Page 7 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
I grinned. “Indeed. Although I do like trouble.”
“I’m well aware.”
I leaned back and watched the city go by as the driver took me to the rendezvous point. It was close to Christmas, and I did owe my sister a visit. But I wasn’t concerned. I’d be in and out before then.
How hard could finding a jewelry thief in a small mountain town be?
CHAPTER 2
Natalie
Catching sight of my reflection in the rearview mirror, I winced. No wonder the cashier in Nature’s Basket eyed me with concern while she rang up my groceries. I had a mascara smudge beneath one eye, and my dark circles made me look like I was recovering from the flu—or a bad hangover.
In reality, it was neither. I was simply an emergency department nurse who worked graveyard trying to function on my day off.
With a sigh, I tore my eyes from my less-than-perky reflection and looked again at the receipt. Had my three measly bags of groceries really cost that much? And why did my niece, Annabel, who was only six, seem to eat as much as me and my sister combined?
Probably because Annabel never stopped moving.
Just as I turned on the engine, Louise Haven walked by and caught sight of me through the windshield. She wiggled her fingers in a wave and scurried to the driver’s side.
“Isn’t this a lovely surprise,” she said as I lowered the window. “Natalie Thatcher. So nice to see you.”
Louise Haven was something of an institution in Tilikum, the quirky small town in the Cascade mountains where I lived.She had to be pushing eighty but had the energy of a puppy. Around town, she was known for three things: bringing food to neighbors—sometimes when they needed it and other times as an excuse to be nosy—her constant attempts to play matchmaker for her nephews, and her velour tracksuits.
Today, her tracksuit was forest green—appropriate for the holiday season—and she wore a necklace of blinking, multicolored Christmas lights.
“Hi, Louise. It’s nice to see you, too. I like your necklace.”
“Thank you, dear. Isn’t this fun? I love being festive. Listen, do you have a minute? Because I was thinking…” She dug through her large handbag.
“Actually, I should get home and put away my groceries.” As nice as she was, I didn’t want her getting any ideas about involving me in her matchmaking schemes. I jerked my thumb behind me. “I have frozens.”
She drew a small notebook from her handbag and flipped through the pages. “Here it is. I’m running out of single nephews, but the town has plenty of eligible bachelors. My friend Marie’s grandson is an absolute catch. Works in finance. He doesn’t live here full-time, but I think you two would really hit it off.”
“Handsome businessman type?” I asked, not bothering to disguise the skepticism in my voice. “Plenty of money, always wears a suit?”
She smiled. “Oh yes, describes him perfectly.”
“Hard pass, Louise. The last thing I need is a suit.”
“Hmm.” She went back to turning the pages of her notebook. “That’s fine, dear. There’s a firefighter who is inexplicably single, and—”
“Thanks anyway.” I interrupted. “But I’m not dating right now.”
“No? That’s a shame. I’ll keep thinking about it.” She decisively shut her notebook. “How’s your sister?”
“She’s fine. Busy.”
“Of course she is. The life of a single mother is full.”
“Very full.”
“Is she seeing anyone these days?”
My mind raced with excuses to keep my sister, Nina, off Louise’s matchmaking radar. Maybe keeping it vague and pleading ignorance would be enough. “You know, there might be someone, but I’m not sure. We work opposite schedules, so I don’t always know what she’s up to.”
“Because now that I think about it, Marie’s grandson…” She tapped her lips.
