Karen MacInerney - Margie Peterson 01 - Mother's Day Out (36 page)
Read Karen MacInerney - Margie Peterson 01 - Mother's Day Out Online
Authors: Karen MacInerney
Tags: #Mystery: Cozy - Humor - P.I. - Texas
As my friends introduced themselves, I looked around at my living room, the soft, squishy couches, the petit-point rug on the hardwood floors. The family and the life I had so carefully designed—the house we were going to redo together, the plans we made for the future—was falling apart around me. As I stroked Snookums, Peaches plopped down beside me threw an arm across my shoulders.
“Remember what my momma said.”
“Men are like buses?”
“Bingo. It’s gonna suck for a while, but you’ll make out all right. I raised two kids on my own.”
“You went through this too?” I wasn’t sure I was ready to get off my bus just yet, but it was comforting to know that other women had. And had survived.
She nodded. My husband wasn’t hitting for the other team, like yours is, but he had himself a whole harem goin’. One of them was just sixteen. Man, was he an asshole.”
I sniffled. “Did the kids… were they okay?”
“Both of ’em happily married, got kids of their own.”
I leaned back into the couch and closed my eyes.
Peaches squeezed my shoulder. “It’s gonna be hard either way. You’re gonna want to crawl into a hole and die for a while. But it won’t last. And after what you’ve been through? You’re gonna come out of this smellin’ like a rose.”
“My mother and father split up too,” Becky said. “And I turned out okay.”
I thought about my mother, and the effort she’d put into raising us after my father left us. She was a little loopier than most moms, but the truth was, I’d turned out okay too.
“And who knows?” Becky continued. “Maybe you and Blake will patch things up.”
“Maybe so. Of course, I might have to have an operation first,” I said. “Even so, I don’t look that good in a cocktail dress.”
Peaches snickered first. Then Becky snorted. A moment later, the room exploded with laughter.
As she wiped a tear from her eye, Peaches said, “By the way, did I tell you I got another call this morning? Another infidelity case.” She winked. “After the last few days, you should be a pro.”
“Another one?” I groaned. “Please tell me he’s not gay this time.”
Peaches shrugged. “At least this time, if he heads for the Rainbow Room, you’ll know.”
As Peaches poured everyone a round of tequila and Becky tore open the bag of cookies, I took a sip of Chardonnay and smiled. I didn’t know what the next chapter of my life held for me. The jury was out on my marriage. I might have to sell my house and move to an apartment, just like my mother had.
But Peaches was right. It was going to be okay.
THE END
Titles by Karen MacInerney
Gray Whale Inn Mysteries
Murder on the Rocks
Dead and Berried
Murder Most Maine
Berried to the Hilt
Tales of an Urban Werewolf
Howling at the Moon
On the Prowl
Leader of the Pack
Margie Peterson Mysteries
Mother’s Day Out
Beads of Doubt
, with Barbara Burnett Smith
Praise for Murder on the Rocks:
“Karen MacInerney writes with verve and vitality, and her Natalie Barnes is a Maine original. I’m ready to book a room at the Gray Whale Inn!”
— Susan Wittig Albert, bestselling author of
Nightshade
and other China Bayles Herbal Mysteries.
“Deliciously clever plot. Juicy characters. Karen MacInerney has cooked up a winning recipe for murder. Don’t miss this mystery!”
— Maggie Sefton,
New York Times
best-selling author of
Knit One, Kill Two
“Clever plotting, charming characters — and of course, decadent recipes — will leave you hungry for more.”
— Michele Scott, author of
Murder Uncorked
Praise for Howling at the Moon:
“Sophie was a delight, and Howling at the Moon was like a big bag of potato chips…I kept reaching for the next page, and the next, and the next…”
— MaryJanice Davidson,
New York Times
best-selling author of the Undead series
“A swift-paced, fun romp through supernatural Austin.”
— Charlaine Harris,
New York Times
best-selling author
“…you’ll have the reading time of your life with talented author Karen MacInerney… When you finish this tale, your face will wear a permanent grin and your fangs will be showing.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks as always go first to my sweet husband Eric, who supports me in all my ventures, and to my terrific kids, Abby and Ian. Neither of whom have anything at all in common with Elsie and Nick, incidentally. Except perhaps for the skort incident.
Thanks also to Jessica Faust, who encouraged me to write this book in the first place, and Jessica Park, who encouraged me to resurrect it. Jim Thomsen helped me figure out the (originally flawed) ending, and my wonderful parents Dave and Carol Swartz and friends Bethann and Beau Eccles all gave thoughtful reads to early drafts. (Beau also saved a McDonald’s fry phone for me. For seven years. That’s friendship!) Love always to my fabulous in-laws Dorothy and Ed MacInerney, without whom so many things, including this book, would not be possible. And thanks to Austin Mystery Writers for thoughtful comments: Mary Jo Powell, Sylvia Dickey Smith, Dave Ciambrone, Kimberly Sandman, Rie Sheridan, and Laney Hennelly all made their marks, usually in No. 2 pencil.
And last but not least, thanks to my wonderful readers and Facebook friends, who named approximately 50% of the characters in this book for me. You make days at the desk go by so much faster, even if you you do make me laugh so hard I’m perpetually wiping coffee off the monitor!
About the Author
National bestselling author Karen MacInerney is the creator of the Agatha-nominated Gray Whale Inn mysteries, the Margie Peterson mysteries, and Tales of an Urban Werewolf. You can find her on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/karenmacinerney
or Twitter at @KarenMacInerney; she loves to connect with readers! For updates on new books, please visit her web site at
www.karenmacinerney.com
.
Table of Contents