by Diana Orgain | Jul 16, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? From Dying for Gold Chapter Two At six p.m., we finally ushered everyone out of the store. Three cases of champagne later, we’d rung in one of our best nights for fine jewelry. Dad was grudgingly pleased, even if gold had taken a back seat to fine stones for one day. Ginger was beside herself, squealing every three minutes. “We need to go out and celebrate!” “I have a date with Jason,” I said, pressing my hand against my tummy to quell the butterflies. Tonight could be the big night! “Right, right,” Ginger said. She glanced over at Wendy. The two never went out without me, but it seemed that the day had been so successful that they might be gearing up for it. “Well, do you want to get a glass of Chardonnay with me over at the Wine Jug?” Wendy shrugged. “Sure, why not? I’ve tolerated you all day. I might as well tolerate you a little longer.” Ginger giggled as if Wendy had been joking. I pinched Wendy. “Be nice.” Wendy laughed. “Okay, I’m just kidding. Besides we need to be together so you can call us when you get your big news.” I slipped my cell phone into my pocket. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you guys. How late will you be at the Wine Jug?” “Late,” Ginger said. “We’re celebrating. We’re going to be late.” Wendy glanced at her watch. “Well, my darling husband will be home from the mine—” Ginger grabbed Wendy’s arm. “No you don’t. If we go to the Wine Jug together, you can’t ditch me.” “I’ll...
by Diana Orgain | Jul 16, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From Dying for Gold Chapter One Continued Oh, good. She could go bug Wendy about getting pregnant soon and that would get me off the hook for the moment. “Over there,” I said, pointing toward Wendy’s slender form. “No baby bump yet . . .” Wendy turned toward me as if she’d sensed we were talking about her. I winked and wiggled my eyebrows, indicating that Mrs. DeLeon was about to descend on her. She gave me her best “you’ll pay for this” look, then smiled as Mrs. DeLeon approached. I took the opportunity to slip to the back and dial my boyfriend, Jason. We’d been dating for almost a year, and he’d recently been hinting around the idea of marriage, asking my ring size and whether I preferred white gold or yellow. Which actually was a silly question for a gold heiress. While gold could be many colors, including black or purple, nothing compared to those flakes colored like the sun. But hey, if being agreeable to pink or red gold would get a ring on my finger, I was all for it. In fact, Jason had been mysterious about this evening. He’d mentioned a romantic dinner and a surprise. I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. It rang four times, and then his voicemail kicked on. Where was he? It wasn’t like him not to pick up. Maybe he’s shopping. I imagined him haggling with a jeweler across the glass counter. No, that wasn’t likely. Surely if Jason was getting ready to propose, he’d have asked...
by Diana Orgain | Jul 16, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
From Dying for Gold Chapter One I think your store is haunted,” Mrs. Jeffries, one of our best customers, screeched. “It’s not haunted,” I said. “Well, the nugget I was just looking at disappeared out from under my nose! How do you explain that?” she demanded. “Wendy,” I offered as way of explanation, pulling the diamond-encrusted gold nugget out of my sister-in-law’s hands and passing it to Mrs. Jeffries. Wendy simply batted her false eyelashes and gave a wicked grin. “I couldn’t resist. Isn’t it the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen?” The store in question was The Nugget. Daddy’s family had been part of the original gold rush of 1849. Our family went way back, especially by California standards. I was the fifth generation of a mining family, and The Nugget had kept our family in gold even when our mine, The Bear Strike, had been forced to close in 1942 to support the war effort. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Daddy happier than when the price of gold shot up a few years back and it would finally be prof‐ itable to reopen the mine. Ordinarily, The Nugget catered to tourists, but I’d convinced Daddy to use the shop as a backdrop to put my best friend, Ginger’s, exquisite jewelry designs on display, and all our best customers and neighbors had come out for the occasion. Dad came around from behind the counter. “Cut the champagne off,” he said under his breath. I laughed. “Daddy! This is a ladies’ gathering. One of the main draws beside Ginger’s designs is the champagne.” He leaned into me....
