Free Cupid's Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow by Barbara Ivie Green

fidgeted with her fork.
    Amber wished he would stop watching her. Her awareness of him made her every sense more alert. Not exactly what I want when I’m striving for dull, she thought.
    “What about you, sugar?” Charlene asked her. “Have you ever thought about a makeover?”
    “I was actually considering it last night,” Amber said.
    “Really?” Charlene leaned forward excitedly.
    “Well, just my hair,” Amber said. “I was considering having it dyed right when those arrows started flying.”
    “That must have been so scary,” Jessie said, noticing that Amber looked uncomfortable talking about it.
    “I’m going to sneak away for a minute,” Katie said, “if you don’t mind.”
    “You know that Jonathan’s mother gave me a makeover once,” Jessie said.
    “She what?” Charlene giggled. “Don’t tell me.”
    “She did.” Jessie nodded. “I came back sporting a beehive hairdo that stood about a foot high.”
    “Ahh!” Charlene snorted with laughter that had Amber chuckling.
    Amber caught Jonathan looking at her through the window. When he winked and nodded, she glanced away quickly, feeling her pulse race and a blush stain her cheeks.
    “It took hours to comb out!” Jessie said. “ . . . and the dress! You should have seen it! A light blue polyester number.”
    “No, no,” Charlene gasped. “Stop! I’m going pee my pants!”
    They all dissolved into giggles.
    Crash!
    “What was that?” Charlene asked.
    “It’s garbage day,” Jessie said. “Maybe the truck is early.”
    Jonathan continued to watch her, noticing how embarrassed she’d become by his attention. She had a really cute nose he decided. He was startled out of his assessment of her by the fuzzy white kitty who hopped up onto his lap and then the table.
    Jacques leaned back out of striking distance of the frisky feline who sat looking at the gentlemen gathered around. Both Tom and Bob stared back with varying degrees of surprise.
    “You let the cats sit on the table?” Bob asked. He looked like he now questioned his choice of fine dining establishments. He reached over to pick her up.
    “Oh, I would not do that if I were you,” Jacques said.
    “Why is that?” he asked, receiving the answer from the source. “Dang!” He jerked back his hand. “That’s a. . . .”
    “Himalayan,” Jessie supplied as she came inside and picked up the cat and a coffee pot. “They are very sensitive cats. You can’t just maul them,” she said on her way back outside.”
    “I’m the one who got mauled,” Bob called after her.
    Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong !
    Gloria shook her head in disbelief at the frantic ringing of the doorbell.
    “Seems word got out about your sweet rolls, Gloria,” Bob said as she left to answer it.
    She found Mavis standing outside on the front porch holding her purse and dog. “Why didn’t you just come around back?” Gloria said as she opened the door, noticing for the first time the stricken expression Mavis wore. “Good heavens, what’s wrong?”
    “I just ran into the back of a Pinto,” Mavis cried. “Oh dear, do you think it’s one of those models that will explode?”
    “I—” Gloria started. “You’d better come in.”
    “I can’t,” Mavis said. “I don’t want anyone to think I’ve run from the crime.”
    “No one would think that.”
    “The owner of the Pinto might, and the police are already on the scene.” She pointed at the squad car parked behind the blue Pinto.
    Gloria craned her neck to see. It looked like Mavis had backed her car up into the Pinto which had then hit the police car.
    Mavis fished through her purse. “Here, hold this for me,” she whispered, handing Gloria a bottle of liquid daytime cold medicine. “I don’t want to be caught with this on me. They might assume I’ve been under the influence.”
    “Mavis, sweetheart,” Gloria said. “It’s going to be just fine. No one is going to think that.” She watched as Mavis’s chin trembled. “Oh, now,