Love Can Be Murder

erratic passive-aggressive behavior. "Nothing so dramatic—he was just having a good old-fashioned midlife crisis."
    "Penny, are you doing okay, really?" Wendy asked.
    Penny nodded. "Some days are harder than others, but overall, yeah, I'm fine."
    "Did you consider leaving Mojo?" Liz asked.
    Somehow Liz always managed to find Penny's sore spots. "I might have if my business wasn't doing so well." And the sad truth was, she had nowhere else to go. She clasped their hands, eager to change the subject. "How long has it been since we were all together?"
    "Two years," Liz said. "Your thirtieth birthday."
    "How long can you stay?"
    "We have to go back to the city right after the party—Wendy's flying out at the crack of dawn."
    Penny groaned. "So, catch me up."
    "Same old, same old for me," Liz said with a languid smile.
    "Still rich and single, in other words," Penny said dryly.
    Liz's laugh tinkled. "It's a great life, isn't it, Wendy?"
    "Don't ask me. I've got the single part down, but the rich part has eluded me."
    "Not true," Liz said, then looked at Penny. "She just bought a fabulous loft in an artsy section of Atlanta."
    "Really?" Penny asked, surprised. Wendy had always said she wanted to wait until she married Mr. Right before taking on a mortgage. "That's wonderful. Your career must be going gangbusters."
    "She's been asked to curate an exhibit at the High Museum of Art," Liz said, then slanted a glance toward their doe-eyed friend. " And she has a mystery boyfriend."
    Penny lifted her eyebrows. "Do tell."
    Wendy gave Liz an exasperated glance. "Liz talks too much."
    A cell phone rang, and Wendy glanced toward her purse.
    "Speak of the devil," Liz said.
    "Answer it," Penny encouraged.
    But Wendy seemed nervous and shook her head as the phone continued to ring. It stopped, only to start ringing again a few seconds later.
    "He's persistent," Liz declared.
    Wendy bit her lip as she reached into her bag and withdrew the phone.
    Liz leaned over to steal a glance at the screen, and Wendy yanked it back. "Liz, mind your own business!"
    Liz laughed and looked at Penny. "He must really be important—maybe he's a famous artist."
    "I need to take this," Wendy said with a frown, then hurried out the door.
    Liz smirked. "I think she's doing her boss, Mr. Shepherd."
    "Why would she want to keep it a secret?"
    "Because he's married."
    "Oh." Penny swallowed. Having been cheated on gave her a different perspective of an affair. If Wendy was seeing Mr. Shepherd, that made her Mrs. Shepherd's Sheena.
    "I think he bought her the loft," Liz murmured, "but she won't talk about it. She's been as jumpy as a cat since I picked her up at the airport."
    "It seems out of character for Wendy to get mixed up with a married man."
    "People change." Liz glanced after Wendy, then sighed. "Besides, love makes people stupid. You should know that, Penny."
    Penny looked up. Was Liz talking about her stupidity for marrying Deke, or were the feelings she still had for Deke so transparent?
    Liz's gaze probed hers. "Look at how Deke has behaved, for instance."
    "Oh. Right."
    "Of course, no offense, Penny, but I always thought you could do better than Deke anyway."
    Penny gave a dry laugh. "Apparently not, since he's who I wound up with."
    "You settled."
    Funny, but Penny had felt lucky at the time, and most of the time since. In fact, she had sometimes wondered if Liz was jealous—not of Deke, but of their relationship. "He was the one who ended the marriage," she felt obligated to point out.
    Liz gave a dismissive wave with her manicured hand. "You're so much better off without him. Cheating bastard."
    "Who?" Wendy asked, rejoining them, her cheeks flushed.
    "Deke, of course," Liz said lightly. "Who did you think we were referring to?"
    Wendy adjusted her glasses—a nervous habit, Penny recalled. "No one. What did I miss?"
    Liz smiled. "I was just telling Penny that she was too good for Deke Black and that when she falls in love again, she shouldn't settle. Right, Wendy?"
    Wendy paled. "Right."
    Penny felt a rush of sympathy for gentle-hearted Wendy. If she'd fallen in love with a married man, she was probably feeling tormented. "And I was just getting ready to tell Liz that—"
    The door opened suddenly, and Penny turned her head. Her pulse jolted at the sight of Sheena's mystery man standing in the doorway, his broad shoulders spanning the opening, his dark gaze tantalizing. The man was built for carnal sport, and she had no doubt he