Page 41 of Happily Never After

“See you later, street taco,” Jemarcus called as she and Luke exited the building.

“Mysterious anonymous donor, huh?” Luke put a hand on the small of her back.

“Kindness deserves to be rewarded. Besides, it’ll barely even be enough for his first semester’s books.” She shook her head.

Claire’s heart was lighter when they pulled into the driveway twenty minutes later. The bag of kebabs had filled the sedan with the tantalizing aroma of tzatziki and basil. As a bonus, they were a portable food so she could totally eat and type at the same time. All she needed to do was feed the dogs and then?—

“What the hell is that?” she asked. Luke tapped the brakes, and they both lurched forward.

“What?”

“Flowers. On the porch.” Her grip on the bag tightened. While a colorful bunch of tulips wasn’t a reason to upset the average person, Claire had been haunted by them since Barney had started stalking her.

Luke swore and his expression darkened. “Stay here. Let me check them out. Maybe they’re from one of the families.” The previous summer, the family of one of Barney’s victims had sent flowers to Luke’s house. Claire had nearly flung them into the yard.

He shut his car door and locked the vehicle.

Okay, there was no reason to panic. They were probably from someone else. People sent flowers for no reason all the time. Maybe a distant Hartley relative had died and Mindy had gotten a Google alert about it. They could be from the studio or a client?—

Her phone dinged, and she glanced at the screen. There was a picture message from Brianna, and a group text between Charlie and Alice. She opened Brianna’s message first.

Brianna:So pretty! These from you? XOXO.

The bottom dropped out of Claire’s stomach. A nearly identical bouquet of tulips sat on Brianna’s front steps.

Claire’s hand trembled as she backed out of Brianna’s message and opened the group text between her mom and sister. She already knew what she would find.

Alice:Beautiful flowers! Your stepdad is so romantic.

Charlie:Weird, I got some too.

Luke turned back to her as he approached the bundle of flowers. She shook her head and lifted her phone. It was already ringing.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

To Do:

- Flee somewhere off the grid

- Steel-toed boots for kicking ESA in the balls?

- Load decor

Claire wokeup the day of the charity gala with her heart in her throat. It was no big deal. Just the biggest fundraising event of her lifetime with incredibly high stakes. If she didn’t succeed tonight, the shelter would have to close. And she was planning it all while she and her family were being targeted by a bunch of serial killers. Awesome.

Walter Smith, the long-suffering detective who had worked with Claire since Barney had broken into her apartment over a year ago, had confiscated the tulips. He had left with promises to contact the Los Angeles and Miami police departments. It wouldn’t lead to anything. ESA wasn’t stupid. There wasn’t a spare second on her calendar to get involved in the investigation, but the mystery beckoned. The murder board from the hotelhad been all but abandoned in the flurry of business events, but once she was on that plane to California, ESA was going down. Nobody threatened her family.

She whirled through her morning like a tornado full of razor blades and barbed wire. Casino deliveries and setup were scheduled to start at noon. She needed to check with the caterers and the bartenders and make sure the country club had used the right linens. And then there was the talent show, a last-minute brainchild of Mindy after an entire pot of coffee.

“Breakfast burrito?” Luke asked as she tornadoed into the kitchen. Bags hung under his eyes. Hopefully he hadn’t spent the night watching the outdoor security cameras again.

She picked up her purse and a garment bag and kissed both dogs on the snoot. “I can’t. I have to get going or I’ll be late.”

“You’re mean when your blood sugar drops,” Luke reminded her.

Damn it. She paused with one hand on the door. Her heels clacked against the tile as she took the warm, foil-wrapped bundle from him. “I appreciate you.”

He grunted. His stubble scratched against her as she swooped in for a kiss.

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