked, raising her cocktail. “You bet they do!”

“I’m so glad you were able to make it last minute. Simon and Sharon are dear friends, and I’ve heard amazing things about you and your friend.” And with that, Sage left us to enjoy the reception as she headed back to her own table.

The last part of what she had said was a broad statement, considering I knew Sage knew nothing about Rose—I barely knew her!—but it was a nice gesture. We weren’t wedding crashers anymore.

Soon after, Grayson stood up, clinking his spoon against his champagne glass. Everyone quieted and turned their attention to the newlyweds.

“I wanted to thank everyone for coming,” Grayson began. “I know some of you have traveled from far distances, and I can’t tell you how much that means to us—that you were able to celebrate our special day with us. To my lovely wife, Sage, I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m sure you all have heard it before, but I can’t resist telling the story of how we met.

“I was in my first year of working in real estate when I met someone who needed an apartment. I was getting my foot in the door, and I loved leases. The other agents on my team didn’t want to do them, so they passed them off to me so I could get some experience. So, I took that and ran with it.

“When this wonderful woman came into my life, she thought she wanted a one-bedroom apartment in the heart of Sunrise City. And she was right, of course. Sage had come to Sunrise City on a girls' trip a year before and couldn’t get it out of her head. She told everyone, ‘I am young, and this is my opportunity to try something new. Why not? If I don’t like it, I can just move back home.’”

Sage leaned over to speak into the microphone Grayson was using. “I think I can say that I found my new home.”

Everyone laughed, and Grayson graciously passed the microphone to her.

“I found my new home in Sunrise City,” Sage continued, looking lovingly at Grayson. “But more importantly, I found a new home in Grayson. He makes me feel safe, loved, and the most important person every day. I am so grateful to have found him, even though all I wanted when I first moved here was some sunshine and the beach. Thank you all for being here with us, so we can all enjoy everything I wanted and more.”

We all clapped. I noticed a few people wiping their eyes. Sage’s words were eloquent and heart-felt.

Dinner was served after that. I ate watermelon cubes with burrata and balsamic vinegar, a garden salad with a strawberry vinaigrette dressing, and filet mignon with a blueberry glaze.

After the delicious meal, Grayson and Sage had their first dance. Everyone joined the dance floor after their dance ended, and we waved our arms and bobbed our heads to the upbeat music. Eventually, Rose and I took a break and sank into our chairs at Table Seven.

Rose fanned herself. “This is the best wedding I’ve been to in ages.”

I agreed. It was definitely the best wedding since my own. This venue was stunning, the newlyweds were head over heels in love, and the guests were vibrant and welcoming. I noticed Sharon murmuring to a woman with dark, thick, curly hair and glasses that took up the entire top half of her face. Gianna—my grandma's best friend—adjusted her silk shawl.

Considering these two ladies were usually the loudest in any given room, my suspicions were high. I casually walked over to them, and they instantly quieted.

“She already knows.” Sharon waved her hand dismissively. “She’s the one who found Emily.”

“Sharon!” Gianna slapped her friend's knee, and Sharon winced.

“You know that’s my bad knee!”

“They’re equally bad,” Gianna scoffed. Her expression softened as she looked at me. “That must’ve come as a terrible shock. How are you holding up?”

I held out my hands. “Nothing’s gonna stop me from attending a party.”

Sharon laughed. “Indeed.”

“Poor Emily.” Gianna shook her head. “Her husband must be devastated.”

“And there’s no way he would have been allowed here,” said Sharon. “Dove, you may be able to crash a wedding, but Vincent would definitely not have.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“If you think Grayson and Beau’s tiff was bad, you wouldn’t believe what happened with Grayson and Vincent.”

I sat down. The rest of their table was empty, as everyone was pulling out their best moves to the Macarena on the dance floor.

“You didn’t say anything about that to Aster.”

“Didn’t I?” Sharon tapped her temple. “My age must be catching up to my memory.”

“Your memory is excellent. You just don’t trust him.”

Sharon primly took a sip of her wine. “How can I? I don’t know him yet.”

I wryly smiled at the ‘yet.’

“Besides, Gianna is the one who knows the whole story. I’ve just heard bits and pieces.”

Gianna nodded. “I was there when it happened. Grayson and Vincent were at my restaurant last week for dinner.”

“Why does Grayson get into all these arguments?”

“He’s hot-headed and passionate. He lives hard, plays hard, and fights hard.”

A tall woman wearing a pale yellow dress with a yellow daisy tucked in her hair collapsed into a chair at my grandma’s table just then. She reached for the fan next to her plate and began fanning herself.

Sharon clapped. “Ivy, I saw those dance moves!”

“Oh, thank you, thank you. Normally, I’m in the background of these things, so it’s been so much fun to take advantage of both dancing and great food.” She glanced at me. “I’m Ivy Spade, the local florist here. You must be Dove. Sharon told me so much about you.”

Sharon had mentioned before that she used to get her flowers from Ivy, but ever since Emily opened the stand, it was far more convenient to shop there. Plus, Sharon usually had more than enough flowers to pick from her own garden anyway.

I noticed Gianna looking at her with weariness behind her eyes, so I asked a question I hoped might clear things up—for me, anyway. Gianna and Sharon were treading lightly here.

“Do you normally get your wholesale flowers from Emily? Her stand is absolutely beautiful. I was devastated to hear the news.”

My words were intended to form a couple of conclusions: One, what was Ivy’s relationship with Emily? And two, had Ivy heard about Emily yet?

“It’s very sad to hear. She was a wonderful woman, and now she won’t steal anyone’s designs any longer. A win-win.”

Emily and Ivy did not seem to have good relations. I knew word traveled fast in Sunrise City, but it was hard to see while at a joyous wedding.

“How could you say such a thing?” Gianna admonished.

“It’s not my fault. She’s a thief,” the florist sniffed.

“She’s gone,” I said. “What’s bringing the past up going to do?”

“Nothing.” The florist brightened, looking around the venue. “Ivy only made the boutonnières for the wedding. I’m responsible for everything else.”

Gianna shook her head, as if this pettiness was something that had happened before. “This is what Emily’s husband, Vincent, and Grayson were fighting about.”

“I wish Emily were here herself, so I could speak directly to her. Talking to Vincent is so annoying. He blindly follows her and supports her no matter what.”

I thought of my own relationship with Kit. Was it blindness, or just being supportive?

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Don’t you make a new creation each time? Maybe I just don’t know how florists work.”

“I have a poster with pre-made designs,” the florist answered. “A lot of the time, people don’t know how to articulate what they want in their flowers, so it helps them explain what they want versus what they know. I can add or subtract a flower, some leaves, you name it. It’s a great starting point.

“My problem with Emily is that she started doing the same thing. She runs a flower stand, for goodness sake. I’m an actual florist. I have a shop in the heart of the city. If you want wedding flowers, you come to me. You don’t go to the little itty-bitty shop at the edge of the city—you have to step in dirt to get there!”

I smiled. “Aren’t flowers dirty?”

“Not when you get them from me. I clean them up nice. Oh, there’s Sage. I need to see how she liked the arrangements. Excuse me.” Ivy dashed after the bride, who was making her rounds with Grayson, talking to everyone.

I turned to Gianna. “Are there any other arguments going on? Especially in regard to Emily?”

She shot me a wide grin. “Why, Dove, I didn’t realize you were a detective.”

Her hush tone was long gone now. After speaking with Ivy, her voice was back to its normal volume.

It was Sharon’s turn to lightly slap Gianna on the knee.

“I don’t have knee problems,” Gianna shrugged. She winked at me. “Just back problems.”

Sharon made a face. “We shouldn’t be discussing such a sad affair at such a happy time.”

Gianna let out a roaring laugh. “And what have we been doing this whole time?”

Sharon folded her arms. “If Dove wants to be a detective, then she needs to find the remaining two suspects. And they’re both here, dancing their hearts away.”

I glanced at the dance floor. There was quite a crowd there. “Are they anyone I would know?”

“You definitely know one of them. I’m not sure about the other.”

I groaned. Being away for so long meant that there were now a lot of people I didn’t know. But, looking around at the guests, I also recognized quite a few people here. One man, in particular. We’d always been competitive growing up, always trying to best each other.

I nodded to him. “What about Teddy Finnegan? He always had a conniving side to him.”

Sharon chuckled. “He’s a salesman. He’s trying to make a deal, not murder someone. That kind of kills the sale, don’t you think?”

“Can you give me a hint?”

“That wouldn’t be any fun, now, would it?”

“Someone’s dead. Don’t you care?”

“Of course I care,” Sharon snapped. “I want to know why you care.”

“I care because even though lying in a flower bed is a beautiful way to spend your last moments, no one should spend them in fear. Take out fear. No one should spend them there against their will. Your garden is your sacred space. No one touches it. So the fact that someone went in without your permission—and in such a horrible way—is just not acceptable.”

Sharon had a faraway look in her eyes. “Have I told you why I don’t allow anyone on my property without my permission?”

“Not in so many words.”

“As you know, I used to sell irons. I started off selling them door-to-door and worked my way up the corporate ladder. There’s nothing better than a firm crease in your pants or a steamed shirt. Going door-to-door was a lot of fun because I got to meet a lot of different people. When I started working out of the office, things got more complicated. 

“There was a man who was tipped to be the next vice president of the company. In a twist of events, I was named V.P. I had better qualifications, to be quite honest, and was better liked.

“Now, I’ve never been able to prove who did this, but the next morning I woke up to a package on my doorstep. When I opened it, there was one of our irons sitting on top of a pair of pants. When I lifted the iron, I saw that the pants had a hole burned through them.

“That man moved on to another company, and I wasn’t bothered by mysterious packages any more. But after that, I didn’t want to disturb the sanctity of my home. So no one enters without my permission. Obviously, this hurts me on a deeper level than a silly iron. This is much more personal. Whoever put Emily in that state that day. . .”

I blinked back tears. I knew my grandma had a good reason for not wanting anyone to cross her threshold without permission, and hearing it was heartbreaking.

 “I just want you to know, I support your detective journey,” Sharon continued. “Heaven knows that Aster needs guidance. Maybe you can get Rose in on it. Aster will listen to her.”

“Why don’t you trust him?”

A shadow crossed Sharon’s face, although it could have just been from the fan she had taken from Ivy’s chair and was now using. “I saw him steal from Gianna’s register.”

Chapter 7

Saturday

3:51 pm

Iwas dumbfounded. It seemed really out of character for the detective to do such a thing.

Gianna, on the other hand, burst out laughing. “That’s why you don’t like him?”

Sharon nodded sharply. “Of course.”

“He was making change.” Gianna blotted her eyes with a napkin, as she had started crying from laughing so hard. “We bet three dollars on who could throw a crumpled receipt in the waste basket. I won, and Aster didn’t have change. So, I let him make change from the register. I thought you knew what we were doing!”

“I did not,” Sharon said indignantly. “And why wasn’t I invited to join the bet?”

“You were talking to Vincent about his cupcakes. He and Emily were there having dinner last week.”

“Ah. Well.” Sharon took a sip of her drink. “Next time, don’t start without me.”

I laughed, glancing around the floor. A familiar woman with long, beachy waves and a tulip tattoo on her shoulder caught my eye.

I waved at her, going to join her. “Mia? Is that you?”

She turned around, surprise registering on her face. “Dove Davis! It’s been. . .how long?”

“I don't know, but way too long!”

“You look good,” she said. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been better,” I said ruefully, thinking of my current predicament. “My husband’s on a contract across the country, so I decided to spend some time back home.”

“That’s nice. We’ll have to catch up. I know the perfect place to do so. Do you remember the coffee shop?”

I nodded.

“It’s mine now!” she said delightedly.

“That’s amazing! I’ll have to come by and try it out. I’m sure it’s delicious.”

“Sage and Grayson—don’t they look so good? They’re so happy and in love,” she sighed. “I can’t wait until I find that for myself one day.”

“You’ll get there.”

“Oh well. Coffee and tea have never let me down. Right now, that’s all I need.”

I felt that on a molecular level. It couldn’t be more true.

I noticed a handsome gentleman looking at us—more specifically, looking at Mia—and casually dancing closer to us.

“Don’t look now, but I think there’s someone who might like coffee as much as you do.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, whirling around. The second she saw the man, her cheeks turned red. I gently pushed her. “Have a little fun.”

No further prompting was needed. She did just that.

A jolly dancer with excellent dance moves tapped me on my shoulder. I whirled around to see a bald man with thick eyebrows, wearing a silk shirt and pants that swayed with his every movement. He was utterly charming, if you found charming to be an attractive trait.

Unlike Mia, I did not find the dancer to be someone I was interested in.

“Dove, it’s been a long time,” he said smoothly.

“It has, Teddy.”

“I think the last time I saw you was when you picked up your last paycheck from the boutique.”

“Was it really?” I shortly asked, not leaving him much room for conversation.

“I remember because all of my sales practically fell from the sky into my hands after that.” He let out a boisterous laugh. “You always were my biggest competition.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Is that so?”

It was absolutely true, but I wasn’t in the mood for small talk with someone who had constantly tried to one-up my sales in high school.

We both worked at a small, boutique clothing store, where we were in constant competition to be the best salesperson. It was a lot more fun than waiting tables—especially for Teddy. He couldn’t stand any messes. A spilled cup of water sent him over the edge, so I couldn’t imagine what cleaning other people’s dirty dishes would do to him. He used gloves for his own dishes!

Teddy bobbed his head to the beat of the music. “We had such a good thing going!”

“So, are you still there?”

“No, it was sold after Sheila passed away.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. I was. The owner, Sheila York, had opened her boutique in her retirement, after being a teacher for many years. It had been her dream to open a shop, and she loved every bit of it. Sheila had been the sweetest person, and I had learned so much from her. I knew that Teddy had too.

“I’m at a new place now. . .same location, though.”

My eyes widened. “You bought it?”

He dipped his head. “Teddy’s Boutique is all mine now. Sheila made me promise to rename it and make it my own before she passed.”

I felt a twinge of envy at that. I’d always wanted something that was mine. Starting a business had always seemed so risky. Why go that route when I had proven success at my current job?

Still, hearing that Mia and Teddy had their own shops brought dreams I’d had in the back of my mind to the forefront. Entrepreneurship was something I’d always wished I could do. I’d just never been confident enough to walk away and start from scratch.

Even when working at the boutique, I had dreamed of someday running it. When I was a teenager, anything seemed possible. Now, things were just more complicated.

“I’m sure you’ll need some new stylish outfits eventually. I’ll hook you up. Come by whenever you’re ready.”

“I will,” I said earnestly. I meant it. We’d always been competitive, but at the end of the day, there was respect between us. And Teddy was right, as much as I hated to admit it. We did have a lot of fun back in the day. We both loved to win.

“Hey, quick question,” I added. “How well do you know Emily Stoll?”

He suddenly stopped dancing and pulled me off to the side. We sat at an empty table, and a grave look came over Teddy.

“I bought all my flowers from her. I always had fresh flowers in the shop, and the ones I currently have are going to need replacing soon. How do I replace Emily’s flowers?” He looked at me with such despair in his eyes. “This wedding is a ton of fun, but it’s hard having her death on my mind. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Was there anyone she didn’t get along with? Any ideas of why it happened?”

He wrung his hands. “She didn’t get along with Ivy Spade because Ivy was jealous of her success. Ivy has the fancy store in the center of the city, and Emily just had a flower stand at a campsite.

“That just doesn’t add up to Ivy. But that’s just because Ivy thinks everything has to be absolutely perfect, while Emily played into her flowers’ imperfections. She even had a section of flowers that were missing petals or had one too many thorns at a discounted rate. It was charming.”

“What about Grayson and the bride? What do you know about them?”

Teddy narrowed his eyes. “You’re asking an awful lot of questions.”

“I was the one who found Emily. I want to bring her peace.”

Teddy slowly nodded. “I understand that. I want the same, and I’ll do anything to help. Sage and Grayson have been dating for four years, I think? I really like them together. They bring out the best in each other. The bride evens out Grayson’s. . .passionate side, and Grayson is Sage’s number one supporter. There was talk of her becoming a real estate agent a while back, and Beau panicked.

“He knew there was a good chance that if Sage joined, Beau would get swept to the side. He and Grayson double up on deals sometimes and work together. I’m sure if the bride joined, she and Grayson would form their own team.”

“Would that affect Emerald Summerfield?”

“I’m sure it would. Just not as much as it would affect Beau. Grayson was really the one who took Beau under his wing when Beau joined the team. Beau doesn’t want to lose that working relationship.”

Teddy fiddled with his phone for a second. “Hey, and just so you know you can trust me—oh, is your phone number the same?”

“Yeah, it is,” I said automatically.

“Okay, here you go.” He waved his phone. “Footage from my shop for twelve hours before Emily was found. You’ll see me in frame for all of it. I was having a marathon sale event, and I was too nervous to leave the shop for a second.”

I suddenly froze. I still had the same phone number. All Matteo had to do was get my number and track me somehow, or even just contact me with it. Planning all of our moves, our daring escape—was it worth it? Or, more like, was it going to work? Had I ruined everything by forgetting such a big detail?

As if on cue, my phone rang. The number on my screen was blocked. I ignored it, and no voicemail was left. My heart racing, I scrolled through the footage he sent me, noticing that Teddy was indeed in full view the entire time.

“There doesn’t seem to be a ton of people in the shop,” I noted.

“That’s because it was mainly online sales. I invited everyone to come in person, but I was doing a bunch of countdown promotions every hour on my website. That’s why you see me on my phone and my computer so much. I had, like, a hundred tabs open and was constantly monitoring my social media. You’ll have to join me next time I do it.”

My phone rang again, still from a blocked number. I wavered for a second before telling Teddy I’d be right back and answering from a spot where I could hear whoever was calling, but no one was around to hear me talking.

“Whoever this is, you better have a good reason for blowing up my phone. I have—”

“Dove! It’s me! Audrey Clarke, you know, your boss who you never gave notice to? When my best salesperson leaves without a trace, you better believe I’m going to find her!”

Relief and dread rushed through me. If my boss back in Scottsdale could find me, surely Matteo wouldn’t be far behind. . .

“How did you find me?”

“Oh, I have no idea where you are geographically. I just wanted to connect voice-to-voice to make sure you’re okay. I’ve blocked my number so you don’t have a record of me in your phone.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in. “I’m fine. I mean, not fine, fine, but I’m okay.”

“Good.” Audrey was nothing if not practical. She got to the point right away and was always very straightforward. “I’m worried about you. Matteo Rossi came by saying that Kit had told him you were on a business trip to Paris. He was framing it like it was a good thing for us—you know, romantically? It was just him and me in the boutique, which apparently for him is romantic. 

“You know what I find romantic? If he’d drop some cash each time he stops by instead of wasting his time sweet-talking me.”

I knew exactly what she meant. Matteo had a habit of stopping by to get her to go on a date with her—which ended up being very problematic when I found out he had a wife! He had never mentioned Rose until she, herself, came into the shop one day.

“Anyway, I did something completely out of character,” Audrey continued. “He asked me to that quaint steakhouse by the pool for lunch, and I said yes.”

I gasped. This had been a long time of Audrey refusing him. “You didn’t!”

“One of my other salespersons was clocking in, so I took the opportunity. I’ve been hearing rumors about him for years, and there’s no better way to get the truth than going straight to the source.”

I frowned. “You’ve never told me these rumors.”

“I never had proof. Why spread gossip?”

I sighed. Audrey was not one to do that, so the fact that she was calling me meant she had something big to share. “How did it go?”

“I’m definitely on Matteo’s radar now, that’s for sure. That’s why I’m trying not to obviously call you. I, in-so-many-words, politely asked him where I could find some better inventory—for cheap.”

“You asked him where you could buy counterfeits?”

“Dove, it was like watching a lightbulb go off in his head. He immediately changed his tone. Matteo suddenly realized this wasn’t a romantic lunch—this was business.”

I could just picture Audrey staring Matteo down with her thick tortoiseshell acetate glasses. She’d be meeting his piercing gaze. Matteo Rossi was the most charming man in a room until he got serious. It was then that his intense presence became threatening.

“I told him I don’t appreciate having replicas dropped off in my shipments without my knowledge. I’m sure he made a mistake, and it must have been going somewhere else. That’s fine.” Audrey paused. I could tell she was debating saying something.

The suspense was killing me. “What is it?”

Chapter 8

Saturday

4:26 pm

“.. .I also may have told him that I didn’t want him ruining my own replica business with his poor ones.”

I slapped my hand on my forehead. “But you’re not running an illegal operation like Matteo is!”

I could hear the amusement in Audrey’s voice. “He doesn’t know that. I told him I knew he kept coming into my boutique to check out the competition under the ruse of asking me out.”

“How did he take you saying that?”

“Oh, you know Matteo. He tried to brush it off like it was nothing. I know he’s steaming that someone caught onto his little game, though.”

“What are you going to do if he decides to retaliate?”

“I’ll figure it out if that time comes.” There was a small pause. “Dove, I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open. I’m going to be your woman on the inside here in Scottsdale until it’s safe for you to return. You have my word.”

I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes as Audrey said she had to go, and I promised her I’d be safe. Reeling from my unexpected conversation with her, I took a deep breath. I did feel a little relief. Having her supporting me meant the world to me. We’d always worked to lift each other up, and it was nice that it was still continuing, despite me fleeing from a con artist.

Teddy was at the cupcake table, carefully selecting a sunflower-shaped one. “You good?” he asked when I went over to him.

“I’m fine.”

He shrugged. “It looks like you need a sugar pick-me-up. Try the cupcakes. They’re delicious.”

Needing no further prompting, I bit into a sunflower cupcake. “I just thought of something,” I said between bites. “If Ivy doesn’t get her flowers from Emily, then where does she get them from?”

Teddy furrowed his brow. “Some wholesaler, I think. It could be from another city. . .”

“What about Emily? Where did she get hers?”

Teddy blinked before a hint of a smile crossed his face. “You should ask your grandmother that one.”

I saw Simon coming toward us, and I glanced at his boutonnière. I suddenly recognized the flowers in it—the same ones in Sharon’s garden.

I put a hand to my head in a dramatic display of sudden realization. Of course! Emily had been selling Sharon’s flowers. 

My grandma had always struggled with what to do with her creations each growing season. She didn’t like to see them go to waste—even though just having a garden beautiful in the first place was something I always had admired. Sharon had always wanted a better way of sharing her beautiful flowers.

“Is there any other information I should know about since I’ve been gone?”

“I think one thing would help a lot. Why did you leave?”

“I had big dreams and high hopes. I didn’t think I could live them out in the small city.”

“Well, did you? Did you get the life you dreamed of?”

I wish I could be regretful in this moment or feel like everything had turned out differently, but the truth was. . . I did. I got everything I wanted—and more.

I got my dream job and excelled at it. I met my dream man, and we got married. I had been very happy with my life up until a number of days ago, when my world came crashing down. I gazed out at the crowd. Everyone seemed so happy, but I wondered how many people were secretly holding back their sadness over Emily’s passing. George was. Sharon and Gianna were. It was bittersweet, and that’s kind of how I felt being at a wedding when my husband had betrayed me.

All right, he hadn’t intentionally betrayed me. He definitely made my life a lot more complicated, though. I wish there were something I could do to snap my fingers and go back to my life—back to the store.

Teddy stood up, shaking himself off. “I’m going to enjoy the rest of the wedding. Come see me sometime.” He left just as Simon sat down next to me.

“Tired already?” I teased him.

Simon adjusted his pocket square. “I don’t know how you’re always talking to people, Dove. It drains me.”

I laughed. “You have a customer-facing business. Two of them! Why would you do that to yourself?”

Simon smirked. “I focus on the business aspect. . .or making really good barbecue. I forgot about the whole interacting-with-people part.”

“Has being back home in Sunrise City everything you ever thought it would be?”

“I’ve only been here a couple of days. I have no idea. I’m here under the happiest circumstances, I suppose. Sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing. . .”

“I’ve had my own run with detective work before, by the way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You never met my old business partner, Jodi Hansley, did you? She was found dead one day, and we all wanted answers. That’s the reason Sharon trusts Leonor so much. She was the detective in charge of the case. 

“You know how protective Grandma gets of those of us she cares about. That’s why she doesn’t open up. If you’re serious about looking into the case, my friend Clementine could help. She helped solve the case last time. . . I think some other people did too.”

“Thanks.”

Rose came and joined us, fanning herself with one of the fans. “The DJ has some great beats.”

The music quieted just then.

“It’s time for the bouquet toss!” a bridesmaid called out.

I nudged Rose. “You should go.”

“Me?” Rose appeared almost giddy. “The occasion calls for it, I suppose.”

For a minute, the music shifted. A piano sequence played instead of the upbeat tunes. Sage took her bouquet, turned around, and tossed it high in the air.

Everyone scrambled to catch it, except for one person. Rose was standing on the dance floor, not paying any attention to the toss whatsoever, when the bouquet landed perfectly in her hands.

I ran up to her.

“You caught it!”

Rose’s eyes widened in disbelief. Delight spread across her face.

“I did!” She practically hugged the flowers. “I’ve always wanted to do this for so long. Now. . .it’s time for a new beginning.”

We went and sat down, and I filled her in on the boss’s information.

“Do you think we should’ve changed our phone numbers?” I asked.

Rose shrugged. “I think it’s better that we hide in plain sight. Having people around to support you is more protection than being alone.”

We each grabbed the signature cocktail—strawberry Palomas. They were delicious, of course.

Rose gazed out onto the dance floor. “So, what do you think?”

“Hmm?” I sipped my drink.

“Who in here did it?”

“I wish I knew for sure.” I surveyed the guests curiously. I saw a few people head outside with a bottle of wine, I nodded toward them. “Let’s find out what they’re up to.”

Rose raised her drink in support. “Let’s do it.”

It had to be easier to hear them outside anyway—especially since they had turned up the volume on the music again.

I noticed that every half hour or so, the music had been getting louder and louder. That was fine—this was a party after all—but it made it very hard to carry on a conversation. I had a hunch that this was very much on purpose.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we stepped outside. Rubbing my temples, I noticed a trio sitting on the sand, not too far away. They were sitting on a tablecloth and had a couple of flower arrangements as decor.

Once Rose and I walked up to them, I realized the flowers were actually the flower cupcakes. I did appreciate a sustainable decoration. Upon further inspection, I noticed the escapees were members of the bridal party.

Two of the groomsmen and a bridesmaid were talking in low tones, even though they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be overheard.

“How does something like that happen?” one of the groomsmen, with dirty blonde hair and a bow tie, was saying. He quieted when he noticed us approaching.

“Hi, I’m Dove, and this is Rose. Can we join you?” I sat down before they could answer.

“I don’t remember seeing either of you before,” said the other groomsman, who had bushy eyebrows and an even bushier mustache.

The bridesmaid, who was picking at her false eyelashes, shrugged. “Sage let these wedding crashers stay. She’s actually pretty appreciative of them. I’m Evangeline, and this is Beau and George.”

“That’s cool,” said Beau.

“What brings you out here?” Rose asked. “Don’t want to join in on the dancing?”

“I can’t top the moves I did earlier, so I’ve retired from the dance floor,” George said, shrugging. “I decided to give everyone else a chance.”

Beau fell over, roaring with laughter. “You’ve got one move, and the shopping cart didn’t bring down the house.”

George lightly punched his friend. “It’s better than you just standing there and bobbing your head.”

“If you say so.” He looked at me, as if debating whether to say something. “You’re Sharon Davis’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”

“I am.” I was starting to wish I had a hundred dollars—at least—for every time someone asked me that. It’d be a much quicker way to make a living.

“So you know about Emily Stoll?”

“I do.”

He angled his head toward Rose. “Who are you?”

“A friend from Los Angeles. I wanted a little getaway.”

That was our story. Saying that we were both from Scottsdale seemed a little too on the nose.

Her bridesmaid lifted one of the cupcakes. “Emily’s husband, Vincent, made all of these. They were a flower power couple.”

Rose cast a discerning eye on them. “They look just like real flowers.”

“I had one earlier, and it was amazing,” I added.

The bridesmaid handed us cupcakes. “Have another. I just had a donut ring.”

I bit into it—the fluffy texture was heavenly. This one looked like a rose—vanilla with a strawberry center. It was absolutely spectacular.

“Why would anyone want Emily dead?” I casually asked. I was grateful they had brought her up. It was the perfect opening.

The trio exchanged knowing glances and said nothing.

“Why is everyone so quiet about this? It’s not just you three. It’s like it didn’t even happen.”

He cleared his throat. “Grayson and Vincent didn’t agree on the terms of their contract.”

George rolled his eyes. “That’s putting it mildly.”

The bridesmaid sighed. “Vincent slipped in some shady clauses in his cupcake contract. Basically, the contract was for both the cupcakes and the flowers that Emily was to provide. If one party left the deal, the whole contract was cancelled.”

“But Emily didn’t do all the flowers,” I said. “Just the boutonnières. Why didn’t Grayson want her doing the flowers?”

The three of them exchanged not very covert glances again.

“That’s what we can’t figure out,” Beau said, scratching his head. “Grayson didn’t end things. He wanted those flowers. He actually went to Emily when they started planning the wedding. I don’t know why they didn’t use her services.”

Evangeline sipped her Paloma. “Something happened with Emily. Something scared her off from working on the wedding.”

George nodded emphatically. “That’s why we’re out here. If something’s gonna go down, we don’t want any part of it.”

Rose narrowed her eyes. “What do you think is going to happen?”

Beau sighed. “Look, at the end of the day, all we know is that two days ago, we, the groomsmen, were told to pick up our boutonnières the day before the wedding. That’s unusual. Normally, they’re picked up the morning of or dropped off. You want the freshest flowers you can get.”

“So, we went and picked up our flowers—or boutonnières,” said George. “Except for Beau, here.”

Beau stretched his arms. “I called Emily later on, because I couldn’t make it over there when she wanted me to. She was acting so strangely and refused to let me come over to get it. 

“I asked if Grayson had cancelled the order. You know, maybe he was mad at me? We’ve had our disagreements. She shouted, ‘Cancel the order?’ at me, and then proceeded to say she had made it specially, and that it wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. I didn’t know what to do, so after we spoke, I called Grayson. He had no idea about any of this.”

“What about Sage? Would she know anything?” Rose asked.

“Like what?” asked Beau.

Evangeline turned contemplative. “Sage and Emily were pretty friendly. She would’ve been here tonight. Sage is one of my best friends, but she could have been protecting Emily from something. Sage keeps her secrets close.”

George downed the rest of his cocktail. “We shouldn’t be saying all this anyway.”

I wiped my hands clean of cupcake crumbs. “Why not?”

“Vincent had us all sign NDAs. He’s starting up his own bakery, and I guess he doesn’t want any competition.”

Rose, who had been reaching for another rose cupcake, paused. “Vincent had you sign them? Not Grayson?”

George shrugged. “Yeah. I didn’t mind signing if it meant not having to pay for this suit.”

“And the bridesmaid dresses,” Evangeline added. “He practically bankrolled this whole thing. I should have gone into baking cupcakes.”

“My theory is that he’s expanding into chocolates and wants to make special flower chocolates or something,” said Beau. “But the local chocolatier, Alessia, wouldn’t like that. I think he was trying to get ahead of his competition.”

“By paying to have his product at this wedding and having everyone sign a contract that means they can’t tell anyone about it? How does that work?”

“Beats me. You have the most insight into Vincent’s mind, Evangeline. Why would he do that?” asked Beau.

Evangeline grimaced. “That was a long time ago.”

I looked between them, detecting spots of red appearing on the bridesmaid’s cheeks. “Did you used to date Vincent?”

“Like I said, it was a long time ago.”

Rose leaned in. “You must be on good terms, considering you’re a bridesmaid.”

“Oh, Sage and I have always been great friends. I introduced her to Vincent, actually. I thought they’d be a much better match. For me, well. . . I could never get past the sweater vests.”

“The sweater vests?” I laughed. “There had to be something else.”

“Well—” Evangeline was cut off by a scream erupting from the community center.

Chapter 9

Saturday

5:12 pm

“Idid say something was going to happen,” George grumbled as we all hurried back to the wedding venue.

The first person I saw was Simon, sitting at a table with Sharon and Gianna. “What happened?”

“Sage’s necklace is missing. We’ve all been searching, but it hasn’t turned up yet.” Simon gave Rose half a glance, and in that instant, I knew Sharon had told Simon about her past. That, and I could hear Sharon pretending to whisper as we walked up. I distinctly heard, “Rose,” and then nothing else when she saw us.

“We were all together for the past half hour or so,” I said pointedly.

“I didn’t say anything!” Softer, so only I could hear, he said, “The greatest con would be to steal something without being in the room.”

I gritted my teeth. “It would be, but she didn’t steal it.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Sage’s necklace clasp is broken. She could’ve dropped it anywhere without even realizing it.” I thought of how I had seen it earlier, falling off her neck in a way it wasn’t supposed to, and Sage readjusting it. She kept touching it, which could’ve been to calm her nerves, but I knew it was because it kept falling off. I wondered why she didn’t take it off after the first dance.

“That’s my granddaughter,” Sharon said proudly. “An eye for details, and the fortitude to let people know the truth.”

Simon cast Sharon a wry glance. “I’m your grandson.”

“Quite right. And I’m grateful to you for attracting Ladybug into our lives.” Sharon lowered her voice, making her almost impossible to hear over the music. “Don’t let anyone know I said that. I’ve got a dignified reputation to uphold.”

“So you can speak softly when you don’t want to be heard,” I noted.

Sharon grinned.

Evangeline was now talking with Sage, who was using big gestures to describe her missing necklace—no doubt that was how she lost it in the first place with that broken clasp. I breathed a sigh of relief that the, “something was going to happen,” in George’s words, ended up being innocent and solvable.

Beau and George were wandering around the venue, searching for it.

Sharon was not concerned about the missing necklace or was just too lost in her own thoughts to pay attention. She gazed at the floral centerpiece at her table. “The flowers are beautiful, even if they’re not from my garden.”

Rose plucked a sunflower from the table arrangement. “I think this one is.”

Sharon frowned. “I didn’t grow any Vincent’s Choice sunflowers this year. I don’t know what Ivy was thinking, copying Emily like this.”

Rose twirled the sunflower in her palms. “What is it about flowers that speaks to you?”

“Oh, they bring such happiness. Seeing something start off so small and bloom into a wonderful surprise—if you forget what seeds you planted, anyway—is so rewarding. It’s sad not having Emily with us, spreading smiles with sunflowers.”

“Are you going to take up her stand?” asked Rose.

“I already run the campsite. I don’t need another job at my age.” She winked. “Maybe just more hobbies.”

Rose placed the flower back in the arrangement, glancing at me. “Isn’t that what you’re going to be doing?”

I sighed. “I hope not.”

“You’re going to need to find something. Both of you.” Sharon patted my knee, looking up at Rose. “Rose, you are my guest and are welcome to stay as long as you need. Longer, even, if you care for it. Heavens knows I have the room for it. I might as well put good use to my home. Dove, dear, you need to find a job.”

“I’ve been here for barely a second!”

My grandma nodded solemnly. “And you’ve already found yourself in the middle of a mystery. I know you need to stay busy, but don’t you want time to decompress?”

I blinked. “You just told me to get a job!”

“See, you understand.” She snapped her fingers, and then winced. “I need more lotion. My snaps come too easily when my hands are dry.”

Not sure if I was understanding, I opened my mouth to retort, when Sharon’s eyes suddenly grew as big as her magnificent flowers. “Although. . . What if you ran the flower stand?”

Rose burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny? I’m good at sales!” I protested.

“Your usual sales environment is in a pristine location unencumbered by dirt, bugs, dirt, or bugs. Or, any kind of outfit that requires gloves. And not the fancy driving gloves or ballroom ones. Gloves that are made for digging in the ground.”

I smoothed my silk dress, putting on a show of being affronted. I broke out into a smile, though. There was a reason I had never spent much time in my grandma’s garden tending to the flowers. There was too much dirt!

Sharon’s eyes sparkled. “I think you should try it. It would be good for you.”

Rose nodded, still laughing. “I have to see this.”

“You really don’t think I could do this do you?”

They both said in unison, “No!”

And with that, my mind was made up. Nothing made me more determined to do something, than someone telling me that I couldn’t do something. “Just watch! I’ll be there at the break of dawn tomorrow morning.”

Thoughts immediately started whirling around in my head. How many flowers would I need to bring? I needed some prior metrics for a better idea of what to expect.

“How many people normally come by the stand?”

Sharon shrugged. “A good dozen or two.”

“How many of them buy flowers, and how much?” Sharon shrugged again. “I didn’t keep track of it. Once Emily paid me for her her supply, it was her business, not mine anymore. I imagine sales go up for holidays. You know, like Valentine’s Day.”

“I’m selling sunflowers, not roses,” I muttered under my breath. “No offense,” I said to Rose.

She held out her hands, still grinning broadly. “None taken. This is going be a delightful journey.”

“Permission to aboard the journey?” Aster bowed, which reminded me of my husband. Kit enjoyed bowing and making a display of his affection—and I loved it.

Aster was dressed in a nice suit with no signs of any pens in sight. He had arrived to the reception very late, which was odd. I hadn’t seen him here or at the ceremony.

“That was fast,” I noted.

Aster blinked at me in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“You’re already here to investigate Sage’s missing necklace?”

“Her necklace is missing?” He glanced between us. “I’m here as a guest. I’ve been here all night.”

“I didn’t see you earlier.” Rose surveyed him curiously. “That’s a nice suit.”

His navy suit fit him perfectly and was freshly pressed and steamed—except for a dirt stain at the end of his jacket sleeve. Aster hadn’t been wearing this suit in Sharon’s garden, so why was the stain there?

“I bet you had it dry cleaned for this special occasion,” I lightly teased him, hoping to get him talking.

“I did! I don’t have the opportunity to wear it too often. It’s normally just sitting in my closet.”

“Was your last occasion wearing it outdoors as well?”

“No, it was for a friend’s event at L’amore di Gianna’s.”

I was interrupted from that train of thought by another shout of joy from across the room. “I found it!” Sage’s voice rang out. I locked eyes with my cousin, giving him a look that said I told you so. Simon shrugged his shoulders in acknowledgment.

“I guess you’re too late after all.” I told him before going over to congratulate Sage. “Where did you find it?”

“It was on my seat,” she said, ruefully. “It kept coming apart, and it must’ve come undone when I stood up after dinner.”

“I’m glad you found it.”

“Oh, me too! I’d be devastated if I lost it for good.”

Sage was soon surrounded by guests. Everyone was glad the missing necklace had been recovered. I snuck off to the cupcake table to swipe another delicious flower.

Rose found me there, with something clearly on her mind.

“I noticed you didn’t accuse me of stealing the necklace,” She remarked, inspecting her fingernails—just like Sharon had earlier.

“Why would I accuse you?” I asked. “I knew the necklace was broken.”

Rose clasped her hands together, as if it was a self-soothing action. “Thank you.”

I looked at her seriously. “We’re in this together.”

“We are.” She gave me a genuine smile. “You want to go home and hang out with Ladybug? We’ve got lots of stories to tell her.”

“I want nothing more.”

Ladybug was going to love the attention she was going to get by us regaling our tales of the day. I also thought of the sunflowers I needed to prepare for tomorrow morning, and a tingle of excitement rushed through me. I loved a good challenge. I was ready to go home and prepare.

After all, I had a flower stand to run.

Chapter 10

Sunday

5:17 am

It turned out that— shockingly—I knew nothing about running a flower stand. But that was fine! I always had to study products before I could sell them. How else would I know to suggest to a customer wearing a silk scarf that a twilly would be a perfect addition for her handbag?

Or a man wearing an old, beat-up dress shoes wasn’t in the market for new ones. . . He really wanted some polish to make them like-new again. Of course, that customer always walked away with the polish—and a new pair of shoes. “Just in case,” I always said. It was easier to get another pair you like now than when you can’t walk in them anymore.

I woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning, much to Ladybug’s delight. With Rose and Sharon enjoying sleeping in, I applied lots of sunscreen and then donned my best gardening attire—overalls, a large sunhat, and elbow-length vinyl gloves.

Ladybug and I loaded Sharon’s car with flowers. I had snipped the cuttings last night, so they were ready. Maybe it was better to do it in the morning, so they were as fresh as could be, but since this was my first run at it, I figured it was better to be prepared.

Fortunately, no one was waiting for me when we arrived, so I had plenty of time to set up the display. This was something I enjoyed. Designing it so that it looked visually appealing was a lot of fun. I set sunflowers with longer stalks at the sides of the stand, with the smaller ones in the middle. I needed to be able to see people’s faces to talk to them, after all.

I realized I had forgotten water. I had the sunflowers in water at my grandma’s house, but I had dumped it out so that it wouldn’t splash around in the car. Not letting that deter me, I grabbed a couple buckets and headed to the main part of the campsite. There had to be a spigot somewhere around there.

The woman who I had seen earlier had her hair in a bun again and was holding an empty mug as she relaxed in front of her RV.

I waved to her. “Do you know where the water spigot is?”

She stood up, stretching her arms. “Right over here. I’ll show you. I’m Dori Whitlock, by the way.”

“Dove Davis.”

Ladybug was sniffing in the opposite direction than where Dori lead me to. Dori had left a laundry basket of clothes outside, and the dog was way more interested in rummaging through them than to follow us.

The spigot was on the other side of the office, just steps away from Dori’s RV. She held her mug under the spigot and poured some water in. “I’ll microwave it for tea.”

Once Ladybug heard the water running, she leapt over to us, trying to lap up all the water as I filled the buckets.

Dori watched me curiously. “You’re taking over the flower stand, huh?”

“For today, at least.”

Dori nodded. “It’s a shame, what happened with Emily. I could see her stand in the distance. It was a nice sight to see the pretty flowers while sipping my tea.”

She gestured to the stand, which I could see clearly down the way. It was a small sight, but the sunflowers really made it pop.

“Did you see anything that happened with Emily? She got into an argument with someone, maybe you saw that?”

“I did not. I’ll ask my husband. Hey, Rick! Rick Whitlock!”

We were close to her RV, but not close enough to be calling to someone in it. Her shout to Rick was loud enough to wake up the whole campsite. At least if anyone had a noise complaint, they knew exactly who was disrupting their sleep. Dori’s emphasis on his name was a little odd, but I got the feeling that was in keeping with their personalities. Just a little odd.

Rick came out in a robe, holding a tea bag.

“This young lady wants to know if you saw the flower stand lady’s murderer,” she told her husband.

He yawned, walking toward us. “I don’t know about that. It’s different people who show up to argue every time. Oh, and Ivy Spade. She’s always the first to arrive.”

Dori took the tea bag and dunked it in her tea. “That’s right.”

I blinked. “Ivy Spade? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, Ivy likes to scope out her competition. She’s the first to arrive and first to leave, hopefully so no one else sees her. She likes to fly under the radar, but she always buys something.”

Rick frowned when he saw the buckets. “You’re going to carry those to the flower stand? Do you have lids so the water doesn’t splash out?”

I glanced at the hal-filled buckets and sighed. “I do not.”

Dori nodded. “You might want to invest in a cart for transport. Emily had one.”

“Do you think she left it here?” I asked hopefully.

Dori started heading back to her place. “That would defeat the purpose of transporting her supplies back home, wouldn’t it?”

But she hadn’t gone home. The last time Emily was at the flower stand, she had gone to my grandma’s garden. How had she gotten there?

On a hunch, I ran back to the stand, with Ladybug more than delighted to chase after me. I inspected all the nooks and crannies, trying to find what Emily had left behind.

But all I found was the solitary spade. Everything else was what I had brought this morning.

Hmm. There had to be something.

Ladybug hadn’t given up on the search and was sniffing everything enthusiastically. After inspecting all the sunflowers, the dog became fixated on an empty shelf.

“There’s nothing there,” I told her.

But she kept sniffing at it, so I looked closer—and found a drawer slightly inset on the shelf. It wasn’t immediately obvious unless you really bent down to look at it.

“What do we have here?” I opened the drawer as Ladybug sat up, her tail wagging.

There was a glass juice bottle lying inside. It was mostly empty, save for dregs of what appeared to be orange juice. 

I wasn’t about to touch possible evidence, so I texted Rose to get the detective’s number.

Why do you think I have his number still? she texted back.

. . .So, you don’t? I sent her.

Rose sent his number in her next message. Smiling to myself, I dialed it.

“Aster! It’s Dove. I have something here you might find interesting. . .”

Aster told me he’d head over, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this would lead to giving Emily some closure and peace.

I thought of the Whitlock’s tea. Caffeine sounded nice. I was naturally an early riser, but I was grateful the wedding was during the day. I would not have been able to keep my eyes open if I had danced the night away.

I went back inside the office and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding a coffee maker. I brewed a cup, thinking about how I needed to visit Mia’s coffee shop. Coming back home to Sunrise City was proving to have welcome new adventures. I was enjoying seeing how the people I grew up with were thriving.

I systematically scanned the interior, just in case there was anything useful I could use. I found gin in a cabinet, napkins and utensils in a drawer, a few notebooks in another drawer, and a package of pens in another. And then. . . Voila! A cart was tucked behind the desk.

I pulled it out, noticing that a Louis Vuitton luggage tag was attached to it. I gathered up my buckets, loaded my cart, and carefully moved to the stand. Since the pathway was not the smoothest, it was slow-going. Ladybug kept trying to drink from the buckets.

When I finally got everything together, with the flowers now sitting peacefully in water, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was ready.

Right?

Where should I stand? The logical answer was behind the stand, where all of my supplies were hidden away in the shelving. That was easy access to wrap the flowers for people.

On a sales side, I decided I’d start by standing in front of the stand, on the edge so the taller sunflowers stood above me. I wasn’t blocking the view of any flowers, and they weren’t blocking me. I wanted to be able to grab people’s attention quickly and easily. Plus, there was no way Ladybug was going to peacefully relax behind the stand when there were people who could give her attention.

It wasn’t long before my first visitor arrived. And just as the Whitlock’s had said, it was Ivy Spade. The only clues of Emily’s stand before me were a spade and a juice bottle. I couldn’t help but have in the back of my mind the spade—was it a calling card? Had Ivy left it as a sign that she was behind Emily’s unfortunate demise?

Ivy broke out into a broad grin upon seeing me, which was surprising. 

“You’re up early after the wedding,” I noted.

“So are you.” Ivy took in the stand, nodding in approval. “I like the setup. Emily was of the abundance mindset—the more flowers, the better. I’m guessing you have some merchandising in your background. You’ve got the placements just right.”

I dipped my head. “I do.”

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Ivy leaned in, inspecting the sunflowers. “Emily and I didn’t really have a feud. We actually got along really well. We’d share ideas all the time and help each other out. One time I had a shortage in peonies, and she managed to get some for me. Or Sharon’s current crop wasn’t looking too great after a sudden rainstorm, and I got her some of my supply. We looked after each other.”

“How about the wedding? Wasn’t Emily supposed to be the florist?”

“Yeah, she was. It was the strangest thing.” Ivy took a sunflower out of a galvanized bucket and held it out to the sky, marveling at it. “So beautiful.”

“What was the strangest thing?” I asked.

“Vincent, her husband, was here a couple weeks ago. Emily had gone to get some water, and while she was gone, Vincent told me Emily had to back out of doing the flowers for the wedding.” She looked at me, confusion crossing her face. “He said not to tell her. Vincent said he had a trip planned that day and wanted to surprise her.”

“Did you tell Emily about this?” I frowned. “How did Vincent get his cupcakes to the wedding?”

“No, I thought it was a nice surprise. Strange timing, sure, but Vincent was trying to do something nice for his wife.” Ivy sighed. “I picked the cupcakes up from his house that morning. That was the original plan, and after Emily’s passing, he said I should still do it. He had already made them all, so they might as well be enjoyed.”

I nodded, my eyebrows still furrowed. “Something nice? By taking away her business?”

“I don’t know. They liked going on trips together.” Ivy held out her hands, glancing at the sunflowers. “I used some of Emily’s sunflowers in my design. I happened to have some Vincent’s Choice in stock, so I added some of those too. Emily would have loved it. I wished she could have seen it.”

Ivy bought some flowers, and then before leaving, gave me her number. “In case I can help in any way. Us florists have to look out for one another.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely.

A new visitor arrived as Ivy departed. A man in a suit and tie, with a pep in his step, came over to the stand. Aster Graham shaded his eyes from the rising sun. “So? Where’s the murder weapon?”

Chapter 11

Sunday

7:01 am

Idramatically gestured to the open drawer with the orange juice bottle—along with the spade Emily Stoll had left behind. “I don’t know if either of these things are evidence, but I thought you should know about them.”

Aster carefully placed them both in bags, without touching them directly. “I’ve been looking for this.”

I wasn’t sure which one he meant—was the spade, possibly connected to Ivy Spade, the murder weapon? Or was it the orange juice, which could have been poisoned?

Aster held up the juice bottle, seeming to answer my question. “The toxicologist confirmed Emily was poisoned.”

“And the spade?” I asked.

“You never know. But it didn’t cause her death.” Aster peered at the bottle. “Do you recognize this?”

It wasn’t a mass-produced brand. It looked like it had been homemade juice, placed in a nondescript glass bottle.

“No,” I answered honestly. “Was Emily a juicing fan?”

“That would be something worth finding out, now wouldn’t it?” Aster winked. “I’ll take these flowers here, by the way. Do you offer delivery services?”

I narrowed my eyes, grinning at him. “Normally, no, I do not. . . Unless it happens to be for someone I currently live with?”

“Well, I know Ms. Sharon would love to have some sunshine in her home,” Aster nodded, light dancing in his eyes. “And Ms. Rose would love some as well, I’m sure.”

“I can do that for you.”

“Greatly appreciated!” After fully inspecting the flower stand, Aster bounced away to get the bottle and spade looked at.

A woman in her mid-sixties, with silver hair and bright red lipstick, was the next visitor. “I wondered who would be here today,” she said, sadness flitting across her face. “Welcome to the flower community. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

“Dove Davis.”

“I’m Wren Russo.” She sighed heavily. “My dear friend Emily is gone from us too soon. I have a nursery over in Desert Spell. If you ever need anything—advice, an ear to listen, flowers. . . You let me know.”

“Thank you,” I said to the second florist to lend their support. The flower business was turning out to be incredibly friendly and welcoming.

Wren bought some sunflowers from me, and before leaving, she handed me a small, beautiful aloe plant. “Here. Take this. We can all use a succulent in trying times.”

It was a steady trickle of people coming in after that. I had a few leftover sunflowers, which I left in the campsite’s office. I figured I could distribute them to the campsite visitors as welcome gifts and strategize how to get better sales next time.

Before going home, Ladybug and I swung by Sage and Grayson’s brunch at Sunrise Cafe. The setup was spectacular. It was outdoors, the sun was shining, and a cool ocean breeze rustled in the air. Floral arrangements adorned every table—big, bright, and ornate. In fact, they were a little over the top, and I thought the flowers from Emily’s flower stand would have added a more graceful elegance. Maybe that was just my grandma’s influence.

I noticed a tray of cupcakes on the bar counter, next to a drink menu. They were serving a choice of specialty cocktails. It was a cranberry apple mimosa or a whiskey and coffee blend, topped with creamy whipped cream.

Sebastian and Silas were not at the bar, just as I’d thought. There was now a new bartender, who was cleaning the bar, wiping away spilled mimosa liquid. A couple of waiters walked past me, arguing about the merits of customer service.

“You always have to treat people with a smile and enthusiasm,” said the muscular woman.

“Custom order,” said the tall man in an incredibly dry tone. “Can’t disappoint.”

“Oh!” A woman sitting at a table waved. Emerald was sitting with Evangeline, Beau, and George. “Come join us!”

So, I did. “How did everyone sleep?” I asked as I sat down. Ladybug curled up at my feet.

Emerald pressed her palms together in delight.

Beau rubbed his forehead and raised his Irish whiskey to me. “Nothing a little coffee can’t cure. Cheers. Did our antics keep you up all night, or were you able to peacefully drift off to sleep?”

“I slept just fine.” I smiled. Considering everything I’d gone through recently, it was true. I was starting to settle into my new life. Or, I guess, my old life. Who knew?

George frowned. “I think I slept better than both of you, but something weird happened last night.”

Beau groaned. “I can’t believe I missed it.”

Emerald tilted her head. “Missed what?”

Evangeline adjusted her Dior sunglassses, smoothing her Ralph Lauren dress. I noticed the sunglasses had scratches on them, and the dress still had the tags. They were tucked inside, barely visible.

“What happened?” I asked.

George took a sip from his mimosa. “Beau crashed on my couch last night because I live closer to here. At, like, two in the morning, I heard a noise in my kitchen. I thought it was Beau getting up for a snack, and I was feeling thirsty, so I went to get a glass of water. But when I came out of my room, Beau was dead asleep on the couch, and my kitchen nightlight was on.”

Beau held out his hands. “I was knocked out. I didn’t get up from when my head hit the pillow until the sun started shining.”

“I have a motion-sensored light in the kitchen for times like last night, when I want to get some water but am too tired to turn on the lights. It’s just a small nightlight that turns on if you go past it. It shuts off after a minute or two of no movement.”

“I also noticed that the kitchen window was open, and I hadn’t left it open.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Could someone get into your home from that window?”

“My house is one story, so it’s possible. They’d just have to jump over the sink, and unless they were a real life cat burglar, I would’ve heard it.”

“But you just said you were woken up by a noise?”

“Yeah, I found a package in front of the window, on the floor. Carefully wrapped inside was a big container of orange juice, with smaller glass bottles. There was even a juice squeezer. It was a whole kit, but the juice was already made.”

I frowned. “Why would someone drop that off in the middle of the night? And why your place?”

“I have no idea! It’s the strangest thing.”

“I might have a clue on this one,” I said. “Emily was poisoned. Someone slipped it into a glass bottle of orange juice, like the one you mysteriously got. I think whoever killed Emily was trying to get rid of the evidence. . .or was trying to frame you.”

George’s eyes widened. “I’ll have Aster take a look at it. I can’t believe someone would do that!”

Having the package dropped off like that made me think it wasn’t the original plan. Something must have happened to cause the killer to hastily get rid of evidence. . .but what?

I glanced around the cafe, noticing something. “Why didn’t Grayson’s mother make it?”

His father was here, and both Sage’s parents were here as well. But no one that appeared to be Grayson’s mom.

“She passed away about ten years ago.” Evangeline gestured to a photo of Grayson and his mother by the flower cupcakes. “That was them on a family vacation. They were so happy there.”

As I gazed at the photo, I noticed the way Grayson’s ears kind of turned back, making them appear closer to his head. He must have grown out of it, because it wasn’t as pronounced now.

“Hey, Evangeline?” I asked, turning my attention away from the photo.

The bridesmaid tilted her head “Yeah?”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what was it about Vincent that you stopped dating him? Was it really just the sweater vests?”

“Oh. . . We just weren’t compatible in that way. He wanted to settle down, and I wanted to travel the world.” She shrugged. “Just different life plans.”

Sage came by, as she and Grayson were making the rounds, talking to everyone. Grayson was still in conversation with someone.

We all congratulated her, which she graciously accepted. Sage looked much more lively today.

“You look much better today,” I greeted her.

She nodded emphatically. “I got a great night’s sleep.”

“Did Grayson leave at any point last night?” I asked.

“There was a moment when Grayson got up for water, but he came back pretty quickly.”

“How far away do you live from George?”

“Oh, we’re actually walking distance. Super convenient.” Seeing my eyes narrow, Sage pressed, “Did something happen?”

I gave her a sympathetic look and didn’t answer. “Your wedding was beautiful. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.”

“I really, really did.” Sage smiled. “Despite my nerves, everything went without a hitch. Thankfully.”

“I’m glad you were able to find your necklace, too.”

Sage gently touched the yellow diamonds she was still wearing around her neck. “I know, same. I couldn’t resist wearing it. It’s an heirloom from my grandma. I know it’s a little broken, but it mostly works, and I only wear it on special occasions.” She gave me a sad smile. “It makes me feel close to her now that she’s gone.”

“Are you feeling better today?” I asked.

“Yes.” Sage ran her hand through her hair, as if debating something. “There’s something you’re not telling me, and I’d like to know what it is. But, I also can’t keep this inside anymore. The real reason I was so nervous was that Grayson had received a threat to his life if he went through with the wedding.”

“Why didn’t you cancel it?” I gasped.

“I wanted to!” Sage exclaimed. “But Grayson thought it was safer to go through with it.”

“I even hired security,” a voice behind us said. Grayson joined us at the table just then, rubbing his forehead. “I thought it would be enough. Thankfully, it has been.

“We were at Emily and Vincent’s place for the cake tasting when I got a phone call from a blocked number. I didn’t answer it, but then it just kept ringing.”

“We all thought it was odd,” said Sage. “Vincent said to just turn it off, and Emily joked about answering it in a silly voice. Grayson had his mouth full of cupcake, so I answered it and put it on speakerphone.

“A distorted voice answered, saying, “If Grayson doesn’t hand over his trust fund, he won’t live to say his vows.”

Chapter 12

Sunday

11:34 am

Ladybug, who had been peacefully sleeping, stood up suddenly. It was like she had felt the tone shift in the cafe.

“My late mom set up a trust fund for when I turned thirty-five. My birthday was the day before the threatening message,” said Grayson.

“Someone wanted your trust fund,” I stated.

Sage tilted her head. “There’s more to it.”

We all looked expectantly at Grayson, who conceded, “There was a clause to it—if my half-brother was found, he would get half of the trust.”

“You never told me you had a half-brother!” George exclaimed.

“Do you know where he is?” Beau asked.

“I’ve searched and searched, but I never found him,” Grayson said sadly. “I’d like to get to know him.”

Evangeline raised her glass. “What a blessing that would be.”

Emerald wasn’t so sure. “That sounds like a complicated situation.”

“Would losing half the trust matter to you?” I asked.

“No.” Grayson shook his head. “I’ve got enough money. You can never have enough family.”

“If you were out of the picture, what would happen to the trust?”

“If I didn’t have any children, then it would go to my brother.”

“So, theoretically, if your brother knew who you were, he could have claimed his half of the trust. . .”

Sage picked up on what I was going to say next. “Or, he could be the one who threatened you! He wanted the trust all to himself!”

“Can you think of anything else from the cupcake testing? Anything that might be a clue?” I asked.

“The voice was so crackly and distorted, there was no way of knowing who it was,” said Evangeline.

“You were at the cake testing, too?”

“Of course. I had to be there for Sage—and I’ve got great taste in cakes.”

I rubbed my palms together. “Can I ask about something sensitive?”

Grayson let out a low laugh. “More than what I just said?”

“Why the NDA?”

He frowned. “I don’t know. Vincent insisted. It was kind of last-minute, too.”

“Why did you agree to it?”

“To be honest, I thought it was a good idea. With the threat I received, I didn’t want any information about the wedding being leaked to whoever threatened me.”

A silence fell on the table as we all processed the information. Sage and Grayson got interrupted by some newcomers to the brunch and were swept away in their well-wishes. With Ladybug getting antsy, I decided it was time to leave. I wasn’t going to find anything else out at the moment, and this brunch was supposed to be a celebration, not for dwelling on threats and secrets.

When Ladybug and I came home, I had expected to see Sharon in her garden, but she wasn’t there. We went inside to find Rose flipping through television channels on the couch.

Rose yawned. “Good morning.”

Ladybug jumped upon the couch with her, wagging her tail.

“Sharon went on her morning walk, and then Gianna picked her up. She said Simon went to the brunch earlier, but had to check on his restaurant progress,” said Rose as she petted the dog.

I must have missed Simon, since I had arrived later on. “Oh, well I have a sunflower for her. . .and for you too.”

“Oh, thanks! How did the flower stand go?”

“Well enough that a not-so-secret admirer got you a sunflower. . .”

I handed her the flower, and Rose’s cheeks turned pink. “This is from Aster?”

“It is indeed.”

Rose gazed at it, the corners of her mouth lifting. I grinned. I liked seeing my friend happy.

“Speaking of gifts. . .” Rose reached under the blankets she had wrapped herself in and tossed me a mysterious object.

I stared at it. “Is this a lockpicking kit? You had it hiding, just in case I was going to come home?”

“I wasn’t about to get up again just to get something!” Rose exclaimed. “You see how comfy I am! And Ladybug doesn’t understand fetch yet. I’ll show you how to use it. You never know when it could come in handy.”

“Thanks. . .”

“You’ll thank me one day,” Rose said confidently.

Amused, I shook my head. I probably would.

There was no time like the present—and no time to waste—to keep the investigation going. So, I decided to pay a visit to a man I had not yet spoken to while Rose and Ladybug watched a cooking show.

I snipped some sunflowers and a few other wildflowers I found in Sharon’s garden. I arranged them in a vase I had found inside. I knew my grandma wouldn’t mind me taking this vase, since she had at least five identical ones. It was a simple, glass vase that previous flower deliveries had come in. As I arranged the flowers, my heart sank. These could’ve been from Emily. They probably were.

I wasn’t sure if taking sunflowers from where Vincent’s wife’s body had been found was tactful or in very bad taste. Either way, it was bound to get a reaction from him, and that was what I needed.

Thanks to Sharon’s handwritten address book, I knew exactly where to find him. He lived in a condo near the city’s borders, just minutes from Emily’s flower stand.

I put on my Burberry trench coat and set off to the races, so to speak. Not that I would be wearing this trench coat at a race. I had a lovely lavender hat with swirls and feathers that worked much better for that. But maybe dressing like a detective would help me find some clues.

Vincent Stoll was home when I arrived, and he agreed to let me in. I got the sense he was glad for some company. His place was clean, with light brown wood laminate flooring, white cabinets, and darker brown countertops. There was a farmhouse-style kitchen table with a matching TV stand in the living room. Vincent had on a cooking show that was now on mute but kept playing. There wasn’t a lot of decor, but there were a lot of empty vases—and they were all the same kind that I was holding right now.

His front yard had a beautiful garden, but inside, everything was cold and sterile. I could tell that it didn’t used to be that way, and bright flowers would light up every corner of the house. Vincent placed the sunflowers in the middle of the kitchen island, and the room immediately brightened. He smiled at them.

“I haven’t had the heart to get new flowers. I just wouldn’t be the same, you know? Thank you for this. I didn’t realize how much I needed it.”

“Of course, anything I can do.”

“My parents keep trying to get me to stay with them for a while, but I can’t bear to leave our home. I don’t know what I would have done without them—I’ve only eaten at my mom’s insistence, and my dad keeps trying to sneak flowers in here. He’s going to be so happy I finally accepted some.” Vincent cleared his throat. “Well, since you did this for me, what can I do for you?”

I just went straight for it. “I know I’m not a detective, and I didn’t know Emily. I’m sorry to be meeting you under such a sad circumstance. I feel some responsibility for her being found in my grandma’s flower bed, and I want to do anything I can to help.”

Vincent smiled, but his eyebrows furrowed. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not sure I see what you can offer.”

He wore a blue sweater that had a strand coming undone. Vincent kept picking at it as I spoke, making it worse and worse until he finally gave up. He clasped his hands together, most likely to stop himself from causing even further damage. I had the odd sensation of feeling like I was looking at a sad puppy who didn’t know what to do.

I noticed a piece of Louis Vuitton luggage by the door, without a luggage tag attached.

I gestured to it. “Are you missing the tag?”

A faraway look shone in Vincent’s eyes. “No, it’s on Emily’s cart. She tied it there for good luck. We went to Scottsdale for our friend’s wedding and got the luggage as a souvenir. They even put a cactus picture on the tag.”

I nodded. “The hot stamp.”

Louis Vuitton had different pictures they could hot stamp on a tag or a passport at certain locations.

“We were going to go on a trip, and I haven’t had the heart to move it. It keeps her alive in a way, you know?”

“Where were you planning on going?”

“To the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch,” Vincent said sadly. “It was a surprise for Emily. They’re only open for a certain amount of time, and she had been talking about going for forever. I arranged for Ivy to do most of the flowers for the wedding, and Emily made the boutonnières.”

I frowned. “Why did you have all the wedding guests sign an NDA?”

Vincent politely folded his hands together. “I think the purpose of that is to avoid answering this question.”

“Your flower cupcakes look amazing, and they tasted delicious,” I continued. “But are cupcakes really worth an NDA?”

“Like I said, I can’t answer that.”

I quickly scanned the room, looking for a new topic of conversation. I wasn’t going to give up this easily. There were a few photos on the entryway table. Framed and standing upright were Emily and Vincent on their wedding day, then a baby picture of Emily and a baby picture of Vincent. Something about the pictures reminded me of seeing the photo of Grayson as a child, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

“How are Emily’s parents?” I asked.

“They’re out of town, but they’re supposed to arrive any moment now. My parents are picking them up from the airport,” came the reply. “So if you’ll excuse me. . .”

“Thank you for your time.” I turned to leave. I would find another way to get some answers from Vincent—if he was even able to provide them.

“Hey, Dove?”

I turned back around.

A bright kind of optimism showed on Vincent’s cheeks. “Emily adored Sharon’s garden. That was her favorite place in the whole world. She always said that whenever she was there, she felt like she was at home. I always knew I could find her there if I didn’t know where she was. I’m so glad she was able to spend her last moments among the flowers.”

I gave him a soft smile. “Me, too.”

My phone buzzed just then, so I left Vincent’s home and answered the call.

“My necklace is gone!”

The woman’s voice sounded very familiar. “Sage?”

“My necklace! It’s been stolen!” Sage’s frantic voice said.

Chapter 13

Sunday

3:54 pm

“Are you sure it’s stolen?” I asked.

Sage was adamant. “Yes! We’ve looked everywhere, and it’s gone!”

“Do you have any idea who could have taken it?”

“Anyone who was at the brunch. I was just talking to Detective Graham about it, but I wanted to give you a call as well. The more eyes on this, the better.”

After promising Sage I would do anything I could to find her grandmother’s necklace, I went home. Rose was getting antsy staying inside, so we went to Mia’s coffee shop for a change of scenery. Ladybug was content to take a nap on the couch, so we let her sleep.

Mia’s shop was in a high-traffic area and was buzzing with good energy from the people enjoying their drinks. The sun, sand, and waves were painted on the windows.

The brunette had her wavy hair pulled back and was enthusiastically talking with a customer about the merits of two percent versus whole milk in their latte. When the busy line died down, Mia passed off her cashier duties to one of her employees and joined Rose and I at the table where we were enjoying lavender lattes.

“How do you like your coffees?” she asked.

Rose gave her a thumbs up. “Spectacular.”

I agreed. “It’s delicious.”

“So, what are you up to today?”

I sighed. “Sage’s diamond necklace was stolen. I have a feeling if we don’t find it soon, it’ll be gone forever. Where are the local pawn shops these days?”

“I heard of a pop-up pawn shop at the Enchanting Desert Resort. Maybe you should check it out. If I stole a necklace and wanted to get rid of it fast, that’s where I would sell it. The shop will be gone soon, and so will the necklace. You can’t sell it in Sunrise City because it’ll immediately be recognized.”

My eyes widened. “That’s a great idea.”

Rose looked between us. “What’s up with the Enchanting Desert Resort? There’s something I’m missing.”

“It’s a magical resort in Desert Spell, a city not far from here. It’s a huge tourist attraction. People say it’s the only magical community in all of California.” Mia shrugged. “Personally, I think it’s really well-done smoke-and-mirrors, but it’s definitely worth checking out.

“If you have time, can you visit the coffee shop there? I’ve heard it has a secret menu, and I’ve been toying with the idea myself.”

An influx of caffeine-seekers came into Mia’s coffee shop, so Mia went to help them out. After finishing our lattes, Rose and I took off for The Enchanting Desert Resort.

After dropping off the convertible at the complimentary valet, we went to the main entrance. I remembered it being spectacular, and it did not disappoint.

A stone pathway lead up a large hill. Rocks, blue flowers, and other vegetation lined the pathway. We slowly made our way up the hill, enjoying every moment. Twinkling string lights and floating lanterns were draped above us. They shone brightly, even in the daylight.

The pop-up shop was easy to find, with many signs showing us the way there. The front door was a grand golden masterpiece. It was at least ten feet tall and had a sunrise engraved on it, taking place over ocean waves, with sand at the bottom. The handles were shaped like palm trees. Walking inside, I inhaled the sweet aroma of flowers. I heard ocean waves crashing in the distance, and there was a bright yellow orb in the center of the ceiling, resembling the sun. For a moment, I was transported back to Sunrise Cafe.

Rose was flabbergasted. “I’ve seen some fancy places in my time, but I’ve never gone to a luxury pawn shop.”

“Luxury pop-up pawn shop,” said a man’s voice. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, as it seemed to boom all over. A man with tufted brown hair and brown eyes popped up from behind the counter, followed by a silk gown that looked like a quartz gemstone.

“I’m Stefan Ivan, and I’m most delighted to have you in my shop,” he winked. “This whole thing is on a bit of a trial run, so I try not to let my boss hear me say that it’s a permanent location. My landlord’s a stickler.

“So, are we mood shopping today? Looking for an antique hot air balloon figurine or just seeing where the wind blows us?”

He pressed a button on the counter, and a bell chimed. A rush of air floated throughout the space.

I clapped. “It’s charming!”

“From Breeze Charms, in fact,” Stefan said. “Best place if you want an ocean breeze.”

“Except for the ocean itself,” I pointed out.

Stefan waved his hand. “Who needs the real thing when you have this?”

While we were talking, Rose started wandering, reading the descriptions of everything in different areas. “You have quite the jewelry collection,” she called out to us from the other side of the room.

“We do indeed. Every jewel is handpicked for your enjoyment.”

“Not because someone sold it to you?” Rose tilted her head.

Stefan shrugged. “I accept the goods with my own hands, so that still counts as handpicked, wouldn’t you say? I chose to accept it.”

I noticed a set of ornate glass bottles on a shelf. I went to take a closer look, pulling one off and holding it up to the sunlight. . .okay, the ceiling light. I marveled at it—it really looked just like the sun, but without getting blinded by it.

I pulled off the cap to it, which in hindsight was the wrong move opening an unknown jar in a magic shop, and smelled notes of juniper. I had a hunch this was not a perfume based on the alcohol undertones. . .

Rose was looking at a set of chests that she was unable to open.

Stefan grinned. “You can take a closer look if you find the secret button.”

I joined Rose, inspecting the chests. The one before me was similar to the front door, with a sunrise over the beach, but instead of palm tree handles, there were seagulls flying. I inspected it, looking for something that stood out, or something that might move.

Rose’s chest had hot air balloons flying in the clouds. She kept running her hands along it, pressing in, hoping for the best.

“I thought you’d be better at these kinds of things,” I teased her.

Rose frowned. “I usually plan in advance. I just need time to think.”

My attention shifted back to the chest. My chest’s handles were different, which led me to believe they might move, but there was also a part where the waves were shaped differently from the front door. I pressed on the waves, which were facing left instead of right. The lid popped open.

Rose was astonished. “How did you do that?”

“You figured it out!” Stefan clasped his hands together in delight. “I’m sorry, but the other chest is just a chest. A red herring, if you will.”

“No wonder I couldn’t open it,” Rose grumbled.

We peered inside the newly-opened chest to find a variety of precious gemstones.

“These are gorgeous. The clarity of the stones are great. The cuts are well-done.” Regrouping, Rose batted her eyelashes. “I’m sure you have. . .something extra special. . .set away, right?”

“Of course we don’t.” Stefan frowned. “This is a pop-up shop.”

“I’ve always found that particular establishments, such as this one, alway have at least one extra special item for the right buyer.”

“How about your gin collection?” I gestured to the glass bottles on the shelf. “Did you get an alcohol license for them?”

Stefan wiped his brow in a sign of mock relief, but I detected real concern in his eyes. He nodded like a bobblehead.

“Yes, you’re absolutely correct. Would you care for a taste test? Now that you’ve unlocked all of my secrets?” He put a hand to his mouth. “Which I do have a temporary permit for, by the way.”

I followed his gaze to the front window, where the permit was displayed.

“It’s expired,” I pointed out.

“Hmm. I should do something about that, huh? I’m only open another day, so no use crying over spilled gin.”

“I know something you could do instead. . .” Rose walked over to the checkout counter. “Do you want to open the secret compartment, or should I?”

Stefan stood very still, his eyes darting from Rose to I and back again several times very quickly. “Secret compartment?”

Rose carefully inspected the counter. “You kept glancing at the desk when we asked to open the jewelry. I’m guessing you normally open them yourselves, but you let us figure it out to distract us.”

She ran her fingers underneath the wooden counter until she reached the right spot—which was a particular knot, darker than the rest. Joining her, I could see it when I stuck my head under the table.

Rose rubbed her palms together as the secret compartment unlocked.

“Well, what do we have here?”

I gasped when I saw it, even though it was exactly what I expected to see—Sage’s yellow diamond necklace, neatly tucked away.

I turned to Stefan. “Why are you hiding this?”

Stefan dramatically waved his hands around. “Don’t tell my landlord! She can’t know. She’s concerned about. . . Well, I’ve already given away too much. I can’t give away more.”

“This is our friend’s necklace. You need to return it to her.”

“Oh, no. That necklace is not leaving my shop.” Stefan moved in front of the compartment, blocking it.

My phone rang, startling Stefan. He jumped, taking a step forward, as Rose waited in the background.

Seeing that it was a blocked caller, I immediately went outside to take the call. “Audrey? Is everything okay?”

“I think Kit might be compromised,” came my former boss’s worried voice.

Chapter 14

Sunday

5:13 pm

Rose got nowhere with Stefan, as he insisted on keeping the necklace. But I was much more concerned about Kit.

“Kit?!” My heart jumped into my throat. I couldn’t have anything happen to my husband. What would I do without him? Despite the recent scramble he had gotten us into, I still loved him with all my heart. We’d figure it out. Right?

“Dove!” Audrey’s voice boomed in my ear. “Wait, no, Dove! I didn’t mean it like that. . . Well, I did, but stop worrying. I can practically hear your thoughts racing in your mind.”

“Tell me not to worry? How am I supposed to not worry when you say—”

“It’s a good thing! Take a deep breath, and let me explain. It’s all part of the plan, I promise.”

 I took a breath. “All right, tell me everything.”

“You know I love that quaint steakhouse, and I’ve been going there for lunch a lot lately. Plus, Matteo is often there as well, so it’s a great way of getting intel.”

I let out a low laugh in spite of myself. “Boutique manager turned secret agent—that’s you.”

“You know I’m going to get to the bottom of this.” Audrey’s matter-of-fact tone was sincere. “I’ve become friendly with the waitstaff, and apparently a waiter collapsed the day you there were eavesdropping on Matteo.”

I did remember the waiter falling.

“He’s dead.”

“What?!” I exclaimed. “I thought he tripped!”

“I’m told that he had an argument with Matteo and the next day, he was dead. It’s highly suspicious.”

I shivered. There was a reason I was currently in hiding from Matteo. “Are you okay? Are you going to be safe poking around like that?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Matteo is laying low right now. He’s not making any moves.”

“But what happens when he does?”

“I’ll address that when the time comes,” she said firmly. “I managed to talk to Kit out of Matteo’s earshot, and he’s in.”

I narrowed my eyes. “In for what?”

“Kit’s going to pretend that he’s compromised and needs to get out of town for a few days. He’ll say he thinks my boss believes that Kit is the one running the scam. Obviously, this is all made up, since I’m not running a counterfeit goods scheme. So, Kit will come back with a fictional story of how he convinced my made-up boss to take her business elsewhere. “

“Out of town. . . Where is he going to go?” I didn’t dare say out loud that I wanted my husband to come here, to Sunrise City. I wasn’t going to place him in danger like that.

“Somewhere safe. I’m not going to say, just in case.”

“Okay, so Matteo will believe that he’s the only one in the business in Scottsdale. How does that help my situation?”

“This is the best part. Kit will tell Matteo that he found out you were working for my ‘boss,’ and left one day with no notice. There are rumors that you’re actually with the F.B.I. and can shut my ‘boss’ and Matteo down at any moment. He’ll be more afraid of you than you are of him!”

I blinked. “That is quite the plan.”

“Look, I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s worth a shot. Right?”

“All right. Let’s do this.” I couldn’t end up worse off than where I was—situation-wise, not actual location. I loved Sunrise City, even if I had left it to try out something new. Being back in my hometown made me realize how much I had missed it.

Rose had followed me outside, and after ending the call with Audrey, I filled her in.

Rose looked at me with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

I took a deep breath. “I am.”

She nodded. “Anything to bring my soon-to-be ex-husband down.”

On our way out, Rose and I went back down the hill, and employees of the resort peppered us with offers of champagne and personal photo-shoots.

Rose was delighted. “Maybe we should stay a little longer.”

I waved my hand. “They do this on purpose.”

I did have to admit, if I didn’t have a case to solve, I might have fallen for the trap as well. It was tempting. . .

But then I looked at the name tag of the person offering me a flute of champagne: Maisie, Poison Person.

The resort had their Guest Services role uniquely named as Poison Person, which had always made me laugh before. Now, I just thought of poor Emily and the poison that had ended her life.

“Come on, Rose. We can come back another time.”

She reluctantly followed me, and we headed to the coffee shop.

Magic Brew was on the main street of Desert Spell, outside the resort. It was a cute shop, with glass tables, black chairs with comfy cushions, and floor to ceiling windows. The back wall was black and white checkered tile, with a white marbled granite counter. A tip jar sat on the counter, labeled, Pay me, and I’ll set off fireworks.

In the corner was a crow calmly resting near a cauldron and ladle. Curious, I went over there.

“Stir the ladle,” the animatronic crow said. The crow’s shiny feathers were a stunning sight to see.

I picked up the ladle and stirred inside the cauldron. A puff of thick white fog rose a couple feet above it. Dark-colored words appeared against the fog and listed different potion options.

Smoky Ash—Health tonic

A Drop of Magic—Faster movement

Magic Eraser—Slower movement

I clasped my hands together in delight. This was how you put together a great customer experience. I went back to the counter, peering at the glass enclosure of baked goods and was surprised to see a row of cupcakes that resembled flowers. I blinked. These had to be the same cupcakes that Vincent Stoll made. It was an uncanny resemblance.

“Are these items made in house?” I asked the owner, who introduced herself as Coral Lake. Her wavy golden brown hair was loosely held in a bun, with some flyaways hanging out.

“No, just the coffee is. I work with a local bakery, and these cupcakes I just got from a new vendor. You should try one, they’re really good.”

“You know what? I will. I’ll also take a Smoky Ash.” I paid, and as Rose ordered the same drink, I casually asked, “Who is your cupcake vendor? I’m looking to throw a party, and I’d be interested to find out if they cater.”

“I’m not sure what his service area is, but considering that he comes out here to deliver the product, as long as you’re somewhat local, I’m sure he’ll do it. It's Vincent Stoll, out in Sunrise City.”

I refrained from exchanging a knowing glance with Rose.

She, however, did no such thing. “Sunrise City! I just found out that an old campmate of mine from high school is a detective there. What brought Vincent here? It’s close enough, but I feel like you have a ton of other options. We were just at the pop-up pawn store, and the bakery next door smelled divine.”

“Oh, it is. Everything else I offer is from there. You should’ve gotten something while you were there, straight from the source. My coffee is much better though.” She winked. “A pop-up pawn store, though?. . .Oh, the one that Stefan Ivan is doing. It’s his fancy way of holding a garage sale. He just wants to get rid of some of his trinkets, so he has space to make more. He’s an inventor.”

Rose burst into laughter, shooting me an amused glance. “I didn’t want to say anything while we were in the shop, but all the jewelry we looked at wasn't real. They were amazing replicas, but I knew from one look that they were not what he claimed them to be.”

“Even the necklace?” I asked her.

“No. That was one hundred percent real.” A troubled look came across Rose’s face. “He was hiding the only real necklace in a secret compartment,” she told Coral.

Coral frowned. “I met Vincent when I was picking up my product from the bakery. He was next door at Stefan’s shop. I thought he was there scoping out the place, to open his own shop. But why would you open up a cupcake store next to a bakery?”

“He did say that his landlord wouldn’t want him talking about something,” I said. “Maybe that was it?”

“Maybe.” Coral brightened. “I can find out, I know the landlord—she’s my sister.”

“Thanks!” We exchanged phone numbers so Coral could let me know when she found out.

I placed a tip in the jar, and a display of small fireworks dazzled above it.

After enjoying our tasty drinks and my cupcake, Rose and I strolled back to The Enchanting Desert Resort to pick her her car from the valet.

Rose gave me an inquisitive look. “So, what do you think? Is the magic real or smoke-and-mirrors, like Mia thinks?”

I shot Rose a wry smile. “I think the magic is believing it’s real, even if it isn’t.”

“Sometimes you have to make your own magic.” Rose reached into her pocket and held out Sage’s diamond necklace.

Chapter 15

Sunday

7:28 pm

“Rose!” I exclaimed.

“Stefan was never going to give it up, and Sage deserves to have it back,” said the jewel thief, her eyes sparkling brighter than the diamonds.

An idea formed in my head. “I wonder. . .”

“What?”

“What if we could use this to trap the thief?”

“You don’t want to share the good news with Sage just yet?”

“This is a valuable opportunity! We need to find out if the necklace is connected to Emily’s death or if someone just wants to sell diamonds. I don’t think Sage killed Emily, but I’ve got a strong hunch that whoever did attended her wedding. They probably sold it to fund their escape.”

Rose nodded. “The first person who disappears is going to look mighty guilty.”

“If we start a rumor that the necklace has been found and is in a location we can monitor, then whoever comes to find it might lead us to the killer.”

Rose gently placed the necklace back in her pocket. “That’s a great point.”

We went back to Sharon’s house, discussing possible locations. Rose’s mind was spinning with ideas. “I’d put them on a whiteboard, but I don’t want to leave a paper trail,” she informed me.

I laughed. “Plus, we don’t have a whiteboard.”

After placing the necklace in her safe, I went to the campsite. I needed some time for myself, to decompress and recharge. Plus, I really wanted to check Emily’s luggage tag. It had been floating in the back of my mind ever since Vincent mentioned the Scottsdale hot stamp.

Going into the campsite’s drab office, I took a quick survey of the place. It was going to need a makeover. All the essentials were there, with plenty of extra supplies, but the decor needed work.

I checked the luggage tag on Emily’s cart. Something had been bothering me about it ever since Vincent told me about the cactus hot stamp. I hadn’t remembered seeing one.

I flipped the tag, and sure enough, there was no hot stamp. Interesting. Why would someone switch it out?

I made myself a cup of coffee with the last beans in the tin. Looking at the coffee tin, an idea formed. My grandma always had tools around. She believed in always being prepared for any project that suddenly came to mind.

Sure enough, I found a wrench, drill, eye protection, and sanding pads in a cabinet. I went outside and drilled drainage holes in the tin. With a bag of soil I found next to Emily’s cart, I repotted the aloe plant Wren had given me into my new coffee tin pot.

Pleased with the result, I stood back and admired it. This was going to be a fun project to find more household items to turn into pots.

“I hear you’re in charge of this campsite now,” a voice sounded behind me.

I turned around to find Dori Whitlock. She brushed off dandruff on her shoulder and looked expectantly at me, as if her statement was a question.

“Well, it’s my grandma’s. I’m just running the stand.”

“That’s not what I heard,” Dori said ominously, as if she knew something I didn’t.

I sighed. “Who told you?”

“Word on the street. . .”

“There are no streets here,” I grumbled. Dori had been helpful earlier, but she was adopting a new attitude that I was not on board with.

Thankfully, Sharon turned up just then. “You’re not bothering my granddaughter, are you?”

“So, it’s true? Dove is in charge here?”

Sharon tilted her head, cupping one ear with her hand. “Dori, my hearing isn’t what it used to be, but do I hear your microwave beeping?”

I heard no such beeps.

Dori narrowed her eyes until, suddenly, they widened. She ran back to her RV, calling out, “My tea!”

Sharon winked at me. “Works every time.”

We strolled over to the flower stand, enjoying the fresh air. The sky was turning pink as the sun began to set.

“You didn’t want to go to the brunch?” I asked her.

“Gianna had a problem with her tablet app, so I went to help her.”

“Did you figure it out?”

“Yes, fortunately. The app was updated and the button changed. It went from shades of blue to a sky blue. Now Gianna can use her POS system again at her restaurant.”

“When did she switch over? Does she not use a regular cash register anymore?”

“No, she has that too. It’s good to become part of the digital age. You don’t want to fall too far behind or the web tools you can use will look scary. And tools should never be scary—they’re here to help. Speaking of which. . . There’s my spade!”

Sharon picked up the spade lying on the shelf. She picked up an aging sunflower and brushed out the seeds with it before placing them in one of the empty buckets. “Now you have seeds for next year.”

I gazed at the beautiful wildflowers in the distance. “How did Emily get her start here?”

“She and Vincent went to this campsite a while ago for a weekend adventure. She saw the flower stand and was intrigued. It was just a stand then. No one was using it, and it was there when I bought Sunrise Campsite.” Sharon smiled softly at her memories of Emily. “I took a liking to her and invited Emily to my garden. Oh Dove, it was love at first sight for Emily. Once she got into my garden, there was no getting her out. Not that I wanted her to leave—I was so happy to find someone who loved my flowers as much as I do.

“I started selling her flowers at a low price—this wasn’t about the money for me—and Emily took up her post at the flower stand, selling for a profit. It livened up the campsite. She was here every weekend with the flowers.”

“I wish she could have continued that,” I said.

“Me, too.” Sharon unleashed more seeds from another sunflower. “I’m glad you’re here. This stand needs someone to run it. Life is better with flowers.”

I had never fully understood that before, but after the past few days, I completely got it. Flowers had a way of capturing your heart. They had all the elegance of every luxury item I sold at the resort boutique—and then some.

“Did I tell you I’m going on an RV trip?” Sharon asked, as casually as if she was commenting on the sunset.

“What? No!”

“Yes, so I need you to watch the campsite while I’m away.”

“That’s why you’ve been pushing the campsite.” I knew my grandma had an ulterior motive.

“I’m not saying you need to run it for life, just for while I’m gone. That’s all.”

That was all. . . “And how long will you be gone?”

“I’m not sure. It could be overnight, or a week, or the rest of my life. . .”

“The rest of your life?”

“My dear Dove, you never know where life will take you. I’m sure you didn’t expect to be up to your eyeballs in flowers this week, did you?”

“I did not.”

“If I knew, we wouldn’t be wondering.” Sharon shook her head. “Tomorrow, you should head on down to Teddy’s boutique and find something marvelous to wear. Something that makes you feel like you.”

“Why?” I asked, instantly suspicious.

“No reason,” she answered innocently. “You should have something for you and not just my hand-me-downs.”

Considering that my grandma’s “hand-me-downs” were a variety of well-made, gorgeous clothes, I knew she was up to something. “You’re not offering this to Rose. . .”

“I can spoil my granddaughter if I want to.” Sharon arched an eyebrow. “Besides, I set up a special dinner for you tomorrow. And an even more special guest just might be in attendance. . .”

Chapter 16

Monday

3:34 pm

Iwasn’t sure what to expect walking into my old place of employment, but I shouldn’t have worried. Teddy Finnegan had transformed the establishment for the better.

Teddy had updated the decor to be more modern and colorful. His clothing placements were much more optimized and less crowded. Every clothing article was perfectly folded on tables or hung neatly on display racks.

There were floor to ceiling mirrors on each wall, except for the front windows. Those had forest green draperies, with small twinkling lights hanging down them. I loved the new look. It was fresh and inviting.

“I brought these for you.” I handed Teddy a bouquet of sunflowers and wildflowers, and he melted.

“This is what I have been missing!” Teddy wiped down a spot on the counter, dashed into the back, and returned with a clean vase full of fresh water. He carefully submerged the flowers into the vase and stood back to admire his handiwork. “They’re perfect, thank you!”

After watching Teddy with the flowers, I turned to my old rival. I was happy for him. “You look at home here.”

“Are you kidding? I’m having the time of my life. This is everything I ever wanted—and more.” Teddy gestured to my ruby wedding ring. “How is it with your husband far away?”

“Some days are better than others.”

“Of course,” he answered, without saying anything further.

“How about you? Have you met anyone?”

“I meet people all the time. But the one?. . . Not yet. I’m still on the hunt. That was always some thing that was different between us, wasn’t it? You liked stability, and I crave adventure. Maybe that’s why it was a good thing that you left, and I stayed put. I got the stability I needed, and you expanded your horizons.”

“That’s true.” 

“Sharon tells me you need an outfit for a special occasion.”

I started exploring my options. “Apparently, I do.”

“Well, you’re in the right place. That’s what I specialize in.”

I held up a red dress with a sweetheart neckline and cinched at the waist. I pictured wearing it with a gold necklace, hoop earrings, and black heels.

Teddy swooped the dress out of my hands and placed it on a hanger of one of the dressing rooms. “What else do you like?”

I gravitated toward a pair of jeans, and Teddy rolled his eyes. “Not for a special occasion.”

I flipped my hair back. “So, you know what the occasion is?”

“No, but I know you. You won’t be satisfied with jeans.” Teddy grinned and pressed a pair of flowy silk pants into my hands. “Let’s try this. And. . .how about we pair it with this.”

He handed me an equally flowy silk blouse and a skinny gold chain belt.

I tried it on, tucking the long-sleeved blouse into my pants. Coming out of the dressing room, I twirled around.

Teddy nodded approvingly. “I’m loving this for an elevated every day look.”

I had to admit, I did as well. “But not for a special occasion?”

“No, I think your instincts are spot on. Let’s see the red dress.”

I tried it on. It was absolutely gorgeous and fit me like a dream.

“Okay, take my breath away!” He whipped out a custom handkerchief with an owl embroidered on it and wiped the corners of his eyes. “And Dove? Whatever your special occasion is, make sure it’s something that makes you happy. I get the feeling you’ve been through a lot lately, and I want you to have all the happiness I’ve found.”

He held out his hand, which I gratefully shook. We may have been competitive working together, but we had always been there for each other. Our competitive natures just gave us both the drive to succeed.

I got the dress, went home to freshen up, and then headed to L’amore di Gianna after Sharon had pressed her car keys into my hands, insisting I was beautiful, strong, and her favorite granddaughter. I was conveniently her only granddaughter, but it still meant a lot to me.

I stepped into Gianna’s restaurant, dressed in my finest red dress. Well, my newest finest red dress. I had no idea what was about to happen, but at this point, every occasion felt like a big one. I was ready to slow down with some small moments.

Gianna was at the register, tinkering with it.

“I thought you fixed the tablet. Is something wrong with the register now?” I asked.

 “You know how these things break down over time.” She flashed me a bright smile. “Go on into the back room. I’ve set aside a tasting for you—I’m trying out a new recipe.”

I held a hand to my heart. “So fancy.”

“Nothing but the best for you, my dear.”

The back room was reserved for events, parties, or special occasions. Anyone could rent it out, and I had hosted a party there before.

I opened the door, calling over my shoulder to Gianna, “What recipe are you testing out, anyway?”

The appetizing scent of Italian food hung in the air as I abruptly stopped, letting the door close behind me, when I saw who was in the room.

The man I hadn’t dared let myself dream would be there. My husband, Kit, still the most handsome man in any room.

“What are you doing here?” I said, overwhelmed with worry and relief, so many emotions wrapped up in one.

Kit stood before me, taking my hands into his. “You know I couldn’t stay away for too long.”

“How did you get here undetected?” I didn’t want to say what I was thinking out loud, just in case. But what this ruined everything?

“I promise you, no one knows I’m here.”

“How can you be sure?”

“The plan Audrey set in place is working. Matteo’s terrified of her made-up boss—and scared that you left to start your own counterfeit scheme.”

“I can’t believe he bought that so easily. Matteo’s never heard of, or met, the boss, and he actually thinks they’re a threat?”

“For now,” Kit said lightly. “We’re going to need to find someone who can play that role sooner rather than later.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why is that?”

“I think we need some nourishment to get to that.” Kit bowed deeply to me, outstretching his hand. “Will you have dinner with me?”

I hadn’t even glanced at the table for two set up in the middle of the room. Candles lit up the room in a warm glow. A bouquet of roses was neatly placed in a glass vase on the table next to a bottle of Cabernet. Our favorite meals, penne arrabbiata for me, and strozzapreti for Kit, were waiting for us to enjoy.

Tears came to my eyes. This was our anniversary dinner. Every year, we went to our favorite Italian restaurant and shared a meal together, reminiscing over joyful past memories.

Kit wrapped me in a warm hug. I didn’t want to ever let go. Now that he was here, I didn’t want him to leave. When we finally let go and sat across from each other, I knew from my husband’s face that he felt exactly the same.

I pulled out my compact, inspecting my mascara. It was a good thing I wore the waterproof version this evening. My red lipstick was still in tact, and I snapped the compact closed, content.

“I have a dog now,” I said without preamble. As much as I loved Kit, I did want to keep him on his toes. I was in this mess because of him, after all. “Her name is Ladybug.”

“Good.” Kit’s face softened. “You have luck on your side. You always do.”

We’d talked about getting a dog before, but it had never been the right time. I almost laughed at the idea that the “right” time was when I was in hiding.

“I’m glad you have so many people to be here with you when I can’t be,” he said sincerely, pouring glasses of Cabernet for both of us.

“Me too.”

He lifted his glass, and I followed suit. “Here’s to us, but more importantly, to you. I don’t know if I could have handled being in your position as well as you are handling it.”

“Here’s to us building a new life with new memories, adventures, and getting Matteo off our backs,” I said lightly.

“Deal.” Kit and I sealed our promise with sips of wine.

“I hate to ask this, but are you sure we can trust Rose?” he asked, swirling his wine glass.

“Yes.”

Kit sighed. “I know I didn’t know of her existence until you told me who she was, but she’s still married to Matteo.”

“Rose personally drove me out of Scottsdale in her convertible. She’s living here with me. If she wanted Matteo to find me, he already would have.”

“What if she’s waiting for the right moment?”

“And what moment would that be?”

“I have no idea. This is all new territory for me.”

“Oh, Audrey gave me this to give to you.”

He handed me a small wrapped box.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me.”

“And you didn’t look?” I teased.

“Of course not!” He looked affronted. “I couldn’t betray your trust like that.”

His words dangled in the air as he realized what he’d said. Kit cleared his throat. “Not again.”

He said it simply and softly, full of regret.

I touched his hand. “I know.”

Not having the patience to wait, I opened it immediately. It was a Panthère de Cartier ring—the same ring Rose had stolen from under my nose at the resort boutique. A flicker of amusement washed through me. That was when I had learned first-hand of Rose’s . . .abilities.

Shaking my head, I clasped my hands together, pressing them on the table. “So tell me. Why do we need to find a fake boss ‘sooner rather than later?’”

Chapter 17

Monday

7:26 pm

Kit cleared his throat. “Because Matteo wants to meet Audrey’s ‘ boss.’”

I about threw my napkin across the table. “This grand plan is really working out, isn’t it?!”

“No, no, it is.” Kit leaned in, completely sincere in his words. “We just need to find someone who understands fashion, can use the right terminology, and is confident.”

“Actually. . . I might have the right person for this.” Teddy checked all those boxes—and he was always ready to take on a new challenge.

“Really?” Relief washed over Kit. “How will we convince this person to do it?”

“Leave that to me.” I finished my penne arrabbiata. Gianna knew how to make excellent food. “How long are you here?”

Kit took my hands into his and kissed them. “Just for dinner. I’m supposed to be making contact with Audrey’s boss. That’s why Matteo’s not suspicious of my trip.”

“Oh, you need someone sooner, sooner. Not later sooner, but right now.”

“We’re going to figure this out.” For some reason, Kit was the picture of confidence. “Between you, Audrey, and I, we can do anything. We’re a dream team!”

I wanted to cry, but I laughed instead. In spite of myself, I believed him. The three of us could do anything. We would figure this out.

“Where does Matteo want to meet? Scottsdale, I’m assuming?”

“I think I can convince him to go anywhere. Wherever is convenient for your person.”

“Okay, I’ll see what works best.” I didn’t want Matteo coming to Sunrise City, but I also didn’t want to inconvenience Teddy more for the big ask I was about to present to him.

Kit and I spent the rest of dinner catching up, laughing, and connecting. It was so good to see him again, and when he left, I felt sad. He promised he’d find a way to visit again soon, but I wanted him back full-time, not just for visits.

I just wanted all of this over with. As much as I was enjoying my time in my hometown, I wished I could be here without checking over my shoulder for a well-dressed con man.

Rose and Ladybug were enjoying their baking contest show when I went home. Sharon had already gone to bed.

I tossed her the box Audrey had given me. “A little memento.”

She opened it, examined it, and nodded. “Oh, thanks.”

I waited for a bigger reaction. I was kind of surprised Rose was being so nonchalant about the gift. Getting the piece of jewelry she stole from the boutique back, free of charge, as a gift, seemed very generous.

She noticed me watching her, and a sudden realization washed over her. “This isn’t the real thing. You didn’t know that, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. . .” Why would Audrey give Rose a fake ring? “My old boss, Audrey, gave this to Kit to bring to me, so I could give it to you. I thought it was a light-hearted reminder of when we first met.”

“People don’t give Cartier rings out for laughs.”

Of all people, I should have realized that. “How can you tell it’s not real?”

I was better with bags or clothing than jewelry.

“There are a lot of good fakes out there, but this one is not one of them,” Rose explained. “It should be stamped 18k gold, and it’s not. The ‘Cartier’ lettering is sloppy, and the eye stones are made of glass.”

I inspected the ring. “Good to know.”

“Are you sure this is really from Audrey?” Rose sighed. “If I’m being honest, it’s something my soon-to-be ex-husband would do. He’s be more than delighted to frame me for jewelry theft again.

“Speaking of jewelry theft, I was thinking we could use your flower stand for the location. If we start a rumor that the necklace has been found, and is in a location we can monitor, then whoever comes to find it might lead us to the killer.”

I agreed. “And you know the best person to get the word out?”

Rose laughed. “Sharon would tell everyone right away. There is no one better. But what’s the motivation for the thief to come to the flower stand?”

I thought about it. “Whoever stole it wanted money. That’s why they sold it to the pawn shop. By claiming the necklace, they could sell it again and get double the money.”

Rose laughed. “Pop-up pawn shop. Stefan Ivan would want us to get that right.”

“Pop-up pawn shop,” I repeated. “That’s the one.” I rolled my eyes. “We just need to tell Sage not to show up.”

I pulled out my phone and dialed Sage’s number.

“Do you have good news?” came Sage’s desperate voice.

“Not yet, but I have an idea on how to get you some.” I laid out the plan for her and asked what she thought.

“Let’s do it,” Sage said immediately. “Anything to get the necklace back.”

The next morning, we set out plan into action. When Sharon woke up, she was more than happy to spread the rumor that Sage’s necklace was hidden in the flower stand.

We arranged for the stand to be closing at two o’clock today. I would have a small pop-up shop for today only with the sunflowers, and then I would leave—and hopefully the thief would arrive.

The rumor was that it was hidden in a secret compartment in the stand—but no one knew how to find it.

“You’re the expert jewel thief,” I told Rose. “Do you think it’s going to work?”

“In my expert opinion, these kinds of things give you answers. It’s not always the answer you’re looking for, and it will probably lead to more questions, but we’ll find something out. Hopefully, it’s what we need.”

Before the deadline arrived, we coordinated our lookout spots. It was all hands—and paws—on deck. Sharon was set up at the campsite office, fiddling with the succulent in the homemade pot right outside the front door. Ladybug was with her, sniffing the perimeter of the office.

I had pointed out that a succulent didn’t need much fiddling, but Sharon insisted it was a great talking point. No one would suspect an elderly lady bragging about her granddaughter’s creativity. I had to admit, she was probably right.

Rose was set up by the water spigot, a galvanized bucket in hand. She had a good vantage point of the office, the entrance, and the flower stand. Her alibi was that she was gathering water for me.

I was at the flower stand, arranging sunflowers. I took a note out of Stefan Ivan’s book and put up a makeshift sign saying, Pop-up Shop: Sunflowers.

We now had about ten minutes before two o’clock. When the time arrived, I would step away from the stand with an empty bucket and join Rose at the water spigot. That way, the flower stand would conveniently be empty with no one near it, allowing the thief to search for the hidden compartment.

“Oh, Dove!” I heard a voice calling from behind me. My heart sank when I recognized it.

I turned around, and sure enough, Dori Whitlock was holding a mug of tea and waving at me.

“My blender isn’t working. I’m going to need you to fix it or source me a new one.”

I blinked. “Your blender is a personal item. We don’t fix blenders.”

“No, it must be fixed. I found it working, and it needs to be working when I leave,” Dori insisted.

The clock was ticking closer and closer to two o’clock, and I was getting antsy. I couldn’t have Dori disrupting the plan.

“Why don’t you talk to Sharon about it. She’s at the office,” I suggested.

“No, she’s leaving soon. I don’t want to bother her with a little thing.”

“So, it’s. . .not a big deal?”

“Of course it’s a big deal!” Dori snapped. “I must have this fixed.”

Internally sighing, I straightened and put on my best customer service voice—the one that says, “no,” and means it. In a professional manner, of course. “I’m sorry to hear your blender isn’t working. Please check your contract and the campsite rules, and you’ll see that we, most unfortunately, do not service blenders. I’m sure they offer them at a local store if you need a new one right away.”

Seeing that she was not going to get anywhere with me, Dori sighed dramatically. “I don’t know why you can’t put a few blocks of ice, frozen berries, and a splash of milk in a blender these days. Is filling it to the top too much to ask for?” she grumbled to herself—within earshot of me so I could hear her plight—as she went back to her RV.

I heard a bird call, and I glanced at the water spigot. That was Rose’s signal for someone entering the campsite. I could vaguely see Ladybug in the distance, sniffing the air and looking for a bird. But the person who showed up was definitely not the thief. . .right?

Aster Graham arrived at the campsite and attempted to talk to Sharon, who resisted his friendly welcome.

After an awkward pause, he came over to the flower stand. “I don’t think your grandmother likes me very much.”

“She thought you were stealing cash from Gianna’s register.” I grinned. “She wants in on the bets now.”

Aster placed a palm on his forehead. “This explains so much.”

I laughed, but I was getting antsy. The thief was supposed to be here any moment now, and I had to get Aster and I away from the flower stand.

“I know what you’re doing, by the way,” said Aster in an annoyingly know-it-all way.

I sighed. “With what?”

“How close are you to solving the mystery?”

I gestured to the absence of anyone else coming over to the flower stand. “Clearly not close enough!”

“No, I mean with Emily.”

“I’m sure you’re about to crack the case,” I told him suspiciously.

Aster shrugged. “I’m a team player. I wouldn’t mind if you figured it out. I like having the opinion of someone not on the force. You give a different perspective.”

“Thank you.” I surveyed him for a moment, recognizing the genuine look in his eyes. “Come on. You might as well join the plan. We only have seconds.”

Aster went with me over to the water spigot, his cheeks flushing slightly when he saw Rose.

As we huddled around the spigot, someone new came onto the campsite. I shielded my eyes from the sun and squinted into the distance.

Grayson Dunn had arrived.

Chapter 18

Tuesday

2:19 pm

Grayson went straight for the flower stand. He rummaged around all the nooks and crannies, desperately searching for the necklace. When he couldn’t find it, he leaned against the stand, defeated.

“I heard the rumor of the necklace being hidden in the stand, and I decided to come right to the source to see if it was true,” Aster told Rose and I as we watched Grayson stare despondently into the distance. “I knew that if it involved the flower stand, you had to be behind it.”

I shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”

“And I was hoping you’d be involved.” Aster winked at Rose.

“Careful, or I might steal your heart,” she said flirtatiously.

Aster put a hand over his heart. “Promise?”

I motioned for the pair to focus. “Grayson’s coming over here.”

He was trudging over to us, and I was dying to find out why Grayson was here.

“Wait, what’s the game plan here?” Aster whispered.

“You should have figured it out already! You’re the detective!”

Aster stretched his arms. “It’s okay, I’ll use my acting camp experience.”

Upon seeing us, Grayson changed his path from leaving the campsite to joining us. Aster turned on the water spigot to fill a bucket with water. He gave me a look, as if to say, See? Acting!

“I heard Sage’s necklace was here, but I guess not.” Grayson rubbed his forehead. “I wanted to surprise her—but I also wanted to check first. I didn’t want to get her hopes up. It was a good thing I didn’t tell her. Have you seen it? Or heard anything about it?”

We all shook our heads.

“I can’t believe someone would take it. Sage loves that necklace. It means a lot to her.”

I nodded. “It must have just been a necklace to whoever took it. Not something with sentimental value.”

“I even made sure it was in our safe the night of the wedding. I got up in the middle of the night to check. Sage’s grandmother passed away not that long ago, and they were very close. Not having her at the wedding was heartbreaking for Sage. I just wanted to make sure she had that reminder of her grandmother watching over her.” Grayson shook his head. “At least we have our memories. Let me know if you hear of its whereabouts!”

He left as someone else arrived—Evangeline.

She went over to the flower stand, carefully inspecting everything. Evangeline didn’t touch anything, but she did pull out a flashlight to see inside the back shelves. After not finding anything, she pointed the flashlight at us and waved.

“Dove! Am I too late for the sunflowers?”

Considering that I left the sunflowers at the stand, Evangeline was definitely not too late. Was she too late to find something else? That remained to be seen. Rose and Aster stayed behind as I went back to the flower stand.

“You’re never too late for flowers!” I greeted her.

Evangeline was full of a sunny brightness. She clicked off her flashlight. “It is strange being here without Emily. You’ve put this together nicely.”

“Thank you.” I pulled out a large sunflower. “How about this one?”

“That would be perfect.” After paying, she turned to leave but hesitated and whirled back around. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“If you had a chance to start over somewhere new, would you do it?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Evangeline kept talking before I could respond.

“You came back here, I mean. I know you're coming back to your hometown, but it's still like starting over, right? Has it been worth it?”

Her eyes darted back and forth as if looking for confirmation that I had, indeed, made the right choice. I absolutely had made the right choice, but Evangeline didn’t know that. Well, she didn’t know why it was. And it wasn’t like I could tell her.

“It’s a nice change. It’s always good to expand your horizons every now and then—even if that means going back home.”

The way that Evangeline said “your hometown” made me realize that she wasn’t from Sunrise City. That, and the fact that I didn’t know her growing up.

“Where are you from?”

“Oh, not far from here,” she said vaguely. “Thanks for your help. And the flower.”

“Anytime.”

Evangeline left for real this time, and our conversation got me thinking. I’d been focusing on Emily’s luggage tag and why someone swapped it out. But I hadn’t considered Emily’s luggage that Vincent had left by the door. He had his parents there, and Emily’s were on their way. I hadn’t considered him to be a flight risk, but now that I thought about it, what if he was? I didn’t see either set of parents. He could have just said that to throw me off. The luggage might not even have been Emily’s. It could have been his!

I ran over to Sharon. “Do you know if Vincent Stoll is still in town?”

“I saw him and his parents this morning at Sunrise Cafe. Emily's parents were there as well. It looked like they were having good, quality family time. As best they could, under the circumstances.” Sharon hesitated. “I had a hankering for freshly squeezed orange juice. Sunrise Cafe’s is good, but I wanted to ask Vincent if he had any of his homemade juice. But again, under the circumstances, it’s probably not the best move.”

“Vincent makes homemade orange juice?”

“Yeah, it’s the best in the city.”

“Poisoned orange juice was what killed Emily,” I stated.

“I know, the poor thing.”

“He made the orange juice that killed Emily.”

Sharon looked at me expectantly, not getting it.

“Aster!” I called out, running over to him and Rose.

“Is this a new development? A new trick to find the jewel thief?”

Rose shot him a sharp look at that, but he didn’t notice.

“We’re not acting anymore. The orange juice was poisoned. Vincent made that juice, right?”

“Yes,” he said simply.

“So why is he not in custody? It’s his poison orange juice that caused Emily to die.”

“There’s no evidence for it. No trace of the poison was found in his home or on his person. I can’t hold him without evidence.”

“Why is no one taking this seriously? It was his orange juice.”

“We are taking it seriously. Right now, the orange juice is just juice that he made. I don’t know how it got poisoned. Just because he made it doesn’t mean that he slipped poison in there. I’m still investigating that.”

Aster’s serious expression softened. “See, Dove? This is why I like talking to you. You see things through. Once you latch on to a clue, you don’t let it go, and you see it to the end. We’re not so unlike, you and I.”

My phone buzzed, and I saw I had a text from Coral Lake: My sister says Stefan didn’t want attention drawn to his pop-up shop because he’s overstayed his lease. He was supposed to have vacated yesterday.

It was like he knew he was being mentioned because Stefan Ivan strolled onto the campsite moments later. He didn’t bother going to the stand and went straight to us. “I heard my necklace was here.”

“It’s not,” I said. “Hey, Stefan—who sold you the necklace?”

“Like it matters now! It’s gone! Absolutely ridiculous. I had it so safe. No one should ever have touched it.”

“That is sad to find out. . . I’m sure the previous owner of it would be sad as well.”

“What? No, I’m sure she’s fine. She didn’t seem to have a sentimental attachment to it. She was more than happy to get the cash for it.”

“Do you happen to remember her name?”

“Not off the top of my head. I could check the receipt, though. Yeah, let me check that receipt.” Stefan, lost in thought, wandered off without another word.

“Ladybug!” Sharon suddenly called out.

I glanced over to her to see the dog running straight for us. Sharon, still at the exterior of the office, lifted her hands up, as if to say, I tried.

Ladybug sniffed the ground around us and then dunked her head in a bucket full of water. When she was done, Ladybug shook her body, spraying us with water droplets.

“Ladybug!” I exclaimed, holding my hands out to protect myself from the water. I was unsuccessful.

The majestic dog started sniffing again and ran over to the flower stand. She, unlike everyone else, had no interest in the stand. What Ladybug was after was a fresh pile of dirt close by. She dug into it, spraying dirt everywhere this time.

“Couldn’t you have gone for the dirt first? That way we could get washed off with the water?” I asked her, amused.

Ladybug thought no such thing. Apparently, right now was the right time to be digging.

And when I saw what Ladybug was uncovering, I knew she was right.

The dog proudly scooped up a bottle in her mouth and brought it over to me. It had been hidden in the dirt, and judging by the dirt pattterns of the area, it had recently been placed there.

Ladybug gently dropped the bottle into my waiting hands. The label made it very clear that its contents were not safe to ingest.

It was a bottle of poison.

Chapter 19

Tuesday

2:41 pm

The bottle was a rodenticide.

Rose, Aster, and Sharon had come running when I cried out, “I found the murder weapon!”

I gave the poison to Aster. I probably shouldn’t have touched it with my bare hands and diluted its fingerprints, but I wanted it out of Ladybug’s mouth. No one else is going to get poisoned by this.

“Do you recognize this?” Aster asked Sharon and me.

“No,” I said.

Sharon repeated the sentiment. “I use organic cleansers here. I don’t have any pesticides or anything like that. Plus, that looks like a specialty rodenticide. You can’t get that off the shelf at any local store.”

“What about your garden? Do you use anything like this at home?” Aster asked.

“Of course not! Especially not with this one hanging around.” Sharon knelt down—her knees not showing any signs of weakness—to pet Ladybug.

And with that, I knew exactly who I needed to talk to. After waiting around for another hour, no one else came to inspect the flower stand. 

Aster took the poison to be tested. Sharon stayed behind with Ladybug to do some office work at the campsite, and Rose insisted she was going back to the house to take a nap. But I overheard her tell Aster that she was free for dinner tonight. . .

I headed to Ivy Spade’s flower shop. It was, indeed, in the heart of Sunrise City. Steps away from Mia’s coffee shop, Ivy’s shop had multiple floral arrangements in the windows, each more elaborate than the last. They were stunning. A poster with premade floral arrangement designs was on the back wall.

Ivy was peacefully sitting at a long counter, where she was arranging a vase of peonies. “Dove! Thanks for stopping by.”

“Do you know anything about this?” I showed her a picture of the rodenticide.

“Yeah, it was banned a few years ago. My wholesaler was talking about how it affected a few other growers, but it wasn’t something she used.”

“So, you can't find it anywhere now?”

“Oh, you can still get it. You just have to know where to go.”

“Where would you go?”

“Why would you need it for the flower stand? It’s not like. . . Oh.” Ivy ran her hand through her hair. “This is what took out Emily, isn’t it?”

“My dog found it buried in the dirt inches away from the stand.”

“I don’t know exactly where to find it, but I can reach out to my sources to find out. If I were you, I’d start in the garage of anyone with a garden. They might have a leftover supply stored there.”

“That’s a good idea. . . One other thing. You said at the wedding that talking with Vincent is annoying because he supported her. Why did you say that?”

“You see my designs here?” Ivy gestured to the poster on the back wall. “Emily started doing the same thing. I told you that because I was mad at the time. But now, I’m not sure that Emily was copying me.”

“Why made you think she was copying you? It seems kind of like something that all florists would have—even at a flower stand.”

Ivy pulled out her phone, scrolling through her pictures until she found the one she wanted. “See here? Tell me that’s not copying me.”

It was a flyer with aa different background, but the same exact pictures of the arrangements that were on Ivy’s poster.

“I can not tell you that’s not copying,” I agreed. “When did she do this?”

“It was super recent, that’s why I was mad. The day after Emily died, I found it in my mailbox.”

“Did your neighbors get this too?”

“No, that’s why I’m starting to think something is up. I asked all my neighbors—if Emily had sent it, then I needed to know. But no one else got it, just me. I was annoyed at Vincent because I saw him walk down my street before I checked my mail the day I found this. I thought he was supporting Emily in this.”

“Do you have any idea who would do this if Vincent isn’t behind it?”

“Not a clue. I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to think of someone, anyone. But I just don’t know.”

A customer came in, and I excused myself as Ivy went over with the newcomer the floral arrangement she had been working on.

I went a few doors down to Mia’s coffee shop. I needed to think about the case, and her signature lavender latte sounded like the right drink to sip on for that occasion. On my way in, I noticed Beau and George were seated at a table, each with a deck of cards in their hands. They invited me to join them, so once I got my latte, I did just that.

“I hope I’m not interrupting a high-stakes poker game.”

“Don’t you worry,” said Beau seriously. “We are highly professional and highbrow about our card games. George, do you have a three?”

George grinned. “Go fish.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Sage’s necklace is still missing,” I said.

Beau picked up a card from the deck. “It’s unfortunate.”

George sipped his macchiato. “Evangeline thinks it might’ve been found.”

“Oh?” I asked innocently.

“Yeah, she said something about it being with flowers. Look, no offense or anything, but I can kind of take a break from flowers after Emily’s passing and the whole boutonnière thing.”

“Everyone grieves differently.” A thought occurred to me. “How do Evangeline and Sage know each other?”

“I think they met through Vincent,” George frowned. “Right?”

Beau nodded. “Yeah, she and Vincent used to date. It wasn’t for that long, though. I can’t even picture them together. I think she set Emily up with Vincent and met Sage through Emily. Evangeline wasn’t even supposed to be a bridesmaid.”

“Really?” I asked. I was surprised. They seemed to be. . . Well, now that I thought about it, I assumed they were close. But I also hadn’t really seen them interact too much. Then again, it was Sage’s wedding, and she had a lot going on.

“One of Sage’s bridesmaids had to fly home for a family emergency. A spot opened up, and Evangeline took it. They’ve always been friends, so it’s not a surprise. Evangeline probably should’ve been a bridesmaid in the first place.”

“She’s hard to pin down, that’s probably why. Evangeline’s always traveling,” said George.

“That makes sense.” She had told me she wanted to travel the world.

We kept chatting until I finished my latte, and the groomsmen returned to their highbrow game of Go Fish.

I left and when I was outside the coffee shop, and away from earshot of anyone listening, I called my grandma.

I asked her to meet me a block away from Vincent’s home. He had a garage, and I remembered seeing a garden in the front yard.

“Are you ready to go on a reconnaissance mission?”

Sharon answered in complete confidence. “If Ladybug found one poison bottle, she can find another.”

Chapter 20

Tuesday

5:12 pm

Wildflowers gently swayed in the breeze from Vincent Stoll’s front yard. He had them planted in containers lining his front steps, along with sun-powered lanterns staked in the ground.

Sharon and I didn’t go any closer to admire their beauty. We headed in the opposite direction, with Ladybug leading the way. Unfortunately, she had no idea where she was going, so I had to let her know she wasn’t the navigator.

The adorable dog didn’t mind. Ladybug was more than happy to sniff the exterior of Vincent’s garage when we arrived at the back of his condo.

There was a window on the side of the garage, with no curtain over it, so we could see in. It was a one-car garage with space on the driveway for one more car. There were no cars currently there.

Peeking inside the garage, I could see there was a row of storage boxes neatly placed in a line. A few posters featuring different flowers hung on the wall. They were all framed and had been taken at Emily’s flower stand, all at sunrise, and all featured Emily standing proudly behind her flowers. This was clearly Vincent’s work, showcasing his pride in his wife.

It was a beautiful sight, but it made me concerned that he might have made the flyer I found after all. Was Vincent willing to go to any lengths to make sure his wife got what she wanted? Or was he just happy for her?

“How are we going to get inside?” Sharon asked.

I pulled out a lockpicking kit from my bag. Rose’s gift was about to come in handy—she had made sure I knew how to use it. I think she imagined I’d lock myself out, but this seemed more in line with what was going on.

Sharon nodded seriously. “A good tool proves its worth. Let’s see if this one earns its spot in your arsenal.”

Rose had given me a crash-course tutorial on how to use it, but practicing was one thing—using it in a real situation before Vincent came home was another.

As if reading my mind, Sharon asked, “Do you know where Vincent is right now?”

“I got word from Mia that he and his family are having coffee at her shop.”

“You see? Someone who makes homemade orange juice as good as Vincent’s would, of course, be keeping up with local eateries. Gotta stay up-to-date with the competition.”

“The real question,” I added, “is if he was trying to stay up-to-date with Emily’s competition.”

Ladybug tried licking my tools, as if eager to use them herself.

“Let’s find out.” After a little fiddling, I managed to open the lock on the garage. We were in.

I leaned down to Ladybug. “You remember the bottle you sniffed out at the flower stand?”

Ladybug wagged her tail as if she understood.

“I need you to find another one,” I told her. I didn’t have a bottle of poison for her to sniff and use as a reference, so I was hoping for the best. It was all eyes, ears, and paws on duty.

Ladybug wandered back and forth through the garage in no particular order, sniffing everything. I started going through the storage boxes, while Sharon inspected a rack of tools hanging on one side of the garage. Beneath the rack were drawers with more tools and knickknacks inside.

The storage boxes contained mementos from both Vincent’s and Emily’s childhoods, some old family fixtures, and a couple of yearbooks. One box just had blankets. Another had a bunch of picnic supplies, like a basket, an umbrella, and. . .bug-catching equipment?

Looking closer, I found a net, a big poster of a frog, and smaller pictures of flies. Realizing what it was, I laughed. It was a “Pin the Fly on the Frog” game. You used the net to throw the flies.

“Have you found anything yet?” I asked my grandma. Ladybug kept sniffing, as if to say she hadn’t found anything yet either.

“Not exactly. Vincent is a resourceful person. All his tools are neatly stowed away—and I do mean stowed, not stored. I think he only uses them when necessary, and it doesn’t seem like he needs them often. It’s almost like he’s not supposed to have this collection here for some reason. The most useful tools are in the back of the drawers, instead of displayed out front.”

She pointed at the pruning shears and spade hanging on the wall. “They’re dull and dirty. But these?” She opened a drawer, and I pointed my phone’s flashlight inside to see clearly. “Those are brand new. Never been used.”

“They’ve never been used because they were supposed to be a gift,” said a voice behind us. “I was going to give them to Emily.”

Startled, I jumped and turned around.

Vincent Stoll was patting Ladybug’s head.

“What a guard dog you are,” I admonished her.

“Dove? Sharon? What are you doing here?” asked Vincent.

Sharon’s go-to for getting out of sticky situations was to make up a story. But sometimes, the simplest answer was the best.

I held up my lockpicking kit. “We broke in to see if you have a bottle of poison in your garage.”

Sharon folded her arms. “Technically, Dove broke in—I just followed her.”

“Why would I have poison in my garage?” Vincent folded his arms, mimicking Sharon. “If you think I have poison because I killed my wife, don’t you think I would’ve gotten rid of the evidence?”

“You could be throwing us off,” I offered.

Vincent looked at me as if that was the most ridiculous idea on the planet.

“Okay, how about this? Did you make a flyer with floral arrangements and put it in Ivy Spade’s mailbox?”

“I did not.”

“She saw you walk down her street right before she received it. Do you know why?”

An amused expression crossed Vincent’s face. “Oh, well, that’s an easy enough answer. Follow me.”

Vincent led us outside and gestured to a condo across the street. “That’s where Ivy lives.”

That didn’t immediately absolve him of placing the flyer in her mailbox, but it did explain why she saw him.

“Does she know you’re neighbors?”

“I’m not sure. Ivy recently moved here, and she’s usually at her flower shop.” Vincent looked between us and gave Ladybug another pat. “Would you like to come inside?”

“We would love to,” Sharon said smoothly. “And if you have any of your fresh-squeezed orange juice, I wouldn’t say no to it.”

I hid a smile at Sharon’s not-so-subtle way of bringing up the orange juice.

“You make fresh-squeezed orange juice?” I asked.

“I don’t really want to think about that right now, but yes, I have made it.”

As we went inside, I noticed the same photos of Emily as a young child. But what I hadn’t noticed before was a picture of Vincent with his parents—and while they looked similar enough, it wasn’t quite enough to be biological.

“Vincent, can I ask you a personal question?”

He brought us all glasses of water. “I wouldn’t have let you into my home after breaking into my garage if I was afraid of personal questions—let alone that you think I killed my wife.”

“Are you adopted?”

Sharon shot me a sharp look, as if she hadn’t realized it either.

Vincent looked surprised. “Oh, that? Yeah, but it’s no secret.”

“Have you ever met your birth family?”

“No, I’ve never felt the need. I have everything I’ve ever wanted with my parents. They’re the best.”

My phone rang just then, and Vincent frowned. “Careful. The last time someone answered the phone here, it was a threat.”

Taking that chance, I answered anyway.

“Hey Dove, it’s Stefan Ivan. I hope you don’t mind. I got your number from Coral.”

My heart started pounding. Hopefully he had a good lead for me to follow up on. “Hey Stefan, it’s all good. Were you able to check the receipt?”

“I checked my receipt—it’s signed by an Evangeline.”

I stared at the luggage that was still in front of Vincent’s door, and something Evangeline had told me rushed into my head. “He wanted to settle down, and I wanted to travel the world.”

But Vincent and Emily frequently travelled.

Evangeline had stolen the necklace. What else was she hiding?

Chapter 21

Wednesday

9:39 am

Iknew who killed Emily Stoll— and she wasn’t going to get away with it.

I set in place my plan. I had some people to speak to and a trap to set up. But first, I had a big ask for an old—friendly—nemesis.

I waltzed into Teddy Finnegan’s shop, playing instrumental music on my phone.

Teddy, who was typing on his laptop at the front counter, was amused. “Why do I have the honor of your presence today?”

I played the music louder. “Is anyone listening?”

He eyes pierced me from under his thick eyebrows. Teddy closed his laptop, spun me around as if we were dancing a waltz, and closed all the curtains in the windows. His gold, shimmery ascot with black shirt and slacks fit the music, and anyone watching from outside would not have thought twice about his charming dance moves.

After locking the front door, Teddy rubbed his smooth head. “Am I about to find out why you’re really here?”

“I need someone who understands fashion, can use the right terminology, and is confident.” I gave him a dazzling smile. “Who better than you?”

“Some would argue that you, Dove, meet those qualifications.”

“Most unfortunately, I am not able to rise to this challenge. A con man wants my head for discovering his counterfeit luxury goods scheme.”

Teddy let out a low laugh. “You were always good at spotting discrepancies in products.”

“My boss at the luxury resort boutique I worked at in Scottsdale is pretending to be running a similar scheme in competition with this con man. Audrey, my boss, faked having a higher up boss, and now the con man wants a face-to-face meeting with that person. I need someone who can play him.”

“Why didn’t you ask Aster Graham? He’s got a background in theatre.”

“Aster’s also a detective. I don’t think he’d be willing to set aside the law to help me.”

“Not if he’s willing to bring the con man to justice.”

Teddy pulled on a pair of vinyl gloves and sprayed his counter with a cleaning solution. He started scrubbing. “You know I’m the best cleaner. I just never thought of expanding my business on the less. . .legal side.”

“Matteo Rossi is no to be underestimated, so if you’re in, you need to be all in.”

Teddy’s eyes widened. “Matteo Rossi? You didn’t say his name earlier. . .”

I blinked. “You know him?”

“Know him?” Teddy yanked off his gloves and left them on the counter, cleaning unfinished. For the cleaning aficionado he was, this was highly unusual.

He opened his laptop, showing me a recent order. “Matteo just made a large purchase here. Remember when I said I was having an online sale? He was checking in online to my streaming almost the whole time.”

My heart started racing. Matteo was looking for me.

“Did you show any part of the store while you were streaming?”

“Of course! That was the whole point!”

“How about when the sale was over?”

“Only security cameras were on when you where here last. Nothing else, I promise. I’ll show you the footage.”

“Okay, good. What did he buy?”

Teddy showed me the order. “A Givenchy dress, a Fendi baguette bag, and a couple Hermès scarves. They’re all from my vintage collection. I source it myself.”

I nodded. “I think he bought them to study them. Getting them from a small-town boutique—no offense—is less traceable than a well-known one.”

“None taken. If my ‘small-town boutique’ is on his radar, then I must be going places.” Teddy closed his laptop, put his gloves back on, and resumed cleaning. “I’ll do it. I can’t have someone using my boutique for counterfeit research. But more importantly, I’ll do it for an old friend. No one messes with the people of Sunrise City. We’re in this together.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely.

After talking some more and bringing Teddy up to speed on everything that had happened, I left to continue my plan.

My next stop was where I was setting my trap. My plan was in place. And it was all going to go down at the coziest, prettiest, most heart-warming part of the city—the flower stand.

I stocked up the stand with plenty of sunflowers, taking care to arrange them in an esthetically pleasing manner. You can’t have a showdown without a. . .show.

If you want to sell something, you have to make people believe they need it. And the best way to do that is to tell the truth. They need a navy dress because it makes their eye color pop. They need a new bracelet because they worked hard to accomplish something, and this was their reward. It was about listening to the client to see what they needed—and bring that back to the product. 

In this case, I needed to solve a mystery in order to solve the death of Emily Stoll.

This mystery had been looming in the background of my investigation. All the clues were there, but I hadn’t been able to make sense of it until now.

Everyone I had asked to come to the flower stand arrived. Sage and Grayson believed I might know the whereabouts of Sage’s stolen necklace. Beau and George were confused on why they were called here, but were willing to do anything to help solve the case. Sharon and Rose were ready for whatever happened. Aster was ready to take the killer away. And Vincent was gazing longingly at the sunflowers, as if looking at them would bring his wife back.

Evangeline was the last to arrive, and Ladybug, who had been by my side, started barking.

“It’s just me,” Evangeline told the dog, who kept on barking. Sharon lured Ladybug away with a treat so I could start the show.

“Thank you for coming here today. I greatly appreciate it,” I started out with.

Grayson stuck his hands in his pockets. “Why is it important that I’m here?”

I gave Vincent a meaningful look. “Did you bring it?”

He held out his childhood picture, his brow furrowed. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“I can’t prove this, and I can’t guarantee it. It’s just a hunch,” I said, looking between the two of them. “But I think it’ll explain a lot. Look at your ears. You see how they turn back a little at the top? Grayson, you had that same thing, right?”

They both stared at me, clearly confused.

I pressed on. “Vincent is adopted. Grayson, you’ve mentioned before that you never met your half-sibling. I think it might be the two of you.”

They turned to each other, as if seeing one another for the first time. Then, as if the realization hit them at the same time, they embraced.

“You’re my brother?” Vincent was in complete shock. “I never looked for my parents, and for some reason, I never even considered that I might have a sibling.”

“You’re my brother?” Grayson wouldn’t let go of Vincent. “I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have such a cool brother.”

I cleared my throat. “Again, I can’t prove this. But. . .maybe he can.”

Grayson’s father stepped out of the office, joining us at the flower stand—and to their surprise, Vincent’s parents followed, accompanied by Emily’s parents.

“Dad, is it true?” Grayson asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Grayson’s father took a deep breath. “When Dove told me her theory, I decided to look into it immediately. I’ve never been able to find your brother, so I went straight to the source—or at least the source I had available.”

Vincent’s mom stepped forward. “When we adopted you, we were given some information about your birth mother. She left it with us in case you ever wanted to find her. We always left it up to you. I never opened it.”

“That’s true,” Vincent said, looking at his parents. “You’re everything anyone could ask for as parents. You too, Dad.”

“In light of things,” Vincent’s father added, his voice steady but emotional, “we opened it today. And it’s true. You and Grayson are half-brothers.”

The two men embraced again, a mix of disbelief and joy on their faces.

Aster, who had been standing quietly off to the side, tapped his foot impatiently. “This is a heartwarming reveal and all, but how does this connect to Emily?”

I nodded. “Yes, this is why we’re all here. Vincent and Grayson being siblings is key to understanding why Evangeline poisoned the orange juice that killed Emily Stoll.”

Chapter 22

Wednesday

10:49 am

“Idid what?!” Evangeline exclaimed.

 “To be fair, you did your best at trying to frame anyone other than yourself,” I said. “You made an incriminating floral arrangement flyer and planted it in Ivy Spade's mailbox, trying to make it look like Emily was copying Ivy’s business plan. You also threw the orange juice package through George’s window to cast suspicion on him.”

George grumbled, “I’m not keeping my window open at night anymore. That’s for sure.”

I continued, “You buried the poison bottle near the flower stand to implicate Vincent, using his signature orange juice as part of the plan. That was the big one. I think you really wanted Vincent to take the fall.”

Grayson stuck his hands in his pockets. “Why would Evangeline do all this? Why try to frame so many people?”

“Why me most of all?” asked Vincent.

“At the cupcake tasting, Vincent handed out glass bottles of his homemade orange juice. Evangeline used the rodenticide to poison one of those bottles. Somehow, the drinks got switched, and Emily accidentally drank the one meant for Grayson.”

Grayson froze, his face pale. “For me?”

I nodded solemnly. “Your mom set up a trust fund for you that you couldn’t access until you turned thirty-five. After your recent birthday, you started receiving threatening messages to hand it over. Evangeline had a limited window to get to the money because, if you had a child, the trust would pass to them. Plus, if you found your half-brother, half the trust would go to him.”

Grayson frowned and glanced at Vincent. “He wouldn’t automatically get it if I found him after I received the trust. No offense, Vincent.” His expression softened. “Now that I’ve found you, I’m more than happy to share. Gaining a brother is worth far more than any amount of money.”

Vincent ran a hand through his hair. “I wish I’d known earlier. I had a feeling something was off, but I didn’t have proof. I just wanted to keep everyone safe.”

Grayson’s voice cracked. “You knew?”

Vincent nodded. “That’s why I had everyone sign the NDA before the wedding. I didn’t want any information about the event getting leaked. I thought it might protect you from the threat. I had no idea we were related—I was doing it as a friend.”

Grayson let out a hollow laugh. “And that’s why I was upset with you. I wanted you at my wedding by my side, but you planned a trip last minute, and I didn’t understand why.”

Vincent’s jaw tightened. “When Evangeline started hanging around you more and more, I got suspicious. We used to date, after all. I know her ways—she’ll stop at nothing to fund her lifestyle, and that takes money. Staying with me wouldn’t have gotten her what she wanted. The most selfless thing she ever did was introduce me to Emily, and I’ll always be grateful for that. But then I heard about the trust.”

“And when she became a last-minute bridesmaid, you tried to keep her close to figure out what was going on,” I added.

“Exactly,” Vincent said. “I knew she was after your money—I just didn’t know how she planned to get it.”

“What about the threatening call I got?” Grayson turned to Evangeline. “You were right next to me when I got it!”

“Evangeline threatened you using a prerecorded message that she electronically scheduled to send via an app,” I explained. “That’s how Evangeline was able to be in the same room as you when he received it. It made her look innocent.”

Grayson’s jaw tightened, and I pressed on. “Evangeline knew from dating Vincent that he didn’t want to find his birth mother. He was happy with his adoptive parents. But she recognized the family resemblance between him and you, Grayson. She knew she had to act quickly before this connection was discovered—and before you and Sage had a child.”

“She even used the necklace Sage lost at brunch,” I said, the pieces clicking together. “When her plan to kill Grayson failed, she saw an opportunity to steal Sage’s necklace and sold it at Stefan’s pop-up pawn shop to fund her escape. But when we spread the rumor that the necklace had reappeared, she got greedy. She couldn’t get the inheritance, so she planned to sell it again for more money.

“And when she was planting the poison bottle to frame Vincent, she stole Emily’s luggage tag. She used it to transport flowers to the water spigot and back. That tag had a hot stamp of a cactus—something you can only get at a specific Louis Vuitton store in Scottsdale. It was meaningful to Emily because it was a memento from her trip with Vincent.”

I turned to Evangeline. “You’ve always admired it, haven’t you?”

Evangeline nodded instinctively, then realized her mistake and tried to shake her head. But it came out as a weird wobble, like a bobblehead.

“That tag was the key,” I said. “Emily would never have replaced it with a plain, unmarked one. You swapped it out so you could keep the original for yourself. I bet you didn’t think anyone would notice.

“Your funds have dried up. If you want to keep traveling the world, affording the same luxuries that you normally would, you need money.”

Tears of frustration welled in Evangeline’s eyes. “I’ve dreamt my whole life of being able to go to Italy for an authentic pasta dish, just because I could.”

“You should have gone to Gianna’s. Authentic without the price tag of a flight,” Sharon muttered.

“So, you poisoned the juice to get Grayson’s funds and live a grand lifestyle?” I asked.

“I saw the opportunity, and I wasn’t about to give that up,” Evangeline nodded. “That’s living!”

As someone who had lost my world as I knew it, “living” was about connecting with people. Spending time with family and friends—new and old—was more valuable than anything I could put a price tag on.

Grayson’s eyebrows shot up. “What would have happened if I died? Why go through all this? If I’m dead, there’s no money.”

Evangeline’s gaze shifted to Sage. “Yes, there is.”

“I was your contingency plan.” Sage gasped, instinctively clutched the place where her heirloom necklace would be—and to her great surprise—it was there. While I had been talking, Rose—ever the jewel-thief—had covertly placed the diamond necklace around Sage’s neck.

“Where did this come from?” she asked.

Rose grinned. “Dove and I found it at a pop-up pawn shop. The owner graciously wanted it returned to its rightful owner.”

I wasn’t sure Stefan Ivan would agree, but something told me Rose had plans for that.

Sage wrapped us both in a hug. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

Beau, who had been a silent observer so far, frowned. “What do you mean by ‘contingency plan?’”

“If Grayson died after the wedding, then the trust would go to Sage. If Grayson was dead, there’s no way that Sage wouldn’t have handed over the money after a little threat. Right, Evangeline?”

“That seems about right,” she answered nonchalantly.

I frowned. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. If you wanted Grayson dead after the wedding, why poison the orange juice at the cupcake tasting?”

“I can explain that,” said Vincent. “The bottles I gave them were for after the wedding. It was supposed to be for mimosas the next morning. I have a bunch of those bottles at home. Emily took one to bring to work without thinking twice. But Grayson took home the wrong bottle, so the poisoned one was still with us.”

“I’ve heard plenty.” Aster stepped over to Evangeline. “You’re coming with me.”

And with that, Aster took Evangeline away.

“There’s one more thing,” I stated.

Everyone turned to look at me.

“Evangeline’s limited window wasn’t just because she knew you had a brother. It was really because of, well. . .” I turned to Sage. “You can explain.”

Sage took Grayson’s hands into hers. “You know how I haven’t been feeling the best lately?”

He gave her a compassionate look, gazing deep into her eyes. “Yeah.”

She gave him a soft smile. “We’re going to have a baby.”

Epilogue

Part 1

Sunday

4:12 pm

Ispent the rest of the week finally getting some much-needed rest. Rose and I relaxed on the couch with her cooking competition shows. Ladybug entertained us with her adorable antics. Sharon spent the week getting ready for her RV travels.

When Monday rolled around, the time had come for my grandma to spread her wings. She had taken the offer of her friend, Kai, to join him traveling across the United States.

Kai had a lifelong dream of traveling, and when the circumstances aligned to make it happen, he was more than happy to have a traveling partner. I wasn’t sure if Kai knew exactly what he had signed up for, but he assured me he packed extra calcium supplements, so it would probably be fine.

Kai was polishing the mirrors of the RV as Sharon laid back in the passenger seat, her wide-brimmed white hat covering her face. She was getting her beauty sleep in before their grand adventures started. I let them do their thing and went to a fire pit where everyone was gathering.

I spread a thick scarf on a log so my outfit wouldn’t get dirty. Wearing nice clothes at a campsite wasn’t the most practical choice. I probably shouldn’t have worn black boots with a pointed heel, but they looked good. I wanted to look my best for my grandma’s send-off.

One of the well-wishers had brought their brown fluffy doodle, and she was more than happy rolling around in the dirt.

Rose had taken Ladybug to go on a picnic. . .and Aster may have been in attendance. She had refused to say, but her cheeks had turned red when I asked her.

My cousin Simon was helping his business partner distribute gin cocktails.

“How are things?”

“Not great,” Simon said grimly. “Someone broke into my restaurant.”

He showed me a picture on his phone of the space. It was trashed and a threatening message was written on the wall.

“Do you want help?”

“I’ll figure it out. Don’t you worry about me. Oh, it looks like it’s time.”

Sharon and Kai had gathered everyone together to the fire pit, and they looked at us with gratitude.

Kai cleared his throat. “Here we are, ready for our next adventure. I can’t tell you what it means to me to have everyone here supporting us.” He raised his glass to Sharon’s friend, Silas Lozano, who was resting on a log next to me. “Without you, my friend, I would never have taken the leap to follow my dreams. Thank you.”

Silas nodded, a bright smile on his face.

Sharon pursed her lips. “I’m a fan of many things, and a critic of more. I’m sure I’ll find more ways this trip will cause my bones to ache than if I stayed home.” She grinned. “But if I stayed home, I wouldn’t come back with more battle scars. And who doesn’t want those?”

Sharon wrapped Simon and I in hugs. She had applied multiple layers of her favorite perfume, and it’s sweet scent wafted past us. She gave everyone else a nod in acknowledgement, unlike Kai, who was hugging people left and right.

When they were ready, Sharon and Kai headed to the RV to take off on their new adventure.

I noticed a woman waving a handkerchief at Sharon and Kai. There was a small fluffy dog embroidered on it. I thought it was a cute touch, in honor of her puppy, who was now curled up by her feet.

Sharon and Kai had insisted that everyone continue to celebrate after they left, so we did. I stayed on my blanketed log, preferring to stay out of the dirt as much as possible.

I laughed at that thought. Here I was, willingly and excited to be running a flower stand, and I still didn’t want to be in the dirt.

Okay, I was fine with it. . .as long as I was wearing the right attire! I thought that was a fair compromise for someone who never dreamed of wanting this before. Thankfully, a dream I never dared to dream had come true. The true silver lining of this whole experience was new growth—literally, with the flowers.

The woman with the doodle came over to me. “Hi, I’m Clementine Honeycutt.”

This was Clementine, the bartender at Sunrise Cafe. I was excited to finally meet her. I spread out my scarf for her to sit on, and she joined me.

“How do you think Sharon will fare?” she asked.

“If anyone can survive without their weekly salon appointment, it’s my grandma.” I laughed softly. “She’ll probably find a new salon in each town they go to, and be even happier, because there’s more she can lecture the poor stylists about.”

It was strange to think that my grandma was now living the life-on-the-run lifestyle I would have assumed I would be living. There was something to having a solid place to stay while in hiding—and figuring out Matteo’s next move.

Simon was too proud to take my help, but I bet I could get someone he trusted to help. “I don’t know if Simon will be alright, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s too proud to ask for help. There’s something wrong at the new location of Winging It.”

“Like it doesn’t have everything it needs to open yet?”

“No.” I took a deep breath. “Like someone shattered the window, broke in, and spray painted on the wall, Good luck with the opening. . .  If you ever open.”

Epilogue

Part 2

Sunday

4:56 pm

Clementine promised she’d do everything in her power to help my cousin out, and I was relieved. Her reputation as an amateur sleuth made me confident she’d get to the bottom of that mystery.

When everyone left, I went into Sunrise Campsite’s office. Was I going to get to work right away, like Sharon wanted? Of course not! I was going to do. . .the other thing. . .she wanted instead!

I changed into my gardening clothes instead, placing my nice ones in a bag I had brought before the sendoff.

Before leaving, Sharon had—not so subtly—pointed out an area of the campsite by the flower stand that was empty and full of dirt. “Why not expand your business?” she had casually asked.

It wasn’t a bad idea, and once my grandma had planted the idea in my head, I couldn’t get it out. So, after careful consideration, I decided to grow dahlias in the available space.

I loaded the cart with my dahlia tubers and the spade I had taken from the flower stand, among other gardening necessities. When I arrived at my new gardening destination, I mapped out where everythign should go and then set to work.

I planted the tubers a little over a foot apart, systematically digging and planting. The repetition was calming and feeling the earth under my fingers felt grounding. The sun shone brightly above me, and the warmth was refreshing.

It was the perfect day—until the shadow of a 5’ 6” man suddenly appeared.

A shiver ran down my spine. It couldn’t be. . .

A man in a tan linen suit stepped into the sunlight.

This was bad—very bad.

Matteo Rossi dipped his head to me. “Dove Davis.”

“Matteo,” I said coldly, despite my heart pounding in my chest.

“It’s been quite the feat to find you.” Matteo held out his hands, grinning. “I’m glad I did.”

“Is that so?”

A moment of hesitation and—worry?—flashed across his features. It was gone in an instant and his old charm returned. It had changed somehow, though. A smidgeon of his confidence was gone. Not much, but enough for me to notice.

Matteo spoke softly, as if not wanting anyone to hear. “I need your help.”

I stared at the man who had driven me out of my home, away from my husband, and into hiding in my hometown. This was the moment I thought I would actually lose everything. But instead Matteo. . .wanted my help? It made no sense. “You need my help? For what?”

“It looks like I underestimated you.” He cleared his throat. “An unexpected hiccup occurred in my operation, and I need to resolve it.”

“You murdered that waiter, why would I help you?”

“I did not kill the waiter.” A weary look came over the flashy, stylish, and usually upbeat and confident con man. “I want you to find out who did. Or. . .”

A glimmer of his charm and menace flashed through his features. This was not someone to mess with.

Would helping him help me? Or would it make everything worse? Did I have a choice?

“Well?” Matteo asked, and the instant he spoke, I knew I absolutely had a choice. It was entirely up to me to set both our fates.

“Are you going to help me or not?”

Find out how everything began—and how Dove and Rose met!

Want more of Clementine Honeycutt and the Sunrise Cafe crew? Read here!