Page 4 of Under The Christmas Lights 6

Frieda and Regan shared a quick glance before they both moved themselves into the kitchen where they found Wendy waiting for them.

“Regan, this is Wendy; Wendy, this is Regan,” Erik introduced.

“Our spy,” Regan reaffirmed as he shook his head. Wendy laughed weakly and nodded.

“Supposedly,” she replied, sounding tired.

Regan took a moment to take her in, noting all of her signs of fatigue. Everyone always thinks it’s fun to be a spy, but the truth is it could take a toll on both the mind and the body. And it could do it fast.

“This is a very nice thing you’re doing for your friends,” he continued, his eyes glancing up at Frieda.

“Well, they deserve it,” Wendy replied, sounding a little stronger after she sipped her coffee.

“The Strauss sisters have done nothing wrong, but they’ve gone through some horrible stuff. It’s time to get it to stop.”

Regan nodded. Erik had filled him on the damage, and it had sounded like sabotage at its finest.

“Then let’s do that,” he agreed, taking a seat at the table.

“We’ve come up with a new plan,” Erik explained, following him. He looked toward Frieda, who was walking to the table with a fresh carafe of coffee.

“Frieda, do you still want to help us? Regan came up with a pretty good idea.”

Regan bit back a smirk as Frieda suddenly nodded vehemently as she sat down.

“Absolutely,” she agreed. “I’m tired of sitting all of this stuff out. Put me in coach!”

Again, Regan felt a smile itch at his lips.

“How come you didn’t join the forces?” he asked her as he reached for the coffee. “We could have used your enthusiasm many times.”

“Well, I’m here now, cowboy,” Frieda said dryly, reaching to take the coffee carafe away from him and turning her attention to Erik. “So, what’s my new role? Do I try to become friends with Anita, too? Ooo, or with Jimmy? Ugh, that would be hard, though. I would probably end up punching him and blowing my cover. Maybe Frank then? Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

Regan and Erik exchanged an amused look, and then both of them grinned.

* * *

“Ican’t believe this,” Frieda grumbled as she let Wendy help her put makeup on. “I haven’t gone out with a guy in years, and Istillhave to go through a breakup.”

Wendy stopped blending in Frieda’s foundation and looked down at her with a cocked brow.

“Would you prefer to switch places?” she offered. “You can be Anita’s new best friend, and I’ll happily be Regan’s supposed ex.”

“Fair point,” Frieda grumbled, knowing she wouldn’t be able to pull off such a thing.

The plan was good, she thought. She and Regan, who most people in Leavenworth didn’t know, would break up publicly. Wendy would spread the word to Anita that Regan was not only affluent but now against the Strauss sisters and hopefully draw in Jimmy, essentially trapping him into a confession.

“Walk me through the plan again,” Frieda asked as Wendy put on the finishing touches to her face.

“Anita wants to meet atSarabel’sfor lunch,” Wendy explained. “You and Regan are going to go in about ten minutes early and act like you’re on a date. You’ll wait ten to fifteen minutes after Anita and I arrive and you’ll have your big, dramatic breakup scene. Anita will immediately notice because, well, she’s Anita, and I’ll be there to quickly fill in the details. Then we wait and see if Regan is contacted by Jimmy.”

“Then you and Regan work your magic to get them to confess, and we end this fiasco,” Frieda stated.

“Exactly,” Wendy agreed, turning Frieda’s chair toward the mirror. “And you're done.”

As Frieda saw her reflection in the mirror, she gasped. She’d never worn so much makeup or dressed in such a way all of her life. Wendy had curled Frieda’s short, black hair and added some smoky eyes to her brown eyes and rouge to her otherwise pale cheeks. Wendy had dressed her in a long-sleeved, fitted dark red dress that rode several inches above her knees, making her legs seem pale and awkward.

“I don’t look like me at all,” Frieda stated, still shocked at her reflection. “How is this supposed to help with the plan?”

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