St patricks fray, p.1
St. Patrick's Fray, page 1
ST. PATRICK’S FRAY
THE JUNIPER JUNCTION HOLIDAY MYSTERY SERIES: BOOK SEVEN
AMY M. READE
PAU HANA PUBLISHING
Copyright © 2023 by Amy M. Reade
Cover design by www.stunningbookcovers.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Pau Hana Publishing
Print ISBN: 979-8-9872901-1-8
Ebook ISBN: 979-8-9872901-0-1
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Epilogue
Beans on Main’s Thick and Dreamy Hot Chocolate
Hassan’s Signature Shakshuka
Shrimp Tacos
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Books By Amy M. Reade
Books By A.M. Reade
About the Author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to thank John Reade, who is always my first reader, as well as Holly Bolicki, Patricia Linder, and Anna Maria Tothivan for their valuable assistance in making this a better book.
CHAPTER 1
Lilly Ashraf looked up from a book of retro jewelry styles when the bell jingled above the front door of her shop, Juniper Junction Jewels.
"Hi, Emma." She smiled.
Emma Parker worked at Ruby Red's dress shop just up Main Street and Lilly had known her for several years. The adorably petite young woman was accompanied by a handsome man of about the same age, probably late twenties, wearing a lovestruck look.
"Hi, Lilly." Emma nodded toward the man. "This is Todd Griffin." The smile Emma and Todd shared was so intimate Lilly felt like she was intruding.
Lilly hadn't visited Ruby Red's in several months and hadn't spoken to Emma since her last visit. She had a happy hunch these two were in the market for an engagement ring. Lilly and Todd exchanged greetings while Emma glanced around at the displays.
"I love your St. Patrick's Day decorations, Lilly." Emma grinned as she made a sweeping gesture with her arm. Lilly had tastefully decorated the shop with rainbows, little gnomes dressed in green and orange, and potted Oxalis, or shamrock plants. Each display window showcased a small, black, cast-iron kettle Lilly had filled with gold tissue paper. Nestled atop the tissue were pieces of gold jewelry and baubles. Lilly loved the whimsical, luck o’ the Irish vibe.
Emma and Todd walked toward the back of the shop, where Lilly remained standing behind one of the glass counters. As they approached, Emma slipped her arm through Todd's and Lilly spied a ring featuring an enormous diamond on Emma's left hand. Her heart sank just a little. So much for that sale.
"Lilly, Todd and I are getting married."
"Congratulations! I'm very happy for you."
"Thank you." Emma pushed a strand of dark hair behind one ear. "I've been telling Todd you design jewelry. I wanted him to see some of your work."
"I'd be happy to show you." Lilly walked around the counter and beckoned the couple to follow her to an upright glass cabinet standing along one wall. "I designed and created everything in this case. If there's anything you'd like to see more closely, just say so. I have photos of other pieces, too."
Lilly returned to her place behind the counter while Emma and Todd perused the contents of the cabinet. Emma pointed to different pieces and spoke quietly to Todd several times.
Harry, Lilly’s assistant, returned to the shop from his lunch break a few minutes later. Another customer came in and Harry busied himself waiting on him while Emma and Todd continued to look at Lilly's designs. Finally, Emma looked up at Todd with her wide amber eyes and nodded. They both turned toward Lilly.
"Your designs are so pretty," Emma said.
Lilly beamed. "Thank you."
"We're going to be married next spring, about thirteen months from now," Todd said. "We're planning on a large wedding party and—well, Emma, you can explain the details."
"We’ll have eleven bridesmaids and eleven groomsmen, plus the maid of honor and the best man." She wiggled her fingers like she was counting. "Plus Todd’s mom, his stepdad, and my parents, so a total of twenty-eight people. We'd like to give each of them something meaningful to remember our wedding day, and we thought custom jewelry would be nice." She paused. "We’d like you to design and create the pieces for us. Would you be able to do that?"
In her peripheral vision, Lilly saw Harry's jaw drop. Her mind wandered for a fraction of a second while she pictured herself as a Loony Tunes character, with bugged-out eyes and blurry dancing feet. This was the commission of her dreams. It was huge and would take lots of time, but the income would be well worth the effort.
"Absolutely. I would be thrilled to take on a project like that."
Emma clapped her hands together. "That's great. So, where do we start?"
"Do you have any ideas for the designs you want? For example, one for the women and one for the men?"
"We were thinking a different design for each person." Todd looked to Emma for confirmation and she nodded.
"So twenty-eight unique pieces?"
"Yes.” Emma paused. "Is that okay?"
"Of course. Do you have ideas for the designs?"
"We haven't gotten that far," Emma said. "We were hoping you could give us some guidance."
"I can do that. Do you know what kind of metal you'd like to use?"
Emma glanced at her engagement ring. "I guess white gold. Right?" She glanced at Todd, who smiled and nodded. "That's what my engagement ring is made of. That way all the metal would match."
"That’ll be lovely," Lilly said. "Okay, next, do you have a theme in mind?"
"Something springy," Emma said. Todd nodded in agreement.
"Okay. So you want twenty-eight different spring designs made out of white gold." Lilly took up a pencil on the counter and poised it over a pad of paper.
"Well, no. I was—I mean, we were—hoping you could put some kind of stones in each one. You know, in spring colors, like pink and yellow and green."
This commission was getting better by the minute.
"So you want white gold settings with some kind of gems in each one?"
Emma nodded.
"This is going to be quite expensive," Lilly said. Might as well warn them before this dream bubble burst.
"My mother and stepfather are paying for the wedding," Todd said. “Don’t worry, they're good for it."
I hope so. "Okay. In order to keep their cost down, can I suggest using crystals or synthetic stones in the settings?"
"I think that would be fine." Emma looked at Todd. "This isn't a royal wedding. The attendants don't expect sapphires and diamonds for standing up there with us."
"You're right," Todd said. "Yeah, go ahead and use synthetic stones."
"I think that's a good choice," Lilly said. "If you want to leave a number wher
She exchanged numbers with the happy couple and promised to have three or four designs to show them within a week. Todd and Emma left the store arm in arm wearing happy smiles.
CHAPTER 2
"I think you might be getting a nice Christmas bonus this year, Harry," Lilly said when Todd and Emma had departed. "This is like a dream come true."
"I couldn't believe it when they said they'd need twenty-eight pieces, but when they said they wanted white gold with synthetic stones, I think I actually lost my mind. What great visibility for your shop. And the money won’t hurt, either."
"That’s for sure. I've never even heard of a wedding party that size. I can't imagine having enough money to buy gifts like that for all the attendants. That's going to be some wedding."
"I wonder what his parents do for a living," Harry mused. "Whatever it is, I'd like to learn the ropes."
Lilly laughed. "Me, too."
Her mind was already filling with images of spring: flowers, baby animals, sunshine, and bright green grass. Her fingers were practically itching to put her ideas on paper.
She took her sketchbook that night when she left the shop. She drove straight to Larkspur Manor, the assisted living facility where her mom and Finley, her mom’s new husband, lived. It was still strange to think of Finley as her new stepdad. Lilly knew they would be having dinner, so she figured she would make some initial sketches while she waited for them. She plopped down in the lobby where she could see them leave the dining room.
Her hand was hovering over a rough drawing of a spray of lilacs when Greg, Bev's favorite nurse, happened by.
"Hi, Mrs. Ashraf," Greg said. Lilly smiled. It hadn't even been three months since her wedding to Hassan, and hearing her new surname still gave her a thrill every time.
"Hi, Greg. How have you been?"
"Good, thanks. Waiting for your mom and Finley?"
"Yes."
"Bev's been holding her own. I've only noticed a slight decline since they tied the knot."
"I noticed that, too."
"She still doesn't talk much, but Finley does. Maybe having someone around who talks a lot is good for her," Greg suggested. "It's nice to see her spending more time with other residents, too. I think Finley has given her self-confidence a boost."
Lilly tried to keep her face from betraying her thoughts, which ran the gamut from bittersweet happiness to guilt to envy. The happiness she felt when she saw her mom smile was tempered by relentless guilt over not being able to spend more time with her. And she resented Finley's ability to bring her mom out of her shell while Lilly and her brother, Bill, hadn't been able to do that. Greg must have noticed a complicated look cross her features, because he hurried to add, "I’ve noticed Finley is much happier than he’s been in a long time, too. Your mom brings out the best in him. He sings more, which all the residents love, and he walks around with a little more pep in his step."
Lilly smiled, grateful to Greg for sensing how she was feeling.
"I didn't know you're an artist." Greg pointed at the sketchbook open on Lilly's lap.
"Oh, I wouldn't call myself an artist." Lilly chuckled. "I design pieces for my jewelry shop. I'm just brainstorming."
Greg leaned over the sketchbook and gave a low whistle. "You're really good."
"Thanks."
They turned when they heard Finley's baritone warbling the notes of an Irish ballad. Lilly closed her sketchbook and stood. Greg grinned as Finley and Bev, arm in arm, slowly made their way down the hall from the dining room. The singing came to an abrupt stop when Finley started to cough. Between coughs he gasped for breath, while Greg hurried over to him and took his arm. Greg led him to the sofa where Lilly had been sitting. Bev followed and sat next to him.
“You okay, Finley?” Lilly asked.
He looked at her without recognition. Lilly had noticed in the past month that Finley recognized her less and less often, but it didn't bother her. Bev wore a concerned look and only had eyes for her husband. She clearly did not know who Lilly was. It had taken Lilly some time, but she finally accepted—usually—that dementia had robbed her mother of her ability to remember her son and daughter.
"Tomorrow we’re going to get that cough checked out," Greg said.
"That was a beautiful song, Finley," Lilly said. Finley smiled with evident pride. It amazed Lilly that people with dementia could remember the lyrics and melodies of songs from childhood but often not their own family members.
"Thank you," Finley said. He stood and gestured toward Bev. "This is my new bride, Bev." He reached for her hands and helped her stand.
"It's lovely to meet you, Bev," Lilly said. It was just easier to play along. "You two make a very handsome couple."
Bev looked up at Finley and he kissed her cheek. Her mom's giggle warmed Lilly's heart.
With Greg following behind, Lilly accompanied Bev and Finley on the slow walk back to the suite of rooms they shared. They occupied a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small sitting room where their favorite chairs sat next to each other in front of a television set. Lilly scrolled through the channels and found a black and white movie she remembered Bev had loved years ago. Bev and Finley settled down and held hands, watching the movie silently. It was a comedy, and though Bev probably no longer understood most of the comedic references, she seemed to enjoy the film and had a smile on her face when Lilly left for home.
For two months now, coming home from work had been the best part of Lilly's day, and not only because her new husband waited for her there. Someone else was waiting for her, too.
CHAPTER 3
Lilly could hear that special someone even before she opened the back door. She stepped into the kitchen, where Hassan was walking back and forth, cooing to a wailing bundle in his arms.
Hassan looked up at Lilly and smiled, then looked back down at the bundle. "Mommy's home," he said.
Lilly put her sketchbook and handbag on the counter and walked over to them. She gazed down at the baby with the same look of wonder she always had when she looked at him. She still couldn't believe she, at forty-four, was going to adopt this child. "How's my little guy?"
"He's fussy. I think he's been waiting for you to get home." Hassan winked.
Lilly took the hint. "Come here," she said to the baby. She held him in her arms, rocking him gently and continuing to pace around the kitchen, as Hassan had been doing. "How long has he been crying?" she asked.
"Not long. About ten minutes. He doesn't need a new diaper, he doesn't want a bottle. He’s probably just tired. I wanted to put him to bed, but I didn't want to leave the food on the stove."
Lilly glanced at the stove, where something bubbled away, smelling delicious. "I'll rock him for a few minutes. Maybe he'll fall asleep."
Leith Daniel was a picture-perfect two-month-old. He had impossibly soft brown skin and a head full of jet black hair. His dark eyes, invisible now because they were squeezed shut as he cried, were almost always sparkling and inquisitive.
