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A wry smile crossed his face. “Don’t think that Alice and Reena aren’t eating that up. Alice said that she has never had as much fun. I just don’t think that they realize all that is at stake. I mean it, Martha, it’s time to come clean.”
She nodded, looking every bit of her advanced age. “Okay, but let’s tell her in person. This isn’t something you say over the phone.”
Earl nodded. “Deal.”
CHAPTER 1
Sutton
Sutton Enterprises – New York, NY
I grabbed my best friend, who I hadn’t seen in weeks. and squeezed the stuffing out of her.
“I missed you so much, Candice!”
“We spoke on the phone last night when I arrived back in town,” she teased.
“It’s not the same.” I pulled back and noticed the bags underneath her eyes. “Candice, are you sure you are okay to work today? I don’t want to put too much pressure on you.”
Candice laughed, but I could hear the strain in her voice and seesaw the dejected way she was holding herself.
“Everything is going well with Abberly’s. Martha cried when I told her you had signed the place over to her. I wish that you could have seen her face. She’s not calling it a bar anymore. It’s now a diner with a fair amount of alcohol.”
I made a face. “Whatever makes the woman happy, let her have at it.”
Candice tipped her head to the side, considering. “You know, it’s funny now to hear her sing your praises. One would think she was a loving grandmother or something. It’s hard to reconcile the Martha now with who she was when we first came to Otterville Falls.”
“Maybe Earl leaving was the best thing that could have happened to Martha,” I threw out.
Candice’s eyes widened. “Didn’t I tell you? Earl, Reena, and Alice are back. They kicked him to the curb.”
“Shut up! You have to tell me everything!” Eyes sparkling, I leaned forward.
This time when Candice smiled, it reached her eyes.
“I have the juicy gossip! So according to Joe, Earl about near drove them crazy with his lazy ways. Apparently, the girls have moved on to greener pastures. And you will never guess who...”