“We all loved it,” Bunny said truthfully.
“It’s much appreciated.” Jamison smiled.
Bunny slid a piece of cheese onto another cracker, her attention drifting to the sounds of banging at the back of the house.What in the world is going on back there?
“Bunny! What are you doing here?” Liz had appeared in the doorway.
“Oh, umm… just getting a book signed.”
Liz frowned at the books on the table then at Mr. Smith. She seemed confused, probably because she didn’t know Mr. Smith’s true identity. “Oh.”
“What are you doing here, and what is going on out back?” Bunny asked.
“It’s a surprise for Jane. Do you want to see?”
“Of course.” Bunny grabbed another cracker and stood, motioning for Sam to join her.
“Okay, but I’ll have to swear you to secrecy. Mike is surprising Jane when she gets back from her trip tomorrow.”
Bunny promised not to tell and followed Liz down the hallway toward the back room where they’d had the book club meeting. She hung back a little bit and whispered to Sam, “Thanks for saving my butt.”
He smiled. “No problem. That’s what friends are for.”
Bunny nodded. “Oh, by the way, the puzzle on page ninety-eight was a piece of cake.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Andie was chattering away as she drove the backroads back to Tides. If Jane didn’t know better, she’d say her sister was nervous, but why would she be?
“Are you that excited to be home? You’re rambling on like you used to do when we were kids and Mom and Dad took us for a car ride.” Jane thought for a second. “Oh wait, that was because you had to pee.”
“Ha ha. Very funny. I don’t have to pee, and it’s good to be home.” Andie pulled into the driveway in front of Tides.
“Okay, well then you can just drop me off if you’re in a hurry to get to your place.” She was probably excited because she was meeting Shane.
“Oh no! I want to come in. I’m starving, and I have nothing at home. Brenda probably has something delicious in the kitchen.”
“Oh, okay.”
Andie parked, and Jane pulled her suitcase out of the back while her sister ran in ahead. She must really be hungry, or she actually really did have to pee. Maybe Jane was overtired, but she had the feeling something odd was going on.
She was halfway to the staircase when Andie’s voice rang out from somewhere in the back of the house. “Jane, you’d better come back here.”
What the heck?Jane left her suitcase in the foyer and headed toward the kitchen, but Andie wasn’t in there. “Where are you?”
“In the back hallway, down at the book club room.”
The book club room? What in the world had made Andie go down there?
On no! Does this have something to do with Mike?Andie was in on whatever was going on—Jane was sure about it.
Jane got more nervous the closer she got to the book club room. Was that the murmuring of voices? It sounded like more than two people.
What’s going on? Is Mike going to propose in front of a bunch of people?The thought made Jane want to run. Not that she didn’t love Mike, but it was too soon. She wasn’t sure if she’d say yes, and that would be especially awkward with a room full of witnesses.
But surely Andie would have told her given their conversation about it at the restaurant. Wasn’t there some sister code that dictated she spill the beans even if she’d promised Mike to keep the secret? But then Andie had acted kind of smug, as if Jane’s assumption was wrong.
There was only one way to find out. Jane forced a smile on her face as she turned the corner that led to the book club room.
