About the Book
Things are finally looking up with florist Gwen Stevens’ family business, Camelot Flowers, which means her biggest problem now is making her heart choose between her lifelong crush on the charming Chris Crawford and her budding romance with Finn Butler, the new police detective who makes her want to stop and smell the roses.
But Gwen’s thorny love life takes a backseat when Shannon Wentworth, a newcomer to the small town of Star Junction, drops dead in the local coffee shop the day after she announces her candidacy for garden club president. Unfortunately, Margie Philips, Gwen’s surrogate aunt, has been garden club president for years and had threatened to win again this year at any cost—which suddenly puts her in the role of prime suspect in Wentworth's untimely demise!
Determined to clear Margie’s name, Gwen digs deep and discovers a bouquet’s worth of secrets, including marital infidelity, a lawsuit threatening to ruin a local business, and even doubts about where Margie was right before the murder. With too many suspects all hiding something, will Gwen uncover the truth before the killer poisons her chances of a happily ever after?
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Excerpt
Shannon moved to a table in the corner opposite Margie and Dave. She set her drink on the table, pulled out two light-purple sweetener packets, and emptied them into the coffee. Standing, she tossed the empty packets into the garbage near her and returned to her seat.
After stirring
the coffee, she replaced the lid and took a sip. Ignoring the fact that
everyone in the coffee shop was staring at her after her petty display with
Margie, Shannon opened a book and took another long sip of her coffee.
I shot Margie a
wan smile. She bugged her eyes out in Shannon's direction and ran her finger
across her throat. I gave her a come on, you're not serious look. She replied
by putting her thumb up to her nose and wiggling her fingers in the air like a
little kid taunting a classmate. Then she smiled. That was the Margie I knew
and loved. She just needed to blow off some steam. Everything was going to be
fine.
"Back to
tonight," Chris said, drawing my attention away from the garden club
drama.
I groaned. Back
to tonight. "What about tomorrow after church?" I asked.
Chris's eyes
lit up like a kid finding a puppy under the Christmas tree. "That works
for me. I've missed you. It seems like you've been too busy to hang out
lately."
I had been
busy. I'd also been busy trying to decide how I felt about Chris's sudden
change of heart when it came to our relationship.
Margie's voice
interrupted my thoughts when she said, "We get it. You're a good Christian
woman."
I followed
Margie's gaze. Shannon was bent over her coffee cup like she was praying. Her
shoulder-length white-blonde hair covered the side of her face.
"Margie,"
I scolded. Somehow, I'd become the disapproving mother and Margie the snotty
adolescent.
"What?"
Margie said defensively. "I'm just saying nobody prays that long over
their coffee unless they're trying to win an election they have no right being
in by proving what a good person they are."
Chris shot me a
concerned look, and I shrugged. In all the time that Margie had been insulting
her, Shannon hadn't once moved.
"Maybe
she's a pro at meditation and she's in a deep trance," I murmured to
Chris.
Chris shook his
head, his sandy-blond hair flopping over his forehead. He brushed it back
absently before saying, "I'm going to check on her."
"What do
you mean check on her?" I asked. Chris hadn't been in the coffee shop the
day before to witness Shannon's meltdown with Amanda. The woman was best left
alone. No telling what she'd do if someone interrupted whatever she was doing.
I looked at
Chris and reconsidered my hesitation. Chris was the whole package— the charming
smile, the crystal-blue eyes, the somehow perpetually tanned skin even after a
long winter, the boyish enthusiasm for life that always had people forgiving
any little mistakes he made along the way. If anyone was going to survive
approaching Shannon, it would be Chris. "Actually," I said,
"maybe you're the perfect person for the job."
"What's
that supposed to mean?" he asked suspiciously.
I gave him a
little nudge toward Shannon's table. She still hadn't moved a muscle. It was
like someone had replaced her with a Shannon-statue. "It means she'll
forgive you for bugging her because of your charm and good looks," I said.
Chris preened
at my words.
"Oh, stop
it," I said, pretending to be perturbed but feeling charmed, just like I'd
said. "Get over there and see what the deal is. She's starting to freak me
out."
Chris
approached Shannon. "I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am," he said.
"I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." He touched
Shannon's shoulder.
She didn't lift
her head. She didn't snap at him to leave her alone. What she did do was tip
right out of her chair and stare at the ceiling with empty, sightless eyes.
About the Author
Erica Wynters may have lived most of her life in the frigid Midwest, but now she spends her time in the warmth and sunshine of Arizona. She loves hiking, hunting down waterfalls in the desert, reading (of course), and napping. Can napping be considered a hobby? When not weaving tales of mystery with plenty of quirky characters, laughs, and a dash of romance, Erica works as a Marriage and Family Therapist helping others find their Happily Ever Afters.
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This sounds like a fun read this spring season.
ReplyDeleteheather hgtempaddy
I liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteintriguing
ReplyDeletethis sounds very interesting
ReplyDelete