“You know Maeve is coming in, right, Evie?”

“Shoot. I forgot. I’ll come by.” Maeve is the bookkeeper and accountant. I had all the paperwork here at home. I had worked on it last night, then promised myself a mystery book. I ate a slice of raspberry pie while I tried to figure out who did it. I was wrong!

I pulled on clean jeans, lacy white lingerie, and a flowing white cotton shirt with a slightly too-low V and embroidered red roses on the front. I brushed out the tangles in my hair and pulled on gold hoop earrings and red, gold, and yellow bracelets that Jules bought me when she went to Mexico. I slipped my feet into red flip-flops, put on some of Aunt Camellia’s pink rose lotion called Let Me Love You, and was ready.

I grabbed the paperwork, then tried not to smile and giggle like a fool at the thought of seeing Marco.

It is fortunate that Virginia Alpaca likes to ride in my truck. I put a rope around her neck and asked her to stand up. She refused at first because she is not feeling well, so I had to go and get a treat. That did it. She stood up. Behind us Alpaca Joe spit and followed us out. I shut the gate on him so he couldn’t come, and he bucked and spit more and made grumpy alpaca sounds. He gets anxiety when Virginia Alpaca is gone.

Virginia Alpaca did not look back at all. Sometimes I wonder if Alpaca Joe is a little too possessive and she enjoys her freedom. She climbed in the truck. She’s not that big, only 115 pounds, and I pushed the seat way back so it worked. In my back window I could see Sundance in my driveway, already eagerly waiting for me to come home, that sweet dog. I waved, and he barked back, tottering a bit on his three legs.

I drove my truck past Rose Bloom Cottage, noting the red and pink and white roses getting ready to bloom all over the trellises and patios.

I turned down the quiet roads, with all the windows down, passing farms, hills, valleys, and deer in a meadow. The water of the bay shimmered. Virginia Alpaca had her head out the window, like a dog. I parked across the street from my bookstore and said to Virginia Alpaca, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” I darted across the street and headed in. I handed Tiala a folder full of invoices, papers, receipts, etc., for Maeve; grabbed a coffee; and waved to two employees, Ricki and Brenz, then headed back out . . . and ran straight into Virginia Alpaca outside my bookstore door. A group of people were taking photos of her.

“What the heck, Virginia Alpaca?” I asked. “How did you get out? I thought you were too sick to move.”

I swear she smiled at me. “Come on, now, you hairy Houdini.” She still had the rope around her neck, and I pulled her toward the street. We had to walk slow because she’s sick. Needless to say, cars on both sides stopped pretty quick when I went to cross at the crosswalk. I waved to people on their cell phones.