Berry the Hatchet by Peg Cochran Read Free Book Online

string them up for her. Monica pushed open the door to the shop and froze.
    Gina was behind the counter, and Monica’s mother was standing in front of it. Her coat was open, and she’d taken off her gloves, so it looked as if she’d been there awhile.
    Monica’s first instinct was to shut the door, turn tail and flee, but she stifled the urge.
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me Gina had settled in Cranberry Cove?” Nancy said in the tone of voice you would use with a child who was trying to hide the fact that they had just broken your heirloom vase.
    â€œIt . . . it never came up.” Monica unzipped her jacket.She was suddenly feeling very warm, although whether it was from the heat in the small shop or from being put on the spot, she didn’t know.
    â€œWe’ve been having a lovely conversation, haven’t we, Gina? Catching up.”
    Monica looked at Gina but she didn’t seem particularly perturbed—her face was smooth and placid. Of course that could be because of the Botox and not because Gina had superhuman control over her emotions.
    The last time the two women had encountered each other—at Monica’s college graduation—their hostility toward one another had been buried under a frosty coating of politeness. Nancy had refused to talk directly to Gina and had raised a fit at her ex-husband’s suggestion that Gina be included in some of the family photographs.
    And now they were chatting like two polite acquaintances. The only things missing were the tea and cookies. Monica felt the way she used to when she played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, when they spun you around in a circle, leaving you dizzy and confused about which way to go. She supposed that having been dumped by the same man, each for a considerably younger model, had given them something in common.
    Since neither Gina nor Nancy appeared to be upset, Monica suspected they didn’t know about Preston.
    â€œSomething is going on out there,” Gina said, pointing toward the window that looked out onto Beach Hollow Road.
    â€œYes.” Nancy fingered the silk scarf at her neck. “There was a great deal of commotion and people running.” She laughed. “It reminded me of those photographs in the newspaper of the running of the bulls in Pamplona.”
    â€œI imagine it’s Tempest and her spring rite, or whatever she’s calling it.” Gina wiped at a smudged fingerprint on the glass countertop with the edge of her top. “She probably thought limiting it to the village green wouldn’t provide enough shock value. She seems determined to shake up the citizens of Cranberry Cove.”
    â€œNo, it wasn’t Tempest,” Monica said wishing that was all it had been. How was she going to break the news to them?
    â€œSomething was going on, that’s for sure.” Nancy looked at her watch. “I imagine the whole thing will be over soon. I have an appointment tonight, and I don’t look forward to braving that crowd.”
    â€œI didn’t know you knew anyone in Cranberry Cove. Other than Monica, of course.” Gina was rearranging some spray bottles of lavender essential oil on the counter.
    Monica caught a whiff of their delicious scent. Lavender was supposed to be soothing and restful. Had the herb lulled both Gina and Nancy into this eerie state of calm?
    Nancy gave a coy smile. “Actually I do,” she said preening like a peacock. “We met in Chicago when he was in the city on business, and we just . . . hit it off, I guess you could say.”
    â€œThat’s quite the coincidence that he happens to live in Cranberry Cove.”
    â€œI know,” Nancy said, her voice sounding throaty. “But coincidences do happen. Lucky ones, too.”
    â€œCranberry Cove is a small town.” Gina stopped fiddling with the glass bottles and gave an
It’s just us girls
sort of smile. “We probably know him.