She only had two days to make plans to not only attend Edna’s birthday party but arrive two days early. She had received the letter on Tuesday afternoon via overnight express mail. The rain tapered down as Rosalie read the last line again. We have much to discuss before my final hours. Please use the reply card to inform me whether or not you will grace us with your presence. I will prepare a room for your arrival on the 29th. I know, darling, my descendants can be quite the challenge, but this year, I would love for you to join them. Of course there has been another party planned in celebration of this milestone. On December the 31st, I will have reached the start of my 82nd year on God’s green earth. She opened it and read the letter for the umpteenth time. Rosalie took another breath then lifted the envelope off the seat. They would stay up into the wee hours of the morning having them, and on Edna’s last night in town that’s exactly what they did. However, the most delightful parts of their time spent together were their conversations, which had spanned from politics to business practices to traveling to Rosalie’s nonexistent love life. Next they had breakfast at the Casa Del Mar Hotel then went back to Pasadena for the open-air antiquing mall. Then on the following day, Rosalie and Edna drove to Santa Monica early in the morning for a brisk walk along the beach. Later that day, they ate all forms of lobster entrées and shook their shoulders to unknown bands at the Lobster Fest in San Pedro. All of her ripping and running had paid off. Mm, divine, Edna said after taking her first bite. But in the morning, Edna arrived and sat down to her first piece of her favorite pie. Edna loved Rosalie's vegetable smoothies. She wanted to make at least two good ones during her guest’s stay. Rosalie bought fresh carrots, celery, butter lettuce, spinach, kale, tomatoes, and more. Then she fought traffic all the way to Westlake Village and went to Mason’s Cellar because they were the only ones who sold Sterling Vine Premium Rosé for the more affordable price of two hundred fifty dollars a bottle. Produce King in Santa Monica was her last stop. She drove out to Redondo Beach and stood in line for an hour just to buy a crispy apple pie from Pies in the Sky. Instead of staying at a luxury hotel, she’d spent two days at Rosalie’s humble abode in Pasadena, California.Ī day before her guest’s arrival, Rosalie hired a maid service and had her place cleaned from top to bottom. Edna had come to Los Angeles to handle some personal business. Rosalie took a deep breath and remembered when she had last spent time with Edna in June. However, during their mostly contentious marriage, she developed a bond with his grandmother, a link they had continued until that very day. Rosalie had been divorced from Peter Sterling for six years. She looked down at the passenger seat and stared at the letter that was sitting on the leather cushion.Įdna Sterling, Rosalie’s ex-husband’s grandmother, had the letter sent to her by messenger two days ago. The softly purring engine mixed with the sound of water pelting the window. The rain started up again as she made a right, drove a number of feet, and stopped on the gravel along the side of the road. Rosalie Stetson guided her car off the freeway exit. And now, discovery is in the air in more ways than one. However, they can't control their attraction to each other either. They won't stop looking until she's found, dead or alive. Her blood is found in places where it shouldn't be, and even though Rosalie and Chance can't trust each other, they're forced to unite and figure out what happened to their beloved matriarch. Then, before the new sun rises, Edna will go missing. But he didn't know she was so close to his grandmother, and as his spoiled cousin Peter's ex-wife, he's not sure he can trust her. He's also disappointed that she doesn't remember him. When Chance Sterling sees Rosalie Stetson walk into his grandmother's study, he's shocked. Rosalie has no idea what that could be, and Edna's not talking, yet. Edna wants to meet with her a day before the party to discuss important business. And he wasn't just any man her ex-husband was a Sterling, one of the wealthiest families in the country.īut when Rosalie's ex-grandmother-in-law invites her to an 80th birthday bash, Rosalie says yes, risking running into her obnoxious ex-husband. She hadn't been home since divorcing the man who grew up on the wealthy side of the tracks. It's Blushing Green, California, where emerald green hills separate rich wine country from the common folk. It has been years since bright, young lawyer Rosalie Stetson returned to the small town where she grew up. But time to discover the truth is running out-tick tock. It starts with an invitation but ends with a mysterious disappearance, or maybe it's murder.