Straightening, she turned and walked to the door. Maybe one of the men had gone to town to get breakfast. She could only hope. She opened the door to see her friends springing out of an older white SUV. Her dismay at having her morning interrupted quickly gave way to gratitude as she noted the box of donuts in June’s hands and the cardboard tray of lattes in Valerie’s. As longtime friends, they were more than comfortable opening the gate and driving right in.
“Come in out of the rain,” she called, opening the door wider, gesturing her friends inside.
They all laughed and ran through the rain, with Verna picking her way gingerly across the wet ground, her protruding belly leading the way.
Valerie landed inside first, and she gave Millie a half hug. “Hey, we figured we’d cheer you up.”
“How did you know that I’d be home?” Millie asked, reaching for Verna to pull her inside and out of the rain. The pregnant woman’s face was flushed and truly glowing.
“There are no secrets in this town,” June said, smiling and placing the box of donuts on the table. She grinned when Millie mock-growled at her. “Fine. I saw you guys drive by the diner last night so figured you’d be in town for at least a day or two.”
“Tricky,” Millie said, accepting a latte from Valerie. “Oh, this is the best. I was just digging into the recesses of the pantry for a Pop-Tart.”
Verna looked around and licked her lips. “Hey, where’s the hottie lawyer from DC?”
“You’re happily married and knocked up,” her sister retorted. “Me, however...” She also looked around. “I’m single.”
Millie ignored the flash of possessiveness that rippled through her.
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” June asked, her eyes sparkling. She removed a latte from the tray and took a big drink, moving over to take a seat at the table.
Millie had spent more mornings than she could count drinking coffee with June at that very table. “Sit down, my friends.” She claimed her own seat.
“So?” June asked, her eyebrows raised. “Spill it about you and the sexy blue-eyed badass.”
Millie shrugged. “I would if I could. I mean, if I knew anything, I’d tell you, but I’m not sure where we are or what we’re doing.”
“Ah, it’s one of those.” Verna sipped delicately from her travel mug.
Millie frowned.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a latte,” Verna mumbled. “It’s just herbal tea.” She looked longingly at her sister’s cup. “I would kill for caffeine.”
Valerie snorted. “Soon enough. If you quit letting Alex knock you up, you could drink coffee again—and you get the full-cream ones and don’t gain a pound. It isn’t fair.”
“Amen, sister,” Verna said, her eyes twinkling. She leaned toward Millie. “Do we know who killed Clay yet?”
“No. I have nothing.” Millie let the vanilla-flavored brew land in her stomach and warm her body. A needed jolt of caffeine cleared her mind. “We’re supposed to meet with the chief today, but so far I have no idea.” She exhaled slowly, forcing her body to relax, swiping a donut. “It’s a long shot, but I am thinking about getting hypnotized. I need to remember.”
“How about the guys who came here to shoot you?” June asked, her red hair up in a ponytail.
“Nope,” Millie murmured. “The chief hasn’t told me anything about them.” A headache lingered behind her left eye just from the uncertainty. However, the sugary donut helped as much as the loaded latte. She looked at Valerie. “Did you track down anything about Clay’s college days?”
“You bet I did. I’ve been on the phone constantly. Well, when I had time off from the hospital,” Valerie said. “Both Verna and I have been calling people from college.”
“Oh yeah,” June said. “I forgot you went to nursing school, Verna.”
“Yeah, for a semester,” Verna said, shuddering. “Then I passed out when we had to inject oranges with a needle. Plus, Alex wanted to stay here near his family and then he got a job at the hardware store. So it just made sense to come home.” A small smile played on her face. “Though I missed you, Val.”
“I saw you every weekend,” Valerie said, then she caught herself. “Oh, but I missed you too.”
They all laughed. Millie missed her friends overall—how wonderful to be bouncing ideas off them again.
“What’d you find out?” she asked, eyeing another donut. She hadn’t been working out lately, but stress did burn calories. Shrugging, she grabbed a pink custard covered in white sprinkles. The diner pastry tasted like sugary heaven. “Man, this is good,” she said around the sticky frosting.
“I know, right?” June took a maple bar out of the box.
Millie reached for a napkin to wipe her face. “Please tell me good news, Verna.”
