Page 76 of Love's Bloom
“Do you think you should mention it to Nick? As police chief, he might want to know about it,” said Hazel.
“Maybe later. Right now, I don’t want to escalate it.”
“I understand,” said Hazel. “Guess I’d better go.”
“Thanks for the call,” said Misty. “Have a fun day!”
“You too,” said Hazel, ending the conversation.
Misty set down her coffee cup and stared out at the water rushing in the creek below.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The next afternoon, Misty was cleaning Emmett’s house, which his temporary replacement had left a mess. Her cell phone rang. She saw Crystal’s number and picked up the call.
“Bonjour! Where are you?” Misty couldn’t hide her excitement.
“We’re just leaving Logan airport in Boston,” said Crystal. “We’ll be home in a couple of hours.”
“That will give me time to finish up here,” said Misty. “Emmett’s replacement seems like a nice guy, but he’s a slob. I don’t want you coming home from your honeymoon to a dirty house.”
“Oh, Misty, that’s sweet of you,” gushed Crystal.
“I’m happy to do it,” Misty said. “Don’t worry about fresh food. I took care of that earlier.”
“You’re an angel. It’s been a fantastic trip, but I’ll be happy to be home. And Emmett is ready to get back to his patients. Guess we’re just a couple of homebodies.”
Emmett mumbled something in the background, and Crystal laughed. “Maybe not. Emmett’s reminding me of how I loved our time in Paris. Like I said, it was fabulous.”
“Can’t wait to hear all about it. See you shortly,” said Misty, ending the call. She had more work to do.
Misty had just placed a vase filled with wildflowers on the kitchen table when she heard a car pulling into the driveway. She hurried outside to see Crystal get out of a Lincoln Town Car and rushed to greet her.
They hugged and laughed when they both tried to talk at the same time.
“I’m delighted to see you,” said Misty, blinking back a sting of tears. Crystal was much more than a sister to her.
“And I to see you,” Crystal said, holding Misty away from her and studying her. “You look different. Happier. Are you?”
“Yes, it’s been a couple of difficult weeks, but I feel as if I’m on the right track now. Tell me all about the trip. Were the food and wine as wonderful as you thought?”
Crystal patted her stomach. “Even more so. I have many delicious ideas for gourmet dinners. But nothing can beat the fresh bread, cheese, and wine for a simple picnic. That, too, exceeded all my expectations.”
“And the clothing?” Misty asked, noticing the scarf Crystal was wearing.
“The fabrics, the styles, the French flair are all wonderful. It felt nice to dress up every day. I’d gotten too used to wearing my cooking outfits.”
Emmett came over to them and kissed Misty on the cheek. “Your sister caught the attention of everyone. Seems like I have a natural French woman on my hands.”
Misty’s heart lifted as Emmett smiled at Crystal as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world. Remembering David’s kiss, she was pleased things were going well for her, too.
“Why don’t you come to help me unpack?” Crystal said. “I bought a few items for you, and I’m anxious to see if you like them.”
They went inside the house while Emmett walked over to the medical practice building to check on things there.
In the kitchen, Crystal turned to her. “It looks fantastic. Thanks for straightening and cleaning. I liked Emmett’s replacement when I met him, but I had a feeling that the house would need sprucing up by the time we returned.”
“It certainly did,” said Misty, shuddering to think of how disappointed Crystal would have been to come home to such a mess.
