26. Lottie

LOTTIE

“ O h?” I lean in toward Agatha Reed right here at her booth in the middle of the Winter Festival. “In what ways were things not perfect in Ursula’s world?”

“Well, she had that restaurant.” She shrugs. “I told her a restaurant was no joke. I mean, she was a foodie in that she loved to eat, but mostly because I was doing all the cooking. Ursula never lifted a finger in the kitchen unless it was to pick up a fork. She hated anything to do with putting a meal together. But once she married Five—she, or should I say we , had a habit of calling her husbands by the number in which they were acquired, matrimonially speaking—that’s when she had the means.”

“She had a lot of husbands,” I muse.

“Did she ever. And boy, did those men fall hard and fast for her. Of course, she had a no-prenup rule. She was no fool, which is more than I can say for her victims.” She gives a dark chuckle. “Anyway, she found out the hard way what a chore owning your own restaurant could be.”

“I’m shocked she opened one if she didn’t like to cook. I run my own bakery, so I know how much work it is. My love of baking is the only thing that keeps me going.”

“Ursula always was one to learn a lesson the hard way.”

“I’ll say,” Petey huffs. “She once tried to ride me like a horse after her father told her not to. She learned the hard way that polar bears weren’t nearly as accommodating as the equines among us. She nearly broke a bone. And I was the one who was blamed.”

I offer a forlorn look his way. The only thing Petey is guilty of is looking too cute, and maybe having a too-big-for-his-furry-britches appetite.

“Well, since she didn’t cook, I bet you stepped in and helped her out with the menu. I guess it didn’t hurt to have a BFF who’s a top chef.” I hold what’s left of my plate her way as if to prove my point.

“Oh, she didn’t let me anywhere near that place. I think she thought I was going to snatch it out from under her. For as much as she stole boyfriends and husbands away from other people, she was afraid the same was going to happen to her. She didn’t have a happy home life. Her father was a notorious womanizer, and her mother was left penniless in the aftermath of their divorce. Ursula swore she’d never be like her mother, so she sprouted into the female version of her father instead. It was an ugly sight.” She gives a dark laugh. “In fact, she stole one of my men away from me while we were still married. Although, I will admit, Joe and I were pretty much over at that point. When I confronted her about it, she said it was to show me what a jerk he was. But I already knew that. Anyway, Ursula and I survived that debacle and Joe went on to cheat on another half a dozen wives.” She clamps her lips as she looks my way. “That was something else that I admired about Ursula. She was a pretty good judge of character, which is why I was shocked when she hired Francine to work at her place.”

“Francine Dundee?” I inch back, shocked to hear it.

She nods. “Oh yeah, I know she looks as innocent as can be and she’d want you to think she is, too. She has that whole better-than-thou attitude. But she’s every bit the sinner as the rest of us.” She casts a glance in the direction of where the lumberjack competition took place. “Her husband, Mark, is the guy that makes all those cutesy little wooden bears that you see all over town. He carves eagles and other wooden monstrosities, but his specialty is those Honey Hollow bears as he calls them. And since Ursula’s restaurant is in Honey Hollow, she hired him to make her about a dozen of them to sprinkle around the property. That’s when Francine came sniffing around and asked if she could have a seasonal position at the Cozy Croon Café—that’s the name of Ursula’s place. Well, it turns out, Francine is the real deal when it comes to the kitchen. That’s when the café really took off. She put things on that menu that even made my mouth water. Anyway, as of late, they had a big falling-out.” She shrugs. “It was ugly.”

“Over what?” I ask, stumped at what it might be. “I mean, I know Francine isn’t exactly easy-going, but I don’t see her going out of her way to cause trouble either.”

Agatha presses her lips tight as she casts a quick glance around. “I’m not one to start rumors. Look, my best friend is dead, but I can honestly say with a clear conscience that Ursula was no saint. She had a bad habit, and that habit was called men . Despite the fact she had a perfectly good, and might I add wealthy, man at home, she still liked to walk around the proverbial supermarket to see what other fruit there was to be squeezed. And let’s just say, Mark Dundee’s woodworking wasn’t the only thing that caught Ursula’s eye.”

Both Petey and I inhale so hard, that half the food on my plate disappears from the effort.

Wait a minute. I glance down to see Petey slurping it all up and he hardly seems aware of the sultry snub Agatha just threw at her bestie.

Honestly, even if knew that about Keelie, I would probably take it to the grave with me. I don’t see any reason to sully her good name any more than she already had. Not that Keelie has done any such thing. She’s as loyal as the day is long. And even though Bear was once the king of the cads, he’s just as fiercely loyal to my bestie as she is to him.

No, it wasn’t Petey’s gasp that was harmonizing with mine. I turn around and groan. It was Carlotta.

“What in heaven’s name is Mark Dundee thinking?” Carlotta’s eyes fill with fire.

“ Ah , Carlotta,” I coo. “It’s so nice to see you’re defending Francine’s honor despite all of your differences.”

“Not that, Lot.” She waves me off. “I’ve been putting out the bait to that man for years. And the fact he chose Ursula Wingate over me stings a bit.”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” I mutter as I turn to Agatha. “Please, ignore her.” A thought comes to me. “Hey, no wonder Francine was livid with Ursula the day of the shower. I bet she found out!”

Agatha shrugs. “It seems so. Ursula never was good at keeping a secret. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Ursula was taunting Francine with the fact she was interested in her man.”

“There’s no way Mark would step out on her,” I say, mostly to appease the fact I don’t want to believe it could be true. “I mean, they have that big family. And they’re very religious.”

“ Pfft .” Agatha rolls her eyes. “You would be surprised which married men are the easiest to net. Sometimes men want something a little more exciting in the bedroom than their wives can handle. I bet that’s what happened with Mark. And heaven knows it didn’t get any more exciting than Ursula.”

A crowd presses in and soon the booth is inundated.

“Thank you for the food, Agatha,” I tell her. “Your cooking is truly comforting.”

She beams, pleased as punch to hear it. “Anytime, Lottie. You’re welcome at my table whenever you like.”

“I’m sticking around,” Petey announces as he rocks back onto his hind legs. “The pot pie and I have some unfinished business to tend to.”

I thank Agatha again, but as I leave the booth, the weight of her words lingers.

“Poor Francine,” I say as Carlotta and I walk back into the crowd.

“Face it, Lot, Francine had every reason to want that homewrecker dead. And don’t you think for a minute that she doesn’t believe she’s above the law. I bet that whole thou-shalt-not-murder thing went right out the window when she found out someone was trying to wreck her family.”

“Well, if that’s true, why not kill her cheating husband?”

“Death is too easy for some people. Mark has to pay in other ways. Trust me, living with Francine is a fate worse than death.”

“And how does this all fit in with Suze?” I say. “I’m getting the feeling Francine isn’t just a side dish in this meal—she’s a key player. And something tells me that whatever she’s hiding is going to change everything.”

Noah and Everett jog this way and they both have the same disturbed look on their faces.

“We need to leave,” Noah says, out of breath. “Something’s happened to my mother.”