Free Scottsdale Squeeze: a romantic light-hearted murder mystery (Laura Black Mysteries Book 2) by B A Trimmer Page A

huge rocky mountain at the end of the peninsula. The few clouds out in the gulf were starting to light up with iridescent yellows and oranges. As we watched, the sun touched the sea then slowly sank below it. We heard the clicking of cameras as everyone got in at least one shot. I saw both Sophie and Annie had their phones out and were taking pictures of the beautiful sunset.
    As the last sliver of sun disappeared below the horizon, there was cheering and applause from everyone in the restaurant. The four of us held up our glasses and clinked them together.
    A few minutes later, a waiter brought out our dinners and we dug in.
    “Jackie,” I said between bites. “I know how you and Annie got together.”
    Annie blushed a bright red and we all laughed.
    “But, I was more wondering about your group. How did you end up joining a group of cougars?”
    “I didn’t start out that way,” Jackie said, waving her fork as she talked. “I’ve known Elle and Pammy for years. After their divorces, they just started seeing younger guys. Not actually dating as much as hooking up for a night or maybe a weekend. I don’t think they originally planned on younger guys, but they had both come from bad marriages and no one was looking for a long-term relationship with anyone. They both occasionally tried to go out on actual dates with guys their own age but it never worked out. Fifty year old divorced guys are sorta clingy and the younger guys are just easier to deal with.”
    “And they have those firm little butts that need to be spanked,” Sophie said.
    At that, we held up our glasses and clinked them together.
    “Yeah, young guys don’t think so much about long term commitment,” Jackie said. “With them, it’s all about the sex. And I’m talking sex all night. There’s no blue-pill problem with these boys.”
    It was a lovely image, we couldn’t help it. We held up our glasses and clinked them together one more time.
    “When my marriage started to fall apart,” Jackie continued, “I started hanging out with Elle and Pam. At first, I only wanted to get out of the house but we eventually became a regular threesome. We’d go to the clubs three or four nights a week. After I moved out and had a place of my own, I’d sometimes go home with a guy and sometimes not. But the three of us always had such a good time together. Everyone at the clubs knows us and are ally nice to us. Shannon became a regular with our group about a year ago. Cindy and Sonia hang out with us too, whenever they have free time. After I met Annie, we took her on as a puma.”
    “What’s a puma?” Sophie asked.
    “Oh,” Jackie said. “It’s a cougar in training.”
    “We all like men in their twenties,” Annie said. “So we have that in common. I’m just a poor college student by day. But at night, I get to share in the glamorous life. Everyone in the group thinks they’re my big sister and they’re all very protective. They give me advice and steer me to guys when they think I might find a connection. Only in my case, I’m looking for something a little more long term. I wouldn’t even mind getting married.”
    We all moaned and I saw Sophie rolling her eyes. But we understood her feelings. A girl should get married, at least once, to help get it out of her system.
    ~~~~
    After dinner, we drove to Jackie’s house and ended up back on her deck. The moon was a little past full and it was casting a beautiful glow over the sea. In the distance, we could see boats slowly moving back and forth over the water.
    A hundred yards further down the beach, a group of teenagers was gathered around a bonfire, laughing and shooting off fireworks. We could hear the bonfire making popping sounds and occasionally it would send a shower of sparks into the air.
    The fireworks were the big locally made aerial rockets that are for sale on all of the beaches in Rocky Point. Every few minutes, there would be a whoosh and then a trail of sparks, ending in a loud