A Cherry Sinister Murder: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (Slice of Paradise Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  “We all have our own ways to cope, I guess,” Laura said. She was vigorously rubbing a spot underneath the counter that no one else in the world would probably ever think of, let alone clean.

  Faith rubbed the sponge along every surface she could see and followed that with a dry rag Laura gave her. There didn’t seem much point but cleaning with someone else was actually quite therapeutic, she found. “So… you guys don’t get many clients here, huh?”

  Laura grimaced. “Nope.”

  “I don’t think Grandma Bessie’s moved with the times,” Faith said. “As wonderful she is at baking, well…” She looked around at the sad brown walls and the tables and chairs. Everything seemed to be old, but not in a charming, antique way. “Well, I had something in mind.”

  Laura flicked the rag over her shoulder and began to wash her hands, ever so thoroughly of course. “Shoot.”

  “It’s an awesome location, first of all, right near the entrance but quite tucked away, too. I want to make it… Oh, it’s hard to explain… more of an experience, kind of thing. Like we could paint it all bright like one of those little Key West houses, like lemon yellow, or a faded turquoise, or a lavender even, and add that wooden decorative trim people put on.”

  “Uh, that would be so nice,” Laura said.

  Faith’s eyes took on a dreamy look as she imagined just how amazing they could make it. “I want it to be like… a hideaway. A retreat kind of place. Like we could plant tropical trees and bushes all around, ooh, and have a veranda!”

  Laura clapped her hands. “Yes!”

  “And we could get the windows cut out bigger, with lovely old fashioned shutters painted in a nice contrasting color. Like if it was lemon yellow, then we’d have powder blue. Or with lavender we’d have a very delicate light green, almost white. And the whole place would be blooming with flowers outside.” She looked at the dingy little seating area. “And we’d paint the ceiling white to open up the place, and the walls, too. The floor we could stain in a nice light blue, ooh, that would look awesome.”

  Laura nodded, taking it all in.

  “It’ll be like a retreat,” Faith said, holding the vision in her head. “Where people come when they want to escape from the world and… find their own slice of paradise.”

  “Slice of Paradise!” Laura said. “We should totally rename it that! Because we’re in Paradise Point. And it’s like a slice of cake, too.”

  Faith grinned from ear to ear. “You’re a genius.”

  Laura nodded decisively. “I think things are about to get pretty awesome around here.”

  *****

  Chapter 4

  Faith had been worried that Grandma Bessie would stand in her way of transforming the old dingy tea room into the Slice of Paradise, given how much she was stuck in her ways, but after the first day Bessie completely disappeared.

  “Don’t expect to see me for at least two weeks,” she told Faith. “I’ll be playing cards and swimming and having a break. What do you kids call it these days… a staycation? This café is like a husband, I’m telling you. I love it to death but it’s a noose around my neck some days. You’re up to taking care of things for a couple of weeks, aren’t you, Faith?”

  “You bet,” Faith had said, then turned and winked at Laura. Faith couldn’t wait to see Grandma Bessie’s reaction when she returned and the place would be transformed. She was sure that, no matter how reluctant to embrace progress Grandma Bessie was, it would look so fresh and bright and full of promise that she would fall in love with it anyway.

  Faith wasted no time in getting started.

  “You’ll have to get Merlene over,” Laura said, biting her lip as she focused on frosting another lemon sponge cake. Faith was teaching her and she’d managed to improve her technique vastly in just a couple of hours. Grandma Bessie was enthusiastic about baking for sure, but she wasn’t a natural teacher, getting irritable and crabby if she had to explain something more than once. “She’s the accountant for most of the vendors around here.”

  Faith had asked how much money there was for a remodel. She was holding out hope there would be a few hundred dollars in the accounts, at least. Laura and Faith could do most of the labor themselves, and Laura’s cousin Nathan had agreed to help them out with landscaping their little tropical garden out front.

  “Lula will be here any minute,” Faith said, fiddling with the edge of her favorite apron. It had a pale green checkered pattern that reminded her of old country kitchens. “Do you think it’s a good idea to hire her? I’m having second thoughts.” She was a decorator and carpenter, referred to them by Tonya Tate who ran the pancake café nestled right in the back of Paradise Point. “I feel bad about—”

  Laura looked at her witheringly. “Can you saw out wooden boards to make bigger windows?”

  “Nope,” Faith said with a giggle. “I’d probably end up cutting my hand off.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I just feel guilty, you know, that your dad is—”

  “Trust me,” Laura said. “He’s just a generous guy. It’s not like he’s paying for the whole remodel. Just to get it kicked off, because he appreciates Grandma Bessie for hiring me.”

  Faith rolled her eyes. “Ooh, yeah, because you’re so unemployable. Friendly, super clean, supportive, hardworking… who the heck would want that?!”

  Laura stuck her tongue out. They were becoming firmer friends by the day. Faith had always found making friends a little difficult, because she tended to be so dreamy and into her baking. But here, putting her dreams into action and getting to bake as much as she wanted to, she fitted right in.

  “We’re going to pay it all back, though,” Faith said firmly. “Every penny. And we’ll do a grand reopening fundraising day. To pay for Grandma’s operation and try to cover some of her living expenses.” She felt her chest ache with how much she wanted it all to work. “I really really hope this goes well.”

  “I don’t see why it shouldn’t,” Laura said. “Right now we have tons and tons of people coming through here everyday, but they pass us by. With this grand reopening they’ll come and check us out and then we’ll get loads of new regulars, I just know it.”

  Faith smiled, her stomach fluttering with nervousness and excitement, both at once. “I sure hope so.”

  The noise of gravel crunching outside wafted in through the open shutters.

  “Ooh, must be Lula!” Laura said, clapping her hands. “And the cake’s done. I better put it away, unless you like sawdust sprinkles!”

  Faith laughed and got up from where she had been sitting on a tabletop, ready to greet Lula and get the show on the road. It was so exciting to sink her teeth into a project.

  But it wasn’t Lula. It was Joanne Cobb, a cupcake vendor Faith recognized from the meeting she’d attended on her first day. She was a tall slender woman with deep red hair swept over a shoulder and black glasses with fashionably thick rims, but always walked with a slight stoop – as if she were trying to apologize for her height – that took away the elegance she would have otherwise had.

  “Oh, hey Joanne, how are you?” Faith said with a smile.

  Joanne flashed her a very obviously fake smile and waved a piece of paper in front of her. “What is going on? Where’s Bessie?”

  Laura came out of the back room, wiping her hands with a tissue. “Hi, Joanne.” Her voice was a little less sunny than normal. “What’s up?”

  “My grandma’s taking a little staycation,” Faith explained. “I’m taking over for now.”

  Joanne laughed a little then closed her eyes like she was exercising great patience with them. “And you’re doing a whole remodel, I see.” She poked at the piece of paper. “Trying to attract more customers.”

  Laura put a hand on her hip. “Well, that is what keeps business going, Joanne. Are those the papers we submitted yesterday?” Faith and Laura had filled out some paperwork letting Ellis, one of the park’s managers and wardens, know what they were doing. “How did you get thos
e?”

  “Cupcakes,” Joanne said darkly, stabbing at the paper again with her finger. “It says here you intend to sell beverages, pastries, cakes and cupcakes.”

  Faith figured the situation immediately. “Yes, they’re my specialty. But it’s totally different from what you offer. I mean, yours is like a little cupcake café right, and it’s all about the cupcakes. I totally get that. But ours is more like… the cupcakes are just one small part of the experience.” Faith bit her lip, worrying that what she had wanted to say had come out all wrong. She hadn’t meant to be condescending or put Joanne’s business down. “We won’t even advertise them, if you don’t want. I sure don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

  Joanne pushed her glasses onto the top of her head, looking immensely stressed. “You can’t sell cupcakes. I won’t allow it.”

  Faith shook her head. She had always been an accommodating sort of person, but giving up cupcakes was something she just could not do. She tried to formulate a diplomatic response when Laura said, “It’s not like anyone owns cupcakes, Joanne. I would understand your concern if we were switching over to nothing but cupcakes, but like Faith said, it’s just one of the many things we offer.”

  “No, no, no,” Joanne said. “I won’t be having this. I won’t be having this at all. You’ll have to rethink your menu.”

  Faith wished her grandma were there. She could imagine her right then, planting her hands on her hips, standing tall and tipping up her chin, saying something sassy and decisive and absolutely final. Joanne would go on her way, knowing what was what. But Faith’s heart fluttered and her stomach churned and her tongue tied up in her mouth.

  Joanne stared at her. “Or else.”

  “Get out of here,” Laura said, unexpectedly loudly, sounding like she was about to burst into tears. Faith looked over at her in shock. “Go on, go,” Laura said, her voice cracking a little.

  Joanne turned on her heel and stormed out without another word.

  Laura burst into tears. By the time Faith rushed over to her she was wiping them away and laughing at herself. “Oh, don’t mind silly old me,” she said, half-giggling, half-crying. “I’ll burst into tears over just about anything. My family even has a nickname for me.”

  Faith saw the funny side and smiled. “What?”

  Laura’s eyes shone with humor, even though her eyes were now red and she wiped them again with her sleeve. “Weepy.”

  Something was so funny about the way Laura said that Faith burst out laughing. “It suits you, Weepy. My mom calls me Ditzy. That should be our new café name. Ditzy and Weepy.”

  Laura laughed. “No, Cupcakes by Ditzy and Weepy.”

  “Terribly Controversial Cupcakes by Ditzy and Weepy.”

  “Ooh, that’s catchy,” Laura said, and burst out laughing all over again. “Oh, gosh, I’m crying again!”

  “This time with laughter, I hope,” Faith said with a grin.

  “I guess I should warn you,” Laura said, wiping her eyes. “Commercials with animals, I’m crying. Commercials with babies, I’m crying. Just about every movie, I’m crying. Tell me a funny joke, I’m crying.”

  “Maybe I can give you something to smile about,” a voice from the door said.

  They both turned to see a slender blonde lady with a pretty face and a heavy duty tool set in her hand.

  “Oh, hey,” Faith said, going over. “Lula, right?”

  Lula smiled warmly. “Guilty.” She looked over the place. “Ooh, I can’t wait to get started. Don’t you just love seeing a place get totally transformed?”

  *****

  Chapter 5

  Before starting her shift, Laura had gone to the local Walmart to pick up special edible decorations for the next creation Faith was teaching her to make – white cupcakes adorned with reams of edible silver lace and tiny little silver balls dotted among the buttercream frosting.

  Faith turned from where she sat at the picnic table they’d temporarily borrowed from down by the waterfront. She had been basking in the dappled shade, drinking a cup of sweet tea and watching Laura’s cousin Nathan – who happened to be extremely attractive – plant small palms and even a couple of pineapple plants out front, surrounded by gravel, giving the place a tropical, modern look.

  The night before they’d found some of the plants dug up and strewn about the place. “Probably just some kind of animal,” Nathan had said with a shrug. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it up in no time.” Faith had been worried at first, hovering around the front garden and biting her lip, but he was so casual about it she soon felt better.

  “Wow,” Laura said as she approached. “It looks incredible!”

  Nathan stood up and made a deep, flourishing bow, then swept his deep auburn hair away, which waved and tangled just like Faith’s, from his face as he stood. “Why thank you, thank you very much.”

  Laura crossed her arms and pushed out her lip. “Actually I was talking about the porch. Well, it’s more of a veranda, isn’t it?”

  Faith nodded appreciatively. “Lula’s doing an incredible job, isn’t she?” The veranda covered two sides of the café, then jutted out on its own toward the tropical bushes behind. “She’s coming back to finish up the woodwork this afternoon. It’s taking a little longer than she expected, so I think we’ll stain it ourselves. I thought a pale green would look really awesome, to match the decorative trim. And we’ve got to put layers and layers of poly down.”

  Laura grinned. “Never a dull moment with you, is there? Silver bauble cupcakes and layers and layers of poly, whatever in the heck that is. Well, at least I’m learning something. I’m gonna go put this inside,” she said, nodding at her Walmart bag. She passed Nathan on her way to the door. He was crouching next to a pile of gravel, using a shovel to dig a hole, ready to transplant a handsome palm plant. She gave him the tiniest nudge with her foot, and he lost his balance and fell backward onto his behind.

  “Laura!” he said, reaching out to grab her ankle, but she was long gone, leaping through the gaps in the half-finished veranda and disappearing inside the café.

  Faith laughed and Nathan looked up at her with a mock-hostile expression, his dark expressive eyes so cutting and sharp she couldn’t quite meet them. “Aagh! She’s always been my most annoying cousin!” he said, shaking his head. “And now she’s got you on her side.”

  Faith took a sip of tea and looked away from him, pretending to be haughty. “Shut up and plant my plants, boy.”

  “Ooh hoo hoo!” Nathan laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Sorry, sorry,” she said, turning back to look at him and already feeling guilty.

  He looked up at her, smiling with one side of his mouth, and the expression in his eyes ever so warm. “You can’t even pretend to be mean, can you?”

  Faith felt herself blushing, so she hurriedly got up, draining back the rest of her tea. “Don’t try me,” she said teasingly, then rushed inside to join Laura. Sure, there was instant chemistry between her and Nathan, but the last thing she needed was the stress of trying to impress some guy. She had a tea room to renovate, a grand opening to prepare for, kittens to look after, and a grandma to raise money for. Cirrus and Nimbus were happy to roam about her little apartment while she was gone, and she’d bought them an adventure tower that doubled up as a scratch post, along with squeezy toys and a plush mouse each. Every morning she laid out a feast for them, chattering away to them about what she was going to do that day and wondering just how much they understood. Nimbus was no longer shy, though he was the more affectionate of the two, slinking into her bedroom in the morning to come and snuggle himself into a little purring furball next to her, while Cirrus was more hyper and athletic, chasing his own tail and trying to play-fight Nimbus by batting his little soft paws over his brother’s head. It really was very cute.

  “Aah,” Faith said, as soon as she walked inside, and for good reason. Lula had done a magnificent job in transforming the place, with Faith and Laura pitching in as much as they could. T
he wide open windows had become a gorgeous sun-splashed reality, and the wooden walls were now a light, fresh color that reminded Faith of frothing cream. Faith had even taken the bus down to Home Depot to pick up a tiny tin of paint in her favorite color, a delicate shade of teal that was on the border between powder blue and pale green. She used that on the accent wall, painting every other board until it was striped, cream then teal, cream then teal. A white shabby chic photo frame on that wall or a sconce with lace detailing like she’d seen on Pinterest would be the perfect finishing touch, she thought, and made a mental note to create something.

  Laura had unpacked the supplies and was running her finger over a portion of the edible lace again and again, her brow furrowed. “You sure you can eat this, Faith? We’re not going to send our customers to the hospital, are we?”

  “Ha!” Faith said. “That would be a good grand opening, wouldn’t it? I can see the headlines now. Ten die from eating lace at Florida beach tearoom.”

  “Well, I can guarantee that headline’s never run before,” Laura said with a giggle. She looked at her dainty little gold watch on her slim wrist. “I’ve officially got five minutes before my start time, boss.” She winked.

  “Don’t call me—”

  “So if you’ll excuse me,” Laura interrupted, with a totally irreverent curtsey, “I’ll be having myself a sweet tea and one of your crazily delicious cappuccino cupcakes while I put my feet up and read my book.” She rummaged in her purse and fished out a book with a boy on the front cover curled up in a ball, only his fearful eyes peeking out. Laura had told her all about it a few days before – it was what people called misery lit, true narratives about people who grew up in horrible circumstances.

  “You’re like the happiest person ever and yet you read that stuff?” Faith said with a shiver. She preferred a lighthearted romance or mystery to curl up with.

  “Yep,” Laura said, swiping a cupcake from the countertop and flicking off the whistling kettle as she passed by. “I guess I can be grateful I don’t have a life like that.”