“You didn’t have to do that. Joyce already made brownies. Come on upstairs and join the party.” Harper shook her head. “It’s not actually a party yet, but it will be now that you two are here.”
They followed her up. Willa was already off the couch, ready to greet Joyce and the much-waited-for pan of brownies.
“Thank you so much,” Willa said. “You’re the best.”
Joyce smiled demurely and gave her the pan. “Oh, it was no bother, pet.”
Frankie was still sitting, working on her tablet, but she looked over and smiled. “Hi, ladies. Nice of you to join us. We aren’t doing much, though. Just getting ready to watch some TV. There’s a new miniseries on Amazon Prime. It’s based onan Agatha Christie story. It’s a remake, but aren’t they all at this point?”
“I love Agatha Christie,” Beryl said.
Harper gestured at the couch. “Have a seat. Who wants a glass of wine?”
“And brownies!” Willa added.
Everyone’s hand went up. With a laugh, Harper nodded. “Coming right up. Keep your hand up if you want white. Okay, I’ll open a white and this red that Joyce and Beryl brought.”
She went into the kitchen, behind the island, and took out a bottle of white from the wine chiller. She motioned to Willa “Why don’t you cut those brownies and put them on a plate? We could put out some pretzels or something else, too.”
“We have those nice grapes you just bought. You did get that second bag for us, didn’t you?”
“I did. Get those out and let’s use those small plates in the second cabinet.”
“On it,” Willa said.
Harper worked on opening the wine and then pouring the right varieties for the right people.
Before too long, they had the coffee table covered with a stack of napkins, another stack of small plates, a plate of brownies, a bowl of pretzel sticks, and another of seedless grapes. Harper put a glass of wine in everyone’s hand then went back for her own. She loved that the big sectional couch had enough room for everyone, Archie included, although she moved him and his blanket to the far end of the middle section, because he was occupying some pretty prime real estate.
She took a seat beside Beryl, whose gaze was everywhere but the television screen. Harper leaned in. “Quite a house, isn’t it? I’m sure Joyce told you I inherited it from Arlington Marsh.”
Beryl immediately looked at Harper and nodded. “She did. You must have meant a great deal to him. What a lovely thing forhim to do. He was a marvelous actor, wasn’t he? So handsome, too.”
“He was a great actor and an even better friend. Just a wonderful man all around.”
Beryl went back to looking around. “Did you redecorate? Or is this how it looked when he lived here?”
Harper gazed at the place. “I haven’t touched a thing, honestly.” There was no point in redecorating. The place was gorgeous. Harper couldn’t improve on it. And spending the money would just be silly. “Maybe I will someday, but I like it the way it is.”
“So do I,” Beryl said. “I can’t believe he lived here.”
“You want the tour?”
Beryl quickly shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“It’s not an imposition. Come on. You want to see the ceiling in the master bedroom. Trust me.” Harper tipped her head in that direction. “It won’t take long. Bring your wine.”
Beryl’s mouth bent in a shy little smile. “All right, then.”
Harper leaned forward. “Joyce, you coming?”
She got up. “I’d love to. Thanks for asking.”
Harper stood, looking at Frankie. “Don’t eat all the brownies while we’re gone. I’m going to give them a quick tour of the place.”
She led Joyce and Beryl down the hall, pointing out the laundry room, then into her bedroom. Archie came along so he wouldn’t be left out. He went straight to his bed and sat by Mr. Brown, looking happy to be a part of whatever was happening.
Harper stood out of the way, glad she’d made her bed. “The master bedroom. As far as I know, the decorating was all Arlington’s doing. He loved the water, loved boats, so it makes sense.”
