Page 6 of Vows of Murder

I would talk to Greg when he got home. The girl I’d seen in the window may not have been Carlie, but she’d had the same long blond hair. It was worth mentioning.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Greg and I decided to take his mom to see the wedding venue. It was an outing where Emma could come along. There were only a few cars in the dirt parking lot when we arrived, even though it was a beautiful day. As we wandered the mission grounds with Emma, Amanda was quiet. I was worried that she didn’t approve. The weather was cooperating for our outing. The temperature was in the seventies, so we were in short sleeves. Except for Amanda, who wore a hoodie as well. Several of the walkers we ran into wore shorts. We paused at the fountain. The mission’s groundkeepers had kept it running for the winter and cleared some of the vegetation from around it. There was a bench nearby and Amanda sank onto it, pulling out her water bottle. Emma sat by my leg, watching her. She looked up atme and whined.

“Mom, are you okay? Are we doing too much?” Greg sat next to her, holding the water bottle as she dug in her purse.

She didn’t look up as she shook her head. She pulled out a ChapStick and applied it to her lips. “Don’t be silly. I just get a little tired now and then. It’s so dry here. I have to put lotion on right after my shower.”

“What do you think of the venue?” Greg decided to take her at her word. But I could see the concern in his eyes. “The arch will be covered with flowers and the chairs will be set up over there. The reception will be held back by the main building. Our friend Sadie Michaels is baking the cake and we brought in a caterer for the reception. As long as it doesn’t rain next Saturday,we’ll be good.”

She surveyed the area. “Make sure the chairs are on either side of that stone pathway. You don’t want Jill’s dressto get dirty.”

I glanced at the pathway to the arch. I’d assumed that the chairs would be set up that way, but maybe Amanda was right, we should check with the venue to make sure. They’d offered the old chapel as an alternative site for the wedding in case of rain. It would work as an option, especially since it would keep me from having to call everyone on the day of the wedding to let them know of a venue change. This wedding had been a pain to pull together, three times already. I was done changing the date. If we didn’t get married next Saturday, I would chalk it up to the will of the gods. Even though I knew in my heart that Greg was the one, I just didn’t have the energy to try again.

Greg must have heard my thoughts because he winked at me. Sometimes that man knew exactly what I was thinking. More likely it showed on my face. I just wished I had the same insight into his head. Like that bump we’d had when I’d made him a resume. I’d thought I’d done something nice. He, on the other hand, thoughtI was meddling.

We still needed to clear the air about that, but not until after our house was just the two of us again. I refused to fight with his mom staying with us. We had the rest of our lives to do that. I smiled as Amanda stood. “So, do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful. I hope that it’s warm like this next weekend.” Amanda pointed to the old buildings near the foothills. “Can we see the rest ofthe buildings?”

“Of course.” I started telling her about the Spanish missionaries who had built the original mission with the help of the local tribe, the Chumash people. The Spanish priests who ran the missions were more worried about claiming the area for their crown than taking care of the natives. This mission had been wiped out in an earthquake, then rebuilt as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps program during the Depression. “There’s even a ghost story about a Catholic priest who died here during the earthquake.”

“Well, let’s hope he doesn’t like attending weddings.” Amanda stepped closer to me. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather get married in achurch nearby?”

“We love this site, Mom,” Greg interrupted. “And with so many changes, our options have been limited. But when we found this, it was like it was meant to be.”

I appreciated his support. I’d been searching for wedding venues for months. Especially after our first choice had been snatched from our grasp due to the location’s rules. “We love it, and Emma will be able to attend, as long as it doesn’t rain. She’s not allowedin the chapel.”

“Well, as long as the two of you are happy with the venue,” Amanda said, but from her tone, I didn’t think she meant it. Greg’s first marriage had been in a huge, historic church. Mine had been at the justice of the peace’s office. This was right in the middle. The place was perfect for us. We were outdoor people who appreciated the history of the areawhere we lived.

I paused at the chapel entrance. I’d been inside several times. “You guys go ahead. I’ll stay out here with Emma.”

The chapel had two entrances, one you could see from where we were standing at the back, and the one Greg and his mother had used, closer to the edge of the building where the cemetery was located behind the mission walls. Most of the graves were unmarked, but there was a large stone cross that marked the cemetery boundary by the walls. My phone rang, making me jump. I answered the call.“This is Jill.”

“Are you coming to the author event tonight?” It was Deek Kerr, my barista and bookstore author-event wrangler. He’d invited a children’s author for an appearance, hoping it would bring in the kids with their Christmas money.

“Probably not.” I didn’t want Greg to think I was working just to get away from his mom. “Unless you need me.”

“Nope. I just wanted to make the offer. We’re all ready. How’s the in-law visit going?” It sounded like the shop was busy behind him.

“As well as can be expected, I guess.” Emma was watching the side of the wall where the adobe had been broken. Anyone could step into the cemetery from the back near the foothills. Of course, there wasn’t much here to protect. I heard Greg talking behind me. “I’ve got to go. They’re coming.”

“Have fun,” Deek said before I hung up.

I’d thought we were going to have a nice walk and show off where we were going to be married. Now, Amanda had me rethinking all my decisions. The good news was it was too late to change anything. All I needed todo was breathe.

When they walked into the courtyard, I saw Amanda frown. I turned around to see what she’d seen, but we were the only people there.

Greg’s phone buzzed, and he held up his hand. “Sorry, I’ve gotto take this.”

He left the cemetery area, and it was just me and Amanda. She nodded to the benches outside the walled courtyard. “Can we sit out here? I’m still a little sensitive to all this.”

I realized she meant the graveyard. We moved to the benches, which were warmed by the sun along with the wall behind us. We could see the sheep’s pen from where we sat. “I’m sorry. We should have skipped this part of the tour.”

“Death is a part of life, my dear.” Amanda reached out and tapped my leg with her hand. “I’ve just been thinking about that part of life a little more than normal this past year. I’m a little superstitious, so I’ve been trying to keep it all light and focused as I went through treatment.”

“I’m sorry we weren’t there for you.” I’d offered to stay with her, especially when she was going through chemotherapy, but she’d rejected my offer. Instead, Jim’s new girlfriend had moved into Amanda’s house with her since they lived in the same town. Beth was a sweet woman whom Jim had met at church. And even though he’d thought he’d never remarry after losing his wife, I’d heard they were starting to talk about wedding plans. Life was too short not to enjoy every day. Especially if you found lovea second time.

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