A Killer Plot (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

was also dressed in a doggie cowboy hat, was perched on the passenger seat. He and Haviland exchanged friendly barks.
    Millay put a hand on each of Harris’s cheeks and swiveled his face away from the blonde. “She’s jail bait, buddy.”
    Harris smiled at her and then, after the slightest hesitation, put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Jealous, are you?”
    Snorting, Millay turned her attention back to the parade while Harris and Olivia exchanged winks over her head. After three laser treatments, the skin on Harris’s face had improved dramatically. Olivia already noticed a change in her friend’s demeanor too. He stood a little taller and didn’t look away so quickly during conversations. All of the women working at the spa in New Bern were smitten with him, but Olivia knew Harris had eyes for only Millay.
    After a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, and watermelon, the four writers gathered on the lawn outside the courthouse to hear the winners announced. Laurel removed two blankets from her stroller, and after unfolding one decorated with racing cars for her sons, she introduced her friends to her husband and in-laws. Her husband, Steve, offered to watch the boys so that Laurel could enjoy a peaceful lunch alongside her fellow writers.
    “Thanks, honey. But the boys have something to say to Ms. Limoges first.” Laurel gave her sons a gentle prod in Olivia’s direction.
    “Thank you for our books!” they shouted in unison and then launched themselves into her arms.
    Olivia, who hadn’t expected the embrace, was nearly flattened, but suddenly, a strong hand pressed against her back, steadying her. She managed to give the twins a brief pat before releasing them, only to look down and see that her white cotton shirt was now covered with black mascara and that Flynn McNulty was silently laughing behind her.
    “Are you truly planning to serve the youth of Oyster Bay homebrewed hot chocolate?” Olivia inquired saucily. “Do you also intend on keeping a spittoon nearby?”
    Grinning, Flynn squatted next to her. The sun filtered through the magnolia trees and turned his gray eyes a soft pewter hue. He tried to keep a straight face as Olivia mopped at the black smudges on the front of her shirt with one of Laurel’s wet wipes. “I think you’re making it worse,” he remarked. “Now it looks like you just finished changing the oil of your Range Rover. Would you care for some help?”
    “No!” Olivia exclaimed before she realized he’d been teasing her.
    Flynn glanced out over the crowd. His entire being radiated pleasure as though he were utterly content to simply be among the townsfolk.
    Perhaps he’s found a place to claim as his own and in turn, the place has claimed him , Olivia thought and followed his gaze. Two children ran by with a cheap kite, laughing as the plastic ladybug flopped to the ground alongside an older couple. Everywhere, people were talking and laughing. Oyster Bay was healing.
    “And to answer your question,” Flynn said after they’d sat in silence for a spell, “the hot chocolate will be store-bought. What exactly do you have against my coffee anyway?”
    “It’s weak,” she answered honestly. “Your Wardrobe Blend calls to mind the miso soup one often receives as an appetizer at select Japanese hibachi restaurants.”
    “Ah, the infamous dishwater soup!” Flynn laughed. “Well, I can’t be associated with the word ‘weak.’ Why don’t you come into the shop and show me how to make coffee correctly.”
    Olivia grinned. “I think that’s a fine idea. I’ll even introduce you to my favorite brand of Kona bean.”
    “I look forward to it.” Flynn straightened. “But now, it is time for the award ceremony. I must bestow gift certificates on Oyster Bay’s impressionable youth.”
    Laurel watched him weave his way around the other picnickers toward the makeshift stage. “I think he’s sweet on you,” she teased and then clasped her hands over her chest. “Oh, a handsome bookstore owner. Now, that man is a catch. He could serve me weak coffee anytime!”
    As it turned out, Laurel would have plenty of opportunities to sample the bookstore blend as she and the twins won first prize for the Best Decorated Stroller category. Laurel ran to the podium to claim her gift certificate while Dallas and Dermot shouted, “Go, Mommy!” over the applause. While Laurel accepted kisses of congratulations from her proud husband and beaming