Page 20 of Say Yes to the Death

“Oh, that’s right. And still true.” She tossed a pack of bacon into her cart. “How’s Kyle feeling today?”

“Bit of a headache, but he’ll make it. He spent his lunch looking over the charges against you. He said he has a good feeling about it.”

“A good feeling about me being sued?”

“No, a good feeling that he has grounds to countersue.” Nicole laughed.

“I don’t know what that means. But I trust him. Talk later?”

“Of course. Let me know how everything goes tonight. You’ve got this. Have you been thinking about tomorrow? Are you nervous?” Nicole’s voice was softer now, more hesitant.

Claire’s heart tripped. Barney’s preliminary hearing. She had been so successful in blocking out all thoughts of him that she had almost penciled in a meeting at the same time as the hearing. As if this week wasn’t shitty enough, now she had to go to court and possibly come face-to-face with the man who stabbed her a week ago. Kyle said she would probably be sequestered and wouldn’t even need to come to the courtroom, but what if he was wrong? And she needed to pick her mother up from the airport in the morning. That was always an ordeal.

She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk about tomorrow. One crisis at a time.”

“It’ll be okay. We’ll be there for you. All of us,” Nicole said in a soothing tone.

“Thanks, Coli.”

Claire hung up and checked out with a cart full of groceries and a beautiful bunch of gerbera daisies. Maybe a five-course dinner would be enough to redeem her. Mothers always liked her—she was polite, gave thoughtful gifts. Rachel would change her opinion of her, and the pool incident would be a mere footnote in their successful relationship.

When she slammed her car door, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Well, shit. She hadn’t fixed her Marilyn Manson makeup before going into the store. Maybe that’s why the toddler twins in front of her screamed bloody murder when they saw her. Their mother didn’t even ask for a signed copy of a bachelorette party shopping list. Rude.

CHAPTER SIX

To Do:

- Buy waterproof mascara

- Get table rental quote

“Luke?” Claire called out as she unlocked his front door. “Could you help me with the groceries?”

Rosie ran inside, her stump of a tail wiggling so hard it was in danger of dislodging. She beelined through the foyer and into the kitchen where Luke stood with a cup of coffee.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said, reaching down to rub Rosie’s furry body. She leaned against his leg, panting happily as Claire set two reusable grocery bags on the kitchen island.

“Are you talking to me or the dog?” Claire asked.

“Both.” He walked over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Rachel cleared her throat noisily at the breakfast nook. Her cup of coffee was still steaming, and her expression suggested she had just watched someone vomit.

Oh, good. Her attitude clearly hadn’t improved since the day before. Why had she insisted on cooking for this dragon of a woman? They could have just gone out to a nice dinner at Mario’s, but no. When Luke dropped the bomb that his mom was staying for a couple of days, Claire had latched on to the opportunity to impress her. What an idiot.

“Nice to see you again, Rachel,” Claire said. She pulled the bouquet of gerbera daisies out of a bag and handed them to her.

Rachel handed them back. “I’m allergic to daisies.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Claire said. Of course she was. “Let me just put these outside.”

She scurried out the front door and closed it behind her, breathing deeply. Strike one. She laid the flowers on the railing of the porch and crossed the yard to her car. In true Pennsylvania fashion, a warm early summer afternoon had taken a sharp turn, the temperature inexplicably dipping down into the fifties. She shivered as she popped open her trunk.

Luke followed her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Hey,” he said, spinning her around. “Just breathe. It’s only my mom.”

“Only your mother who thinks I’m a gold-digging topless pool girl.”

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