School's Out for Murder (Schooled in Murder Book 2) by Tracy D. Comstock

traits that make me crazy about you."
    Emily's heart skittered around in her chest, and she covered his hand with her own. "Thanks, Tad. You know my heart is wide open where you're concerned." She waited with baited breath to see how he would respond, but he said nothing, only turned his hand to link his fingers with hers. Oh well, she thought ruefully. They cared about each other a great deal. That was enough. For now. Returning to Tad's original question, she launched into an account of her day, starting with finally explaining the rumors circulating about Amelia and Larry having an affair and ending with her trip to the police station when she discovered the scrap of paper at her booth.
    "Wow," Tad said, pulling into Gabby and Greg's long, curving driveway. "You really have had a day."
    "You could say that," Emily agreed, admiring the lights shining out against the darkness. Outside of her parents' house, the one she grew up in, Emily had never known a home she felt more comfortable or welcomed in than Gabby and Greg's. Emily felt that familiar tug that she had been experiencing since the first time she had come here with Tad, that pull to her heart that made her wonder if they would one day share such a homey place, possibly one that held children. She shook off the feeling as she felt Tad reach over to massage her tight shoulders.
    "Come on," he said, tugging her hand. "Let's go see who Amelia's mystery boyfriend is."
    They found Gabby and Greg setting the table out on their new deck. The space was gorgeous. Lanterns strategically placed around the perimeter gave the area a cozy glow and recessed outdoor lighting showed not only the gentle curve of the two-tiered deck, but the beginnings of a playhouse in the far corner of the yard. "What's that?" Emily asked excitedly. She had had her own playhouse growing up, one her dad had built for her, and she had spent hours in it, teaching school to her dolls, hosting tea parties with her friends, or whiling away the hours with a good book.
    "I wanted you to see it in person first!" Gabby was as excited as if the playhouse was for her. "We decided that since the deck was more a project for us, we'd add the playhouse as a project for the girls. Your dad is going to help Greg finish it, but then you have to help me decorate it."
    "That may be the most exciting news I've heard all day," Emily exclaimed, taking in the playhouse's peaked roof and tiny front porch. "Everything looks gorgeous, as usual, Gabby. You guys did an amazing job with this deck."
    "Thanks." Gabby smiled over at her husband. "This man of mine sure comes in handy. Aren't I lucky?"
    "I'd say we both are," Emily answered, watching as the two men in their lives took up positions on either side of the manly grill, their arms crossed and their eyes narrowed against the smoke as they checked out the sizzling selection of meats wafting out mouthwatering scents on the cool night air. "What can I help you with?"
    "I just have the salad left." Gabby led the way into the kitchen to finish up the final touches on dinner. She and Emily were headed back out to the deck to join the men in a glass of wine and speculation as to whom Amelia's boyfriend might be, when the front doorbell rang. All four heads turned at the sound and Emily did a nervous little dance in place as Gabby went to let in the final two members of their little dinner party. Finally, they would learn the man's secret identity.
    But when Gabby led the newcomers out onto the new deck, Emily was sure she wasn't the only one whose jaw dropped open in shock. Amelia, looking radiant in a flowy, peach-toned dress with a light shawl, was a woman transformed. Where she had appeared wan and anxious when Emily and Gabby had lunched with her earlier in the day, she now glowed with the look of a woman in love. But Amelia's transformation was not the source of their shock. Rather it was the man that Amelia was clearly gaga about. Tad was the first to break out of the