Page 62 of Death By Llama
Brandy shook her head.“Told you—I can’t help it.”
We all burst into laughter again.
“Soooo,” Oliver finally said, after our giggles calmed.“How soon are you getting your parents to the airport?Or is Cameron doing that since the whole thing was his idea in the first place?”
“No, I’m taking them to the airport tomorrow.All things considered, it was nice to see them, though my mother will never forgive me for ripping her pants.But would you believe they had a great time playing trivia with George Sprague and Dougie MacDougall?Who’d have thought?”
Brandy laughed, raising her glass.“Now that is a surprise.”
“And my mom was actually pretty great for the rest of our visit.It’s weird.I think she gets kind of nasty when she’s worried—like that’s how it comes out.But as soon as she told me why she was really worried and how she was really feeling, she was fine.”I shook my head, then took a sip of my wine.“She’s a mystery.”
Oliver nodded.“Your mom is an enigma, alright.But maybe we all are.”
“Hey,” a voice called from behind us.
We all turned our heads to see Hannah at the gate.
“Hey!How are you?”I called to her.
She joined us inside Jack’s pen, walking over to where we sat before dropping onto the grass next to us.
“Good,” she said.
I couldn’t help myself from asking.“Is Jack still being labeled a killer by your friends?”
She shook her head.“No.They’ve moved on to new tea.”
That was a relief—no more death-by-llama rumors.
“What’s the new thing?”Brandy asked.
Hannah smirked.“Apparently, some boy in our high school stole a car the other day.”
Great.The one thing I thought I didn’t have to worry about in Friendship Harbor.Now I was going to have to lock my car every night.
“And how’s Sam?”I asked.
Hannah blushed, and I immediately regretted asking in front of Oliver and Brandy.She plucked a blade of grass from the lawn, twirling it between her fingers.“He’s cool.We’re still talking.”She hesitated before adding, “But my friend, Madison, has a cousin visiting from Bangor for a couple weeks, and he’s, like, really cool.”
I smiled.Young love—a wild crush beginning with one person and then instantly shifting to someone else.For a fleeting moment, I thought of Dean, but I pushed that thought away.I was content to be single, at least once I let Cameron know I wanted to be.
“Well, we’ve all had a banner weekend,” Oliver said.“Here’s to the circle of life.”
“Wouldn’t that be only if someone had a baby?”Brandy asked.“You know when there’s a death, there’s a new life?”
“I’m sure a baby was born somewhere,” Oliver said, looking like he just wanted an excuse to toast.
“True.”Then Brandy gasped.“What if this means Justin and I are supposed to have a baby together?”
Oliver groaned.“Brandy…”
“I’ll toast to that,” I said, grinning, because I knew it would irritate Oliver.And hey, why couldn’t Brandy and Justin have a baby?She was a great mom.
We all lifted our glasses.“To the circle of life,” I repeated.
“To my baby with Justin.”
Oliver nearly choked on his wine.
Then Brandy added, “No, my real toast is: Here’s hoping we can make it through the summer without any more drama—or any more murder.”
We exchanged wary looks.No one said a word, but we all knew the truth.You couldn’t make that bet.
Not in Friendship Harbor.