Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) by Kathi Daley Page B

Kyle complained. “And she insists on doing the laundry. She caught me dumping a load in the washer without sorting or pretreating when she first moved in , and now she removes the clothes from my hamper before it’s even full. I told her that I preferred to do my own laundry, but she insists that she wants to help out around the house since I’m letting her stay with me.”
    “I wouldn’t mind someone doing my laundry ,” Jenna mused.
    “She donated some of my clothes to the drive the church was having,” Kyle pointed out. “She didn’t even ask ; she just went through my closet and pulled out everything she thought was past its prime. When I complained, she told me that if I wanted to run for town council, I needed to present a certain image that didn’t include my favorite sweatshirt with the frayed wrists or my jeans with the paint stains on them.”
    “Yikes .” Jenna laughed.
    “And don’t even get me started on the diet she has me on.”
    “Diet?” Tj asked. Kyle had the most amazing body she had ever seen. Underwear models would envy him. “You certainly don’t need to diet.”
    “It’s not a weight -loss diet as much as a health-food diet. She went through my cupboards and threw out all my junk food. She read about the danger of eating too much white sugar, so now the only sweet I’m allowed to have in my own house is fruit.”
    “Oh , man, you have a problem,” Tj sympathized. “A kitchen without chocolate is a kitchen without a heart.”
    “You should talk to your mom about getting involved at the senior center,” Jenna suggested. “It would give her something to do and help her make friends.”
    “She’s not exactly old,” Kyle pointed out.
    “No, but Mom and Bonnie hang out there, and they aren’t any older than your mother,” Jenna pointed out. “Although the facility is known as the senior center, they offer a wide range of options.”
    “Grandpa loves it ,” Tj added. “And your mom already knows a few of the regulars. They play bingo on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You should have her try it once to see if she likes it.”
    “I’m sure she can go with Mom and Bonnie,” Jenna offered. “I’ll have Mom invite her.”
    “Thanks ; that would be nice.”
    Tj set the fruit, cheese, olives, freshly baked baguettes, crackers, and sliced deli meats she’d brought from the house on a blanket. It was a perfect summer night. It was plenty warm by the fire, there were a million stars in the sky, and the band in the distance provided music while not being so close as to inhibit conversation. Tj loved sitting on the beach with the moonlight shimmering on the lake as she unwound and relaxed with her friends. It was probably one of her favorite summertime activities.
    “This is really good .” Kyle popped one of the green olives stuffed with blue cheese she’d brought into his mouth.
    “Yeah, what’s with the fancy?’ Jenna asked. “When you said wine and cheese, I figured canned cheddar on crackers would be the offering.”
    “I can cook,” Tj argued.
    “Did you actually cook?” Jenna laughed.
    “No , but I assembled. I have five kinds of cheese, three kinds of olives, and marinated tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, as well as a delightful selection of meats and spreads.”
    “I’m really impressed .” Jenna smiled.
    “Well , don’t be. I was lying about the assembling. The chef at the Grill put this together for me,” Tj admitted.
    “We’ll have to thank him ; this is delicious,” Kyle commented.
    “I guess you’ve heard about the dead Tropical Tan employee,” Tj asked Kyle as he helped himself to a second serving of everything.
    “I’ve heard tidbit s through the local gossip hotline, but it doesn’t seem like anyone knows much at this point, other than the fact that the woman was found floating in the lake.”
    “It just happened yesterday and the sheriff ’s office was keeping it quiet until the Tropical Tan staff had a chance to tell the models,” Tj