Free Diva 04 _ Diva Cooks a Goose, The by Krista Davis

about vampires.”
    Hannah laughed aloud. “So sad but true. We had to sneak to see them.”
    We were all chuckling when the knocker on my front door sounded. I rose and opened it to Shawna, whose face was stained from tears.
    I showed her into the dining room.
    “What’s wrong, honey?” asked Marnie. “Did something else happen?”
    “Since I knew Beau was at the restaurant, I walked by his apartment and let myself in.”
    “Shawna! You didn’t!” It was Laci who scolded her sister. Marnie didn’t seem at all disturbed by Shawna’s behavior and waited to hear more.
    “I have a key, Laci. It’s not like I was breaking in.”
    “Then why bother doing it? You were up to no good and you know it.” Laci shook a finger at Jen. “Don’t ever do that. It’s wrong. Do you understand?”
    “In November, I accidentally found an engagement ring in Beau’s sock drawer.”
    Marnie looked so sad for her daughter that I thought she might start crying.
    “And now it’s gone.”

EIGHT
    From “Ask Natasha” :
    Dear Natasha,
    Every year I say I’m going to get a jump-start on Christmas so I won’t be so far behind and have too much to do. Is it tacky to put up the tree before Thanksgiving?
    —Pooped in Pilgrim, Texas
    Dear Pooped,
    The time to start is the day after Christmas! The very first thing to do on Boxing Day is start your shopping list for next Christmas and take advantage of the sales. If you follow my plan for organizing throughout the year, you’ll have plenty of time to put up your tree after Thanksgiving.
    —Natasha
    “Gone?” said Marnie. “Did you search thoroughly?”
    “Mom!” protested Laci. “You two are the worst examples for Jen!”
    It was my mom who weighed in with a less agitated voice. “He could have had it with him today. Maybe he meant to pop the big question, but his mother’s announcement got in the way.”
    “Do you really think so?” Color returned to Shawna’s complexion. “Aaugh.” She moaned and clapped her hands to her face. “I shouldn’t have run out. I bet he was going to propose right after Bonnie’s announcement. What a fool I was.” She took a seat, reached for the potatoes, and heaped them on her plate. “That’s a relief. I’m meeting him later today. I bet he’ll propose then! It won’t be the same as if he’d proposed at the party, but the important thing is to get that ring on my finger so we can plan a June wedding.”
    Marnie’s spirits didn’t appear to improve, and I had a feeling she wasn’t buying that explanation. I had doubts, too. Somehow, I didn’t think Shawna found the ring accidentally in the first place. She and Marnie didn’t seem to have any qualms about snooping. I couldn’t point fingers, though, since I came from a family of snoopers.
    “Wonderful.” Mom winked at Shawna. “As I recall, Laci and George wanted to buy a few Christmas gifts to make up for the ones that were stolen. I thought Grandpa and Jen might walk Daisy while the rest of us get groceries. Then we can have a cozy dinner here tonight.”
    “Fine by me, but I have a meeting at six.” Under the circumstances, I didn’t think I should reveal that it was with Bonnie.
    “I need to do a little shopping, too. I’d like to go to the mall with the kids,” said Marnie. “You don’t mind if I skip the grocery expedition, do you?”
    No one said anything in response, so I guessed that Mom and Hannah were stuck with the grocery run. Hannah would be less than thrilled about that .

    Five o’clock rolled around before I knew it, and truth be told, I was delighted to stroll with Dad, Jen, and Daisy, at least for the first leg of their walk. We’d left the mysterious kittens safely confined to an upstairs bedroom, so we wouldn’t have to worry about Mochie. He seemed much more relaxed when he was the king of the kitchen again, but I knew he would soon discover that the kittens hadn’t gone far.
    Dainty bits of snow drifted in the air as we walked. The wind