Page 23 of A Dark and Stormy Night

Gwen came back in and put the receiver back on the cradle. "Melanie needs a heating element, so I sent Jack out. They'll take care of it so you can enjoy our guests." She smiled brightly, shot back out to the grill and came in carrying a long platter.

At the stove, she lifted a gigantic slab of steaming salmon out of the pot and placed it on the platter.

Mario carried it to the table and with a flourish placed it in the middle of the table.

The stupid fish was covered with garlic slices, capers and peppercorns, and rested on top of artfully arranged grilled asparagus.

Oh. My. God. Was she supposed to eat that?

Then Cousin Gwen emptied the other pan into a bowl and put an appalling pile of grains on the table.

Cecily couldn't keep quiet any longer. "What is that?"

"It's farro." Mario sat and shook out his napkin.

"Pharaoh? Like Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments?"

Gwen actually laughed. At Cecily. "Farro is an ancient grain that is healthful and easy to digest. I made it into this risotto everybody loves." Cousin Gwen sat down and lifted the serving spoon. "Can I serve you?"

"Of course!" Cecily extended her plate and thought, I'm going to starve.

Day Three

"Cousin Mario and Cousin Gwen, we have enjoyed our stay here at your magnificent home so much. Why, you have opened our eyes to the kinds of decorating I have never even imagined." Cecily opened her gaping maw and shoved in another spoonful of Frosted Flakes.

Gwen couldn't stand to watch. She turned back to her preparation of Mario's fruit-and-yogurt parfait, and her heart beat to a single thought. They are leaving this morning. They are leaving this morning.

Cecily continued, "Why, Landon and I were saying how much we just love you both."

They are leaving. They are leaving.

"You've taken us all around Virtue Falls, down the beach, up to the mountains . . . We have so much in common. And our time here has been so brief."

Leaving. Leaving.

"So we changed our minds. We've cleared our schedule, and we're going to stay another two days!"

Gwen whipped around and stared at the breakfast table.

Mario sat frozen, his gaze on his iPad.

Landon smiled—vacantly, as always—and ate his cereal, fried eggs and bacon, and white bread laden with butter and jam.

Cecily patted her lips with her napkin and smiled hugely. "I am so happy we made this decision!"

Gwen turned back to the parfait, topped it with her homemade granola, and said clearly, "No, you're not."

"What?" Cecily asked.

"You're not staying." Gwen picked up the parfait and turned in time to see Mario come to life.

"What Gwen is trying to say is, you can't," he said. "Gwen and I have reservations at a bed-and-breakfast in Victoria for the weekend, and as soon as you leave, we're on our way."

Gwen put the parfait in front of him. She put the spoon into his hand and pressed his fingers with approval. He was not a man who lied well or often, but this time he'd done a magnificent job of smoothing over Gwen's blunt refusal.

"But we've made our plans!" Cecily managed to project all the blame on them.

Which after two days of her, didn't surprise Gwen at all. "I wish you had consulted us. We could have told you it wasn't possible." The refrain that sang through Gwen's veins now changed to, You are leaving, you are leaving.

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