D is for Drunk (24 page)

“Hey, Sofia!” called a familiar voice.

Bambi?

Bambi tottered over to meet them. While Sofia had tried to dress demurely, Bambi had clearly aimed for the opposite. A leopard-print dress clung to every curve. Her heels were so high they looked like stilts.

“Hello, cowboy!” said Bambi to Jaxon.

How did she know he was a cowboy? He wasn’t wearing a cowboy hat or anything. Sofia’s stomach clenched. Bambi had probably seen him online on some gossip site that called him her sexy stallion or cowboy crush.

“Howdy, ma’am.” Jaxon tipped an imaginary hat at her.

“Jaxon, this is Bambi.” Sofia wasn’t sure what else to say. “She knew Marcel, too. She works at Nails and Whimsy. Where I got the seagull on my thumb.”

The seagull was a little chipped, but she hadn’t had the heart to remove it.

“I sure do!” Bambi leaned forward, giving Jaxon a good view of her ample cleavage.

“We’re heading over to the stables.” Sofia started walking. “We’ll see you in the house in a minute.”

“The stable sounds like fun,” Bambi said. “I’ll tag along.”

She took Jaxon’s other arm and pressed up against him. Jaxon didn’t seem to mind. That easy-going personality was starting to annoy Sofia.

While she didn’t say anything, she increased her pace so Bambi had to work to keep up in those shoes. If it was too fast for her, she could always drop off and head back to the wake.

No such luck.

But she needn’t have worried. As soon as Jaxon got into the stable, he ignored both of the human women and focused all his attention on the mare.

“Aren’t you beautiful?” he said to her, and Percy reached her head toward the sound of his voice.

“Annabelle said that Percy doesn’t like men,” Sofia said.

“We’re not all bad,” Jaxon crooned and stroked Percy’s nose. “She’s a fine horse, Sofia. Top breeeding. And look how well she’s been taken care of. A pretty girl like her could start in our show tomorrow.”

Sofia let him bond with the horse. Maybe he’d be able to see into her memory and figure out what happened on the night Marcel died. OK, not likely.

“Is the sweatshirt OK?” Bambi asked. “I might have spilled some wine on it.”

Might? It had taken three trips through the washing machine to get the stain out. “It all came out in the wash.”

“Check out the stallfount!” Jaxon said. “I wouldn’t mind having one of these for my stable in Colorado.”

Sofia remembered Annabelle’s conversation with Pankhurst on the night Marcel died. She’d used that word. “What’s a stallfount?”

“It’s a self-waterer.” Percy nuzzled Jaxon’s shoulder, and he kissed her on the nose. The horse was getting more action than Sofia. “Makes sure she always has clean, fresh water. This one’s top of the line, even heats the water. You probably don’t need that so much here, but up where I live this thing would save a lot of time.”

Sofia looked out through the open stable door at the trough where Marcel had died.

“Why would Marcel need to take her outside to water her if she had water right there?” Sofia was thinking aloud.

But Bambi seemed to take her words personally. “That’s what he said!”

“I know.” Sofia didn’t doubt her. She’d heard the information from Bambi and via Aidan’s bug. She knew what Marcel had said.

“Maybe she liked the taste of the water in the other trough better. Horses can be very picky about the water.” Jaxon stroked Percy’s face with the back of his hand. He always looked sexier with horses. “I put some apple juice in with my horses’ water for about a week before we travel, so they get used to the taste. That way I can juice up the water everywhere we go and they’ll drink it.”

“She likes this man more than the last,” said Annabelle from the doorway. “Perhaps she is wise?”

Sofia wasn’t sure how to react. “She seems much better than the last time I saw her.”

Annabelle stepped into the barn, and Percy whickered. “She needed time to recover, time and good care. Thank you for bringing her back to me.”

“Of course,” Sofia said.

Rick came in, too, and Sofia nodded to him.

“Back from where?” asked Bambi. “Was she stolen?”

“She was lost,” Annabelle slipped an arm around Rick’s waist, and smiled up at him. “And then she was found.”

CHAPTER 39

A 
nnabelle sure wasn’t putting a lot of effort into playing the grieving widow, even if she looked the part in a slim black dress and a hat with a short veil followed the same angle as her asymmetric bangs.

Rick shifted his feet, as if he knew how inappropriate that comment was at her husband’s funeral. “Thank you all for coming to Mr. Befort’s wake. There’s food inside.”

Sofia took the hint and started toward the stable door. Jaxon kissed the horse one more time and followed. Annabelle waited for them.

“She’s a gorgeous animal,” Jaxon said to Annabelle. “She must have an amazing bloodline. Egyptian?”

Annabelle’s face lit up. “Exactly! Her sire traces his lineage back to Egypt. So few people can see that.”

“I work with horses,” Jaxon said, rather modestly. “And I know a prize mare when I see one. She has a great temperament, I’m guessing.”

“She is a lamb!” Annabelle said. “So gentle.”

Rick pulled away from Annabelle and started walking back to the house at a pretty good clip. Bambi wobbled along behind. Apparently even Bambi wasn’t going to hit on him at the wake right in front of Annabelle. Or maybe she would when she caught up to him.

Sofia trailed along behind Bambi until Annabelle reached out and took her arm.

“This one is delightful!” Annabelle said.

Like Sofia had to start numbering her men.

“This one?” Jaxon mouthed to her.

“He is, indeed!” Sofia answered, being chipper. She’d explain about Aidan and the case and the key party later.

“I can see that the two of you might be interested in a vineyard and a stable.” Annabelle smiled. “It is most rewarding to own one, do you not agree?”

Sofia’s heart sank. Just like Marcel had said on their very first meeting, Annabelle really did think Sofia was a celebrity investor. Aidan had said their business was in trouble, and an outside investor was what they needed. Annabelle’s peculiar attitude toward Sofia suddenly became clear. That’s why she’d invited her to the key party, acted like her friend when she sent her off to find Percy, and invited her to the wake. Annabelle wanted Sofia to invest in the winery.

That wasn’t going to happen, even if Sofia’d had the money, which she didn’t.

Jaxon didn’t seem to get the memo though.

“We love riding,” he said. “And we love wine. You have an amazing set up here for both.”

Sofia wanted to tell him not to get Annabelle’s hopes up, but of course he had no idea what this was about. He was just being polite.

“Indeed?” said Annabelle. “It is exactly that kind of outside innovation that we would welcome here.”

“We’re more into recreational wine and riding,” Sofia said.

“I have a ranch,” Jaxon pointed out. “So it’s not entirely recreational.”

“A ranch! Tell me all about it.” Annabelle squeezed his arm.

Sofia tuned out Annabelle’s sales pitch. Her husband’s wake probably wasn’t the right time to tell Annabelle that she didn’t have an investor lined up after all. At least theoretically, she had a lot of grief and trouble on her plate right now.

Rick got them settled in the kitchen with wine, bread, and amazing cheese. He was solicitous to Sofia, making sure she paired every cheese with exactly the right kind of wine, and kind to Jaxon as well. Unlike Marcel, he was the perfect host. She could see why Annabelle had picked him over her contemptuous husband. She even started to feel guilty that she’d sicced the cops on Rick. He seemed so darn nice.

Sofia glanced around the room. Everything was Annabelle’s now—giant kitchen, luxurious living room, and a dining room table big enough to use as a raft. If Aidan was right, Annabelle probably wouldn’t be hanging onto it much longer.

A gray Mercedes pulled up in the parking lot out front. Sofia recognized Narek and Milena inside. She hadn’t expected them to be here, and certainly not together, but they were neighbors and had once been friends, so it made sense.

“Excuse me,” Rick said. “I should go move my truck so the Grigoryans have someplace to park. Maybe make some peace.”

Annabelle smiled at him indulgently. “Such a tender heart.”

Rick pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked toward the door. Light flashed off the whistle on his key chain. Sofia sat up straight and watched him twirl his keys.

“What do you and Jaxon think of the wines?” Annabelle asked. “Are they not exquisite?”

Jaxon looked at Sofia helplessly. He was clearly not a wine man.

“They’re amazing!” lied Sofia. “I love how each wine complements the flavor of the cheeses. How do you know how to do the pairings?”

“It is in art,” Annabelle launched into a long explanation of wine and cheese. Jaxon nodded politely, but Sofia could see it didn’t make any more sense to him than it did to her.

Milena and Narek waited in the hall. Milena looked uncertainly at Annabelle.

“You must excuse me. I must greet our lovely neighbors. They have been through so much.” Annabelle stood gracefully. “They are potential investors too, and it would not do to alienate them.”

Jaxon ate another cheese cracker and mouthed the word, “Investor.”

“I’ll explain later,” Sofia said quietly. “But basically it’s all just a big misunderstanding.”

Annabelle reached Milena, took her in her arms, and kissed both cheeks. She repeated the gesture with Narek. “Welcome again to my home.”

Milena’s eyes were red from crying, but she smiled at Annabelle’s words.

“They look like old friends,” said Jaxon.

“The thing is,” said Sofia, “they’re not.”

Rick appeared behind them, stuffing his keys into his jacket pocket.

Another whistle. Another trick. It was always about the keys.

“I have to call Brendan,” Sofia said. “Wait here.”

CHAPTER 40

S
ofia was too jumpy to eat another piece of cheese. Holding a half-full wineglass in one nervous hand, she circled the kitchen and then living room. What was taking Brendan and Aidan so long? She’d told Aidan to bring his camera. Maybe they were arguing about that.

“Why are you so on edge?” Jaxon asked. “What’s going on?”

Across the room, Annabelle laughed at something Narek had said. It sounded fake, but Narek seemed to buy it. Annabelle had her hand on his elbow and leaned in close to him. Narek dropped his hand to the small of her back. Milena was nowhere to be seen, and Rick was in the kitchen settling a new round of guests.

“I know how he died,” she told Jaxon.

“I thought the horse kicked him in the head,” Jaxon said.

“She did,” Sofia said. “But I know why.”

Jaxon cocked an eyebrow and waited, but before she could explain, the music kicked up a notch. A quiet French jazz had been playing in the background, but someone had switched that playlist to French heavy metal. It sounded like the band that had played on the night of Marcel’s death.

Annabelle turned toward the music. Red lipstick glowed against her suddenly pale face, and her wide eyes glittered.

Bambi had climbed onto the dining room table. She’d taken off her shoes and her leopard-print dress. She wore only a leopard-print bra and a tiny black thong. She hurled her arms up and down in time to the music and wove around on the table, looking as if she would fall off at any second. Apparently she was a nudist when she was drunk.

Rick headed toward the Bambi.

“I’d better help,” Jaxon said.

Bambi saw them coming and ran from one end of the table to the other. Probably afraid of hurting her, neither man tried to pull her down. The guests gathered around the table as if it were a stage.

Sofia found the stereo. Bambi had plugged her iPhone into it, and Sofia unplugged it. The music stopped. Sofia stuffed Bambi’s phone into her back pocket.

“Hey!” shouted Bambi. “Put that back on!”

Sofia grabbed a knitted blanket off the couch and jogged over toward Bambi.

“I was listening to that!” Bambi said.

“It’ll be like roping a calf,” Sofia told Jaxon. “I’ll wrap her and send her over to you. You catch her and bundle her onto the couch.”

Jaxon nodded.

Sofia kicked off her Jimmy Choos and jumped onto the table. “Party time’s over.”

“You grieve in your way, I’ll grieve in mine.” Bambi stumbled toward the other end of the table.

That was the trouble with giant furniture. Too much room to maneuver.

“Do you want to come with me?” Sofia said. “We can get you an Uber, and you’ll be home soon.”

“I’m not done,” Bambi said. “I need to finish that song.”

Sofia advanced, holding the blanket in front of her like a bullfighter.

“Are these your shoes?” Jaxon asked. “I think they have wine on them.”

Bambi turned to him, an expression of horror on her face.

Sofia charged, wrapped the blanket around her, and hooked Bambi’s legs out from under her. Jaxon and Rick caught her as she feel and carted her off to the sofa.

The people gathered around the table started clapping. Sofia hoped none of them had filmed that altercation. Although, as videos on the Internet about her went, that one wasn’t so bad.

Trying to ignore the clapping, she climbed off the table and put back on her shoes. The clapping quickly died away until only one set of hands was still going. The sound was coming from the front door.

Aidan was here. And clapping.

Sofia sketched him a quick wave and hurried over to the sofa. Bambi sobbed, and Jaxon patted her back.

“There, there,” he said. “It’ll be all right.”

A woman with lavender hair plopped down next to Bambi. Veda from the nail salon. Sofia hadn’t seen her at the party before.