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I kept my phone turned on as we went on the Castle’s museum tour. The company that had bought the historic home had done a great job restoring the main house’s first floor and one of the guesthouses into a museum, showing off the large number of priceless antiques that the former owner had collected, many from his trips to Europe. The large dining room had a long medieval-era table and church pews around the walls of the room. Tapestries h ung everywhere.

Amanda was in heaven. She must have photographed each room a hundred times from every different angle. I was sure she’d need to spend some quality time sorting through her pictures between now and the wedding. Which would give me time to d o other things.

Like, figure out who killed Kane Matthews. I was pretty sure that Molly Cordon would be off Greg’s suspect list sooner rather than later. The woman was too open about what had happene d this morning.

Oh, and we had a wedding on Saturday. Not to mention a rehearsal and dinner on Friday. The dinner was set for The Wooden Bench, an upscale seafood restaurant. Aunt Jackie had taken on the planning, helping out Amanda, but the cost was coming out of the Miss Emily fund. It’s what I called my unexpected inheritance from my friend I met when I moved to South Cove. I used the money sparingly, mostly to support local charities or help with college costs for staff members of Coffee, Books, and More. It also supplemented the bookstore’s retirement paymen ts for my aunt.

Greg and I had talked about the money when we attended Pastor Bill’s finances for couples class. He agreed with me that it should be used for extras, not everyday living expenses. At least we both agr eed about that.

As I wandered behind Amanda as she toured the Castle, I realized that Greg and I had never talked about the tense phone call regarding his resume. I decided to put off the discussion until either the wedding was done, Amanda had left for home, or the investig ation was over.

Having some sort of emotional argument on top of all three of those life factors was just too muc h. Even for me.

My thoughts went back to Kane. From our short conversation on Friday, I knew he was an intellectual, at least in the spiritual lane. The books in the meetinghouse seemed to portray a group that prized learning and thought, if not free thought. The group seemed very patriarchal, with women in a servant role. It was like Kane had turned the clock back to 1950 and turned all the women who followed him into Stepford wives.

I wondered if that book was on his communal bookshelf. I imagined not.

“Jill, isn’t the pool beautiful?” Amanda asked as we ended the tour at the Grecian-style outdoor pool in front of a bar. The Castle bar offered cool drinks and sweets and, according to the tour host who’d just left the group, we were welcome to sit and enjoy a drink or two before exitin g the property.

“Greg’s college buddy, Levi, had his bachelor party here at the Castle.” I flinched at the memory. Levi had also died here, poolside, during that weekend. Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth, and sometimes, my entire leg. This was one of those times.

“Greg told me about Levi’s passing.” Amanda pulled out her wallet. “Can I buy you a drink? Or is being her e too painful?”

Now Amanda was being thoughtful. I smiled and nodded to the board. “I’ll have an iced tea, unsweetened. I’ll go gr ab us a table.”

The one thing about spending time on the patio was you had both an ocean and a mountain view, depending on how you turned your chair. The designers had spent a lot of time making sure of it. Back in the day, the owner had a private zoo on the property. There were still zebra and deer running around, but most of the animals had been rehomed. Maybe we’d be lucky today and see part of the remaining herd.

I wasn’t getting too far in thinking about Kane and his death, except for the way he treated women in his cult, I mean, group. But with all that security around on the day of the open house, Kane had to be hiding more than just a few people who didn’t want to talk to their familie s. Like Carlie.

Amanda set two plastic cups on the table, my iced tea, and something that looked like a milkshake. She saw me looking at the cup. “It’s a strawberry smoothie with a protein boost. I guess it’s popular with the weightlifting and over-fifty crowds. We both want more protein in our lives, according to the twelve-year-old who was maki ng our drinks.”

I snorted at her description of the young woman who was manning the outdoor bar. “Everyone looks so young anymore. I went to my doctor the other day and there was an intern following him around. I asked if he was in an advanced placement high school class. I was off by ab out ten years.”

“That must have been embarrassing. But I know how you feel. Every time I went to get a scan or a biopsy last year, I always had students watching. I go to a teaching hospital, I get it, but I didn’t realize that diagnosing breast cancer was a community event. Everybody wants to see my boobs.” Amanda took a sip and sank back into the chair. “I love the sun out here. The air just feels so ft on my face.”

“I’m glad you like it here. You should visit more often.” I sipped my tea and scanned the hi lls for zebras.

“I think you mean that ,” Amanda said.

I turned and saw she was watching me. “Of course I do. The upstairs guest room is always open. I know Emma can be a ha ndful, though.”

“Oh, I love Emma. She’s perfect.” Amanda stirred her pink smoothie. “I just, well, when I’d visit before, Sherry always said the right things, but I could tell I was intruding.”

“I’m not Sherry.” I turned back to watching the hills. I wanted to say so much more. Like, why do you have a letter from Sherry to Greg in your purse? But that wa sn’t my battle.

“I’m beginning to understand how completely different from Sherry you are. Greg made a better decision choosing you.” Amanda reached out and squeezed my hand. When I turned back this time, I saw tears in her eyes. “All I’ve ever wanted is for my boys to be happy. Thank you for bein g Greg’s path.”

Thinking about the resume fight, I smiled. Maybe I wasn’t perfect for her son in Amanda’s eyes. And we still argued. But I knew Greg was my path to happiness as well . “I love him.”

She let my hand go and pulled out a tissue from her purse. “I know that.”

We sat in silence for a bit. I was watching for zebras. Amanda was watching the ocean in the opposite direction. The air was cooling down and I could see the sun dropping in the sky. I finished my drink. “Are we ready to head back to the house? We can stop at Lille’s and pick up fried chick en for dinner.”

“That sounds wonderful. Do you think Greg will be able to join us?” Amanda stood and threw away her pr otein smoothie.

I glanced at my phone. I hadn’t received a text message from him, so I sent my own. “I just told him that we’ll have Tiny’s chicken at the house in an hour. If he’s hungry and available, I’m sure h e’ll be there.”

As we walked back to the Jeep, Amanda said, “It must be lonely sometimes. Being with Greg, I mean. Especially when he’s in the middle of an investigation.”

“He’s threatened to move into a hotel when he’s investigating, just to keep me out of his hair,” I said as I remotely unlocked the Jeep. “I see him enough. Besides, I have the bookstore. And Emma . And friends.”

I called in our dinner order, then thought about my answer as we drove to Diamond Lille’s. I did have a good life. Even when Greg was busy with his job. It wasn’t like we lived separate lives, but we both knew how to keep busy if the other one wasn’t available. I hadn’t even mentioned my reading habit, but I guess she’d already figure d that one out.

Greg didn’t come home until ten—not even for Tiny’s fried chicken. Emma and I were curled on the couch with a book and a cooking show on the television. She was watching the show, I was reading.

He went to the office and stored his gun in the safe, then came and gave me a kiss. “Mom i n bed already?”

“Yeah, I think being out in the open air is wearing her out. But she had a blast at the Castle. I got her some books from the shop to keep her busy.” I reached up and touched his cheek. “Y ou look tired.”

“I am. But I’m starving. Any of that chicken left over?” He kissed the top of my head and went in to the kitchen.

“Nope, we ate it all ourselves.” I got up and followed him. I saw the pained look on his face. “Just kidding. There’s a lot left over. You know I always buy too much.”

“Leftovers are a vital part of a cop’s food source.” Greg pulled out the chicken. “Turn on the oven and I’ll heat this up. Do you want a piece?”

“Sure.” I turned on the oven to 400 degrees and got out a sheet pan. We had nailed the specifics of keeping Tiny’s chicken perfect during the leftover stage. I got out a pot for the gravy while Greg put the chicken into the oven, keeping out a l eg to snack on.

We moved around the kitchen like we’d been doing it for years. Of course, it had been a while since Greg had moved in with me. We had a rhythm together. As we waited for the food to reheat, I got out two sodas and sat dow n at the table.

“Your mom asked me if I was lonely when you w ere on a case.”

He sat down after throwing the bones from the chicken leg into a sack in the sink. We always took the chicken bones to the outside trash because of Emma’s magical ability to get into any indoor trash can she wanted to raid. “That’s an oddly specific question. What was the answer? A re you lonely?”

“I hadn’t thought about it before she asked. I mean, you’ve always been on the job since I met you that first time I visited South Cove.” I sipped my soda.

“I was married to Sherry back then.” He leaned back in his chair. “I hope Mom’s not trying to play that card again. Being married to Sherry was like trying to serve two masters. She didn’t care what I was doing, as long as I was at her beck and call and made enough money to support her in the way she was accustomed to being cared for. Mom was like Jim. She thought Sherry and I were perfect together. But she didn’t have to live wi th her, I did.”

I smiled at that image. “She said that you put her in a hotel in Santa Barbara when she’d visit back then. Maybe she’s missing the upgrade. The house is cozy , not upscale.”

“She’s fine in the guest room. And if she’s not, she can pay for the high-end hotel herself.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign he was tired. “One investigation-related question, please. Do you think Molly Cordon is tell ing the truth?”

“I’ve only met her twice. But the story she told me before Toby got there was the same as what she told him. I don’t have a reason to doubt her. She’s admitted to being at the mission and going to meet up with Kane. She was pretty freaked out when she came into the bookstore.” I watched Emma curl back into her kitchen bed. All was right in my dog’s world since her daddy was home and she’d had dinner. I turned back to Greg. “Please tell me that Kane’s murder isn’t going to change the wedding venue.”

“There’s my sensitive fiancée. Always worried about others,” Greg teased as he stood to stir the gravy. “But no worries. We cleared the mission site tonight. That’s why I was late. I wanted all traces of Kane’s killing to be gone before we had our rehearsal on Friday. I’m clearing my schedule from five p.m. on Friday to nine on Sunday evening. We might not be able to leave on our honeymoon when we’ve planned, but we’ve already put that off f or a few days.”

“I don’t want to look for another venue, so thank you for your assistance.” I stood and got us plates. I was going to eat not only a piece of chicken but mashed potatoes as well. The dress had a little stretch in the seams. And I’d run tomorrow morning with Emma before starting my sightseeing d ay with Amanda.

“Anything for my girl.” He got the chicken out of the oven. “Don’t let Mom freak you out. This wedding, this marriage, is ours. No one else gets to have an opinion on what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives. Except maybe Emma. But she’s our imm ediate family.”

I leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you for that. I need ed to hear it.”

“It’s just pre-wedding jitters. And all the juggling we have to do to get our friends and family all in the same place for a day. Jim and Beth are coming in on Wednesday, but they’re staying at the Castle. He called me and left a message. I called him back on my way home. They’re looking forward to seeing us.” Greg must have seen my face. “I thought y ou liked Beth.”

“I do. But I’m glad I’ve had some time alone with your mom before she gets here. I think those two are as thick as thieves since Beth helped her this last year.” I grabbed my food and sat down. “Now I sound like a jea lous outsider.”

“You offered to go. Beth was just able to work remotely. You have the shop,” Gr eg reminded me.

“I know. But I still feel—” I paused as I saw the look on his face. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve got enough on your plate. I’m glad they’re coming in on Wednesday. We’ll have dinner here, grill steaks or something. And hopefully, you can even be here.”

“That’s my girl. Always the optimist.”

* * * *

Monday morning, I was back from my run before Amanda came downstairs. She saw me in my running sweats and headed for the coffee. “You have way too much energy for me. I’m still in my morni ng slow speed.”

“Emma likes to run, and if we go early, it’s off my list. Otherwise, I always feel guilty about doing something else. Since the restructuring of the bookstore schedule, I have a few mornings at the beginning of the week where we can make sure getting her out of the house happens first. Although this week, all bets are off.” I went over and pou red my own cup.

“Well, don’t worry about me being up and wanting to go anywhere before ten. Unless we need to. I like this sleeping-in idea.” Amanda rubbed Emma’s head. “Do you have wedding stuff that needs to be done or can we go explorin g again today?”

“I need to check in with the florist this morning, but other than that, it’s all done.” I sat at the table. I needed to run upstairs and get in the shower before we took off for the day. “Oh, and I need to pick up my d ress tomorrow.”

“What about the mission site? Are y ou decorating?”

I stood and grabbed my planner, just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. “My friends Amy, Darla, and Esmeralda are doing the decorating on Saturday morning. Then everyone’s coming here to get ready. The mission staff will have the chairs set out on Friday so we can rehearse.”

“That’s nice of them.” Amanda sip ped her coffee.

“I just added Jim and Beth coming on Wednesday. So we’ll do dinner here that night. Maybe Beth would want to go wandering with us on Thursday.” I’d taken the week off from the store, but maybe I should think about taking some shifts. My week didn’t seem that busy.

“I’d love to show her Santa Barbara. I’m always talking about the Mexican restaurant there.” Amanda looked up at me, hopeful. “After the visit to the Castle, I’d love to do some antique shopping. Maybe at that little store next to yo ur bookstore?”

“Sure. We have to go there on Tuesday, but we can go back on Thursday, it’s not that far of a drive. Do you want to go to the beach one day?”

Amanda nodded. “I’d love that. And this town named Solvang? It seems fun.”

“Then let’s go to Solvang today.” Greg would appreciate me being out of town. That way I couldn’t get involved in his investigation. Solvang’s bookstore had just gotten a new owner. I needed to stop by and say hello anyway. “I’ll run up and get ready and we can ea t lunch there.”

Amanda pulled a notebook out of her purse. “There’s a Danish Pancake House there that Jim says is amazing. Ca n we go there?”

“Sure.” I’d find something there to eat that wasn’t pancakes. At least I hoped. At the Mexican restaurant, I’d call designated driver status and avoid the margaritas. Maybe I’d find a salad at both places. There was no way that dress wasn’t fitting on Saturday. My Friday rehearsal dress was a little less formfitting. Thank goodness.

My phone rang. It was my aunt. “Good morning.”

“Don’t forget my hairdresser is coming to the house on Saturday morning.” My aunt didn’t say hello. She just got righ t to the point.

I glanced at my planner. I hadn’t written this down. “That will work fine. Amanda and Beth might need a stylist. Do you think they could be part of the schedule?”

“Who are Amanda and Beth?” My aunt’s si gh said it all.

“Greg’s mother and his brother’s girlfriend? I know I mentioned them.” I smiled at Amanda, who was pretending not to listen. She was pre tty good at it.

“I’ll tell the shop there will be two more.” Aunt Jackie paused. “I know you’re not working this week. Do I need to go in and check on anything? Make deposits?”

“Evie’s handling anything that comes up. I told her that if it gets crazy and she doesn’t know what to do, she could call me, or you if she can’t reach me.” Since my aunt’s retirement this last year, I’d been trying to keep her out of the day-to-day business. When she was in town. Which wasn’t often due to her l ove of travel.