Fiction by L.K. Campbell

“We finished on time,” Celeste said. “Dinner is ready for them.”

Cameron smiled. “This spread looks great if I may say so myself.”

“Let’s hope Renée’s dinner satisfies Amelia,” Celeste said. “I can’t prepare specialties on a moment’s notice like Henrietta does.”

He looked as if he had a remark on the tip of his tongue, but thought better of saying it. Instead, he made his way to the lobby to greet the returning guests as they came in the parking lot entrance. Celeste couldn’t pull her gaze away from the scene outside the window. Ethan had led Amelia away from the rest of the group, and they were engaged in a heated discussion. Angry words through gritted teeth and animated gestures punctuated their exchange. The others took in the show, but none seemed embarrassed or taken aback by it. Maybe they’re too tired and hungry to be concerned, or maybe they’ve seen it all before.

Ethan’s people made their way inside and began congregating around the tables. Celeste decided to join Cameron in the lobby. Tori Rogers bumped into her as if she were distracted by a message on her phone.

“Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Adams,” she said. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. It’s been a long day.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Celeste said and stood next to Cameron by the parking lot exit. Ethan and Amelia walked in without speaking to either of them.

“It’s not what you think,” Ethan whispered to Amelia. “And why do you care, anyway?”

“It’s embarrassing to hear your employees talking behind my back,” Amelia said. “We’re supposed to be a happy couple. Remember?”

“I haven’t forgotten our agreement,” he said.

Celeste breathed a sigh of relief when Amelia made haste to the hotel’s elevator. It was probably a wise move on her part to walk away rather than allow the argument to escalate. Ethan took a step forward as if to go after her, but then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he joined his employees who had already begun helping themselves to the food and drinks.

Cameron shook his head and sighed. “Not exactly the perfect end to the day, huh? I have some paperwork to finish in the office. Call me if you need me.”

“I’ll make our supper here since we’ll need to stay and clean up after them,” Celeste said. “Does tuna mac and cheese casserole sound good to you?”

He made a face. “It’ll do in a rush.”

“Now, Cam, you loved it when you were a kid. Has your taste gotten more sophisticated?”

Cameron grinned and shook his head at her as he passed the front desk. Once again, an image of his father came to the forefront of Celeste’s mind. Are the mannerisms inherited or learned behavior? Possibly a bit of both.

Celeste acknowledged Richard, the night clerk who had arrived for his shift.

“Good evening, Mrs. Adams,” he said.

“We have a full house tonight,” she said. “But hopefully, your evening will be uneventful.”

Richard held up two crossed fingers. She smiled at him and walked through the café to the kitchen. She paused when she heard footsteps behind her, accompanied by Devin’s voice.

“Mrs. Adams.”

Celeste turned toward him.

“Do you have take-out plates? I’d like to eat my dinner upstairs. I’m worn out and all I want to do is take a hot shower and then put my feet up.”

“Sure thing. Look in the cabinet under the beverage counter. Take a handful in case anyone else needs one.”

He bent over, grabbed several plates, plastic utensils, and napkins.

“I appreciate this,” he said.

His phone rang, and she excused herself to the kitchen.

“Yeah, man,” he said to his caller. “I’m doing a charity hike for Ethan this weekend. We’ll meet on Monday evening at my house. Bring all of your blueprints.”

She flipped on the light switch in the kitchen and pulled down the shade over the pass-through window.

“No, we’ll do this job on the sly just like the other one we’re working on,” Devin said to his caller. “I don’t want Ethan to discover what I’ve been doing on the side.” He paused and chuckled. “No, I don’t want the government to find out, either. Talk to you later.”

Well, I thought Devin would strike out on his own, but I didn’t think he’d be so underhanded about it. She searched the cupboard for two cans of light tuna fish, a box of macaroni noodles, and a bag of seasoned bread crumbs. Tuna mac and cheese casserole had always been one of her favorite comfort foods. Her mother had made it when she was a child. Years later, she’d made it for her own children. Judging by the frown on Cam’s face, she wondered if he remembered it as fondly as she did. She placed her canned and dry ingredients on the table and reached into the refrigerator for a brick of cheddar cheese. She also grabbed an onion out of the veggie keeper.

Rather than turn on the commercial oven, Celeste reached across the counter to preheat the small convection oven. The move put her in the perfect position to hear Ethan Wright talking. Even though he kept his voice low, the angry tone was unmistakable.

“I knew you were pissed off over the offshore account I opened in your name,” he said. “But I never thought you’d get back at me by telling Amelia about Carolyn.”

“I didn’t say anything to Amelia. I only saw her as she was getting on and off the van. She stayed at the base camp, handing out water bottles and getting her picture in the newspaper.”

Tori’s denial had come out loud and clear. If the party room door had been left open, their whole company could have heard it.

Using one word, Ethan quieted her. “Hush.”

“I was…I’m still mad at you for squirreling away the money in Costa Rica,” she continued in a lower voice. “While we’re down to counting pennies at the office now. But I wouldn’t give Amelia any ammunition against you.”

“I believe you’re exaggerating when you say counting pennies. You should be flattered I put the money in your name. I did it because I thought I could trust you, and I depended on your loyalty.”

“You’re speaking in the past tense because you think I’ve betrayed your trust now,” she said.

“But who else knew?” Ethan asked.

The young woman said nothing in response to his query. Hadn’t Henrietta heard Tori revealing Ethan’s secrets to an unknown man?

Celeste almost dropped the onion, but caught it before it hit the floor. Being as quiet as possible, she placed a pot of water on the stove to boil.

“I can’t afford to mess up our agreement,” he whispered. “She doesn’t care if I’m seeing another woman, but she doesn’t want it made public.”

“Well, of course, appearances are everything,” Tori said. “With her running for a state senate seat next year, but I swear she didn’t learn anything from me. We’re barely on speaking terms.”

Celeste’s eyebrows rose a notch. Does Amelia have political ambitions? This news was an unexpected revelation. Granted, she’d only met the woman a few times, but she didn’t pick up politician vibes from Amelia. While working at the television station in Raleigh, she’d encountered plenty of political types. She’d usually found them to be gregarious individuals who had a firm handshake ready and could turn on the charm at will. Amelia, however, seemed reserved, and her personality left a lot to be desired.

“It burned me up when her PR advisor told her to use the work we’ve done for hurricane recovery in her campaign ads,” Ethan said. “As if she’s ever worked alongside the company. I doubt she could name even one of our employees.”

Water began to boil on the stove, and Celeste added the macaroni.

“Is this the same PR person who talked you into calling off the divorce until after the election?” Tori asked.

“How did you glean that information?” He paused and sighed. “Don’t answer. I’m sure you keep your ear to the ground. Are you also aware of Amelia’s affair with Rod Duncan, her tech guru?”

A gasp preceded Tori’s reply, and she raised her voice again. “No. It couldn’t be Rod. You must be mistaken.”

“I didn’t think he was her type, either, but he can handle all the cyber stuff she’ll need to run her campaign.”

“Maybe helping her polish her online presence is all he’s doing,” Tori said. “And you’re imagining the rest.”

“I have proof,” he said. “She is seeing someone—if it isn’t Rod, it’s another man. Look, keep all of this to yourself, and especially about the money. I’m saving it for after my divorce is final. When the time comes, you and I will go down to Costa Rica and withdraw it.”

“Ethan, I wish you had asked me before putting me in this position. I hadn’t meant to bring this up here, but we need to discuss the accounts payable as soon as possible. I have charges to the building center in Boone, and I can’t reconcile them against purchase orders.”

“We’ll get together about this on Monday,” he said. “I don’t have time right now.”

Their conversation stopped when Celeste heard footsteps coming toward them. Another person had entered the café.

“Mr. Wright, your wife called down to find out what was being served for dinner. She wants you to bring her pasta and shrimp salad and a grilled chicken breast,” Cameron said. “Would you like me to deliver it?”

“No, I’ll jump right on it. Thanks a bunch,” Ethan said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“The takeout plates are under here,” Cameron said.

Cameron entered the kitchen as Celeste was placing the casserole dish in the oven. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a canned soft drink. He started to speak, but Celeste made a zipping motion against her lips to quiet him. She wanted to hear the remainder of Ethan and Tori’s conversation. She leaned her good ear toward the pass-through window.

“Even given what she found out today—not from me, mind you—she still expects you to obey her commands,” Tori said.

“Naturally,” Ethan countered. “Probably now more than before. The media must portray us as the perfect couple.”

When she heard them walk away, Celeste turned back to Cameron.

“Now, what did you want to say?”

He stared at her and shook his head. “Mom, forget what I was going to say. I peeked into the party room, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.”

She crinkled her nose and grinned at him. “See, it runs in the family.”

“What does?”

“You’re nosy, too,” she said.

* * *

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ISBN-13: 9798232344177
Words: 42,885
Published: Oct 5, 2025
Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Cozy » Amateur sleuth