Veil, Vows and Vengeance (A Life's a Beach Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Emerald Finn

Author:Emerald Finn [Finn, Emerald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

“When is your new car coming?” Aunt Evie asked as we lugged my groceries in from her car.

She was puffing a little and I immediately felt guilty. “Aunt Evie, I told you, I can carry these. Give me that bag! It’s too heavy for you.”

“Rubbish!” she said, clinging to the bag stubbornly and whisking past me into the kitchen, where she deposited it triumphantly on the bench. “I’m perfectly capable of carrying a few bags of groceries. I daresay I’m fitter than you are.”

“I feel bad enough getting you to drive me to the supermarket without having you lumping bags as well. Would you please leave the rest for me?”

“It’s no trouble,” she said. “I have to get my own groceries anyway. May as well take you with me. Besides, it’s nice to spend some time together.”

“Yes, but we could spend time together without manual labour,” I said, dumping the last bag on the bench. “Anyway, the insurance company says the car will be delivered next week, so this should be the last time I have to impose on you.”

“It’s not imposing, you silly child.” She rubbed her knuckles down my cheek in a quick caress. “Families help each other out.”

I smiled at her. “Well, why don’t you help out by making some tea and leave me to put these away?”

She opened the cupboard where I kept the teabags. “I suppose I could,” she said a little grudgingly. “I could probably just about manage that in my feeble state.”

Oh, dear, I had put my foot in it. She hated being treated like an old lady. “I know you’re a very capable woman, Aunt Evie. I just want to look after you, the way you’ve always looked after me.”

“Hmph. Earl Grey or peppermint?”

“Peppermint, please.”

I busied myself putting away the groceries, then I got out a plate for the tarts I’d picked up at the bakery in Sunny Bay earlier. They made the most delicious citrus tarts so I’d bought a couple of those, plus the neenish tarts that Aunt Evie loved. They were too sickly sweet for me, but hopefully, she would accept them as a peace offering.

The boiling water bubbled away, then the kettle clicked off and Aunt Evie poured hot water into two mugs. “I really should get you a proper teapot. I swear tea tastes better from a pot than when it’s made with a tea bag.”

“You’re such a tea snob,” I said teasingly. “Teabags are so much quicker.”

“That’s the trouble with you young people,” she said as she carried the mugs to my little dining table. “You always want everything now. Instant gratification! Some things are worth waiting for, like a nice brew from a well-seasoned pot.” She sat down and took a sip from her mug. “And I prefer the term connoisseur to tea snob, thank you very much.”

I brought the plate with the tarts on it to the table and sat opposite her. Her smile told me that I was forgiven.

Aunt Evie eyed the bouquet of roses on the kitchen bench over the rim of her mug.

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