Janet Evanovich - Full Bloom

"Gee, I don't recall Peaches ever being happy," Annie said. As if acting on cue, the cat plopped from her chair, walked over to her now-empty food dish, and stared into it. She nudged it with her nose several times and then paused long enough as though waiting for Annie to get up and put more food in it. When Annie didn't make a move to do so, Peaches raised one paw and whacked the dish. As usual, it skidded across the kitchen floor.

"Did you remember to feed Peaches?" Theenie asked.

Annie looked amused. "Does it look like she has ever missed a meal?"

"As I was saying," Theenie began, "after about two hours of listening to Peaches growl like she sometimes does, I finally got up and carried her to your room, which was no easy task, mind you, considering how much she weighs, but I was hoping you could get her to calm down. Only you weren't in your bed. I got worried."

Annie pretended to be very interested in making her list. "That must've been when I stepped outside for some fresh air," she said in an offhand manner.

"Yes, I saw you," Theenie said.

With pen poised in midair, Annie held her breath and waited.

"With Wes."

Peaches walked over to the cabinet door. Bam, bam, bam.

"Kissing," Theenie said.

Annie looked at her. "You were spying on us?" Like they said, the best defense was a good offense.

Theenie sniffed as though she had just been insulted. "Of course not. I simply pulled the curtain aside to see if you were on the piazza, and there the two of you were, plastered together like Velcro. I don't mind telling you I was shocked." She gave another sniff.

Bam, bam, bam.

"Good morning," Lovelle said from the bottom of the stairs.

Annie jumped. She hadn't heard the woman come down. "Oh, you startled me."

"Everybody in this house is as nervous as a longtailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs," Lovelle said. "Theenie, you don't look happy. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," she said in a voice that suggested otherwise.

"That's good," Lovelle said, going to the coffeepot.

"Except I didn't get a wink of sleep last night," Theenie said.

Lovelle glanced at her. "That's too bad."

"I'm just too old to have to lie in bed and worry."

Lovelle carried her cup to the table and sat down. "Why were you worried?"

"No reason."

Lovelle turned to Annie. "I see you're already making your list."

"It's not like I don't have enough on my mind, what with Destiny talking about a spirit and Doc's gardener finding human remains in the backyard. Not to mention Annie renting a room to some biker stud who—"

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Annie said, tossing her pen aside. She looked at Lovelle. "Theenie saw Wes and me kissing last night."

Lovelle looked pleased. "Oh, yummy, is he a good kisser? He looks like he knows a few things."

Destiny came downstairs in a flowing satin flamingo pink bathrobe and matching slippers. "Good morning," she mumbled, staggering toward the coffeepot.

"You sound tired, dear," Theenie said.

Destiny filled a cup and joined them. "Yeah, well, it's hard to rest when you've got a ghost hanging around you twenty-four/seven."

Theenie nodded sympathetically. "If it makes you feel any better, almost nobody slept well last night."

"Theenie saw Wes kissing Annie on the piazza last night," Lovelle said.

Destiny shrugged. "I'm not surprised. I saw a hot romance in Annie's future when I read her palm." She looked at Annie. "Is he as good in bed as I told you he'd be?"

Theenie's mouth fell open. "You went to bed with him?" she asked Annie.

Annie felt her face burn clear to the tips of her ears. "Of course not!"

"What are you waiting for?" Lovelle said. "I can tell by the way he looks at you that he's hot for you."

"He looks at her like she's naked," Theenie said, rolling her eyes. "I knew Annie shouldn't have rented to him."

"I'll tell you what he's thinking," Lovelle said. "He's thinking he'd like to dunk his doughnut you-know-where."

"I shouldn't be hearing this," Theenie said, stuffing her fingers in her ears.

"It would do you good to get laid," Destiny said, giving Annie a hearty wink.

"La la la la la—" Theenie began loudly.

Annie was relieved when the telephone rang. She answered before it could ring a second time.

The woman on the other end of the line wasted no time. Annie just listened. "I see," she said after a moment. "Of course I understand. Please call me in the future if I can be of service." She hung up, slipped her hands into an oven mitt, and pulled out the casserole and biscuits.

Theenie pulled her fingers from her ears and looked at Annie. "I can tell by the look on your face that you just got bad news."

Annie began putting the biscuits in a cloth-lined basket. "The baby shower is off."

"That's not fair!" Lovelle said. "How can people be so rude? You've lived in this town practically half of your life. I can't believe anyone would think you killed your husband."

"It'll pass," Annie said, hoping she was right.

Someone tapped on the back door. Annie unlocked it and found Danny on the other side. He tousled her hair as he entered the kitchen. "Good morning, ladies." He glanced around the table at the serious faces. "Or is it?"

"It's a wonderful morning," Annie said. "The coffee is hot, and I just pulled breakfast from the oven." She poured Danny a cup of coffee, and he carried it to the table. As though following Annie's lead, all three women gave him a bright smile.

"I'll set the table," Destiny said, and went for dishes and flatware while Theenie and Lovelle continued to smile in such a way that one would have thought they'd just been handed a gift certificate to the local Family Dollar Store.

Danny smiled back and took a sip of his coffee.

"When will you be finished staining the ballroom floor?" Lovelle asked. "I need to get back to my exercise routine."

"I plan to put a couple of coats of polyurethane on top of the stain," Danny told her. "It'll be a few more days."

Annie glanced his way. "I took a peek at the floors last night. They're gorgeous."

Erdle came through the back door looking haggard. He sat at his usual place. Danny passed him the basket of biscuits. Erdle took one and bit into it.

"What time did you get in last night?" Theenie asked.

"I wasn't keeping track," he said.

Lovelle sniffed. "You smell like a beer can."

"It's my new aftershave."

"Aftershave, my foot," Lovelle said.

Wes came downstairs. Everybody but Erdle looked up. "Mornin'," Wes said. He glanced at Annie, and their gazes locked. "How are you?"

"Great. You?"

"Same."

"Coffee?"

He nodded. "I can get it."

"No, I'll do it."

They both reached for the cabinet door at the same time, but Annie was quicker. The door swung open and banged Wes's head. He winced and stepped back.

"I'm so sorry," Annie said. "Are you okay?"

"I'll know when my vision clears."

Annie carefully reached inside the cabinet for a mug, filled it with coffee, and offered it to him.

Their fingers brushed.

Annie felt something quicken in her stomach and let go.

Just missing her big toe, the cup fell to the floor. It shattered and splashed coffee on the floor and cabinet doors. "Oh, look what I've done!" Annie said.

"Did you burn yourself?" Danny asked as Wes and Annie began picking up the broken pieces.

She shook her head, too embarrassed to look up. Theenie and Lovelle got up and hurried to the broom closet.

"She didn't get much sleep last night," Destiny said.

"Oh yeah?"

"It's a long story," Annie said.

Theenie and Lovelle stepped up with the broom and mop. "Annie, sit down before somebody gets hurt," Theenie said. "You, too, Wes," she added. "I'll get your coffee."