Free 2 A Christmas Wedding To Die For by Pat Amsden

relief.
    Walt moved over to talk to Heath in more detail while Maxine's mother asked if she could go shopping. "If you need to stay here I understand," her mother assured her holding up her hands to show she meant it.
    "If you can brave the Boxing Day sales so can I," Maxine said, surprising herself. Not that long ago she would've taken any opportunity she could to avoid spending a day shopping with her mother.
    Then again, a year ago her mother would've driven her crazy wanting to know everything from her latest boyfriend's career and bank account to letting her know what she could do to improve herself. If this was Walt's doing she approved. Unless he did something to hurt her mother.
    "Are you looking for anything in particular," she asked her mother as they headed in the downtown Bay Center. With nearly a hundred shops to browse through there was more than enough to keep them busy.
    "I just want to look," her mother said. They stopped in at Anne Louise Jeweler's with her mother insisting on buying her a new Pandora's bead in recognition of her chocolate shop's success.
    In the Bay, Maxine found a mother-daughter pendant she liked and bought it for her mother.
    "Darling, I want you to spend the money on yourself," her mother complained, although not for too long.
    About to go into the Aveda Salon for a quick mani/pedi, they ran into Julianna, her sister and a young shopper in training.
    Looking vibrantly happy it was hard to believe her life had ever been in danger. Maxine was more interested in the young girl she had with her.
    "Angelina! "she cried, her face lighting up.
    Angelina beamed. "I know you. You were at the Christmas party! That was the bestest party EVER!"
    Maxine laughed while looking at Juliana.
    "My dad invited Angelina and her mother to Christmas dinner. And then since I was going shopping today anyway I thought what could be more fun than to bring Angelina with us!"
    Her sister looked less than charmed.
    "And Mommy's got a new job. She's going to be working in, in... in an Office," Angelina said, eyes wide.
    "I'm so happy for you," she said, as excited as Angelina was herself.
    "Dad said he'd pay for her to upgrade her skills and then get a job in AC Games," Julianna said beaming.
    "We're going to able to afford a real home," Angelina said. "And Mom said I can help make it all pretty and I'll have a room of my own."
    As their feet relaxed in foot baths while there hands dried under hand dryers her mother commented wryly. "Zeke and Julianna may be happy but sister dear looked like she wanted to spit bullets."
    "Maybe I'll pick up something at the party. If the police don't figure it out before then." She'd noticed two in the mall, one discreetly behind the girls, another further down the mall.
    "It would be so much easier if she could just remember what happened."
    "Even if she can't you'd think she'd have said something to someone before dashing off." In fact, if memory served Maxine correctly she had. Kevin had said something about that...She just couldn't remember what.
    Even as Sherri filed her nails, offering her a tray of exotic sounding colors such as Tahitian orange and Crimson tide to choose from Maxine had lost interest in the mani/pedi and was thinking of an excuse to talk to Kevin.
    Something her mother noticed immediately. "What are you planning to do?"
    "Me, nothing."
    "You've thought of something. Come on. You might as well tell me."
    She gave her mother another look. No matter what she said her mother wasn't going to believe it anyway. "I thought I'd see if Kevin could remember who Julianna talked to last."
    "Oh, good," her mother said almost ruining her manicure as she sat up suddenly looking more excited than Maxine had seen in a while. "Have you decided how we can do that?"
    "We?"
    "It will be a mother-daughter bonding experience!"
    Oh God. Now her mother wanted to go with her? Somehow she liked it better when she was just telling her not to do stuff like this and let the police do their