Sapphire Beach Paperback Bundle (Books 5-8), Paperbacks

Snowbirds and Suspects: Chapter 1

A loud knock on the glass behind her nearly caused Connie Petretta to drop the necklace she was arranging in the display window of her jewelry shop, Just Jewelry. Connie literally laughed out loud when she turned to find Ruby Boyd, her friend and owner of the souvenir shop next door, enthusiastically waving and pointing to the front door of Connie’s shop with one of her crutches.

Connie nodded to indicate that she would meet her at the front door. She cautiously scooted out of the tight space where she was working and greeted Ruby, careful not to knock over any of the displays. 

Grace, who was Connie’s friend, neighbor, and part-time employee, had been ringing up a customer and joined the two women. 

“What’s all the excitement for?” Grace asked. Grace and Ruby had become fast friends in the ten months since Connie opened Just Jewelry. The two regularly took lunch breaks together to eat at the beach, which was just a couple of short blocks away.

Ruby hobbled over to the long oak table, where Connie often created jewelry or taught jewelry-making classes, and Connie and Grace followed. Ruby leaned her crutches against the table and took a seat. “I am so excited,” Ruby announced. “I have a niece!” 

Connie and Grace exchanged a confused glance. As far as Connie knew, all of Ruby’s siblings were well beyond childbearing age. 

But Ruby continued undeterred. “I’m going to meet her tonight for dinner.” She looked wide-eyed at Connie and Grace apparently awaiting their reaction.

Grace put her arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “Slow down, my friend. You’re not making any sense. I know you have a niece and two nephews, but how is that exciting news?”

Ruby laughed and took a deep breath. “Let me start over. For my birthday my brother, Glen, bought me one of those DNA kits – you know, so I could trace our family lineage. I sent a DNA sample in, and it turns out we have a niece that we didn’t know about. Her name is Amy. She is thirty years old and lives in Fort Myers. Apparently, she got some type of notification after I did the DNA test, so she reached out to me online a couple of weeks ago. We got to talking over email, which led to some extensive phone conversations. It turns out that Amy is the daughter of my brother, Kevin.”

Grace appeared to be searching her memory. “You mean your brother who passed away?”

Ruby bobbed her head up and down. “That’s right. Kevin had a fatal heart attack four years ago at the age of fifty-two. But isn’t it wonderful that he had a daughter we never knew about? She seems like an amazing young woman from what I could tell over the phone. She’s an elementary school teacher, and she is engaged to a man named Peter who sounds terrific.” 

“That’s amazing,” Connie said, warmly embracing Ruby. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Did Kevin know that he had a daughter?” Grace asked. 

“No. According to Amy, her mother never told him about her. I suppose I should be angry about that, but I’m just so excited to learn about Amy that there’s just no room in my heart for anger.”

“If Amy is from Fort Myers, how did your brother know her mother? Isn’t your family from Wisconsin?”

“Judging from Amy’s age, they had to have met when my brother was in law school. During that time, he spent summers working as a waiter in Sapphire Beach and living at our family’s former vacation home, where I now live. My family has been coming to Sapphire Beach since I was a little girl. When my parents died ten years ago, they left the family’s vacation cottage to me, my brothers Kevin and Glen, and my sister Tammy. I decided to move here permanently for a fresh start, so I bought out my siblings and opened the souvenir shop. All of my remaining siblings ended up buying their own second homes in Sapphire Beach, and they all spend their winters here.”

“Wasn’t Kevin married?” Grace asked.

“Yes. I haven’t told his widow, Sally, about Amy yet. I figured I’d meet Amy in person first and get to know her before introducing her to the rest of the family. I’m not sure how Sally will feel about Amy. She and Kevin married later in life, and they don’t have any children. Amy was born long before they even met.”

“That’s wild,” Connie said. “With technology today, stories like this are becoming increasingly more common. With more and more people signing up, ancestry databases are growing. More people are finding long lost family members or family they didn’t even know existed.”

Grace smiled. “Well, if you’re happy, then I’m happy. Just remember, there are a lot of crazy people in the world, you know. Promise me you’ll meet this woman in a public place. If anything goes wrong, it’s not like you could run very far with that sprained ankle.”

Ruby waved Grace off. “I’m telling you, there is nothing to worry about. Amy is a sweetheart, and I can’t wait to meet her in person. But if it makes you feel any better, we’re meeting at Gallagher’s Tropical Shack for dinner tonight, so we won’t be alone.” 

Connie was pleased to learn that, since Gallagher’s was right across the street. 

“In that case, I wish you a wonderful evening,” Grace said. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

“I’ll say a prayer that it turns out the way you hope,” Connie said.

“Well, I’d better get going. I have a few things to do in my shop before meeting Amy tonight, and everything takes longer with these crutches.” 

“That’ll teach you not to climb on ladders when you’re alone,” Grace said.

“It could have happened to anybody,” Ruby said. Then she left Just Jewelry wearing the same broad smile she came in with.

“It’s wonderful to see Ruby so happy,” Grace said. “I’m just crossing my fingers that she isn’t disappointed.”

Connie agreed. “I’d hate to see Ruby get hurt. She does so much to make others happy. When she learned I was selling Fair Trade jewelry, she immediately inquired about selling some products from my artisans in her own shop. She said that God blessed her in her life, so she always does what she can to bless others.”

“Ruby has a heart of gold. And I get the feeling that heart has been refined in fire. She doesn’t talk about her past a lot, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s just a feeling I get,” Grace said. “I hope she finds some happiness connecting with this young woman.”

“So do I, but I’m happy they’re meeting in a public place,” Connie said.

Grace nodded her agreement. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry.”

For the rest of the afternoon, Connie and Grace barely had a free moment. It was the third week in January, and the snowbirds were returning to Sapphire Beach in full force. This meant that a steady stream of customers flowed in and out of the downtown shops for much of the day. Grace was working a double shift to cover for Abby, Connie’s other employee and a student at nearby Florida Sands University, so that Abby could attend a concert. Grace’s tireless energy never ceased to amaze Connie. Not only did she work part-time for Connie, but she was also training for her next mini-triathlon, which was just a couple of months away. Connie hoped she had that much energy during her retirement years. 

There was a lull in customers around dinnertime, so Connie took advantage to take Ginger, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, for a walk. When she returned, Detective Zachary Hughes, whom Connie was dating, was seated on the red sofa in the seating area of her shop. 

“I just got off work and was in the neighborhood picking up dinner, so I thought I’d come by to say hello.” 

Connie unhooked Ginger’s leash, and the dog trotted over to greet Zach. 

“You two visit. I’ve got this,” Grace said gesturing towards a customer who just walked in.

Connie gave Grace an appreciative smile and joined Zach in the seating area.

He stood to greet her and kissed her on the cheek. “I came downtown to grab a quick dinner, because I’m meeting Elyse tonight to look at some more houses.” Elyse, one of Connie’s closest friends in Sapphire Beach, was also a realtor and the wife of Detective Josh Miller. 

Connie felt a warm smile spread across her face. “I’m glad you came. It’s always nice to see you.”  

“Actually, I came for another reason as well,” Zach confessed. “I know it’s still three weeks away, but I was hoping you might be able to break away from the store for dinner on Valentine’s Day.”

Fortunately, Abby worked on Friday nights, so Connie was hopeful that she would be able to take the time off. “I should be able to, but let me just double check with Abby before I commit.”

“Nonsense,” Grace chimed in. “If Abby would like to take Valentine’s Day off, I am happy to switch a shift with her and come in early. You two make plans.”

Grace’s voice startled Connie, who hadn’t noticed that she was just a few yards away showing a woman around the Fair Trade section of the store.

“I vote for the date,” the customer said, winking at Connie and Zach. “It’s a holiday for couples, and you two seem to enjoy each other’s company.”

“You know what they say,” Zach said. “The customer is always right.”

Connie laughed. “Okay I guess it’s settled then.”

Zach smiled broadly. “Perfect. I’ll make reservations somewhere special.”

Zach’s phone pinged, and he pulled it from his pocket. “I’d better go. It’s Elyse reminding me that we’re meeting in her office in five minutes.” 

The downtown streets began to empty, and before Connie knew it, it was time to close shop. 

Just as Connie and Grace were about to flip the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed,’ a joyful Ruby came through the door with a young woman who had brown, wavy hair. Connie assumed she was Amy. There was a tangible affection between the two women that indicated they had enjoyed getting acquainted over dinner. 

“I just had to introduce the two of you to my niece, Amy,” Ruby said, grinning from ear to ear. 

When Amy smiled, her dark eyes had the same sparkle as Ruby’s. 

“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Connie said, shaking Amy’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” 

Amy looked around Just Jewelry. “It’s beautiful in here,” she said. Her gaze settled on the Fair Trade section. “I love that you support artisans in developing countries. Ruby told me about your store over dinner.”

“Amy spent two years in the Peace Corps after college, so I was telling her about your work,” Ruby said. 

“I spent two years volunteering in Kenya with a faith-based organization,” Connie said. “That’s where I first learned to make jewelry. What country were you in?”

“I worked with children in Guatemala. It changed the trajectory of my life, leading me to get a degree in early childhood education. It was the best experience of my life.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Connie said. “We’ll have to get together and swap stories.”

“Definitely,” Ruby said, placing a hand on Amy’s shoulder and squeezing. “Now that I’ve found Amy, I don’t plan on letting her out of my life. There will be plenty of occasions for that.”

Amy’s joyful gaze met Ruby’s. “The feeling is mutual. I’ll definitely be visiting Sapphire Beach on a more regular basis.”

Ruby looked at Amy and shook her head. “I still can’t get over how much you look like my brother.”

Amy smiled and patted her pocketbook. “I have to agree. Thank you for the pictures of my father.”

After Ruby and Amy left, the women closed the shop and walked together to the parking lot at the end of the street.

“I guess we were concerned for no reason,” Grace said with a chuckle. “Amy seems like a lovely young woman.”

“I agree. I’m looking forward to getting to know her.”