“That’s wonderful,” Carla said.

  Wade nodded. “Totally good news. And let me add that I’m glad they don’t plan to start construction for another two or three months. By then, we’ll have been working on the church for a while and have a better idea of how to divide up the work schedules.”

  “That’s what I was thinking, too,” I said.

  Wade swiped the screen and started calculating. “As soon as we get the go-ahead, we’ve got to order the supplies and equipment we’ll need.”

  “The sooner, the better,” Carla said. “Then we’ll need a team to get everything loaded onto the site.”

  “And once we’re ready to start building,” Wade said, “we’ll split into two teams of five guys each.”

  “If we work at the same pace as before,” I said, “barring some reasonable interruptions from the church project, we should be able to have all twenty homes completed within three to four months.”

  Carla glanced up from her tablet. “At that point, we’ll need to schedule some of our specialty artists, like Niall and Amanda, to work on kitchen tiles and outside embellishments.”

  Since the entire town of Lighthouse Cove was registered as a historic landmark, and many of the homes were individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, we had made a point of adding at least one Victorian feature per tiny house. These included things like a miniature widow’s walk on the roof, some gingerbread detailing around the front porch, and gables on the pitched roofs. Each house was a little different, and everyone appreciated the variety of styles that set each home apart from their neighbor’s.

  Our food was delivered, so we took a few minutes to enjoy the meal. Then I said, “I spoke to Eric a little while ago. He thinks it’ll take his CSI team another two to three days.”

  Carla’s breath whooshed out. “It’s still a shock to realize they’re in there collecting evidence to find out who killed Sarah. She was such a sweetheart.”

  “I know,” I said. “It’s just so wrong. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt her.”

  “There are bad people in the world,” Wade murmured.

  I looked at Carla. “How well did you know Sarah?”

  “She and my youngest sister were best friends all through school. She was always over at our house, and she was really great.”

  “Your sister must be devastated.”

  “Inconsolable,” she whispered.

  I could see her trying to hold back tears. “I’m so sorry.”

  She nodded, and we were silent for a long moment. My mind flashed on what we’d seen the day before: Sarah’s inert body on the floor of the Blue Iris Chapel, her head bashed in by some hard bludgeoning instrument, blood on the floor, drag marks along the hallway.

  I had to take a few breaths and shake my head to get rid of those images.

  I was thankful when Carla finally said, “I need to stop thinking about that and get back on track with the schedule.” She still sounded a little winded. “Chief Jensen said two to three days, so let’s plan for the cops to be out by Friday. That way, it’s settled, and we won’t get all anxious wondering if we can start Thursday.”

  “Good idea,” Wade said. “We can get a lot done on the outside on Wednesday and Thursday.”

  We spent the rest of lunch selecting the limited crew we would need for the outside job.

  “Niall can supervise the work being done on the steps,” I said.

  “Since he’s the god of stone and tile,” Carla said, “there’s nobody better.”

  I laughed. “Agreed. I’ll give him a call after lunch. Wade, you’ll be there to help Niall supervise the work on the walls, right?”

  “I’ll be there.” He stared at his small screen. “This is only the first phase, so let’s talk to Niall before scheduling additional people. He’s got his own crew that he uses on other jobs, so he’ll have some thoughts.”

  “That’s right,” I said. “So depending on how many people he thinks we’ll need, we’ve got his two guys, plus our own: Sean, Billy, Johnny, and Amanda.” I thought for a moment. “I might be able to coerce Chloe into helping, but I don’t know how long she’ll last. She’s, you know, a superstar.”

  Wade grinned. “We’ll happily use her for as long as she’s willing to stay.”

  “Carla, you’re still in charge of supervising our other job sites.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “We’re a couple days away from finishing the Johnson kitchen remodel. And the Farbers’ patio redesign will be a few more weeks. I’ve got Martin, one of Niall’s guys, on the patio job with us. He does beautiful work.”

  “Oh, he’s brilliant,” I said. “And where are we on the Skinners’ new roof?”

  “Practically done. We’ll wrap it up tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  Wade set down his fork. “Turns out, our timing was pretty good on all those jobs.”

  “Yeah, it was.” I grabbed my last chip. “Sounds like we’ll have most of our crew available for the church job by next Monday.”

  “For a few weeks, anyway,” Carla said. “Then I’m stealing a couple of the Mendocino guys and getting them started on the Anderson rehab.”

  “Right.” We had booked that job a few months ago, but the Andersons hadn’t been ready to pull the trigger. Now they were.

  Mendocino was an hour away, and there were plenty of good workers down there who didn’t mind the drive. Carla had worked with them in the past, and they all got along pretty well. “Are your Mendocino guys aware that the Anderson job might take up to six months?”

  “Yeah, they’re psyched.”

  “Good.” We always liked to have several jobs going on at one time because it kept people employed and happy.

  Carla sipped her soda. “And once the Homefront gig starts up, I’d like to make myself available at least a few hours a day. I love that place.”

  I smiled. “I think we all feel that way. We might switch things up and put you in charge of the church restoration while Wade and I work on the tiny homes and then switch after a couple of weeks.”

  “Sounds good,” she said.

  “We’ll work it out,” Wade said. “But yeah, I’d love to get back to the village. It was a lot of fun.”

  “The whole place has a good vibe going for it,” Carla agreed. “I think it’s the veterans themselves. They’re good people, and they’re really grateful to have us there, which always means a lot.”

  We were all excited about building the new homes at Homefront. Yes, I loved having lots of work to do, but it was extra gratifying to know that the people you were working for were appreciative.

  Once lunch was over, we walked to my house a block and a half away. The first thing I did was call Niall to ask him if he could work for a few days on the outside of the church. I put him on speakerphone so we could all talk.

  “Since we can’t get inside the church for a few days,” I said, “I thought we could start repairing the mortar around some of those loose stones on the front of the church. And we could also smooth over the pitted surfaces of the outside steps.”

  Niall immediately agreed. “But eventually, we’ll have to replace the steps altogether because of the water damage.”

  “I agree,” I said. “But for now, we’ll do some cosmetic work so someone doesn’t catch their heel on those steps and twist an ankle. And I’d like you to supervise since you’re our expert.”

  “That’s not a problem,” he said jovially.

  Wade moved closer to the phone. “Hey, Niall, it’s Wade. I’ll be going to the hardware store this afternoon to pick up whatever you think we’ll need for the job. Can you go with me?”

  “I can,” Niall said. “If you’re making a list, you’ll want to add mortar, and we’ll need two London trowels. One standard ten-inch and one seven-inch pointer.”

  “Got it,” Wade said.

  “I’ll bring my own mixing tubs.”

  “Okay.” And then, because it was Niall’s show, I asked, “What would you like for the steps?”

  “We can temporarily seal those pitted areas with fast-drying cement.”

  “I’ll add that to the list,” Wade said.

  “Oh, and we can pick up two six-and-a-half-inch masonry brushes.”

  “Will do,” Wade said.

  “You know, Shannon,” Niall said, “I noticed some excess moisture along the base of the church on the north side. I fear there may be some foundational damage.”

  I looked at Wade and grimaced. “That sounds bad.”

  “We can dig down and get an idea,” Niall said, “but we won’t know for sure until we can get into the basement.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “We won’t be able to do that for a few days.”

  Niall thought for a moment. “I’d like to give those steps and walls a closer look before we spend too much money.”

  “Do you have time right now to meet me at the church?” Wade asked. “We can take another look and confirm what needs to be done.”

  “That would be best.” Niall paused, then said, “I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Sounds good,” Wade said. “I’ll see you then.”

  They ended the call and I had to smile. “Good. I’m glad we set that up. And you and Niall will pick up everything we’ll need for the outside jobs.”

  “Great,” Wade said. “I’ll call you from the church in case anything changes.”

  “I would appreciate that,” I said. As he started to leave, I added, “Save your receipts.”

  He grinned. “Yes, boss.”

  I’d been telling him to save his receipts since the day we started working together, and he’d never forgotten, not once. At this point, it was almost a joke.

  “I’m going to take off, too,” Carla said.

  “Okay.” I walked with them to the front door. “Just a quick reminder not to mention the Homefront job. It’s our secret, for now.”

  They both assured me that mum was the word, then left the house.

  In the kitchen, I sat down to play with Robbie for a few minutes. Tiger sauntered in and simply sat and watched, while Luke ambled in like the royalty he was and allowed us to play with him, too. I gave all three of them treats, and they settled down to munch on them.

  Twenty minutes later, Wade called. “Niall’s hunch was correct. We’ve got a drainage issue along the north wall. I’d like a few extra guys to bring the backhoe so we can do some exploratory digging.”

  “Get in touch with Sean,” I said. “He’ll arrange it. And I’ll contact Madeline to let her know what’s going on.”

  “Got it. We’ll keep you posted.”

  “I appreciate it. Thanks, Wade.”

  He hung up, and I texted Mac to let him know I would be leaving in a little while to see my girlfriends. “Hope you have a manly time tonight.”

  A minute later, Mac texted back. “Have a great time with the girls. Bring me back some good gossip.” And he added a laughing face.

  I sent back a kiss and a row of pretty red hearts.

  * * *

  * * *

  An hour later, I drove over to Emily Rose’s house to meet my girlfriends for our monthly dinner and discussion group.

  “Dinner and discussion” sounded so much more refined than “gabfest.”

  Emily opened the door and grabbed me for a big hug. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in months.”

  “It’s only been a few weeks,” I said with a laugh. “But I’ll admit I’ve been busy. And I’ve missed you, too.”

  “You left town for a week. Where’d you go? Was it fun?” Her soft Scottish brogue slipped out a few times as she led the way into the kitchen, where her big farmhouse table was set for six. She had come to town years ago with her fisherman boyfriend who tragically disappeared on a boating trip. She had thought about returning to Scotland, but by then, she had made a few good friends, and we saw her through the sad times. Then she met Gus Peratti and the rest was history.

  A few years ago, Emily convinced some of her Scottish family to come to Lighthouse Cove, and the result was that her brother Niall, a stonemason, joined my construction crew.

  “Am I the first one here?”

  She turned and smiled at me. “You’re always the first one here.”

  I winced. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” she said as she eased the cork out of a nice-looking bottle of champagne. “You’re right on time. Everyone else believes in being fashionably late.”

  “I just never got how that works,” I confessed. “Is it ten minutes? Twenty?”

  She chuckled. “You just keep doing what you do.” She handed me a flute filled with pale bubbly liquid. “Being first has its privileges. You get the first taste of champagne.”

  “Ooh, lucky me.”

  We clicked our glasses and I took a little sip. “Oh, that’s good.”

  “Isn’t it? Gus brought home a few bottles of the good stuff for us to enjoy tonight.”

  “What a great guy.” I took another sip.

  “Aye.” Her smile was dreamy. “He’s a keeper.”

  Emily and Gus had recently announced their engagement.

  “I love to hear you say that.” I held up my glass in a toast. “How are the wedding plans coming along?”

  She made a face. “Slowly.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  “Oh, you’re a sweetheart, Shannon. But it’s mainly my granny who’s causing problems. She’d like us to come to Scotland, but only because she’s afraid to fly.”

  “Scotland is always nice,” I said.

  “But Niall is here and all of our friends are here. Gus’s whole family has been here for generations. I’d like my family to see our home.” She sighed. “We’ll work it out. My mother says not to worry. She’ll give Granny a few shots of whiskey and get her on the plane.”

  I laughed. “Let me know if I can do anything.”

  “I will, and thank you, Shannon.”

  I glanced around. “The house looks great.”

  “We love it so much.”

  Emily had bought the old Rawley mansion a few years ago after the place had been sitting on the market for decades. The reason for this was that everyone in town knew the house was haunted by the ghost of Mrs. Rawley.

  My crew and I had begun renovation shortly after Emily closed escrow. As soon as we walked into the house, the ghost made her presence known. Paint cans were thrown across the room, and chandeliers would begin to swing dangerously—until the afternoon when Gus Peratti walked in. Suddenly Mrs. Rawley grew calm and behaved herself. But as soon as he left? Well, it was touch and go for a while.

  Happily, Gus and Emily fell in love, and he moved in permanently, bringing peace to the house at long last. Later, we found out that Mrs. Rawley had been forced to marry a man her father chose instead of the man she was in love with. That beloved man was Gus Peratti’s great-grandfather.

  The doorbell rang.

  “That must be the girls,” Emily said, and dashed to the door.

  I followed her and found Jane, Chloe, and Marigold standing on the front porch.

  “Come in, come in,” Emily cried.

  Just as she was about to close the door, we heard someone shout from the street, “Wait for me!”

  “It’s Lizzie,” I said, and watched as one of my oldest friends leaped over a rosemary bush like some kind of forest elf and scrambled up the front steps.

  We hugged. “I’m so glad to be here,” she said.

  “Come on in.” I pulled her into the house, where there were more hugs and kisses and compliments and laughs. The women tossed their jackets and sweaters on the bench in the foyer and then followed Emily through the wide hall and into the kitchen.

  Chloe sidled up beside me. “I left my house at the exact same time as you did. How did you beat me here?”

  I shrugged. “I’m always on time. I can’t help it.”

  She frowned. “Well, I did stop to look at a pair of shoes, but that only took a few minutes.”

  I smiled. “There you go.”

  “And you’ve already got a glass of champagne.” She pouted.

  “That’ll teach you,” I said with a laugh.

  “I have champagne for everyone,” Emily called. “Come get a glass.”

  Jane cornered me alone in the hall. “Niall told me about Sarah Spindler. I knew her in high school.”

  “I didn’t really know her, but Chloe did,” I said.

  “The newspapers didn’t mention who found the body in the church, but Niall let me know. I’m so sorry.”

  I took a deep breath. “I am, too. It’s awful. She was young and lovely and talented, and I have no idea why it happened.”

  “Eric will find out,” she said. “The thing is, I worry about you.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled. “To tell you the truth, I do, too.”

  Jane and I had been best friends since first grade, when we bonded over the fact that we were both taller than all the boys in class. These days, she was a few inches taller than me, but our friendship had stood the test of time—and height. Tonight she wore her long blond hair in a sophisticated twist, and her pin-striped navy suit and soft silk shirt looked impossibly chic.

  “Please, please, take care of yourself,” she said, hugging me once more before we walked into the kitchen.

  “I love your kitchen,” Chloe said, staring at the high ceiling and gorgeous crown molding, the huge island, and the double-sized farm sink.

  It had once been a decent-sized kitchen with a large butler’s pantry attached as well as a smaller room that Emily had termed a “winter pantry.” We had removed the walls and turned the three rooms into one big fabulous space. The perfect kitchen for Emily, who made her living as a gourmet chef and baker.