Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Pierce sighed, and the sound was heavy. “I honestly don’t know. Right now, he’s my best bet.”
Chapter 11
I drove slowly around Lilac Lake on a twisty gravel road to reach the Clumsy Penguin, one of my absolute favorite places to relax. After parking, I quickly dashed inside and noted pink lights adorning the expansive windows overlooking the dark gray lake. Pink and red paper hearts had been plastered on the wall nearest the restrooms, showing that even the Penguin got into the Valentine’s Day mood.
I noted my sister Tessa at a table by the window and hustled her way. “Hey,” I said.
“Hi.” She looked up from the menu, her strawberry-blond hair in a ponytail. She wore jeans and a pink sweater. “What’s going on?”
“A lot.” I slid into the seat across from her. So, Nick hadn’t told her about his situation yet, and unfortunately, I couldn’t say a word. “Are you working over here all week?”
“Yeah, I’m at Smiley’s today and tomorrow and then over in the valley the next day.” Tessa had recently opened her own restaurant in Silverville while buying into Smiley’s Diner, which was down the road from my office. She’d worked there for years. Committing to both ventures at the same time had to be overwhelming, yet she looked calm and rather serene as she sipped from a glass of white wine. I cleared my throat. If there was anything I hated, it was keeping secrets from my sisters, but I couldn’t talk about Nick.
The door opened, and Donna walked inside, dressed casually—for her—in dark jeans, a sweater, and a puffer jacket. She ditched the top layer as she headed our way and hung the coat on the chair.
“I thought I’d be the first one here.” She sat next to me.
“Nah, I needed a drink,” Tessa said. “It’s been a long day on my feet.”
Donna looked a lot like our Nonna Albertini with her dark hair and brown eyes—all Italian. “What are you drinking?”
“It’s their chardonnay,” Tessa said with a shrug. “It’s all right.”
I’d had it before and actually liked it. A waitress came over, and Donna ordered a cabernet while I ordered a prosecco.
“Prosecco?” Tessa asked, both eyebrows rising.
“I’m in the mood for something different,” I said. We ordered burgers, and the waitress took the order to the kitchen.”
Donna looked at Tessa. “What are you getting Nick for Valentine’s Day?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe something for his truck?” She looked at me. “What about you and Aiden?”
“No clue,” I admitted. “It took me forever to figure out his Christmas present. I’m just hoping he’s back in town. He said he’d be gone for a few days, but I’ve seen that turn into weeks before.”
Tessa took a big drink. “What about you, Donna? Dating anybody new?”
“Not really,” my eldest sister said. “At least, nobody interesting.”
That was unfortunate. Donna rocked. We needed to find her a decent guy. I glanced up to see that the bar was rather quiet.
“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Standing, I walked across the uneven wooden floor to reach the bar. “Hey,” I said.
“Hi.” The bartender was a woman I’d seen before but had never met. She had to be in her late forties, with long, dark hair and pretty green eyes. “What can I get you?” She turned her narrow hips to reach for a couple of beers and placed them on the bar for the waitress.
“I just have a question for you. I’m Anna Albertini.”
“Oh, hi. Jenny Snocum.”
We shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you.” I looked around the joint. “I was wondering if you were here the other night when the Cupids robbed the place.”
“Everybody wants to know about that. Are you with the press?”
“No. I’m a lawyer. I’m not involved in the case. I was actually in the jewelry store when they robbed it.”
Her eyes widened. “You were? Were you scared?”
I thought back to my extreme adrenaline rush. “Yeah, especially because the tallest guy, the fit one, he shot an arrow into my friend.”
“You’re friends with Basanelli. Yeah. I read in the paper how he was injured.”
“Do you know him?” I asked.
She winked. “No, I just saw a picture of him in the Gazette. He’s pretty damn hot. Is he dating anybody?”
“Yes.” I smiled, trying not to get my hackles up. “He’s dating my sister.”
Jenny looked over my shoulder at Tessa and Donna. “That’s that, then. I heard the robbers gave a lot of the stuff away, which is good because I got my phone back.”
It was probably difficult to pawn off nice phones. “You did?” I asked. “Was there anything different about it? Did they do anything to it?”
“No, and the police took it to try to track the GPS.”
“That was smart,” I said. “You don’t have it back yet?”
She rubbed down the bar. “No. It’s not like I want to go buy a burner phone to use for a few days. I wouldn’t even know where to get one.”