Chapter 12
Evie
Tonight, the full cast of characters from No Book Club met at the Drip Line, the only bar in town.
Frankie had organized this gathering, urging us all to read The Housemaid, even if there were no rules stating we had to.
I hadn’t read it, but if I knew Frankie, it was heavy on murder and men behaving badly.
Dottie, who had owned the bar for years, was Frankie’s mom and had closed the place down so we could eat, drink, gossip, and blow off steam at the dart boards. Oh, and maybe talk a little about books.
Frankie was behind the bar, helping out. If the lore was to be believed, she had been pulling pints and kicking out drunks by the time she was in kindergarten. She loved her mom, who’d raised her and her siblings on her own, but referred to her childhood spent here as her villain origin story.
By Maplewood standards, the Drip Line was a dive. By any other measure, it was a charming tavern with wood-paneled walls and funky light fixtures. The kind of place with sloping wood floors, deep booths, and the tap list written on an artsy chalkboard sign that hadn’t been updated in two years.
The menu consisted of foods that were either deep-fried or involved maple syrup. Or both. And Vermont’s finest craft beers were served right alongside Pbr.
Despite No Book Club nights being my favorites, I was out of sorts. Jasper had insisted I get out of the house and spend time with friends, so I’d furiously pumped for days and left him with a full page of information for caring for Vincent. And he was at my house, texting me constant updates.
Being here, I felt like I was missing a limb. I had not been separated from Vincent since he was born almost three months ago.
But I agreed with Jasper. Getting out for a bit would do me good. So I breathed deeply and headed toward the gathered group.
“She made it!” Ruby cheered from the long wooden table. Her husband Paul was seated next to her, his arm draped over her shoulders. They were so damn cute together.
Frankie waved from the bar. “The woman, the myth, the milk machine. Need a beer?”
With a small smile, I shook my head. I wanted to nurse Vincent as soon as I got home rather than having to pump and dump.
Despite how little sleep I was getting these days, I was feeling pretty good. I had managed to squeeze myself into an older pair of jeans, and I’d put on a soft, oversized sweater that fell off one shoulder, exposing the strap of my non-nursing bra.
“Thank you,” I said, tipping an invisible cap to her. “What a dignified title.”
She stuck her tongue out at me.
I made my way through the bar, greeting the people milling about. Basil and Etienne were at the bar with a tasting flight of artisanal ciders, and Tony was halfway through a plate of maple wings.
When he saw me, he hit me with a big smile. He was a hulking mountain of a man with deep dimples and salt-and-pepper hair.
“How’s my pizza mama?” He pulled me in for an almost suffocating hug. “When is my little pizza baby gonna come visit me?”
“I’ll bring him in this week,” I promised. “He loves going for walks through town.”
His smile grew even bigger, if possible. “When he’s ready for a job, he’s gonna come work for me. The pizzeria is his birthplace, after all.”
Not quite. Thankfully. God, if I hadn’t made it to the hospital before he was born, I’d never live it down. And Vincent wouldn’t be working anytime soon, but I warmed at the thought of my sweet boy growing up here, in a town where he was known and valued.
Nora Hatch, the town’s elegant and slightly witchy pharmacist, put her arm around me. “You are glowing. Come sit and show us all the baby photos.”
At the table, Jimmy Dandridge was chatting about his Revolutionary War reenactment group, and Nina, Frankie’s little sister, was bent over her phone, typing furiously.
She was twenty-three and by far the most stylish citizen of Maplewood.
Tonight, she was wearing massively oversized wide-leg pants and a cropped vest, and she had half a dozen thin necklaces artfully layered around her neck.
“The rest of the world has brunch spots with DJs and bottomless mimosas. And stores that stay open past six,” she whined. “And here I am, still stuck in Maplewood, Vermont, where you can’t get dinner from a restaurant if you’re not into early-bird specials.”
Ruby patted her head. “And the rest of the world has higher crime rates, more expensive rent, and bad coffee. Count your blessings. You’re the youngest small-business owner in town. Be proud of that.”
Nina’s lips twitched in a small smile. Last year, she’d opened a nail salon in the space next to Frankie’s garage. She’d even brought on a few employees. There was no argument that she was the authority on nails, lashes, and eyebrows in town.
I looked down at my own hands and made a mental note to ask if she could fit me into her packed schedule.
Callie slid into a seat with an annoyed sigh.
“Sorry I’m late. The twins glued my car keys to the toilet again.
” She was principal of the local school and mother to the notorious Mayhew-Beauregard twins, who caused havoc wherever they went.
She had long bright red hair and was soft-spoken in that sweet kindergarten teacher kind of way.
Chuckling, Nora reached into her massive tote bag. “Here.” She slid a jar across the table. “Vitamin blend for relaxation. May calm them down. Or keep it for yourself.”
Callie held up the bottle, studying the label. “Does it work on husbands too?”
While the group around me chattered and caught up, I slipped my phone out of my purse.
Sure enough, I had another text from Jasper.
It was a photo of him in the rocking chair with a sleeping Vincent in his arms.
Jasper:
He’s milk drunk. Chugged that whole bottle, burped, and passed out.
My heart floated a little in my chest. Vincent was so cubby and drooly now. As a newborn, he’d been tiny and precious. Now he had thigh rolls and could make silly faces. Time really did go by so fast for parents of young children.
Evie:
The whole bottle? Is there more in the fridge? Should I come home?
Jasper:
We’ve got three more bottles. Relax, Mama. Have fun and talk about your murder books.
I put the phone down, smiling to myself. Mama. I liked when he called me that. I had no idea why, but it was affectionate and kind of sexy at the same time. Was that possible?
Clearly I needed to get out more.
Following his instructions, I rejoined the conversation, discovering that the group had skipped right over the murder book and gone straight to discussing the real-life murder that had rocked our town.
“Are you sure we should be talking about this?” Callie peered around the empty bar. “It feels wrong.”
“Will deserves justice,” Nora argued.
The group erupted with overlapping theories and stories.
I looked from person to person as people speculated, sadness and frustration coursing through me. I hadn’t known Will, but I’d met his mother a few times and couldn’t help but imagine her pain. And the violence? In our town? I couldn’t—
“They say he was dating someone who worked at Sugar Moon.”
That caught my attention. If it were true, it was news to me. I didn’t know everyone, but I knew most of my fellow employees.
I scanned through a mental list of folks he could have been involved with.
“He was recently hired on there too. To make deliveries.”
Also news to me.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Louisa was involved,” Nora sneered. “That woman is corrupt.”
Marty shook his head and sighed. “My mom can’t stand her. She thinks she’s better than everyone.”
“Guys,” I said, uncomfortable with the way they were badmouthing my boss. Louisa Meyers, who owned Sugar Moon, could be prickly and difficult, but to be branded a villain in town? That didn’t seem warranted.
“She could have hurt Will,” Frankie muttered. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
I glared at my friend. “How many times have you actually spoken to her? Let’s put the pitchforks down.”
“Didn’t Will date a girl from Birch Hollow when he was in high school?” Tony asked.
Nora cocked a brow. “Have you been eavesdropping from the pizza counter again?”
“It’s called listening with intention,” Tony snapped back, his head held high.
Frankie stood over us, two plates of appetizers in her hands. “Evie is right. We shouldn’t be spreading rumors. His family is grieving.”
Relief hit me. She may not have liked Louisa, but at least she had sympathy for Will’s loved ones.
It had been months since he was found dead, and there still hadn’t been an arrest. I didn’t understand why the police hadn’t done anything.
Nina, who was sitting at the end of the table Snapchatting or whatever the youths did these days, looked up. “It’s not just a rumor,” she told her sister. “And according to Caleb, he and Will had been arguing about it.”
Frankie went rigid, a small gasp escaping her.
Caleb was their brother, who I gathered had been in and out of town over the years, but had been back and working here recently.
“Were they friends?” Ruby asked.
Nina nodded. “Yeah, for a long time. Will helped Caleb a lot when he…” She trailed off.
We all knew what she was talking about. Even me, the relative newcomer. Caleb’s struggles with mental health had been alluded to over the years, but I’d never asked Frankie about it directly.
Right now, my friend was glaring at her sister. “Drop it,” she barked. With that, she turned around and headed back to the bar.
For a moment, the rest of us sat in awkward silence.
Marty eventually cleared his throat, cutting the tension. “He came to the diner,” he said softly.
He was a quiet guy, though once he warmed up to a person, his wicked sense of humor came out. He ran the diner with his mom, Clem, and mostly kept to himself. But Tony had talked him into coming to book club a while back, so he’d show up once in a while, drink a single beer, and go home.