Auf'd (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Two)

Chapter 1

You can buy this book and all the books in The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries at Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Belinda Kittridge hurried toward the waving hand (hurried being a relative term wearing heels on grass) with her red-headed friend coming in and out of view as people passed in front of her. Even in three-inch wedges, Victoria was still far below Belinda's eye level.

It was May in Portside, Rhode Island, and Belinda inhaled the chilly air off the water, a reminder that the ocean hadn't quite caught up with the air yet. Excitement and anxiety filled her bones. It was Belinda's first time helping to organize a fundraiser event—a runway show specifically—and it was getting close to time for the attendees to start showing up. 

"Our plan worked!" Victoria hopped up and down then stopped and grabbed her stomach in panic. "Is that bad, you think?" 

"Maybe you should just stand there and I'll hop up and down." Afraid to actually go airborne in her heels, Belinda bobbed up and down on her knees so her friend, only weeks pregnant, could avoid anything potentially hazardous. "Our plan did work. That was much smoother and less irritating than last time."

Victoria laughed. "Yeah, when we were both cursing the other's existence because we didn't have a planned meeting spot."

"That's not entirely true." Belinda drummed her fingers along her jaw, staring up at the clear sky. "The planned meeting location was 'whoever gets here first gets a seat and the other one finds her,' which almost ended our friendship."

"Thank goodness for Dan."

"Thank goodness, indeed. If he hadn't come and found me, I would have left the show and never spoken to you again." Victoria's husband saved the day, and then told them they were on their own next time.

"Runway show equals death of lifelong friendship."

"Tragic." Belinda kept glancing up and around whenever anyone passed her. She could blame it on her tendency to be distracted, but she knew that wasn't quite what was wrong with her at that moment.

Victoria grinned. "Have you seen Bennett yet?"

"When they first got here to set up this morning, but we've both been too busy to talk. And we haven't really dealt with each other the past week because of the show." She'd recommended Bennett's event security firm, thinking it would mean they could see each other more while the show ate up her life. At best, it just meant Bennett had no more free time than she did.

"Well, I daresay you should get back there then before anyone misses you." Victoria winked. "I'll be in these seats with my mom." She handed Belinda a piece of paper with the row and seat numbers scribbled down. "Meet us there afterward and we'll go out to eat."

"Your new favorite thing to do."

"My baby gots to eat." She placed both hands on her stomach and laughed.

Across the lawn, a raspy bellow interrupted their joy about their future and coconut cake. Belinda looked over apprehensively, knowing what she was going to see. A man who reminded Belinda of a meatball with legs flailed his arms, his face visibly red from where she stood.

"Uh-oh." Victoria glanced at her sideways. Belinda's face drooped as she nodded. "You want me to find Mrs. Sykes?"

"I–I can handle this. I don't want things to explode." She smiled tentatively. Victoria squeezed her arm for encouragement and strolled over to the seats flanking the runway, glancing behind her every few seconds.

Belinda wove her way across the lawn away from the stage, which was set up on the mouth of Portside Harbor so the audience faced the water. It offered a refreshing breeze (maybe too refreshing sometimes) and a view of the bay and bridge. A triple threat location.