Can't Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard

Author:Amy Lillard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2019-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

13

“Fancy seeing you here.” Arlo pasted on a smile as she met Sam in the front yard of the Sugar Springs Inn.

Helen had bought the building that housed the inn after her husband died from pancreatic cancer. He worked for the railroad and the insurance payout was good. She overhauled the house, painted it herself, inside and out, and the Sugar Springs Inn was born. To Arlo it was home. At least the home she had known the longest.

Arlo’s parents still breezed through Sugar Springs from time to time, and her brother liked to come every year for the strawberry festival, but other than that, Helen was her family.

Family she was going to strangle if she didn’t stop trying to set her up with her high school sweetheart. She wasn’t even sure sweetheart was the right word.

“I think Helen is trying to get us back together.” Arlo made an apologetic face. At least she hoped it looked that way. Together they made their way up the walk to the large wraparound porch.

Sam laughed. “I thought I might be the only one who noticed.”

Arlo shook her head. “I noticed all right.”

“Would that be so bad?” he asked as he opened the door for her.

Would it? She would have to give it some thought, but she was saved from answering as Camille met them at the door. She held a glass of something in one hand and motioned them in with the other. “Come on in. Helen’s made drinks.”

Arlo eyed her glass. “I thought you couldn’t drink because of your heart medication.”

“Poppycock,” Camille said. “Fern, can you whip up something for Arlo to drink?”

“And Sam too,” he joked.

“I don’t drink anymore,” Fern said, a glass of amber liquid in one hand. Her drink didn’t look mixed; it looked lethal. Single malt, aged twenty years lethal. “But I don’t drink any less.”

Everyone laughed.

The whole group was packed into the front common area of the inn. It was the largest room in the house, connected to the dining room and for the guests to enjoy. And they appeared to be enjoying it all right. Inna was there, along with Daisy, the book club members, and the inn’s other guests—Ty Daniels who graduated the year after she and Sam. He’d become a state senator. And Frankie Dell who…well, no one was sure what Frankie did for a living but since it was suspected he had New York and Chicago connections, no one dared to ask.

“Here you go, sweetie.” Helen handed her a drink with a quick wink.

Arlo took one look at the dark amber liquid and resisted the urge to pour it into the nearest potted plant. But what had the plant ever done to her? The drink looked like a straight shot of sour mash whiskey. Hopefully nothing higher proof. “I’m not sure—”

Helen patted her arm and put a stop to her. “Oh, you’re going to love this.”

Arlo eyed it skeptically.

“Drink up,” Helen said. She raised her glass in toast.

“Za vashe zdorovie!” Inna raised her glass and drained what was inside.

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