“What’s the point ‘o doing your hair before swimmin’?” Will asked just outside the open bathroom door. Maybelle twisted, curling iron poised in her red locks, smoking away.
“If you have to ask, you don’t understand me as well as I thought ya did.” She nodded to his overgrown whiskers, which had gotten out of control over the few days they’d spent in Frostville. “You ought to take a page from my book. You could use a bit of sprucing up.”
He grimaced, running a hand over his chin. “It’s not that bad.” Will’s beard was his comfort zone as much as Alabama was. Maybelle teased him about it, sayin’ she’s always surprised no one complains about hair in their pizza with that thing hanging off him. He trimmed it on occasion, mostly when he was tryin’ to impress a woman.
She released the iron from her hair, letting the warm curl spring around her face. “You’re coming down for the party, right?” she asked, not even attempting to hide the hopefulness in her voice. She needed her brother today; Garreth and Michael both in bathing suits would be enough to knock out the most sensible woman, let alone desperate ones like herself. She imagined a long afternoon fumbling over her words and toggling between her feelings.
“I dunno…” he said. Maybelle suppressed a laugh.
“Party pooper.”
Will wrinkled his nose. “It’s a pool party. Forgive me for not thinking to bring my bathing suit to a place called Frostville.”
“They provide the suits, Will.” Always an excuse for everything. “They got all kinds in the closet down the hall.”
“You been snooping around?”
Yes. “I’ve been reading the guest pamphlet.” She nodded to the door and grabbed another section of hair. “Go check it out. I’m sure they’ve got plenty of choices in your size.” Or she hoped they did. She didn’t want to do this alone. Will was there to referee after all, and she needed him to blow the whistle on one of those guys.
Rain fell hard just outside the millions of mansion windows, but none of the guests were concerned as they headed down the same hallway Maybelle had discovered on night one of her stay. The steam from the heated pool and hot tub fogged the glass encased room, but the rain outside streaked down the opposite side, making the atmosphere magical. Several guests had already wandered down, but no one was in the pool yet. Servers with trays upon trays of goodies wove their way through the guests, and a freshly trimmed Will spotted a certain bacon appetizer and took off. She shook her head at her brother’s back; so much for that.
She let out a breath and tightened her coverup, a little insecure about being in a suit in front of much more fit women and extremely fit men. Winter was a tiny thing, dipping her toes into the pool, the only person so far brave enough to actually take a swim.
“Hey there,” Garreth’s voice said from behind her. A grin grew on her face and she looked over her shoulder, happy to see those chocolate eyes and chin dimple. He offered her a flute of sparkling beverage with a decadent strawberry bobbing near the top. “I don’t know what this is,” he said, “but thought it might be the kind of drink you might like.”
She took it from his hand, their fingers grazing and tingling. “Why?” she probed. He raised a brow, like he hadn’t expected her to question it. He muttered a few intelligible words, scrambling for an answer.
“Uh… it’s… bubbly. R-reminded me of you, I guess.” He did that adorable expression of squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. “Sorry.”
“For what?” she said with a wide smile. “Bubbly’s good.” She lifted on her tiptoes and pressed her forehead to his. “Keep talkin’ like that and I’ll start dropping Lord of the Rings knowledge.”
He laughed, his breath fruity and sparkling, not unlike the drinks in their hands. She fell flat to her feet and linked her pinky with his. She led him to a couple of empty lounge chairs by the shallow end of the pool where Winter was now in waist deep. A nervous leap went through Maybelle when she spotted Michael perched on the edge, swinging his legs in the water, his muscular back mouthwatering and beautiful. He caught her eyes over his shoulder and winked.
Maybelle took a long swig from her sparkling drink, letting the bubbles fizz all around her body. They amazingly relaxed her enough to plop onto the padded lounger, Garreth taking the chair opposite her. She kicked her legs up and got comfortable, scanning Garreth up and down as he sat, elbows on knees, both hands holding the tiny, half full glass. He gave her a cute smile, his eyes saying much more than his words could. She liked that about him—how expressive he was. She doubted he’d ever gotten away with a lie in his life.
“Last night was fun,” she said, knowing him well enough now to understand that bringing up subjects of conversation wasn’t his forte. His eyes sparkled with gratitude and something else she couldn’t put her finger on.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a breathy laugh. “Been a while since I’ve had that kind of fun.”
“How long?” she asked with a tilt of her head and a sip of her drink. The skin poking above the collar of his white tee ran pink. She decided to help him out. “Goodness, I haven’t been kissed in… three years? Yeah… about three years.”
He let out a relieved breath. “That’s baffling, Maybelle.”
“What’s so baffling about that?”
“I’m as awkward as they come, and I couldn’t resist after twenty-four hours.”
She covered a laugh, her own blush creeping up her cheeks. Garreth’s eyes suddenly flashed panic.
“Oh geez, I hope it was okay.”
“More than okay. It was fun.”
He considered that for a moment. “Fun is good. I like that.” He blew out a breath and looked at his bare feet. “Two years for me.”
“Now that’s baffling.”
He smirked. “I don’t get out much.”
A huge splash speckled her feet, and she squeaked, pulling them back. Winter’s laughter echoed around the room, Michael, who was now in the pool, sending wave after wave at her. A weird mix of jealousy and memory curdled in her stomach as she watched them, wondering if that’s what they’d looked like on Monday night during their private water fight. She felt her lips pull down; what was it about Michael that felt so good? She definitely had something with Garreth. He was opening up much more to her, being a bit braver.
Michael didn’t need to find that boldness, however. He just had it, and he used it, and it took her breath away.
Winter swiveled in the pool, more and more guests joining in on the splash party. Garreth seemed perfectly content to sit with Maybelle on the sidelines, and while she was grateful for it, part of her wanted him to pull her over his shoulder and dive into the water. Have some fun. Take a chance.
Winter sent a soft wave up to the side of the pool, and Maybelle followed her gaze to her brother, who was still pigging out, shaking his head at Winter. Curiosity sparked in Maybelle as she watched them, Winter’s playfulness egging Will on, drawing him in like a bug to honey. She saw him lose the battle, tossing his garbage and taking a running leap into the pool. His cannon ball hit almost everyone in the pool. Winter wiped her face free and then put both arms up in victory.
“He has fun, people!”
Applause fell around the room, and Maybelle whooped just to see her brother blush, which he did, then he dunked Winter under the water. Smooth, William. Smooth.
A soft touch hit her wrist, pulling her attention away. Concern laced Garreth’s eyes as he smoothed over the long scar that she’d covered with a watch or bracelet on most occasions.
“What’s this?” he asked, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“Oh, that happened about a month ago,” she said. “Thought I’d help Will during the dinner rush and scorched my wrist on the pizza oven.”
He made a hissing sound. “Youch.”
“It’s one of the many reasons I’m banned from using an oven.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Just last week I tried making lasagna. A simple one—like one you get premade in a box. All I had to do was put it in the oven, or so I thought. I guess it was supposed to go on a pan or something?”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah… I’m still scraping sauce and cheese out of there.”
She laughed and they shared a few more of their cooking mishaps, trying to one up each other. Garreth slowly grew more and more relaxed, and when they were interrupted, he was laid back on the lounge chair, one arm tucked under his head, his other toying with the waistband of his red and black suit. He was wearing them on backward, and she’d teased him about it for a good few minutes.
“Hey Garreth,” Alexis said, standing right between them. Maybelle made a face and looked at the ceiling instead of at Alexis’ rear-end. “I talked with the detective today,” she said, her voice rushed and excited. “I’m so close to guessing it, I know it. Did you get anything at all when you talked to James and Velvet?”
Maybelle desperately tried to rid herself of irritation at the interruption, counting the glass panels on the ceiling. Garreth cleared his throat and she heard him shift on the lounge chair.
“Sorry, Lex. I… haven’t had the chance.”
“What? You not interested in the mystery anymore?”
There was a beat. “Something else has caught my attention.”
Alexis spun around, giving Maybelle a look of death. Maybelle jerked back, surprised she hadn’t burst into flames. Alexis left with a huff, her pen furiously writing across her notepad. Maybelle pushed on her seat, righting herself and catching her breath.
“Sorry,” Garreth said, a frown on his handsome lips.
“That’s okay,” she said, letting out a breathy laugh. “I’d be ridiculous to believe I’m the only one vying for your attention.”
His ears reddened. “N-no… it isn’t like… She just wants to solve this thing before me, I think.”
“You think she will?”
He gave her a sly grin. “Uh, no.” His voice dropped. “I’m pretty sure I know who done it.”
“Ooh! Tell me.”
He laughed, putting a finger to his lips. Ah, yes, of course. She needed to learn how to whisper.
“You sure you want to know?” he asked. “I’d hate to spoil it.”
“Confession,” she said, holding up a finger. “The only reason I was into the mystery solving was because of you.”
He pressed his lips together, his chin dimple popping. “In that case…” His shoulders tensed, and she wondered if he was holding his breath. His eyes fell to her lips, and he reached up, tapping a gentle finger to her jaw. He coaxed her to look at the pool as the splash party calmed and most of the guests were swimming and chatting.
Perched on the edge, sitting awfully close to her brother, sat Winter. The smiles on their faces were like from a romantic movie.
“There’s our murderer,” Garreth whispered in her ear. She slowly tore her eyes from the pair and looked into his.
“You think it’s Winter?”
He smiled, dropping his hand. “Makes sense, don’t you think? The perfect misdirect.”
Admiration pumped through her, just when she thought he couldn’t get more attractive. “Color me impressed.”
The light that sparked from his eyes then was brighter than the sun, and the entire room fell to the wayside. Her gaze dropped to his lips, and she wetted hers, hoping, praying that she could use her boldness in this moment and kiss him.
A bump of weight shook them apart, and Maybelle looked to the end of her seat where a very wet Winter had plopped.
“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt.”
Well, at least she apologizes for it.
“I wanted to catch you while you were both here… There’s free time for dinner tonight, so I was hoping you two could join me? I have a guest house on the property, and I’ve convinced Will to come.” She waved offhandedly toward Maybelle’s brother, and she held back a grin. What was going on there? Had someone finally cracked through Will’s walls?
“That sounds like fun,” she said, looking to Garreth. He half grinned and nodded.
“Yeah, I could do that.”
“Perfect!” Winter all but shouted then she grabbed at Garreth’s arm. “Real quick… could you help me with something?”
He gave Maybelle an apologetic look before rising to his feet. She didn’t blame him; when their hostess asks for a favor, they kind of had to do it.
“See you tonight, Bells!” Winter called out over her shoulder, and Maybelle noted that she’d called her by the name Will did. How much time had those two spent together?
Winter led Garreth around the edge of the pool and when they’d reached the deeper end, her hands connected with his side and he fell back first into the water. The entire room laughed, and Winter pointed at Maybelle, mouthing, “You’re next.” Maybelle grabbed the underside of her chair, shaking her head. She’d spent an hour on this hair; there was no way, unless it was Garreth who put her under.
Michael had watched the exchange, and he swam his way toward her, and her heart thumped unevenly. Would she let him toss her in?
He pushed from the water, the droplets cascading down the cut lines of his torso. She gulped, her mouth pooling. A mischievous tilt of his lips greeted her.
“You want in?”
She bit away a smile and shook her head. He let out a long sigh and picked up a towel. Instead of grabbing her, he folded the towel up and tossed it on the end of her lounge chair.
“Maybe after a bit, I can talk you into it.”
Then he sat down, careful not to get water on her. The ever growing familiar buzz she associated with Michael thrummed in her heart. Sweet mercy, was she in trouble.