“Not once,” I answered him honestly. Actually, Eddie had never once said that I looked nice.
“Then he’s an idiot, Letty. I didn’t even see you, and I can tell you, you looked like a vision.”
My traitorous heart thumped wildly behind my ribs.He just found out that his wife was cheating on him and got pregnant by another man. He wasn’t even close to divorced yet. Luke had told me I looked pretty a million times, but it was always said so casually. It made my breath quicken every time, regardless, but a simple “you look nice today” was very different from the man sitting next to me telling me I looked like a vision.
I had thought that nothing was different earlier, but I was wrong. Everything was different. Luke was on his way to being a free man, and I had no idea what that meant.
7
Scarlett
Downtown Calla Bay was as busy as ever on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Luck was on my side as a parking space opened up just as I was pulling up. I put my directional on and waited for them to back out of their space, then swung my car into the spot directly in front of my destination.
Daisy Days Flower Shop was Calla Bay’s best (and only) florist. The bright colors and sweet aromas greeted us, along with the chime bell above the door. Daisy Reynolds was behind the counter, working on an arrangement with peonies and ranunculus. Her straight black hair was tied into a high ponytail, so sleek and tamed. The apron she wore was smeared with bits of dirt. She looked up and smiled at me when I walked in, her quarter-Japanese heritage evident in her shining eyes.
“Hey, Scarlett,” she said, her big smile taking up the whole of her petite face. Her eyes bounced between me and Aurora.
I came into the flower shop every other week to pick out a simple bouquet for my apartment, and Daisy and I had become friendly. Flowers always put me in a good mood.
“Hi, Daisy. That looks lovely,” I told her.
“Thanks. It’s for a bat mitzvah, so I want it to feel young and fresh.”
“I think you’re nailing it,” I told her honestly. “This is my sister, Aurora.”
I turned to Aurora and made the introduction to Daisy, as well.
“Hi, Aurora. I could have guessed that you two were related. You look so much alike.”
We really did. Aurora’s features were more delicate. Her hair was less wild than mine, falling in soft, wavy curls rather than ringlets, but otherwise, we did look alike. More Mom’s genes than Dad’s.
“I can deal with that,” Aurora said with a smile. She busied herself with looking at the displays of flowers while I chatted with Daisy.
“Did you want to put something together for yourself? I can put this down for a few and get some things together for you,” she offered. I came into the shop so often that Daisy was showing me how to put together beautiful arrangements on my own. That was how I now knew what ranunculus was. That wasn’t what I was here for today though.
“No. I’m just stopping in to grab something for Maeve. She’s just had a baby, and we’re heading over there to spend some time with them.”
“That’s great! Give her my congratulations. I have some premade arrangements on the table if you want to take one of those. Everything was made up either yesterday or today.”
“Thanks, Daisy.”
I looked through the collection of bouquets she had displayed. Everything from funeral arrangements to two simplestems in a vase, colors, shapes, and sizes matched and married in artful masterpieces. No two were the same, and each one gave off its own vibe.
“How’s everything going at work?” she asked, continuing to snip stems while I browsed the selection. I chose a moderately sized bouquet of sunflowers, tulips, and calla lilies. The bright yellows, oranges, and pinks were calling to me, the perfect blend to celebrate Maeve and Veda.
“Good. It’s Calla Bay, so, you know, slow,” I laughed.
“I still can’t believe we had a murder in town.” She shivered, shaking out her arms like she was ridding herself of evil. “I don’t think we’d ever had a murder for as long as I’ve been alive.”
Daisy was probably twenty-three. She had lived in Calla Bay her whole life and only ever known the safety of a small town.
“That’s true. It’s been thirty-five years since the last murder. A neighbor dispute gone horribly too far.”
“Well, I’m glad they caught the killer. I didn’t like the idea that a murderer was on the loose. I have to park down the block a lot of the time, and I didn’t even want to walk back to my car. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.”
“Luke worked day and night on that case. He was determined to keep our town safe and get justice for Alana.”
“Ahh.” A dreamy look crossed Daisy’s face that had me rolling my eyes in jest. “Officer Wilder can keep me safe anytime.”
