Janet Evanovich - Full Bloom

"I didn't give him an answer," Annie said. "He just left the ring here and told me to think about it."

"At least try it on," Lovelle said. "See if it fits."

Annie was tempted. Finally, she pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her left finger. All three women leaned forward to get a closer look.

"That's one big rock," Theenie said.

Annie nodded. "It's a little loose."

Destiny waved the remark aside. "It can be sized. I think you should wear the ring while you're considering your answer, though. Do you get to keep if even if you say no?"

"Why would I do that?" Annie asked.

"You can always put it in a different setting. I should know these things after five marriages."

Theenie looked at Lovelle. "If she marries Wes, we'll have to move. You know how newly weds are."

Lovelle nodded. "They stay naked a lot." She looked thoughtful. "That might not be a bad thing, seeing how Wes is so hot."

Theenie's mouth flew open. "Lovelle, I don't believe what I just heard come out of your mouth!"

"Hey, old ladies have needs, too. That's why they make adult toys."

"I shouldn't be hearing this." Theenie pressed her hands to her ears. "La la la la la. Is she done yet?"

"Nobody is moving anywhere," Annie said. "Besides, I can't get married right now; I just buried my husband."

Theenie nodded. "Oh yeah. You're supposed to be in mourning."

Destiny took a sip of her coffee. "See, that's the thing about diamonds. They go with any color. Especially black."

"Do you love him?" Lovelle asked.

All eyes went to Annie. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. "Yeah. I just need to think."

Lovelle patted her on the back. "Well, now that things have settled down, your mind will be clearer."

Annie and Destiny exchanged looks. Neither of them spoke. Annie went back to work. Destiny refilled her coffee cup and sipped in silence. Peaches stretched and yawned in one of the chairs and jumped to the floor. She walked over to her bowl and swatted it hard. Water sloshed over one side as the bowl sailed a good three feet. Nobody noticed. Peaches walked over to the cabinet, sat, and stared at Annie. Finally, Theenie and Lovelle disappeared into the sunroom to watch their favorite morning show.

Destiny sneezed. "Donna Schaefer didn't kill him."

Annie went on with her work but said nothing.

Peaches rubbed up against the cabinet, never taking her eyes off Annie.

"She only thinks she's responsible for his death because he was alive when she ran out." Destiny wiped her nose.

Peaches smacked the cabinet with her paw. Bam, bam, bam.

Annie looked up and gazed out the window over the sink.

"Somebody came in afterward and did it. I just have to figure out who." Sneeze, sneeze. Bam, bam, bam.

Peaches took several steps back and hurled herself against the cabinet and then slumped to the floor, tongue lolling from her mouth.

Destiny gaped.

Annie glanced at the cat, turned, and continued to stare out the window. "She's faking."

* * * * *

It was late in the afternoon when Annie allowed herself to take a break. She poured a glass of iced tea and decided to drink it in the sunroom. As she made her way through the house, she smiled. Theenie had polished the antiques until they shone like a dime, and Destiny had run a damp mop over the wood floors and vacuumed the rugs. The tables in the ballroom wore crisp white tablecloths and were set just so, thanks to Lovelle.

Annie wasn't sure how she would have managed without their help; she'd spent the entire day preparing hors d'oeuvres, baking traditional wedding cookies, as well as layers for the French pound cake that she would later frost and decorate. Salad plates, asparagus, stuffed cherry tomatoes, champagne, and wine were chilling in the restaurant-sized refrigerator at the back of the large walk-in pantry. She had wanted to get as much food preparation behind her so she could concentrate on the main course tomorrow. The two women she often hired for large occasions would arrive an hour before the food was to be served so that she would be able to concentrate on last-minute details.

Everything was under control.

Yeah, right. Her guts had not stopped shaking since Wes had arrived bearing an engagement ring and the latest news on Charles's death.

She missed Wes. Her bed had been a lonely place without him the night before. She longed to have his arms around her because he made her feel safe and cared for, something she had only recently begun to realize that she'd spent most of her life craving. She missed his smile, the laughter in his eyes that told her he refused to take life so seriously. She missed the tender looks and kisses, and the taste and smell of him.

And she regretted sending him away that morning instead of admitting that somehow, in just two weeks' time, she had fallen in love with him, too.

"Annie?"

She jumped at the sound of Theenie's voice. "I didn't hear you," she said.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just trying to think of everything I need to do before tomorrow. Right now I'm on break."

Theenie followed her to the sunporch, where they each claimed a chair. "You're thinking of Wes."

"He deceived me."

"He was hired to do a job. Once he was convinced of your innocence, he began looking elsewhere."

"He's probably all wrong for me, Theenie."

"That's what I thought at first, but I've since changed my mind. He loves you, Annie. He's sincere. Lovelle agrees."

"It just happened so fast."

Theenie patted her hand. "You can schedule dinner parties and luncheons and weddings, but you can't put love into a time frame." She suddenly frowned. "Where's your engagement ring?"

"Huh?" Annie glanced at her hand. "Holy crap, it's gone!"

* * * * *

"Okay, everybody calm down," Destiny said an hour later, after all four of them had searched every nook and cranny for the ring.

"Calm down?" Annie cried. "What am I going to tell Wes?"

"It has to be here somewhere," Lovelle said. "It didn't just walk off."

"Annie, think," Theenie said. "When was the last time you noticed it?"

"I know I glanced down at it a number of times after I first put it on," she said, "but then I got busy. What if it slipped off and fell down the sink?"

"That has been known to happen," Destiny said. "Does Erdle know anything about plumbing?"

Annie nodded. "He makes most of the repairs around here. When he gets around to it," she added.

"His car is in the driveway," Lovelle said. "I'll go get him."

"Give me the box the ring came in," Destiny said. "I'll go into the living room where it's quiet so I can concentrate. Maybe something will come to me."

Annie grabbed the jeweler's box and handed it to her. "Good luck."

Erdle staggered in through the back door a few minutes later, followed by Lovelle. "He's drunk, of course," she said.

Annie gave an enormous sigh of disgust. "What else is new?" She looked at him. His clothes were badly wrinkled; his hair stood in tufts. Lovelle had obviously awakened him. He held a plumber's wrench in one hand. His eyes widened at the trays of food sitting on the counter and kitchen table. "Wow!" He belched. "I've never seen so much food."

Annie had already cleared the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink. "Did Lovelle tell you my ring may have slid off my finger and gone down the drain?" she asked.

He scratched his head and blinked several times. "She might have mentioned it." He gazed back at the food. "What's all that?"

"Stuffed grape leaves, Roquefort grapes, wedding cookies, and …" She paused, wondering why she was bothering to answer. "I'm in a hurry."

"Why would anybody want to eat grape leaves?" he asked.

"Erdle, would you please—"

"Can I just have a couple of those cookies? I haven't eaten in a while."