Page 2 of Death By Llama
I budget planned events.Cameron thought bigger.More expensive.
“I told you I invited several of my most influential colleagues this weekend,” Cameron said, his voice both excited and confident.“The most important thing I can do with this event is create a buzz, some word-of-mouth that’ll keep The Captain’s Inn booked all season long.”
Cameron was a venture capitalist as his day job.He knew what small businesses needed to make it big.And an inn in coastal Maine wasn’t going to be booked to capacity by the locals.He needed to draw in the tourist dollars.And this…this was going to make a big splash.Cameron had created agrandgrand opening.
Which made me feel all the more absurd, as his girlfriend, had shown up to run a booth to promote my pub in these costumes.I should be learning how to be more business savvy from him.And candy cane tights were not the way to be seen as a serious businesswoman.
“Maybe we should go home and change,” I suggested.
“No,” he said, much more emphatically than I expected.When he saw my startled expression at his reaction, his own face softened slightly.“I don’t want you to leave right now because we’re expecting a couple of very important guests.”
I hesitated.I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stick around and meet whoever these important guests were, especially while dressed like an extra from the movieElf.
I cast a dubious glance down at my skirt, which suddenly felt shorter than I remembered.Instead of being playful and fun, the whole costume suddenly seemed a bit too sexy for mid-afternoon.Definitely ill-fitting at the very least.I tugged at the hem nervously, wishing I’d gone with a simple sundress.I even had a red one that would have been Christmasy enough.
But before I could argue further, Cameron said softly, “I think you look adorable.”
Cameron had that easy charm that made you want to believe everything he said, and the winsome curve of his smile wasn’t doing me any favors.
I started to mumble a thank-you, when his focus shifted, sliding past me to something over my shoulder.“Plus,” he added, his eyes glinting with a hint of mischief, “our special guests are already here.”
I turned to follow his gaze.I spotted Cameron’s BMW pulling into one of the parking spaces in the already crowded lot of the inn.The car engine turned off, and Henry, Cameron’s brother, hopped out of the driver’s seat.He came around to the passenger’s side to the door, opening it.
Who was this special guest?The governor?Maybe even one of the state’s senators?I wasn’t even sure who Maine’s senators were, but I knew I didn’t want to meet them in my current attire.
Then I saw two people get out of the car.One from the passenger’s seat and the other from the back.I saw perfectly coiffed hair and a linen suit.And the second person was in a golf shirt and dark pants.My stomach immediately lurched as I recognized them immediately.They also recognized me.No elf costume was going to stop that.They waved and headed in my direction.
The VIP guests were my parents.
That shocked me more than finding a corpse in my hydrangeas a few months back had.Well, okay, maybe the same amount of shock.
“Mom.Dad.”As soon as I called out to them, I realized that my voice didn’t hold the enthusiasm I’d been aiming for.
Don’t get me wrong.I love my parents.I have the best parents, which a lot of people say, but I really do.I was happy to see them.But my parents were not ones to just hop on a plane and make an impromptu trip from Los Angeles to Maine.In fact, that was one of the last things they would do, because they’re super busy in California.
My father was a man of absolute routine.He left for work at eight o’clock on the dot every morning.He’d had the same tee time at his golf course every Sunday since I could remember.He always had one martini before dinner—no more, no less.My mother, the consummate workaholic who sold high end real estate, was always too busy to do anything without checking her planner app on her phone.Spontaneous was not even in her vocabulary.
So, their presence was definitely unexpected.
Apparently my mother bought my feigned excitement, because she grinned and waved wildly.In fact, she looked almost giddy.
Okay, something was definitely going on.My mother was never giddy.Happy, yes.Joyful, it had happened.But giddy?Never.
Behind her my dad smiled widely.His familiar grin offered me a small sense of relief.The only thing I could think of that would bring my parents to Maine unannounced was an emergency but it didn’t look like anyone had died.
That thought was shoved aside as I found myself pulled into my mother’s fierce embrace.While my mom was affectionate, she wasn’t usually quite this demonstrative.But now she hugged me tightly, gently rocking us back and forth.
“Oh, Sophie,” she murmured, hands resting on my shoulders.She stepped back to take a good look at me.“Don’t you look… so…” She frowned slightly.“Festive?”
“It’s for the Christmas in July event we are having today,” Cameron piped in from behind me.
My parents’ gazes shifted from me to him.
“You did mention that,” my mother said, moving around me to embrace Cameron.
I blinked, not understanding what was going on.When had Cameron mentioned that to my mother?I had been reluctant to even talk too much about my new relationship with her, much less have them chat directly to each other.And how did she even know thatwasCameron given they’d never met in person?
I turned to Dad.“This is a surprise.What are you doing here?”
