“A funeral is more structured and usually has to do with the physical remains,” she said. “A celebration of life is more informal, so people can come together and remember a life lived well.”
“I want the second,” said Mickey. “No boring sad stuff. Have a party and a few drinks and a laugh on me.”
“Same.” She had a document on her laptop outlining the exact details for her own celebration of life, from food to music, that she updated whenever she had a new idea. Some might think this was weird, but one person’s unbearably dark was another’s thoughtful advance planning.
“There you are.” Penny came in, dressed in slim navy pants with a vestlike shirt. She cast a look around the room. “Are we ready?”
Valerie thought thewewas a stretch, since Penny had done nothing beside volunteer her for the job. “We are.”
Penny ran her finger along the windowsill before frowning at the baseboard. “I hope you were planning to clean this area? Helena prided herself on her housekeeping.”
Thank God Mickey had gone back to the kitchen and hadn’t heard. Before Valerie could reply, Dalia came over with a damp cloth. “Knock yourself out,” she chirped. “We’re a solution-oriented team. You see the problem, you fix it.”
Valerie knew she couldn’t laugh. Penny stared at the proffered cloth and redirected her attention to Valerie. “Get me a glass of iced tea, won’t you, dear? It’s so hot and I need to deal with some work from the gallery.”
Valerie stood for a moment as Penny took out her phone and proceeded to ignore her. She went and fetched the tea, which was faster than making a fuss when she had to focus on the finishing touches for the event. Penny looked up and ran her eyes over Valerie’s working outfit—shorts and a tank top—with disapproval. “You’re going to change, aren’t you? Surely with all of the clothes I gave you, you can find something more suitable.”
“I am.”
“Good.” Penny was already back on her phone and she waved her hand. “Off you go.”
It was a bit crushing. She’d thought Penny liked her, not just as theniece she was playing, but for herself. This reminded her of growing up, when she would make dinner that half the family wouldn’t be home for, or go out of her way to pick up special delicacies that went eaten, but unremarked. Perhaps this was simply what it was like to be in a family, and Valerie was expecting too much.
“What a treat,” muttered Dalia a few minutes later, jerking her chin at Penny. “She told me to get her a refill.”
Well, at least it wasn’t only Valerie. Penny was in a bad mood, she supposed. Being confronted with death did that to some people. She decided not to take it personally.
The smell of smoke came from around the corner, and she went to investigate. A tall woman in a lavender dress stared guiltily over a lit cigarette and made a face as if to indicate she knew she was busted.
“I know.” The woman exhaled an impressive smoke ring. “No smoking on the marina or the patio.”
“I’m not the smoking police.”
“God, you’d be the only one in this Puritan hellhole. If Penny knew, she’d never let me live it down.”
Valerie looked at her closer. “You know Penny Badgerton-Willis?”
The woman laughed and stubbed her cigarette out in a sand-filled can someone had put out for other secret smokers. “For fifty years. I’m Tracey Jefferies.”
It was her. Finally. Tracey Jefferies, in the tanned flesh.
“I’m Valerie, the event planner.” This was her chance to get some intel from a woman she was beginning to think was mythical, they had missed her so often. “The town must have changed a lot here since you were a child.”
Tracey ran a hand through her graying blond hair. “Some things, yes, but Mariposa is scarily resistant to change. I feel I see the same trends cycling through each year. Hello, Penny.”
Penny had appeared on the patio. “Don’t you have things to do forthe event?” she asked Valerie. “It starts soon, and we know you don’t do well under pressure.”
Tracey raised her thick eyebrows. “It looks like she’s doing fine.” She smiled at Valerie. “Mickey told me it’s coming together beautifully.”
“Valerie did Dad’s memorial,” said Penny.
“Ah, well.” Tracey looked unperturbed as she nodded at Valerie. “You seem to have recovered. It’s good to not let a mistake hold you back. Shows character.”
Penny’s mouth tightened. “What were you talking about back here in secret?”
Tracey’s expression became humorous. “I’m entering my cougar years and thought I’d plan my next assignation behind the Lakeview with one of the busboys before it got too busy. Unfortunately Valerie interrupted, and she’s not really my type.”
“Very funny.”
