A taste for murder, p.27
A Taste for Murder, page 27
“A big one?” asked Leo. He washed his hands in the big steel sink and reached for a hand towel just as his phone began to trill. He glanced at the screen, and said “Excuse me for a moment,” before stepping outside into the small paved space at the back of the kitchen.
“What’s that about?” asked Holly as he pulled the door closed behind him.
“I don’t know. Maybe his agent? I think there have been a lot of calls about All Star Bakers. They’ve gone from their last season ever and being canceled to viewer figures that went through the roof,” I explained, thinking about what Leo had already told me. Not that I’d watched the last episode yet. I couldn’t quite bring myself to see how the footage had been edited and put together but my phone was ringing off the hook for a solid month after it aired.
“That’s notoriety for you,” said Holly. “Can you believe I sold all of Rebecca Kurtz’s books? Good riddance, I say. I won’t be ordering anymore! But what does that mean for Leo? Is he staying in town for good? Or is he leaving?”
“I wish I knew,” I said, my heart sinking. It had been wonderful having him here after the show’s finale, and during the subsequent renovation of the bakery. Although he’d had to fly to his agent’s office a couple of times, he’d returned each time as swiftly as he could, telling me talks were ongoing about his career and no firm decisions had been made yet. I was simply waiting for the day when he told me they’d made him an offer too good to refuse.
“Today is about you,” Holly reminded me. “The start of your new chapter.”
“It is, isn’t it? How’s that queue looking?”
Holly peeked again. “I can’t see the end of it!” She grinned and clapped her hands as the rear door opened and Leo stepped in.
“Maybe I should make more cookies?” I glanced at the last sheet I’d pulled from the oven. Twelve perfectly shaped cookies with thick chocolate chunks and oozing caramel waited to be scooped up and put in the display case in the bakery.
“I’ve got it covered,” said Leo, tucking his phone into his back pocket. “You’ve made enough dough that it’ll be easy for me to throw in extra trays if you sell out.”
“You really don’t have to stay all day.”
Leo crossed the kitchen in a few easy steps and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said. “Plus, you need all hands on deck until you hire some real employees, and this helper gets paid with a big slice of chocolate cake.”
“Awww, you guys,” cooed Holly, then she tapped her watch. “It’s time, Candice. Your public awaits.”
“You make me sound like the queen!”
“You are the queen of this bakery,” said Holly. She reached for a warm cookie and I didn’t have the heart to tap her fingers and tell her “hands off!” She could have all the cookies she wanted after all the help she’d given me over the last few weeks. Both she and Leo, and an assortment of my friends, assisted me during all kinds of odd hours to prepare the bakery for its grand opening.
Now the bakery couldn’t look prettier with its powder blue walls, and gleaming glass display cases stocked with dozens of cookies, cupcakes, muffins and more. I’d even added new bistro tables, each of them with a small posy in the center, for guests to linger as they enjoyed their treats. And for the patrons who preferred to eat on the run or stock up? Well, I had crisp stacks of paper bags and cardboard boxes all printed with my bakery’s logo.
“It’s almost eight AM,” said Holly. “Are you ready to get this show on the road?” She peeked out the kitchen door again. “I think I saw the Times’ photographer waiting to snap a photo of you and Leo cutting the ribbon for the grand opening. And Alyssa says Leo promised her a sound piece for the article.”
“I did,” agreed Leo. “She wrote such a great article about me, I couldn’t say no.”
“I really can’t thank you guys enough,” I said, taking Leo by the hand and holding my other out for Holly, squeezing hers when she took it. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Of course you could,” said Leo. “I’m just happy to help out.”
“The publicity from you officially opening the bakery is going to be amazing,” said Holly. “I’m sure it will be front page news. Everyone is going to come by to take a nosy look and then Candice will hook them in!”
“And since I’ll be serving all day, I’ll make sure they all receive a loyalty card,” added Leo.
“We won’t forget the free cookie with any purchase deal you’re throwing today either,” said Holly. “I don’t think you’ll have any left at all.”
“There won’t be if you keep eating them,” said Leo.
“Oops,” giggled Holly as she wiped crumbs from her lip. “It’s show time! I’ll unlock the door and then you guys can step out.” She gave us both a thumbs-up and hurried out of the kitchen. A moment later, I heard the old-fashioned bell above the front door jingle.
“Can you believe it’s really happening?” I asked.
“I can, and I’m so happy for you.”
I faced the kitchen door, wringing my hands nervously. I’d waited so long for this, working hard and saving every spare penny. The prize check had almost rounded out the total amount I needed in addition to my savings, and with a small investment from Meredith (a silent stakeholder, she assured me, along with the insistence on a package of cupcakes when I repaid her the last cent) and a stroke of good luck from my landlord, I finally had everything I wanted. All I needed now was the town’s patronage.
“You have to go out there,” said Leo gently, his hand on the small of my back, giving me a little push.
I remained rooted to the spot. “What if it goes wrong?” I asked, my heartbeat quickening.
“There’s nothing else that could possibly go wrong,” he said.
“Don’t remind me!”
“Murder, sabotage, cheating…”
“What did I say!” I gritted my teeth.
“What I mean is, if you can get through that, you can get through anything. People are excited for you. They want you to be successful.”
“They actually want to see hot Leo Finley opening my bakery.”
Leo puffed out his chest and gave me his most charming smile. “Then let’s give the public what they want. After you,” he said, pushing open the door, and signaling I should go through first.
I swallowed the last bit of my nerves and plastered a smile on my face just like I did on the TV show and pushed my shoulders back. Holding my head high, I walked into the bakery, hoping I looked confident and self-assured.
Holly beamed as I rounded the counter then turned to the small gathered crowd on the sidewalk. “Please join me in welcoming the owner of the best new bakery in town,” she said loudly as she drew her hands together to lead a smattering of applause. I came to a stop next to her and waved at the gathering, picking out familiar faces dotted throughout. Mia and George waved back to me and, was that Beth with a shadow of a smile on her face? Well, stranger things had happened! “And now, please welcome celebrity judge and chef, Leo Finley, who has the great honor of opening Candice’s Bakery,” continued Holly.
Leo came out, waving, as the applause sounded again.
Holly handed him a pair of oversized scissors and ducked out of the way.
“I know what you’re really here for,” he told the crowd as he positioned the scissors next to the large bow on the blue ribbon that spanned the doorway, “and that is sweet treats. Candice, why don’t you cut the ribbon with me?”
I placed my hands over Leo’s as he said, “So, without further ado, I welcome you to Candice’s, purveyor of my favorite cakes and cookies.” Then just as the photographer started to snap a shot, he leaned in and kissed me. In front of us, the crowd cheered and clapped wildly.
“So this is what winning really looks like,” I said, my lips close to his. “I could get used to it.”
When I turned to face the crowd, all of them waiting to share in my success, my heart felt like it was about to burst. How had my life changed so drastically? All I needed now was… well, was there any use in hoping Leo would stay in town?
“I need to tell you something,” he said softly.
My heart sank. “It can’t wait?” I asked, wishing the bad news could be put off a little longer.
Leo shook his head. “I spoke to my agent just now and everything is set. I wanted you to be the first to know.”
“Know what?”
“That I turned down All Star Bakers. They’re going in a new direction with all new judges so it works out better for me anyway. They signed the contract for a show of my own.”
“So you’re leaving?” My heart deflated.
Leo’s mouth split into a broad smile. “Quite the opposite. I’m staying. They want a show filmed in a home kitchen. Since I don’t have one yet, I suggested the bakery’s kitchen. It’s exactly the quaint look the viewers will love and it already has all the equipment I need. The set dressers just want to add a few props and we can film after hours so it won’t affect your business at all.”
I blinked, wondering if I’d heard him correctly. “Are you serious?”
“More than that. I told the network we’d need to pay for the space. You can ask whatever you want and add to your profits, without lifting a finger.” Leo stopped, a frown settling on his head. “If that’s what you want?”
“And you’re staying?” I hardly dared wait for his answer.
“I’m staying.”
“And I’m getting a fat check on top of it?” I gasped.
“If you want it.”
I tipped back my head and laughed at my good fortune. “Yes!” I laughed as he swept me into a tight hug, spinning me around. “Yes, I do!”
“I don’t know what’s going on here, guys, but we’ve got a lot of hungry people waiting to come in,” said Holly as she waggled a finger at us both. “Can I let them in?”
“Absolutely,” said Leo and I nodded enthusiastically.
I grabbed Leo’s hand and hurried behind the counter, pulling a fresh blue-stripe apron over my head as Leo did the same. “Welcome to Candice’s,” I called out as my first patrons stepped through the door past Holly. I reached for the tongs and held my head up, ready for business. “What can I get for you?”
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If you enjoyed your visit to Calendar, get the next standalone mystery, Murder in the Library, out in paperback, ebook, and audiobook now!
Sara Cutler loves her job as head librarian of the public library, an integral part of the historic heart of the picturesque mountain town, Calendar. The combination of old books, quirky clientele, and endless reading is nothing less than perfection for Sara. So when she discovers a body in the rare books section that threatens to destroy her quiet existence, along with the imminent demise of the library, Sara vows to find the killer.
She never expects to receive any help from Jason Rees, the handsome, big city developer whose only objective is to get rid of the library. Sara assumes he is counting on the murder to serve as the final death knell his firm needs to demolish the library. However, that doesn’t prevent him from falling head over heels for the very woman with whom he’s clashing.
When news arrives that the dead woman was nothing that she appeared to be, the whole town is instantly enthralled by the concept of having an actual jewel thief in their midst. Even more puzzling is: where did she hide her stolen treasure?
All Sara must do to save the library is simply solve the murder, find the hidden jewels, and convince herself not to succumb to the one man she would rather see run out of town. It doesn’t take long before she realizes that amateur sleuthing isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the stories she loves to read.
~
Love mysteries? Try Armed and Fabulous, book one in the bestselling Lexi Graves Mysteries, out in paperback, FREE ebook, and audiobook now!
All Lexi wants to do is get through the day at her boring temp job with Green Hand Insurance. That’s until she finds the CEO, Martin Dean, in a pool of blood and finds herself at the center of an investigation into insurance fraud. Millions of dollars are missing, the chief suspect is dead and her mysterious, sexy, new boss is not what he seems.
Recruited by the joint task force working on the case, all Lexi has to do is work out who killed Martin and where the missing millions are. That’s easier said than done when her sister is demanding the baby shower to end all baby showers, her wise ass cop family just wants to keep her safe, someone is leaving her creepy gifts and all their clues are leading them to a seedy sex club on the wrong side of town.
As the bodies start to pile up, Lexi is on a race against time to find the killer and the money, before she’s next in the murderer’s sights.
Other books by Camilla Chafer:
Calendar Murder Mysteries
Murder in the Library
Poison Rose Murder
Murder by the Book
Murder at Blackberry Inn
Curated Murder
Dressed for Murder
A Taste for Murder
Deadlines Mystery Trilogy
Deadlines
Dead to the World
Dead Ringers
Lexi Graves Mysteries
Armed and Fabulous
Who Glares Wins
Command Indecision
Shock and Awesome
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Laugh or Death
Kissing in Action
Trigger Snappy
A Few Good Women
Ready, Aim, Under Fire
Rules of Engagement
Very Special Forces
In the Line of Ire
Mission: Possible
Pied Sniper
Charmed Forces
Stella Mayweather Series (Urban Fantasy)
Illicit Magic
Unruly Magic
Devious Magic
Magic Rising
Arcane Magic
Endless Magic
Camilla Chafer, A Taste for Murder
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