Free Sizzle by Julie Garwood

Christopher said.
    The judge shook his head. “No, you are not.”
    Christopher’s mouth dropped open. His expression was almost as comical as his wife’s.
    Judith looked as though she’d just stepped off a Tilt-a-Whirl.
    The judge promptly dismissed the case, ruling that Gigi was quite able to handle her own finances.
    Throughout the tiresome ordeal, Gigi remained unruffled. After the hearing, she’d patted her son’s arm, kissed her daughter-in-law on the cheek, then hooked her arm through Lyra’s and suggested she take all of them out to dinner at her favorite restaurant.
    At an early age, Lyra had recognized what an amazing woman her grandmother was, but after the hearing she realized all over again she was a force to be reckoned with. What was the expression? Oh, yes, crazy like a fox. That was her Gigi, all right. She had so charmed the psychiatrist and the judge that, when the results of the tests came in, they seemed just as pleased as Lyra. Gigi always knew exactly what she was doing … and why.
    Despite the victory in court, Lyra was sure that her despicable father wasn’t going to stop trying to get control of his mother’s money, which meant that he wouldn’t give up on his shameful attempts to prove her incompetent. Her grandmother had managed to win this round, but Lyra worried that next time might prove more difficult.
    Gigi was certainly not helping her cause. Now and then she did things that might be construed as downright bizarre.
    In the past nine months, she had remodeled her downstairs bathroom three times. Lyra’s stomach started hurting after the second complete remodel. First, Gigi had the bath expanded, eliminating a storage closet for space. A few weeks later, she wanted it changed again, so she had a shower and a new pedestal sink installed, new floor, too. Once that was finished, she decided she wanted to go modern. She had the fixtures, the shower, and the sink ripped out and donated to Habitat for Humanity. The contractor, a sweet, patient man named Harlan Fishwater, didn’t complain. He put in a travertine marble floor, a rich wood cabinet with a granite countertop, and a water bowl that sat on top. He also replaced the wallpaper for the third time.
    Harlan was going to start building shelves in the attic next while Gigi talked to an architect about remodeling her brand-new kitchen. That was when Lyra started losing weight again, concerned that Christopher and Judith would find another excuse to pounce.
    Despite Gigi’s assurances that everything was just fine, Lyra couldn’t understand her behavior—that is, until she found out quite by chance that Harlan was struggling to support his five children and a wife who had been laid off from her job. Harlan did fine work, but with the downturn in the economy, there weren’t many people interested in remodeling their homes. Gigi’s generous response had been to keep him busy.
    But this was hardly the only time Gigi’s actions might be considered peculiar. The weekend that she took off without telling anyone came to mind. By the time she returned home, Lyra was frantic, and her grandmother—though sorry she’d caused any worry—
    absolutely refused to say where she’d gone.
    Disappearing for days on end … that’s what Lyra’s father would say as he once again built his case.
    And then there was the holy water. What in heaven’s name was that all about?
    Lyra was thankful the traffic on the I-5 was light as she headed south. A stress-free drive would give her some much-needed time to figure out what to do before Father Henry visited.
    She sped up to merge into another lane. A car cut her off and she swerved sharply. Books and DVDs flew everywhere, reminding her that she needed to do something about them.
    She shook her head as she recalled her experience that afternoon.
    The yard sale had grabbed her attention when she was taking a shortcut through the posh neighborhood. Ever since she was a child, Lyra had been fascinated by