From Fleeced at Yappy Hour
Chapter Two Part Two…
“So who’s it for?” When my question went unanswered for a few seconds too long, I slammed the cupboard closed, effectively stopping her from her health food tirade, at least for a moment. “Did something happen with you and Gottlieb?”
Yolanda’s eyes widened, and then a silly, schoolgirl blush rose to her cheeks.
“Not at all,” she murmured. “Things with us are just fine.”
I narrowed my eyes, letting her know that I was waiting for an answer and that I didn’t plan to move until I got it.
“Fine,” she breathed, leaning back against the counter and running a hand through her hair, pulling up a thousand more fly-aways. “My sister’s coming.”
At her words, my brain tried to compute a hundred different things at once. First, Yolanda had a sister? Second, this was stressful?And, third, why the heck was she hiding her stuff?
“This probably seems odd, huh?” Yolanda asked, reading my expression.
“A little,” I nodded. “Is your sister averse to your nice things?”
“The opposite, actually.” Yolanda let out a loud guffaw that didn’t strike me as being filled with too much humor. “We’ve got a bit of a rocky relationship.”
I paused, not sure I should press her too much harder.
“Well, as someone who’s sister perpetually seems to keep things from her, I get it,” I chuckled, reaching into the grocery bags and pulling out a box of dried seaweed. It was nearly impossible to keep myself from wrinkling my nose at the stuff.
“This is different,” Yolanda grimaced.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” I reassured her.
“No, I should,” she sighed, wiping a hand over her forehead. “You’re going to find out sooner or later, anyways. Ocean has sort of a… reputation around town.”
“Ocean?” I quirked a brow.
“Her real name’s Octavia, but she changed it when she was seventeen. She thought Ocean sounded cooler,” Yolonda explained, rolling her eyes.
“Can’t blame her there,” I shrugged.
“My mother would say otherwise,” Yolanda chuckled. “Anyway, the name’s not the point. The thing is, when Ocean was a teenager, she went through this rebellious phase. She spent most of her teen years getting busted for a myriad of rebellious actions, from running away to smoking weed to skinny dipping in the neighbor’s pool. When she was 17, she went on a shoplifting spree all over town. It started small, with trinkets and lip glosses, and got bigger and bigger until she was finally caught when she attempted to steal Peggy Turner’s bridal crown from the jewelry store. Mom and Dad sent her off to a military-style boarding school for her senior year of high school, and there she learned all about things like crystals and energy and became a real hippie.”
“Hmmm. Military school doesn’t exactly conjure images of crystals,” I said.
Yolanda waved her hand. “They were all rebels. Looking for an escape, the instructors were anti-woo-woo, so all the more reason for the kids to be for it. Anyway, Pacific Cove is the best place on earth, but the people here don’t have a reputation for being too forgiving when it comes to misdemeanors. I’m trying to be forgiving, though. Ocean said she wants to work on our relationship, repair things.”
Truthfully, I couldn’t blame the people in town for being a bit slow to forgive Ocean for her past discrepancies. They sounded pretty major, after all. Lip gloss and trinkets are one thing, but a bridal crown? That was the kind of stuff people stole on their way to the big leagues.
“Don’t judge her before you meet her.” Yolanda interrupted my thoughts, as she so often did, with a hand on my shoulder and an earnest smile. I could see a look in her eyes that was all too familiar to me- the look of a big sister who would do anything to protect her little sister. Hell, at one point, I’d contemplated covering up some murder evidence for Rachel, fearing she’d been Dan’s killer.
“I won’t,” I reassured Yolanda. “When does she come?”
“Tomorrow. Oh my gosh, this sink is a mess!” Yolanda cried.
Just like that, Yolanda turned around and started scrubbing at the spotless sink with her brand-new sponge.
I put her burger and fries on a plate to remind her to eat and took off, figuring it was best not to get in the way of her frantic cleaning. On the way out, I glanced into the neighbor’s window, too curious for my own good. It wasn’t every day a stranger showed up in Pacific Cove.
The newcomer was sitting on the floor, unpacking a box of something that caught the light and sparkled like stars. Just as I stepped closer, he looked up and caught my eye. Quickly, he stomped over to the window and flipped the blinds closed, making it clear that he didn’t want any Peeping Toms sneaking looks at him tonight.
“Weird time of day to move in,” I muttered. With a shrug, I took off down the beach, looking forward to a good night’s sleep after the craziness of the fundraiser.
”I couldn’t stop reading!”
”Fast-paced and fun. I love these mysteires!”
”Diana Orgain is my new favorite author!”
Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com
