“No.” Paul handed me a fresh mug of coffee, then set a glass of water with a lemon slice on the end table next to his wife. Yes, a lemon slice. Paul was truly a peach of a man. “That agrochem place did,” he said. “Evergreen, I think? They were the vultures. Some of my clients sold to them.”
As a CPA, Paul did a lot of work for the farm community here, but more than that, he advocated on their behalf. His family owned a massive estate with a lot of farmland, but neither he nor his sister Rowan seemed interested in taking over the family business.
“Either way, she’s an ice queen,” Nina said. “Saw her at Bean There, Sipped That the other day. Full cashmere armor in eighty-degree weather.”
“She probably sweats diamonds,” Frankie jabbed. “You think she’s ever touched flannel?”
“She ordered tea,” Nina reported. “Hot tea in July. All the other customers had cold drinks, and she frowned like we’d failed a test.”
“She’s gorgeous,” Ruby said. “But she gives off that main character in a psychological thriller vibe.”
Unease rolling through me, I shifted, focusing on my coffee. I didn’t want to gossip about my boss, even if she hadn’t made herself a lot of friends in town.
“She’s intense and precise,” I said, feeling the need to defend her. “She’s not cold, and she’s incredibly smart.” Louisa had been nothing but kind to me, and she’d been so generous when I unexpectedly had Vincent. Since I’d returned to work, she’d been nothing but complimentary of my work.
“Let’s not villainize her because she’s not likable,” Frankie said, coming to my rescue. “She’s a woman kicking ass. People are automatically going to hate her for it.”
“True,” Nina chimed in. “But you have to admit, in a Hallmark movie, she’s the big city businesswoman trying to shut down the small-town family business.”
“Fair,” Stella said. “But those are the more interesting characters anyway.”
Frankie lifted her mug. “Truth.”
“Do you really think she was involved with Will?” Stella asked.
That stopped me in my tracks, making my heart thud heavily. There was no way. First of all, she had to be fifteen years older than him, and second, she was way too professional and focused on success to have a relationship with an employee.
“Apparently they were close. Rumor is that he was messing around with someone at Sugar Moon.”
Frankie tsked. “That’s harmful gossip.”
“Sure, but she’s been everywhere since he died. I’ve seen her downtown almost every day,” Nina said. “And she’s been visiting the farmers and asking questions. Plus all those meetings with the police.”
“Yes,” I said, unable to keep from sticking up for her. “Because her company is going through a scandal. I would know. Since it’s my responsibility to deal with it.”
“Paul plays Dungeons & Dragons with some of the science guys,” Ruby said. “According to them, there have been several diverted tankers in the past few months. Shipment issues, quality control errors. They could be hiding something.”
Every head turned my way, like they were all waiting for me to give them more information. But I refused to add fuel to this fire.
“Louisa isn’t hiding anything. She’s acting in the best interest of her company and her employees and suppliers,” I explained diplomatically. “I’ve seen her at her best and at her worst. The steel behind her calm. The weariness of late-night strategy calls. She’s an incredible businesswoman.”
As if they’d picked up on my unease, they gave me nods and murmured half-hearted agreements, then changed the subject.
Thank God. Though even as the conversation moved on, a knot of worry formed in my stomach.
This situation had continued to spiral out of control, and the wild gossip wouldn’t stop until someone was arrested and the town felt safe again.
“Sales are way down,” Ruby explained. “Stella’s doing a great job running the store on her summer break, but we usually do big numbers for the Fourth of July.”
“Same,” Nina said, mixing eyebrow tint in what looked like a baby food bowl. “I expanded my hours, hoping for more walk-ins in the summer. We even invested in expensive massaging pedicure chairs.”
“The inn has vacancies and Opal had to discount her summer tasting menu,” Frankie added. “Which is pure sacrilege. That woman is a culinary genius.”
“Maplewood doesn’t feel the way it used to,” Stella added. “Maybe that’s the problem. People feel unsafe, and they’re turning on one another. And don’t get me started on the cheese wars. They’ve become unhinged.”
Discussing cheese in mixed company was a challenge, because the loyalty of the citizens of Maplewood was pretty evenly split. Neither cheese shop owner was a saint, either. Basil was a dear friend, but he was no angel and hadn’t even bothered to try to defuse the conflict.
“I feel like we’re careening toward another incident,” Frankie added.
