Read Online Not Quite Gone (A Lowcountry Mystery) by Lyla Payne - Free Book Online

possibly, when I look at it through squinted eyes, she might be right.
    “The only time I take for myself is yoga or kickboxing in the mornings. And that’s mostly before the kids get up.” Her eyes light up. “You guys should come to yoga!”
    “Heron Creek has a yoga studio?”
    “Of course not, Graciela, don’t be silly. But we do have a yoga instructor —Taylor Nash, the cute gal who tookover the reporter job at the Sun ?”
    Her name rings a bell. It takes a second for me to remember that Leo asked her out on a date. And that she agreed, according to him. Yoga had better at least triple a person’s ability to zen if she’s going to date him.
    “Huh.”
    “She teaches us down by the river when it’s nice outside, but otherwise we snag the hall at the Moose Lodge.”
    “Eagle Lodge,” Mel corrects.Because, of course, Will joined, just like his father and his grandfather.
    Like my grandfather.
    “Whatever. Anyway, it’s at five thirty on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
    “Ha! Good luck getting Gracie out of bed before ten.” Mel snorts. “But if Taylor has some sort of giant belly work-arounds, I might be interested. I could use a little zen in my life.”
    “Hey, maybe I’ll come, too,” I say.
    Mel raisesan eyebrow at me. “Right. And monkeys might fly out of my butt.”
    “Cripenanny, Melanie, you need to bring your comebacks out of the early nineties.”
    The sound of singing and squeals from the stacks distracts all three of us. Both Mel and LeighAnn hurry off to collect their kids, who together make up over half Amelia’s group. Lindsay walks out into the lobby a few moments later, Marcella in tow.The little girl’s other hand clutches three hardback picture books, two of which we’ve read together on several occasions, and a smile creeps over my face.
    “Marcie! How are you?”
    “Miss Gracie!” She tugs her hand free from her mother’s and flies the dozen steps into my arms, clinging to me so hard she could win the part of a spider monkey in the preschool play, no problem. “I found another turtlebook,” she says, wriggling loose and holding the third title up for my inspection.
    “So you did, Monkey. It’s new—I ordered it and thought about you, but I haven’t seen you lately.”
    “I know. You weren’t here at the last story time.” The accusing look she gives me, along with the hand on her cocked hip, make her look sixteen instead of four.
    “I’m very sorry about that, but I know you’ve had somepretty awesome things happening at home…” I trail off, chancing a look at Lindsay. She doesn’t look like she wants to buy best-friend necklaces anytime soon but she’s relaxed. Smiling, at least at her daughter.
    “Oh! Miss Gracie, my mommy came home!” She spins, grabbing Lindsay’s hand and dragging her forward. “This is my mommy.”
    “I know your mommy, just like I know your Uncle Leo, that sillyold man.” I look up, keeping my smile. Determined to make things between Lindsay Boone and me as not-weird as possible, given her past, my present, and the fact that the last time we spoke it was in the visiting room of a state penitentiary. “Hi, Lindsay. It’s good to see you.”
    “Thank you for being so kind to my daughter.” Her smile turns wry. “And my brother.”
    That makes me laugh. “Well, Marcellaat least makes it easy. She’s a great kid.”
    “Thank you.” There’s a pause that seems as though it needs to be filled, but I’m at a loss as to what to say. After a strange moment, I grab the books from Marcella and check them out, presenting them with a flourish. “There you go, ma’am. Make sure to take good care of them. No using them for spaghetti plates.”
    “That’s silly. We have regular plates.”

    “Of course you do. I’ll see you later, okay?”
    “Okay.” She comes around the desk and gives me another hug, then goes back to her mother.
    “Bye, Lindsay.”
    She gives me another glance, one pregnant with some unspent thought or