“And in a fox stole,” Ren added. “That thing gives me the creeps.”
Sinda laughed. “That’s the intention, I would imagine.”
“Are you talking about me?” Liberty asked, joining us. “Rhetorical question. I know you were. And thank you, Bixby.”
“My pleasure. You cut a fine figure for any age, madam.”
She flipped her stole with a flourish. “A woman can’t give up, you know. Especially not in this town.”
“I agree,” Tavi said, overhearing the last comment. She, too, was impeccably dressed. Both were very attractive women and gave me hope the Wyldwood dampness would at least keep my skin supple. “How are you, ladies?” She smiled at Bixby. “And handsome gent.”
“I don’t want to like her,” Bixby said, electing of his own accord to speak silently. “Regrettably, I do. It’s just hard to understand what she sees in the man.”
The silver fox himself came up beside his wife, and my entire abdomen clenched. It wanted to release in the usual way and it felt uncomfortable not to hiccup. Breathing into the tension, I thought again about the cool pool of water Bijou mentioned. It helped.
“Nice to see you again so soon, Janelle.” Oscar’s smile was slightly feral. His contempt had faded after I helped him with Tavi, but perhaps the goodwill I’d gained had expired with the arrival of a mismatched flock of winged creatures in his happy place. “I was telling my wife about your prowess on the course.”
“It was only one hole. I challenge you to a full round when spring comes,” I said.
“I accept. But only if you promise not to steal my golf cart again.”
“That was rude, and I apologize again, Oscar. The chill just got to us, and we couldn’t think straight. I hope you made it back to the clubhouse with just two carts.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t the birds that got to you?” He touched his head. “Oh, right. They left you ladies alone. One might wonder if the ornithological assault was engineered by the well-heeled golfers.”
“Oscar, stop,” Tavi said. “Janelle would never do something like that.” Her glance my way was entreating, no doubt because he’d been in a rage about it. “Would you?”
“I couldn’t if I wanted to, Tavi, and I wouldn’t put birds at risk. You know how I feel about animals.” I turned innocent eyes on Oscar. “If you think I’m capable of engineering something like that, you seriously overestimate my talents.”
The set of his jaw told me he wasn’t convinced and Liberty, who hadn’t yet heard what happened on the golf course, took offense. “I don’t like your tone with my niece, Oscar. And yes, I call her niece because we’re so close.”
My tension grew and Bixby said, “You okay?”
“All good,” I told him. “No hiccups.”
“Then hand me to Liberty. I can brief her on what happened and calm her down while you distract and disarm the silver fox. Where’s Hairball, anyway? Defusing this explosive is his job.”
Liberty accepted my dog with narrowed eyes but walked away into the crowd.
As always, I felt bereft without Bixby, but I pasted on a hospitality smile and pulled Tavi aside. “Have you done all your Christmas shopping?”
She brightened. “Yes, but I always go overboard. Don’t I, darling?”
The darling in question followed us, of course. “Very much so. No doves on the tree this year, Tavi. Nor partridges.”
“Can we still have turkey?” she asked.
I pressed my lips together, but it was no use. Tavi and the rest of us laughed, and Oscar finally cracked a real smile. “Only if it’s dead before serving.”
Sinda held up her hand. “We should stop. It’s basically a funeral.”
Oscar smoothed his jacket and nodded. “Angus and I were good friends for a long time. It’s a shame about what happened. I regret—”
I really wanted to hear what Oscar regretted but Bixby’s shout in my head startled me enough to exclaim, “Ow!”
“What happened, Janelle?” Tavi asked.
I rubbed my midriff. “Nothing, nothing. It’s just an odd, sharp pain. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better go home.”
Ren and Sinda instantly took my arms and guided me to the door, while Liberty followed with Bixby. The two were having a rather heated argument in silence.
On the way, I saw a row of ravens sitting on the long coat rack. Another pair sat on the podium with the guestbook.
“Good thing you signed coming in,” Bijou said, cheerfully.
Harold was standing near the front door, looking weary. Turned out he’d been herding birds while we made conversation. Inside, there was nowhere to send them.
“Let’s leave the coats,” Ren said. “We can collect them tomorrow.”
That was brave of her, considering how cold she’d been earlier.
“Bird poop,” Bijou said. “May want to buy new coats.”
“Hurry,” Bixby called. “Incoming, and it feels bigger than a turkey.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“What could be bigger than a turkey?” I asked, as we hurried across the parking lot to the car.
