Page 10 of Merry Murder Season
“I’m not sure Beth should…” Jim started, then stopped.
Whatever he was going to say about what Beth should or shouldn’t do died on his lips when he saw the look Bethwas giving him.
“I’d love to attend. Jill, I know you spend a lot of time at the store, but maybe you and Mom could come too? I’d love to read the same book as you guys. Maybe we could Zoom in for the meeting once we get home.” Beth was all in.
I thought Beth’s excitement about joining the group was mostly because Jim had tried to tell her no. One day, he might even learn.
* * *
Monday morning, Greg had been in the house and was gone before I’d even woken up. When I checked my messages, he’d texted the instructions for the day. His family, his plan, I guessed. I needed to pop in and make sure Aunt Jackie and Harrold didn’t need me to do anything around their place since they were leaving first thing in the morning for a Caribbean cruise. Everyone, it seemed, was on a short winter vacation except for me. Well, and Greg. Now I felt guilty. At least I didn’t have to work ona murder case.
I needed to get going fast. Amanda and Beth were being dropped off in a few minutes so Jim could spend the day golfing. I figured it was also a way to keep the couple separated for at least a few hours. Dinnerhad been tense.
I wouldn’t want to marry the guy. I didn’t know how Beth stood for his moods. My experience as a former divorce lawyer told me unless they figured this out soon, the marriage wouldn’t last long. I’d heard too many stories about how a man changed after the wedding. I didn’t know if theyfelt the societal pressure of caring for a family or a wife, but I’d seen laid-back guys turn into controlling freaks right after the honeymoon was over.
Maybe the credit card bills from the honeymoon caused themetamorphosis.
Either way, I wanted Beth and Jim to be happy. Whatever that looked like for them.
When Amanda and Beth came through the door, Amanda looked stressed. Beth had been crying. It didn’t look like either one was ready to head out and do some touristing.
“Morning, family.” I widened my smile when Beth grimaced at the term. “I still need to get Emma out on the beach. Who wants to go with me? We can just walk. The weather’s perfect.”
“I’ll be doing enough walking through Solvang when we hit there. I’ll stay and have some of that coffee I smell. I need something to eat if you don’t mind. Don’t worry, I can forage for myself. You girls go ahead.” Amanda headed to the kitchen to make something forher breakfast.
I figured she wanted Beth to have someone to talk to who wasn’t in the pro-Jim camp. Amanda loved Beth, but she also loved her son. “Sounds good.” I grabbed Emma’s leash that I had on the front table by the door and glanced down at Beth’s shoes. They’d do. “Are you ready?”
“More than ready. I can’t believe how centered I feel just from a small glimpse of the ocean as we drive past. You’re so lucky to live here.” Beth smiled and held the door open. “Amanda, wewon’t be long.”
Amanda came out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee. “Take your time. I’m really into this book we’ll be talking about on Tuesday.”
I’d given Amanda my copy ofThe Wishing Gamebefore they’d left last night. She’d gone out on the porch to read while we sat around the kitchen table, talking. Well, Beth and I talked. Jim had been on his phonethe whole time.
As we walked down to the beach, Beth pointed to Esmeralda’s house. “If your neighbor ever decides to sell, let me know. I might need three jobs to pay for the mortgage, but it would be worth it for ten minutes of beach time every day.”
“You’ll never leave Nebraska,” I joked at her. Esmeralda’s house looked different. Not sad or empty, but like it was adjusting to its new occupant. It somehow weirdly looked like a writer’s home. Something Hemingway would have lived in. I had never seen that vision before. Usually, it looked like a fun house on Halloween. Not the scary ones, but the kid-friendly houses. “Itis a lovely house, though. My barista, Deek, is staying there until Esmeralda gets back from New Orleans. Doesn’t it look like a writer lives there?”
A smile crossed Beth’s face. “It does. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to it. My agent thinks that I might be hearing back from one or more of the publishers soon. She thinks the book might really sell. I’ve been working on a new final chapter. Something to make people want to buy anotherbook from me.”
“That would be awesome.” I held up my hand for a high five. “So will that give you the money to get to this next level?”
“It won’t hurt. And the admissions committee is excited about the book possibility. Seriously, they are more excited than…” She stopped talking.
“Than Jim?” I guessed.
Beth nodded. “I feel like it’s a black-and-white choice. Even if I try to do both, I’ll get this angry version of the man I love. Honestly, I’m not sure I can deal with him this way. And I’m not sure I want to give away this shot. It’s the career I’ve been dreaming of.”
“You shouldn’t have to choose. If Jim can’t see your potential, he’s not worth dragging into your new life. I adore you and I’m hoping you’ll be my sister-in-law, but if you and Jim don’t get married, don’t think you can get rid of me too. We’ll be friends for life.”
Beth hugged me tight. “You bet. Amanda said the same thing. I’m going to tell Jim I’m taking the assistantship starting in January. He’s on the church board and I need to resign there anyway, so it won’t be a secret. And if he can’t see thatmein his life anymore, that’s his loss.”
“The good thing is you’ll have our support if you do it here. The bad news is you’ll have to deal with him until you get back to Nebraska. You two aren’t living together, are you? Do we need to fly up and help you move, in case this goes sideways?” The practical and logistic side of my brain clicked in.
“Nope, I still have my little house. Jim and I didn’t want to live together until after the wedding. Maybe this is why the church doesn’t support couples living together without a marriage certificate. In case we don’t make it.” Beth took her shoes off as soon as we hit the sand. “It’s an interesting thought.”
Since Greg and I had lived together for years before we got married, I doubted that was the thought process, but it would have made it easier for some of our fights to get out of hand. When Greg was involved in a case, sometimes I didn’t see him for days. But at least I saw signs of his visits. He usually slept in the guest room to not wake me, but in the morning I’d find Emma downstairs, already fed and let out, and a pot of coffeewaiting for me.
And sometimes a note.
