Page 131 of Murder on Charity Lane

“What’s wrong with being a good hostess?”

“It’s damning with faint praise.”

“Hm.” Lily-Ann tapped on her phone again. “Also, Mrs. B wants me to introduce you to my family friends with an eye toward fundraising.”

“Oh, god, no! I don’t want to ask you for favors like that. That’s just … no. Ignore her, please.”

“If I offer to help, Sophie, that’s my choice and cannot cause obligation on your part.”

“That’s great in theory, Lily-Ann, but I feel beholden to a waiter for refilling my bread basket.”

“We’ll work on that later,” she assured me. “Does Nicholas have any news?”

“Not since he dug up that bankrupt property Sunny Wheeler owns.”

“Speaking of which, one moment…” She paused to finish texting Mrs. B. “There we go. Now Hamilton is doing his best, but keep an eye on CJ, would you?”

“You think she’s going to run?”

“No,” Lily-Ann said, as she stood to leave. “But if I’m wrong, it will be a catastrophe.”

60

OCEAN

“Well, that was a disaster,” Ocean said, driving away from the DeYoung house.

“An invigorating disaster!” Mrs. B checked her lipstick in the sun visor mirror. “And look on the bright side.”

“What’s the bright side?”

“There’s plenty of daylight left.”

Ocean tapped the brake at the end of the drive. “For what?”

“For the massage therapist.”

“What, Pax? Now you want to talk to him? You ignored him when he was hanging around the Cottages.”

“Well, I didn’t want to interfere.”

She gave a bark of laughter. “Didn’t want to interfere? You’ve never seen a chance to meddle that you didn’t want to kiss behind the bleachers.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I want to speak with Pax, that’s all.” Mrs. B flashed a sudden, mischievous smile. “I’m telling you, Ocean, I feel younger than I have in years. Having a hobby is positively rejuvenating.”

“Poor Karina,” she said, following the winding road past the golf course. “She just lost her husband and then you show up.”

“She’s handling her grief by planning a renovation so extensive that she needs permission from the Coastal Commission.”

“People mourn in different ways, Golda. You told me that once.”

“What a tedious cliché. She’s trying to frame CJ!”

Ocean side-eyed her. “Now framing people is wrong?”

“Framing innocent people is wrong. Are you … How are you?”

“I’m fine.”