SWAN SONG: A BiRDIE BRYNES MYSTERY

Excerpt:

FROM Chapter One

“Don’t look now, but a tall drink of water just walked through the door.” Jason, the bartender-slash-manager of Scoreboards handed Callie and me dinner menus.

It was so crowded tonight, I couldn’t see the door from my seat, but Callie twisted her head and said, “That’s Luca, Birdie’s boyfriend. He’s a cop, so you’d better be on your best behavior.” She stood and waved her hand overhead to let him know where we were.

“Lucky girl,” Jason faux whispered behind his hand. When Luca reached the table, Jason handed Luca a menu, took our drink orders, and temporarily disappeared.  

“Sorry I’m a little late. What did I miss?” Luca said while crossing his arms on the table. I loved Luca in his police uniform and out of it. Ack—not like that! Tonight, he was dressed in jeans and a polo, and Jason was one hundred percent correct; he was a tall drink of water.

“You didn’t miss anything. We just got seated right before you arrived,” I told him. “Usually, this place is quiet at lunch. Sometimes we’re the only table.”

I couldn’t get over how different the atmosphere was for dinner. Scoreboards had become our favorite lunch spot, because of its two-second ride from Rejuvenate, the day spa where we both worked. Tonight, they had all of their thirty TV screens tuned to a variety of hockey, lacrosse, baseball and basketball games, and enough customers to watch all of them. The crowd made me feel a lot better about their chances to stay in business, even if we had to wait for a table.

Luca leaned over and gave me a peck on my cheek. “What’s good here?” he asked.

Luca had been my favorite client for roughly six months.  We started dating just a few weeks ago after my boyfriend ended our six-year relationship and broke off our engagement. To top off that banana split, I became the prime suspect in a murder investigation. It was quite the whirlwind. The sparks that flew between Luca and I were the cherry on top of the mess.

Callie scrunched her nose. “Weeelll…We usually share an order of poutine, but I already checked and it’s not on the dinner menu.”

“I bet Jason will make some suggestions,” I added.

As if on cue, Jason reappeared at our table and handed the drinks around. “Never fear. I already put in an order for poutine as your appy. For dinner, I would recommend the yellowtail—it’s very fresh, and we’ll prepare it either grilled or blackened. If you’re a steak lover, the filet or the ribeye will be your best bet. They’re both served with a salad and one of our sides.”

Luca smiled and nodded at those choices. I knew steak made him happy even though our dating history was short.

Complicated was the best word to describe our relationship. My attraction to him was intense—more intense than my ex—but I worried that I’d attached some kind of hero worship to him since he was a policeman, and when I was a murder suspect, it felt like I needed someone—anyone—in law enforcement on my side. So, between rebounding and a looming arrest, I asked that we slow things down so that I could make sure my feelings for him were authentic. Since then, we’ve seen each other a couple times. I knew my brain said to slow it down, and Luca honored that, but my heart, and especially my body, was slightly pissed off at my brain.

Luca ordered the ribeye. Callie and I went with the fish. Jason gathered the menus, spun on his heels and left again.

“So, Callie asked us to dinner because she has a proposal,” I said to Luca.

Luca placed his hand on my knee, making me blush. “Go ahead.”

“I don’t know what Callie wants to propose, so I’m in the dark with you.”

Luca’s smile quirked up on one side. “In the dark sounds good.”

My face caught fire.

My red hair turned embarrassment, along with a few other emotions, into a full-body fire alert from the tips of my toes to my hairline. It’s a good thing I don’t play poker.

Callie laughed and scooted the salt and pepper shakers closer and began moving them around as though they were dancing. “It’s not a big deal. It would just give us a good reason for a night out.” She paired the shakers together and pushed them away. “The thing is my mom is co-chairing a charity event in Palm Beach that benefits single mothers this weekend. They need help, so she asked if you and I could chip in.” 

After Callie floated that question without actually asking a question, I had some questions of my own, like when, where, what exactly would we be doing. Instead of asking all of that, I asked, “Why did you want Luca to be here?”

Callie smiled at Luca. “They want security at the event. You’d wear a tux, rub elbows with the ultra-wealthy and get to spend some quality time with us.”

Luca nodded and rubbed his thumb across his chin. “Does it pay?”

“Twenty-five hundred.”

Luca’s eyes widened. “I’m in. That’s more than I make in a week.”

No kidding. The same goes for me. “Why does he get paid and we’re just volunteers?”

“We’d be paid, too. It’s a bit more than Luca would make.”

Why didn’t she start with that?

Almost immediately I realized why. Callie always had enough trust-fund money for whatever she wanted. Enough to pay her mortgage on the cute bungalow she owns near Wynwood and to jet off at the drop of a hat to ski in Jackson Hole, or to do basically anything else she wants. It’s not that Callie’s a snob; she simply doesn’t understand what it’s like to live without a never-ending supply of cash.

“Sign me up,” I told her.

After that, Callie laid out our duties. We’d be working registration, the silent and live auctions, and handling issues as they arise. I didn’t know what kind of issues might arise, but it couldn’t be any worse than finding a dead body in Rejuvenate’s salt therapy room. Yes, that was a thing. A not-too-long-ago thing. Jason appeared with our poutine as Callie wrapped up the details.

“The event is taking place on the island at The Palm Beach Crest.” She must have noticed my quizzical look. “It’s been there forever just a block from Worth Avenue,” Callie explained.

Some would say Worth Avenue is Florida’s Rodeo Drive. The residents of Palm Beach say Rodeo Drive is California’s Worth Avenue.

“I simply adore Palm Beach,” Jason said as he handed each of us a drink. “Are you going there for an event?” Jason waited on us every day. Callie and I both knew he excelled at eavesdropping.

Callie explained the event to Jason.

“Are you wearing your uniform?” he asked Luca, his head tilted in an inquiring-minds-want-to-know manner with one brow lifted.

“It sounds like I’ll be wearing a tux to blend in,” Luca replied.

It would be impossible for Luca to blend. It turned out that Jason agreed. “Can I be a waiter at the event? If I get to see him in a tux, I’d do it for free.”

Callie and I laughed. We were used to Jason’s quips, but Luca was not. This time Luca blushed, outdoing mine by turning several shades brighter. He took a swig from his beer mug, and when I saw his lip quiver, I was unsure if it was caused by embarrassment or holding in a laugh.

Jason turned to me and asked, “So what will you be wearing?”

“I have a moss green dress that I’ve only worn once before. That might work.”

Luca rubbed a spot on my back. “I hope so. I like that dress.”

My face flamed briefly. I’d worn it for our first date, so that comment made me happy.

Callie jumped in. “We’re supposed to wear black to make it easier for the guests to realize that we’re working the event.” For what must be the millionth time I was grateful for Callie’s fashion advice. Dressing properly never came naturally to me.

Jason placed one hand on his hip. “You can’t ever go wrong with a little black dress. I’m so excited for both of you. Wallis Simpson had the most wonderful quote which always makes me think of Palm Beach. ‘You can never be too rich or too thin.’ Isn’t that perfect? Now, enjoy your poutine, and I’ll be back shortly with your dinners.”

 Based on Jason’s quote, I should avoid the poutine like the plague. I took one fry, making sure I got a little bit of everything. Yum. Callie dug in while Luca hung back. “Try it,” I told him. So, he did, and the expression on his face told me he liked it.

“I’d never heard of poutine but wish I had sooner.”

“It’s a Canadian thing, originating in Montreal, but it’s spreading. Soon everyone will be able to get poutine worldwide.”

“You can probably tell Callie is very passionate about poutine,” I added.

Callie laughed and stuck out her tongue at me.

 I laughed. “So, is that everything we need to know?”

“It’s the big stuff. I’ll touch base with my mom to see if I left out anything important.” Callie swirled her fry in the gravy with a figure eight motion. “Actually, there is one big thing I left out.”

I tipped my head to the side. “What’s that?”

“Bron will probably be there. His mom is co-chairing with mine. I haven’t seen him since …we split.

That isn’t just big news. It’s Godzilla sized and monstrous as well.

“Who’s Bron?” Luca asked.

“Just this guy I dated a long time ago.”

Callie had downplayed their relationship to Luca, but I knew better. Bron had shattered her heart and even though it was largely mended, it wasn’t quite the same, especially when it came to dating. No guy lasted more than two or three dates. I’d never met Bron and there was a part of me that really wanted to meet him to understand why she can’t seem to fully recover.

The other more protective part of me hoped he was a no-show.