Deadly Greetings (Book 2 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers Page A

considered her a partner in my business. The revelation
that she believed I was failing hammered me between the eyes.
    I stood up and threw my napkin on the
table.
    “ Where are you going?” Sara
Lynn asked.
    “ I’m going to set Lillian
straight.”
    “ She didn’t say anything,”
Sara Lynn snapped.
    “ Don’t lie to me, Sis.
You’re lousy at it.”
    Sara Lynn snapped, “If you’d give me a
moment to explain before you go off like a firecracker, I’d
appreciate it.”
    I wouldn’t sit back down, but I didn’t head
for the door either. “So talk.”
    Sara Lynn looked around us, obviously caring
about what other people at the restaurant thought. As for me, they
could all kiss the wind if they didn’t like the way I acted.
Finally, my sister said, “All right, Lillian didn’t say anything,
at least not directly. I happened to ask if she was on any kind of
salary yet, and she joked that she was taking her pay in
supplies.”
    “ I can afford to pay her,” I
said levelly, and I could, if I stopped eating and cut back on a
few other nonessentials like that. “Did it ever occur to you that
getting supplies instead of cash was her idea?” While Lillian
hadn’t asked for that arrangement, it was working out fine for
me.
    “ My mistake then,” Sara Lynn
said in a soft, humble voice that made me repent my latest
outburst. I picked up my napkin, put it back in my lap and said,
“Listen, I’m sorry. I’m the first one to admit that I’m a little
touchy when it comes to my shop. If I thought Aunt Lillian was
unhappy with our arrangement for a second, I’d work something out
with her. Sara Lynn, I’m not making a fortune, but between special
orders and my walk-in trade, I’m doing okay.”
    Sara Lynn looked honestly repentant. “I
wasn’t trying to pry, Jennifer.” I let that go, which I thought all
in all was pretty big of me. She continued. “I just worry about you
so.”
    “ Sis, if I fail
spectacularly or if I end up running a dozen stores, this is
exactly what I want to be doing with my life, okay? You know I
don’t believe in regrets. I’m giving Custom Card Creations all I’ve
got, so no matter what happens, in the end I can look back and feel
well pleased that I did my best.”
    Jack put our plates down and said, “I don’t
know whether to applaud or salute. That was some speech, Jennifer.
Are you running for office?”
    “ I’d throw a roll at you,
but they’re too good to waste,” I said.
    Sara Lynn added, “My little sister was just
reasserting her independence.”
    “ When doesn’t she?” Jack
asked. Then he stepped back out of the way in case I changed my
mind and threw something at him after all. “Is there anything
else?” he asked.
    “ This all looks wonderful,”
Sara Lynn told him. I took a healthy bite of my hamburger, then
watched my sister spear an errant cucumber in her salad.
    “ I can’t believe you call
that lunch.”
    “ Wait until you hit your
mid-forties; then we’ll have this conversation again.”
    I waved a steak fry in the air. “It’s never
going to happen. My metabolism just burns it right up.” That was a
lie and we both knew it, but my sister was too gracious to call me
on it. I’d expected to lose weight when I’d opened my shop. Heck,
that had been one of the entries in the plus column, but to my
dismay I was gaining. If I kept packing in calories at the rate I
was now, I wasn’t going to be anybody’s little anything anymore.
There was a trail around the lake, and now that I had easy access
to it, I’d lost my last excuse to not start exercising again.
    We were nearly through with our meal when lo
and behold, our brother Bradford came strolling into Hurley’s. He
took off his sheriff’s hat, then said, “If I’d known we were all
getting together for lunch, I wouldn’t have been late. Oh, wait a
second—that’s right—nobody invited me.”
    I scooted over. “Don’t let that stop you.
Sit down and join us.”
    Sara Lynn nodded