Page 10 of Third Time's the Charm

She worked with Berlin. And by the dirt on her clothes, had just come from work. I scanned the crowd again. “Long day?”

She giggled a little, which wasn’t like her at all, and moved closer. “Yeah. We’re digging the old Townsend cistern and trash pit. It’s been the Mistletoe Key equivalent of opening King Tut’s tomb.”

Berlin must be freaking out. It was her hope and dream to find something like this one day.

“No shit,” Harry laughed. “She’ll be in a good mood. Christmas came early.”

“Yeah, tell her I sent my congratulations.” My eye caught on movement behind Cynthia, but as I jerked to the right to try and see what it was, I found nothing but some leaves fluttering.

Must have been a bird. Or a lizard.

I pulled my attention back to Cynthia, who appeared to be inching away from us. “So, uh, see y'all at the boat parade?”

“We’ll be on the west side,” Harrison replied.

“Oh yeah. Well, the Pirate King and I will be mostly on the east side, but who knows? Maybe we’ll see you. Bye!”

I watched as Cynthia frantically ran away. “That was weird, right?”

“Totally. She was probably covering for Berlin.”

I knew it! The chair practically shot out from behind me as I stood up, scanning the spot with the fluttering leaves. I still didn’t see anything, but she was here somewhere…

“I gotta pick up the girls so we can get this show on the road.” Harrison stood up beside me and patted me—hard—on the back. “Go see Bernice. Relax. We’ll meet you for fro-yo later.”

I walked slowly down the footpath, hoping to find my ex-wife somewhere in the shadows, or coming out the door of a shop. But no matter how hard I scanned every face, every smile, by the time I reached my mother’s house, there was no Berlin to be found.

Chapter 3

How Berlin Saw It

Berlin

Isank into the hot bubbles and sighed with relief. Was there anything better than a bubble bath after a long day of excavating? I had my sandwich on a table along with a bottle of wine, music playing softly, and my tablet up on the tray in front of me. I planned to soak away my sore muscles and all thoughts of Jack while my family was out at the boat parade. Ryker would be home in a couple of hours, too. By then I’d be a tipsy, relaxed ball of fluffy bathrobe.

“Hey Rattlesnake.” I splashed the tabby cat creeping into my bathroom. “You hate water, remember?” And yet every single time he heard the whoosh of water flowing into the tub, he came running.

That, and the sandwich, probably.

Luckily he didn’t have a penchant for wine. Trust me, he tried once when I wasn’t looking. He got his head stuck in one of my favorite wine glasses, freaked out, and has never gone near my wine again.

He mewled in protest, which brought in Skeeter and Transit. I should have closed the damn bathroom door. And seeing how I had an audience now, I better eat my dinner before I lose it to the clever and well timed swipe of a paw. These cats could be savages when turkey is on the line.

I got three bites in before Rattlesnake moved closer again. At the same time I splashed some bubbles his way, I heard my front door open.

“Hey! It’s me!” Paris called out.

I really regretted not closing the bathroom door.

“Hello?” Her voice was closer and now there were the telltale sounds of feet on stairs.

Crap.

“Oh there you are! Why didn’t you answer me?” She scanned my audience of cats.

I didn’t really notice my descent into Cat Lady status, but sitting in a tub surrounded by cats while your older sister looks around befuddled has a way of making you see things differently.

“I’m indisposed.”

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