I'll be posting a chapter from "Murder in Half Moon Bay" every day until the end of the month. Enjoy!
R.S.V.P.
JILLIAN
If you like to read about lovely places and fabulous cuisine, enjoy the Jillian Bradley mystery series.
Chapter 1
YOU ARE INVITED
TO ATTEND
THE
GARDEN CLUB
ON
OCTOBER 13-16
THE RITZ-CARLTON
HALF MOON BAY
YOU ARE INVITED
TO ATTEND
THE
GARDEN CLUB
ON
OCTOBER 13-16
THE RITZ-CARLTON
HALF MOON BAY
R.S.V.P.
JILLIAN
The invitations had gone out a few days ago to
three of my dearest friends in the world. Ann would respond first. Cherishing
her friendship for over fifteen years had given me some insight–I knew her like
a book. It was therefore no surprise when the phone rang and her name popped up
on my caller ID.
“Jillian, I’m coming to the Garden Club. Have you
heard from anyone else?”
“Not yet, you’re the first.” I leaned an elbow on
the freshly wiped kitchen counter. “I did talk to Dominique last week, but it
was about her trip. She had quite an interesting time.”
Knowing I would probably be talking for a while, I reheated
my coffee and sauntered from the tidied kitchen into the living room. There my
overstuffed recliner waited. Teddy, my Yorkshire terrier, crawled up into my
lap, curling up in his usual sleeping position.
Ann laughed. “Dominique’s trips are always
interesting. I believe she went on two safaris this….”
A beep drowned out her words–another call.
“Ann, I’m sorry, but I have another call coming
in.” I switched over. It was Nicole.
That was convenient and ironic. In five minutes
flat, I had my first two confirmations.
Perfect.
I reached for the coffee and smiled in satisfaction
as I sipped its bittersweet goodness.
Our garden club had come together a few years ago
as a way to stay in touch. The core of us, Nicole, Ann, and I, had been
neighbors. Always the social butterfly, Ann was the second member after me. She
regularly kept her calendar booked with luncheons, dinner parties, and of
course, her monthly bingo night. She also loved to travel and took at least one
major trip every year to some exotic foreign country.
Compared to Ann, Nicole King was quiet in demeanor
and small in stature, but passionate when it came to her house and garden.
Fountains and statuary created a fantasy atmosphere in her backyard. There were
graceful arbors covered with vines and passionflowers crept up every inch of
the perimeter fence. When hosting our garden club, she’d always added a little
something new.
The last recruit to the founding quartet, Dominique
Summers, had lived in our former neighborhood as well. A diminutive,
auburn-haired woman, she radiated kindness and gentility. Dominique had the
same love of gardening as the rest of us. It was she who suggested we take on a
name to add prestige and sophistication to our lives. We all were enamored with
the idea to call ourselves “The Garden Club.” That was it. The name stuck.
For seven years, we met consistently every month.
We’d visit each other’s gardens and do lunch, gradually extending our touring
to public gardens as well. Now here we were in the process of attending the West Coast Garden Club Society’s Annual
Conference together.
It had started for me as a job. My newspaper had
hired me to review some of the key speakers. Having a degree in horticulture, I
always had an opinion about plants in general and authored the “Ask Jillian”
column in the gardening section of The San Francisco Enterprise.
Life was good. My expenses were covered, my friends
were coming and I was so looking forward to the invigorating ocean air.
If you like to read about lovely places and fabulous cuisine, enjoy the Jillian Bradley mystery series.
Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY
for your e-reader is free!
All books are G-rated and contain no profanity.
 | ||
See you in my books!
~Nancy Jill
Mystery
novelist Nancy Jill Thames has published Christian fiction since 2010.
The author of seven books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award
winning blogger and listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s
List. In addition, she won first place in her church's 4th of July celebration for her chocolate cream pie.
When she isn’t plotting her next
book, she spends time with her six
grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and
plays classical piano for her personal enjoyment. She is an active
member
of the Leander Writers' Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),
CenTex Chapter-ACFW, and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion
of her book sales. She resides with her husband in Leander, Texas.
CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com
