Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,25
she seemed to be fully engaged in a conversation with some people near the TV.
Margie watched her carefully – she didn’t seem to notice that Matthew was there at all, which was a relief. Jade never mentioned anything about Matthew, but Margie didn’t need to ask her. She saw how Jade’s expression changed the moment that Laura walked into that Sunday dinner.
Even if it was just a flash across her face, Margie knew what it meant. Jade looked like she’d been swatted down, and it broke Margie’s heart.
Laura could be the nicest girl in the world and Margie would still dislike her. It didn’t matter if it was silly – Jade was her daughter, and she’d always be on her side.
At least Jade was busy now. And it looked like the dessert table was getting a bit barren, so Margie ran to the kitchen to grab a few plates of her cookies. She knew they’d come in handy!
The rest of the evening flew by, with people coming in all the time. An hour before the end of the party, Jade caught her by the arm with breathless excitement.
“Mom, this is incredible! We’ve gotten donations from seventy-nine people. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but a few people – I’m guessing who are pretty rich – donated a couple thousand dollars each! Can you believe that?”
“I can believe it, you have a great plan and the video that you have playing is really impressive! Do you know the total yet?”
“Yes! Just about twenty-six thousand dollars. Isn’t that just insane!”
“That’s wonderful honey!”
At the end of the evening, Jade got on the microphone and thanked everyone for coming. “I also have to thank my wonderful committee for all of their hard work so far. And of course, my lovely mom, Margie, who loaned us the use of the barn tonight.”
Applause rippled across the barn.
“Don’t forget to grab a bag of cookies for your trip home – the trolleys are lining up outside. Have a great night everyone!”
As the guests slowly filtered out, Margie went around the side of the barn; she wanted to run back home and grab the last of the paper bags so they wouldn’t run out. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like movement and she froze.
She squinted into the darkness. “Hello?”
Margie approached the side of the barn to get a better look, but there didn’t seem to be anyone there. She took out her cellphone and turned on the light – what she saw took her breath away. Spray-painted on the side were the words “GIVE UP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HUR!!!”
Chapter 9
“Do you think that last word was supposed to be ‘hurt’?” Laura asked with a frown.
“No,” Morgan said evenly. “I think it was supposed to be ‘hurry’. Like ‘hurry up and remember how to spell,’ because the person who did this is an idiot.”
Jade covered her face with her hands and let out a sigh. This was not a good end to the evening. Thankfully, the guests were gone and no one else had seen the message.
“I just can’t believe that someone would do this,” Jade’s mom said. “And how did we not see them!”
Chief Hank squatted down to get a closer look at the ground. “There was too much commotion. And you did see them – you scared them off. It doesn’t seem like they left anything behind, though.”
“Yeah, they were definitely cut short,” Matthew said. “But then again – they managed to get the exclamation points in.”
“Yes, they’d meant to have ten exclamation points actually, so we knew they meant business,” Luke said. “Spelling wasn’t a priority for them, though.”
“I don’t like this,” her mom said. “I don’t like that someone is making threats. Especially after everything that happened to you, Jade.”
“It’s a pretty lame threat.” Jade stood with her arms crossed. “I am sorry about the barn though, Mom. I’ll help you repaint it.”
“I’m not worried about the barn,” she replied. “I’m worried about you.”
Jade shook her head. “Don’t be worried. I’m not scared, and this isn’t going to stop me.”
Jade gave her mom a hug and told her they’d find a day to paint together. There wasn’t much else to do, so slowly, everyone dispersed and went home.
She didn’t want to worry her, but this whole situation was ridiculous. The only reason someone decided to spray paint the barn was because they could see that the fundraiser was a success.
Not only had they raised a bunch of