Daffodils and Death

Chapter 1

Connie shifted in her wooden chair, which was upholstered with burnt orange and blue fabric, then leaned forward on the massive oak table in her jewelry shop, Just Jewelry.

She examined the exquisitely wrapped gift that her younger sister, Gianna, had just presented her with. Gianna and their mother, Josephine, or Jo, as she was better known, had flown in from Boston earlier that day to help Connie plan her wedding to Detective Zachary Hughes.

“A present already?’ Connie asked. “The wedding is still eight months away.”

“You can just chalk it up to my being the best maid-of-honor ever,” Gianna said with a grin.

Connie shook the gift. “It feels like a book. Let me guess. It’s a book about how to have the perfect marriage.”

Jo chuckled. “Unfortunately, no book can teach you that, sweetie. After forty years of marriage to your father, all I know for certain is that there’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to a happy marriage.”

Connie tore into the pastel yellow and white wrapping paper. 

“You almost guessed it,” Gianna said. “It’s our official wedding planning notebook.”

Connie inspected the hard cover diary, decorated with a colorful array of wildflowers. “It’s beautiful, Gi. Thank you.”

Gianna gently took the notebook from Connie’s hands. “I have to take it back temporarily, but it will be yours in due time. Gianna opened the notebook to the first page. “I already made a list of what we need to accomplish over the next ten days, while Mom and I are in town. I figured it would make a nice keepsake afterward.”

“That’s such a good idea,” Jo said. “Years from now, Connie will be able to look at it and remember everything we did this week. I’m so excited to get started.”

“So am I,” Gianna said. “We have a lot to do.”

Connie’s sister wasn’t kidding. It was quite the extensive list: wedding dress, flowers, DJ, reception venue, cake, catering, photographer, guest list, invitations. And the list went on. Connie’s head was spinning just reading it. 

“Are you kidding me? The wedding is still so far off. Are you sure we have to do all these things in the next ten days?” 

Before seeing Gianna’s rather long list, Connie thought she was in good shape. As soon as she and Zach became engaged last month, they met with Fr. Paul Fulton, who would be celebrating their wedding Mass. The couple then had their initial marriage prep meeting with Fr. Paul, reserved the church, and chose their readings and music. Connie thought they were ahead of the game.

“I know we have to make a decision on the dress to allow time for alterations, but I thought I’d have more time before I had to start thinking about all these other things,” Connie said.

“You don’t necessarily have to complete every task this week, but you at least need to get a jump on them,” Jo said. “November will be here before you know it.”

“Besides, you might as well take advantage of the two of us being here,” Gianna said. “We probably won’t be able to get another chunk of time off from work until we return for the wedding in November.”

Connie’s mother and sister owned a home staging company in the Boston area, so it was always a challenge for them to get any significant amount of time off at the same time.

“I suppose you’re right. Zach wants to be involved in choosing the menu, the cake, and the DJ. Beyond that, he said he’s happy to leave the details to us. Oh, and the wife of one of the guys at the station is a wedding photographer. We looked at her portfolio, and we’ll probably go with her,” Connie added.

“Perfect,” Gianna said, crossing ‘photographer’ off the list. “See? We’re already making progress.”

“Does that mean we can take the rest of the day off?” 

“Very funny. Now, we can move on to the dress and the flowers.” Gianna opened the notebook to the second page. “See, I made a list of every bridal shop in the area. We can start visiting them tomorrow afternoon.”

“As for the flowers, didn’t you say that Ruby has a friend who is a florist?” Jo asked.

“Yes, her name is Flo Delaney. She comes highly recommended by Ruby, which says a lot,” Connie said.

Ruby Boyd owned the souvenir shop next door from Connie’s jewelry shop, and the two had become close friends. Ruby was also a tenant to Connie’s parents, who purchased the building next door when their landlord wanted to sell it last summer.

“Flo’s shop is only a few streets away,” Connie said. “But I still have no idea what type of flowers I want.”

“Let’s take a walk over, anyway, and see if she’s available to talk now,” Gianna said. “I’m sure she’ll have lots of ideas.”

Connie informed Kelly, one of her three employees, that she would be leaving for a little while. Connie had only hired Kelly a few months ago, back in January, but she had quickly become an invaluable member of Connie’s team. 

“Take your time,” Kelly said. “Everything is under control here.”

Connie had decided to leave Ginger, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, at Just Jewelry with Kelly, since she would be returning to work later in the afternoon.

As the three women made their way over to Flo’s flower shop, Jo turned her face toward the sun, which burned brightly in the blue Florida sky. “It’s been a long and snowy winter back home. I almost forgot what the sun feels like.”

When they arrived in front of the flower shop, Connie peered up at the sign above the door. 

Gianna chuckled as she read the name aloud. “Flo the Florist?” 

Connie had to smile. “It’s catchy, that’s for sure.”

They entered Flo the Florist, and Connie’s senses were overwhelmed with bright colors and sweet scents. It felt as if she were walking into a bottle of floral perfume. Scattered throughout the store, weathered wooden shelves and tables were topped with an array of vases and pots filled with lush green plants and colorful flowers.

They were greeted by a wiry woman who looked to be about Jo’s age, with straight dark hair and fair skin. The woman darted around the shop with the energy of someone much younger.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked, dashing toward them.

“My name is Connie Petretta, and this is my mother, Jo, and my sister, Gianna. Ruby Boyd is a good friend, and she recommended we come in. We were hoping you might have a few minutes to talk.”

The woman’s face lit up. “Yes, of course! Ruby told me you’d be coming. You’re getting married in November, right?”

“That’s right.” A smile pushed its way across Connie’s face. That seemed to be happening a lot since she and Zach became engaged.

“Have you given any thought to the types of flowers you would like to have at your wedding?” Flo asked. Her eyes sparkled as she said the word “wedding.” 

Connie let out a sigh and scanned the shop. “I wish I knew. Everything looks so beautiful. I don’t know how I’ll ever decide.”

Jo put her arm around Connie’s shoulders. “I think Connie is a bit overwhelmed with the number of decisions to be made.”

Flo winked at Connie. “It certainly can be overwhelming. But that’s why I’m here. Let’s start with colors. Do you have a particular color in mind?”

“The color of the bridesmaids’ dresses we chose is called mist blue. I think yellow would complement them beautifully,” Connie said. 

“I agree,” Gianna said. “That will be bright and cheery.”

Flo brought them over to a shelf at the back of the shop “How about daffodils?” she asked, holding up a vase filled with yellow daffodils and white baby’s breath.

“Those are exquisite,” Connie said.

“Or there are also yellow roses, carnations, sunflowers…” 

“I do love the daffodils,” Connie interjected. Although she wasn’t sure if she just wanted to make a decision, or if that was truly her preference. 

Fortunately, her sister knew her well. Gianna took one look at her sister’s overwhelmed expression and laughed. “Why don’t we snap some pictures and talk more about it when you get back from work tonight? Mom and I will be in town for a while, so there’s no point rushing into a decision.”

“That’s true,” Connie said. “When I saw your list of things to do, I figured I’d better start making some decisions. But I don’t feel ready to choose the flowers quite yet.”

“I could also give you some magazines to flip through for more ideas. However, if you are free tomorrow morning, I have an idea that might help. Why don’t you visit the Sapphire Beach Botanical Garden and walk around for inspiration?” Flo suggested. 

“What a fantastic idea,” Jo said. “I haven’t been to the Botanical Garden in years.”

“We’ve really expanded over the past several years. I should know. I volunteer every Monday morning. However, I’ll be there tomorrow until noon, because I’m covering for a friend who normally volunteers on Fridays. If you’re free tomorrow morning at 9:30, I could meet you there, and we could walk through some of the flower gardens together. Once I have a better idea of your taste, I can make some more suggestions. There’s even a daffodil garden, and part of it is currently in bloom. We could start there.”

“I love that idea,” Gianna said.

“So do I,” Jo added. 

“Wonderful!” Flo said. “Come to the daffodil garden at 9:30. I’ll wait for you there.”

“Fabulous,” Jo said. “That’s so kind of you to go out of your way like that.”

“Any friend of Ruby’s is a friend of mine.” Flo winked at Jo. “Besides, Connie should have exactly what she wants at her wedding.”

“Agreed,” Gianna said. 

“I have a good feeling about Flo,” Jo said as they left the flower shop. “I think she’ll do a fantastic job. And I’m so excited for our visit to the Botanical Garden tomorrow. Flo was right. It will be the perfect way to narrow down your choice of flowers. Flo’s a doll to give us so much personal attention.”

“We’re already making progress on that gigantic list,” Connie said. “And the two of you just arrived in Sapphire Beach a few hours ago. Let’s celebrate our progress by going out for a late lunch. My treat. How about Surfside Restaurant? It’s where Elyse, Stephanie, and I do some of our best thinking.”

“You mean when you’re solving all those murder cases?” Jo asked.

“We talk about plenty of things,” Connie said coyly. “But, yes, we have made progress on an investigation or two during our many girls’ nights out.” 

“I’m game,” Gianna said. “Especially if lunch includes a frozen pina colada.”

“That can definitely be arranged,” Connie said.

“In that case, I’ll bring the notebook, and we can come up with a game plan for the next ten days.”

“I love this new carefree Connie,” Jo said. “The last time we visited you, you had the candy cane earring fundraiser going on, and you didn’t have Kelly. I know it was a risk to take on another employee, but I’m so glad you went ahead and hired her.”

The women stopped at Palm Paradise, which was the name of the condominium building where Connie lived, so that Jo and Gianna could unpack and change into summer clothes. They had gone straight to Just Jewelry from the airport. 

After their brief detour to Connie’s condo, they drove back downtown and walked to Surfside Restaurant, where they took a table on the deck overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. With her mom and sister sitting across from her, it felt more like a vacation than a weekday lunch.

As soon as their drinks arrived, Gianna pulled out the notebook, as well as a black felt tip pen. “Hopefully, after we visit the Sapphire Beach Botanical Garden tomorrow, you’ll have chosen your flowers. Our next priority, besides the dress, is to finalize the guest list.”

Jo pulled out a folded document from her purse and handed it to Connie. “We already made a list of people we knew you’d want to invite from home. You and Zach just need to check to make sure we didn’t forget anyone and add your friends in Florida.”

Connie read the list and noticed several guests with the last name of Hughes. “Did you already talk to Zach? I notice his family members are already listed.”

“No, we got Zach’s list from his parents,” Jo said.

“Wait, what? You’re in touch with Zach’s parents?”

“Of course we are, honey.”

Gianna threw her hands in the air. “Don’t look at me. That’s all Mom and Dad.”

Jo shrugged. “Well, we had their number from when you gave it to us last fall, so I thought I’d get a jump on the guest list. They said that only about half the people on the list will actually be able to come to an out-of-state wedding. The same thing is probably true for our side of the family, as well. I’d estimate that about half of our friends will be able to travel for the wedding.”

“I’ve already transferred the lists to a spreadsheet, including their addresses,” Gianna said. “I’ll email it to you tonight. If you and Zach can look it over and send me the people from Sapphire Beach you’d like to add, then we’ll have the final list.”

Before the end of their lunch, the three women had studied the tasks in Gianna’s notebook and decided on tentative times over the next ten days when they could address each task on the list. 

After lunch, Connie went back to work for what turned out to be an uneventful end of the day. Easter had passed, which meant that snowbird and tourist season was quickly winding down. One of her other employees, Abby, was working that evening, so Connie was tempted to leave early, but she stayed to teach the Thursday evening jewelry-making class. She figured she’d give her mother and sister some time to relax after their flight, and it was easier for one person to teach while the other tended to customers.

After class, Connie called Zach while she walked Ginger.

“How is the wedding planning going?” he asked.

“Did you know that our parents have been in touch and have put together the entire guest list?”

Zach laughed. “I knew my parents were giving your parents some names and addresses, but I didn’t realize they got that far.”

“They got pretty far. They just need us to go over it and fill in the gaps, especially with our friends who live in Florida.”

“That’s not exactly a bad thing,” Zach said.

“No, not at all. Gianna’s going to email me the list so we can go through it together. We’re meeting the florist tomorrow at the Sapphire Beach Botanical Garden to work on choosing flowers. I’m leaning toward daffodils. What do you think?”

“I’m not much of a flower expert,” Zach said. “I’m sure whatever you choose will be beautiful. I can’t believe we almost have a guest list, and we’re already choosing flowers.”

“I know. November is going to come quickly.” 

“Not quickly enough,” Zach said.

Connie felt that familiar smile spread across her face.

“I’ll keep you posted on our progress and let you know when we’re ready to explore some caterers and choose a cake.”

“Sounds wonderful, Connie. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Everything is going so smoothly,” Connie said to her mother and sister when she and Ginger arrived upstairs. 

“That’s true,” Gianna said. “But there are still a lot of details that need to fall into place.”

Connie waved away her sister’s comment. “You worry too much, Gi. What could possibly go wrong?”