Murder at Sunrise Lake

“Yes, it is.” There was satisfaction in knowing she had helped to make this happen. She made it a point to visit every business in town in an effort to figure out how she could help them become one of the thriving successes, especially if they were faltering. These people had become her friends, and she believed if they helped one another they could all stay afloat during the lean times.

“You know you stole my best worker.” Carl indicated Sam with a nod of his chin. “I had hoped to make him my foreman. Men like him don’t come along every day. He knows his way around a build.”

She grinned at him. “I saw that. He’s good with motors too. You waited a little too long before making him a decent offer. I wasn’t going to lose out. He can practically run the resort.” She made a face. “Unless he has to talk to a guest, then, not so much. I wouldn’t say his social skills match his knowledge of repairing just about anything needed.”

She laughed softly. It was the absolute truth. Most of the time, Sam avoided having to deal with the guests. It wasn’t his job. She had others to do that. He worked behind the scenes to keep the resort running. He’d made it very clear to her when he agreed to take the job in the first place that he wasn’t a people person.

Carl’s laughter joined hers. “You’re right about that. He isn’t much of a talker. Works hard though. I see he’s over there intimidating the hell out of Sean and Ed. What the hell is wrong with those boys? If they make one more nasty comment toward Shabina, I’ll have to shove my fist down their throats, and I haven’t been in a fistfight since I was twenty. Maybe eighteen. I’m pretty sure it was in high school.”

“You’ve known them a long time. Have they always been like that?” Stella asked.

The bartender put drinks and a plate of mixed fried zucchini, mushrooms and cheese sticks in front of them.

“Thanks, Lucca,” Carl said, pushing a healthy tip the bartender’s way.

Lucca saluted him and hurried down the line, crushing it, the way he did when he was making several drinks at a time. Alek, the owner, had been smart to hire him when he’d first come into town, offering him enough to get him to want to stay.

“Dive in, Stella. I can’t eat all this by myself or I’ll have to go to one of those obnoxious girlie classes Harlow puts on.”

Stella dipped a zucchini stick in marinara sauce. It was good. Not like Shabina good, but good. Alek had his own recipes from his mother’s side of the family and they were valuable to the Grill. It wasn’t just a greasy spoon.

“Harlow’s yoga classes? Wait until I tell her you describe them as girlie. That’s rich. Have you ever tried one? Take a private lesson if you’re too intimidated to take a class. Seriously, not easy, and that’s beginner. People always think yoga is going to be so easy. Your body has to use all the muscles, stretching them …”

“Harlow gives private classes?” Carl interrupted.

Stella took a sip of her Moscow Mule. She knew better, but it was going down smooth and this was too good to be true. Carl Montgomery was into Harlow. Who knew? He was always so buttoned down. He rarely came to the Grill, and if he did, he didn’t hang out with their crowd. Not really. He was one of the ones on the fringe. She knew him, but not well.

“Yes, Harlow gives private lessons.” She glanced toward the dance floor when movement caught her eye. Carl slid off the barstool.

Sean was pushing his way through the few people dancing between him and Stella’s small inner circle of friends. He strode right up to Shabina, who was dancing, and he positioned himself behind her, his body almost on top of hers. She tried to elbow him off of her, but he yanked her into him, his hips thrusting hard.

Stella found herself trying to run toward the dance floor, but there were too many people between her and the place marked off for the dancing. She squeezed through two men and went around a woman who had paused right in front of her. By the time she got to the edge of the floor, whatever had taken place was over.

Bale, Ed and Jason had Sean by the arms and were escorting him out. Bruce, Sam, Denver and Alek’s bouncer, Jeff, watched them go. Zahra and Raine escorted Shabina back to Stella. She flung her arm around her friend.

“That man needs someone to teach him a lesson or two in manners,” she said. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. It’s not like it’s the first time some man wanted to freak dance with one of us. It happens all the time.” Shabina smiled at Carl. “I didn’t know you were here tonight.”