Page 9 of A Christmas Mystery

I wave at Daniela and then turn back to Paige.

Ever efficient, she’s already pulled out a card and hands it to me.

It’s an old-fashioned business card with her name and contact information as well as the information for her business, a centralized website for local arts and crafts. “Maybe we can touch base sometime soon,” she says with a smile.

I tell her I’ll be in touch and then grab a table for two for Daniela and me.

Daniela is always tired getting off from work because the administrative duties wear on her personality. But she makes an effort to be in a good mood for me, and we have a good time catching up and hearing about each other’s lives.

After about an hour, I can tell she’s exhausted. “Have you looked around for a job that isn’t so much administrative work?” I ask her.

She shrugs and leans back in her chair. I’ve always thought she was prettier than me, and her dark eyelashes are unnaturally thick and long. “I keep looking but so far nothing that would be easier on me than this one is. At least with this job I can sometimes talk to artists and make connections with buyers and collectors.”

“Yeah, that’s something anyway.”

“I really just need to marry a rich man so I can make art to my heart’s content and not have to worry about a paycheck.”

I laugh at that, as I’m supposed to. But I can tell she’s only half joking. Daniela has never been romantic. She’s never dreamed of falling in love or having a fairy-tale romance. If she stumbled on a semidecent man with money who made her an offer, she’d probably accept it.

“Did you notice that Theo came in about thirty minutes ago?” she asks out of the blue.

I stiffen and turn my head to look behind me, realizing she’s right. There is Theo, sitting at the big table with Paige and the others.

I didn’t know he was friends with them. Obviously, I know in theory that he has friends—after all, Chris was his best one most of their lives—but he’s so unfriendly that I can’t imagine many people would want to hang out with him for any length of time.

He appears engaged in conversation, so maybe he exerts himself with people other than me.

When his gaze drifts over toward me, I quickly look away.

“Does he hang out with them a lot?” I ask Daniela. He got his lunch from here earlier. Maybe he just likes this place and they happen to be here too.

She lifts her shoulders. “Not all the time. I’ve seen him with them a few times lately. Losing Chris was hard on him, but he seems to be socializing more lately.”

I try not to make a face.

“I’m not saying it was as hard for him as it was for you, but it’s hard when your best friend dies.”

“I know it is. And I’d never question that his friendship with Chris was real. I just wish he hadn’t always acted like I was...”

When I trail off, Daniela arches her eyebrows. “Like you were what?”

“Like I wasn’t good enough for Chris.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why he always acted that way. He’s not the friendliest soul in the universe, but he’s usually not so frowny as he is around you.” She sighs. “Some people just don’t click.”

“I guess.” I shake my head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. By the way, do you have your old yearbooks?”

“What? No, of course not. Why would I have kept those?”

It probably was a silly question. Daniela is an unsentimental as it’s possible to be.

“Just checking. I went by the high school, and they let me look at the ones for the years I was in school, but I really want to borrow some so I can take them with me and study them.”

“Why don’t you ask at that table?” She nods back toward the others. “I bet one of them kept them.”

I sigh. That’s exactly what I was planning to do, but Theo’s presence has discouraged me.

It’s irrational not to follow my original plan simply because of Theo Humphrey, however. So after Daniela and I carry our dishes to the counter and I say goodbye to her, I wander back over to the big table.

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